The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-23
SONG AND SINGERS.
Calve Wants a Bigger Salary ioi
Next Year.
All the Other Great Artists Have Signed
Contracts 10 Return.

Hillary Bell, the popular reviewer OF
the New York Press, has been nosing
around the Metropolitan Opera House
this week picking up q good deal OF In
teresting information for music lovers
and the large number OF persons in musi-
cal centers of the country interested In
song and singers. He sAys;
Grand opera is such ansexpensive ven
ture that any thing which interferes with
it's prosperity Is regarded with the utmost
concern by the artists as well as the i'm.
pressario. A play performed by one OF
ouf high-ss laried stock companies may
run TO bad business for two or three weeks
without wholly bankrupting the mana
gers hopes or his fortune. But even
week OF light receipts at the Metropolitan
makes the future OF opera dubious. IL Is
a high-priced cast at the theater which
lifts the expenses beyond $4,000 week.
But for the first week OF their spring en-
gagement Abbey d Grau paid nearly s4O,-
600 in salaries alone. There were seven
performances at cost averaging almost
$4,000 each. In order to meet these ex-
tTaordinary expenses grand opera must be
aided In every way. The enmity OF the
weather last week interfered seriously
with it's prosperity. People think twice
before they pay s. for the privilege OF
sitting four hours in the Metropolitan on
a hot night. Go far, the house has not
been crowded on any evening OF the
supplementary engagement. The largest
audiences were those of last Monday night
and Saturday matinee, when Jean de
Reszke sang Romeo and Raoul. Curiously
enough, the lightest receipts were those
of Tuesday night, when "Carmen" was
revived. Still more odd is the fact that
In many PARTICULARS that was one OF the
finest performances of the season, for in
stead of being chagrined by observing
many empty chairs, Nine. Calye fairly
surpassed herself in vocal and dramatic
portrayal of the Bizet heroine.
That performance declared beyond oil
doubt that the sympathy which exists be-
tween the singers and the impresorii.
Abbey IL Grau never have such trout Die
with their company as was experienced
by Walter Damrosch with the Germans.
Ii Ia the earnest purpose OF the Franco
Italians TO assist the management to sue
cess. This may be a selfish object, for
none OF the artists earns SO much money
in Europe as Is paid In this country.
The singers have their differences, hut
they are agreed on one poInt-that their
fortunes are materially benefited by
Abbey Il Grau's prosperity. Therefore
we now observe that every artist in the
company puts forth uncommon efforts
to Offset the disadvantages of the weather.
Nine. Melba recently forced herself to
sing twice when the condition of her
throat should have kept the prima donna
in her apartments under Doctors care.
Jean de Reszke, exhausted after his long
s ason and the tedious journey from st.
Louis, opened the engagement auspici-
ously by Eerving himself up to asplendid
stroke OF art. In the entire annals OF our
opera we have never had anything to sur
pass the Carmen that Calve gave on Tues
oay. M. Lahert's Don Jose and Turiddu
were triumphs OF tragic acting and pas
sionate singing. throughout the week
each singer in the company did all that
musical and dramatic art could achieve,
not only to maintain, but to eclipse, the
success of the winter season. The artists
realized that an heroic effort must be
made TO struggle against the whiting in
fuence OF the thermometer and to carry
the management safely over the Rubicon
of the spring season. Abbey u Grau
came back to town with 400, 900 profits
on the winter term, and from Jean de
Reszke down to the humblest chorus girl
everybody was determined to increase
that surplus. This admirable effort was
successful. The audiences. although not
so large as was expected, paid profit
over expenses.
We understand that already Abbey and
Grau have signed contracts for next sea-
son with all the artists, except one, whom
they wish to re-engage. The exception is
Nine. Calve. 1t is question OF salary
with her. Her success in New York has
not been SO great this season as it was
two years ago, when she was new and
cyclonic in artistic sensation. But dur
ing the recent road tour Calve was the
supreme favorite, winning even greater
applause than was awarded to Melba.
Although the Australian made great
deal of money by IL, she added nothing
TO her operatic value by that concert tour.
The majority OF folk In other cities are
satisfied by merely heairpg the voice OF a