The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-09

Johann Strauss, the Waltz King.
strong enough to stand the strain OF directing
| the whole performance. Strauss friends say
| that he is already preparing another opera.
He is II years of age, and gives every promise
| OF retaining as perennial an activity as the
octogenarian Verdi. The critics are beginning
| to suggest that as Verdi wrote a comic opera
| "Falstaff"-at the age of so, it is not improb-
able that when Strauss reaches the same age
| he may be ready to come before the public
| with a new departure in the shape OF an opera
| seria.
lie Menestrel tells an amusing story of the
| late General Sir Henry Ponsonby, who was for
many years Queen Victorias private secretary.
The general was noted for his politeness. and
| whenever an artist performed at court he
always telegraphed the following day to
inquire after the performers health. If a COM
plete troupe performed at the castle the general
! employed q formula, always the same, which
| included the various members OF the company.
A short time ago Rogers Pratt was sent for to
court to exhibit his educated geese before
| Queen Victorias grandchildren. The day fol-
| lowing the "artist" received the traditional
| telegram from General Ponsonby, written in
| the following immutable terms; "Her gracious
Majesty would be delighted to know If the
members OF your troupe are well and il they
/
part beg you to convey to them the express
sion of my esteem 1t is not stated whether
| the educated geese replied TO the generals
| polite message.
! Few singers have been more "boomed" dur
| ing the last few years than Miss Ellen Beach
| Yaw. This young Californienne is said to have
! the greatest range of any living soprano, and
! bucolic critics in Texas and New Mexico the
| localities where Miss Yaw has most loved to
/ l. H., ali r1a
! tive adjectives in their verbal repertory. The
incense offered by these rural critics has ap-
peared, along with Miss Yaws portrait, in
numerous music journals, and the public has
I frequently marveled why such phenomenal
| diva should prefer the homage of Houston and
| San Antonio to the aduiation of New York,
! Paris and London. 1t is now announced that
| Miss Yaw intends to tour through the princi-
! pal cities of the Union. SO that the public will
| at last discover whether she is indeed the most
! phenomenal singer of the age or whether she
only has an exceptionally clever press agent.
There is q visible falling off of interest in the
| opera performances at the Metropolitan this
| winter in New York. The public does not
| seem to know what it wants, or, if it does
know, when it gets it stays at home, or should
it come forth, shows no enjoyment in the per-
Torrance. Even Media, who was stormed on
her first appearance this season with the Bos-
|
| siye greeting at her operate debut in ''Romeo
and Juliet" whereby the diva was grumpy,
and when she really was applauded for the
waltz song she surveyed the passive express
sionless lines OF boxes which used to lose their
| sanity for her, with glance which meant,
| "Too late; you've kept your greeting until
| have done something you would like repeated,
! so now you won't have it."
| Mrs. Mary Anne Kelley, whose ninetieth
| birthday was recently celebrated in London,
| is the last person living who sang in the first
| performance OF Webers "Oberon." in April,
| 1926, and she is probably the only one alive
| who saw the composer of the "Freischutz'
conduct his orchestra. The old lady is still
well and strong, and when she went to Wind
sor to receive the congratulations of the
| Queen she proved to be the more active of the
two, though Victoria is fourteen years her
junior
The opera comique, "Panurge," music by
Planquette, is said TO be neither ingenious,
logical, nor amusing The composer, accord
ing to the Progress Artistique, copied from a
varied repertoire, extending from 'The Bells
of Bonneville" to the Wagner music dramas.
A song, "Je suis Cocolati, Cocolati," is sung to
the second period of the first motive of the
vorspeil in the "Meistersinger."
Emily Soldene, well known in this country
as a sometime famous burlesque actress and
singer, is in Australia, where she is doing
newspaper work, and acting musical critic.
She will shortly issue volume of reminis-
cences, which will no doubt prove highly in
teresting.
Harry B. Smith. Reginald de Koven's
Ibrettist, has younger brother who also has
g. taste for ltbretto writing He has lately
finished the book for an opera to be called 1.-THE
Shah of Persia"
A remarkable violoncello virtuoso, Jefte
Sholci, has died suddenly at Florence For
thirty years he was professor in the musical
institute of the town, and it was in the insti-
tute that he struck down with sudden
illness from which he expired in few hours.
new opera in four acts, entitled "Hedy"
and founded on Byron's "Don JUAN" has been
produced with great success at Prague. The
libretto is by Frau Agnes Schulz and the music
by NJ. z. Fibich.
The full name of Chevaier, the London
music-hall singer, is Albert Onesimo Brittani-
Gus Gwathveoye Louis Chevalier. 1t would
make q good yell for a Welsh college.
A new operetta, ''Madame Sans Gene" by
Dloueki and Weren't has just achieved bril-
liant success at Moscow
Mascagni is about to start musical paper in
Milan.
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CURRENT FUN.