The herald., 1896-08-16

cnleny tnrouBn tne medlum OF piano
by some Gargantuan disarrangement?
Chopin wrote many pieces; why play
only those that are hackneyed? Did
Henselt write only 81 Jetais un oiseau?
Why Is Heller, one of the most romantic
and at the same time exquisitely pol
ished of all composers for the piano, so
shamefully neglected?
There occurred not long ago In Milan
the death of Giovanni Franchi, once
familiar figure to operatic managers the
world over.
Old Franchi lived ten years beyond
the three score and ten allotted to man,
and was for eighteen years PATHS man
ager He was even more than her man
ager, for he watched with jealous eye
over her welfare, and being what the
Scots call "a guild, thrifty man." man.
aged to amass considerable wealth for
her, where the pleasure-loving diva
might, like NOSE artists have squan-
dered her easily earned honoraria with
out an atom of compunction.
1t was of Franchi that the following
anecdote used to be told
The company was in Philadelphia, un-
der the management of Col. Mapleson.
Patti. who at that time was at the apo
gee of her glory, was the talk of the
town, and there was every prospect of
however. Franchi made his appearance.
Madame will not sing tonight unless
she gets the $4,000 provided for by con-
tract in advance" he said, smilingly.
The management was temporarily short
of funds. What was to be done? The
colonel, man of many resources began
to raise money rather than disappoint
his star. At o'clock there were $4,000 in
the prima donnas hands, at the man
ager sent $1,000 more. 1t was announced
that madame would proceed to the the
ater Once there she retired to her
dressing room. The theater doors were
thrown open and the immense audience
began to flock in. Everything looked as
if the evening would prove gigantic
success, and the curtain was about to
be raised when Franchi appeared once
more before the colonel
"Caro. signore." he said, deferentially,
"Mme. Patti is almost dressed. She has
on everything but one slipper. but she
positively refuses to put that on unless
you send in the remaining $1,000 have
tried to argue with her, macche, but
am powerless."
OF course the colonel did not stop to
argue.
Later, when Franchi grew older, he
retired to Italy, where he spent the re-
mainder of his years in comparative
idleness and poverty. Apart from
piece of property near Brescis, said to
be of little value, the old man had not
soldo in the world when he died.
STRAY CHORDS
Miss Marie Parcello. contralto, is the
regular substitute of Mrs. Katherine
Bloodgood at the Collegiate church.
Seventy-seventh street and West End
avenue, New York, during the latters
absence in California.
Last season twenty-five summer COM
ic opera companies started out of New
York city. This summer only eight such
organizations have left that city.
The full name of Chevalier, the music
hall singer, Is Albert Onsimo Britannicus
Gwathveoye Louis Chevalier.
The great Sonzogno has determined to
visit the United States, and after the
beginning of December next will leave
the direction of La Scala to Corti and
PoZzali.
Lii Hung Chang detests music. In his
visits to the capitals of Europe he has
to be taken to acrobatic and other such
like performances to amuse him. instead
of to the customary operate treats.
"Give me good WORDS" he says, but
keep your music"
Sig. Manuel Garcia, the teacher of
Jenny Lind, Catherine Hayes and Nine.
Marchesi, has reached his ninety-second
year. Sig. Garcia is still hale and hearty
and instructs private pupils in London.
His debut in New York took place sew
enty years ago. He retired from the
stage in 1929.
The first performance in Madrid of a
new two-act opera La Gran Feria, near
ly led to a pitched battle in the audito-
rum. The claque made itself so offens-
lively prominent that the audience, which
did not like the opera, protested vigor-
ously, and the curtain had to be lowered
to stop the tumult.
Performances at Bayreuth begin at
o'clock in the afternoon. In most Ger
man cities operas begin begin at z, some
times at 6. In New York and London
audiences feel aggrieved and leave II
the performance extends beyond mid
night. In Madrid 1t has heretofore been
customary to make theatrical and mu-
sical entertainments last till o'clock.
but by recent edict the managers will
be compelled hereafter to close at 80
Mr.. Maurice Grau has formally ac-
cepted the managing dictatorship of the
opera, Covent Garden, London, which
has been registered as private -liabli-
ty company under the title of the Royal
Opera Syndicate. This has been ar
ranged largely through the efforts of
Lord de Gray and Mr.. Higgins. Signor
Mancinelli and Mr.. Neil Forsyth will
! retain their present positions.
At the first Rheingold performance at
Bayreuth America was almost as we'll
represented on the stage as in the aud
itorium. There We're two young ladies
from the United States in the cast Miss
Marion Weed sang Frecia and Miss
Fremstadt Flosshilde.
Much has been written about the alb
surd and ruinous policy of paying opera
singers in America three or four times as
much as they receive in Europe And
now the London critics are growing be-
cause foreign pianists who play in Ger
many and France for about a dollar a
seat come to London and charge five.
THE guinea recital STALL" says Truth,
sis, with the exception of the solitary
recital expected each season from M.
Paderewski, self-evident absurdity."
Vast Doodle Behind rcKinIey
The Mckinley enterprise Is capitalized
for an enormous amount and the expen-