The San Francisco call., 1896-01-02

esteem in England some years ago. By what is
vulgarly: known pull" he has succeeded
in producing 'Ivanhoe" in Berlin; and in spite
of the fact that the Emperor has been several
times to see it, the press and the public are not
at all favorable to the work. One newspaper,
which is enthusiastic over the costumes and
scenery which have been layished on 'IYan-
hoe,' proposes that they should be utilized for
Marschner's opera, The Templar and the Jew
ess,' which is also founded on Sir Walter Scott's
celebrated romance.
In the meantime f'The Mikado'' is attracting
crowds to the little Berlin theater Under the
Lindens, which seems to emphasize the fact
that Sir Arthur Sullivan, having chosen the
way of operetta, must keep to it-in other
words, he has made his bed and has to lie in it.
'An antiQuary in Rome, N. G. Koppe," says
the Roman newspaper L'ItaIia, ''has just dis
covered splendid quartet OF instruments by
Stradiyarius. 1t is composed of two violins a
viola and violoncello, and StradiYarius is
supposed: ito have executed the order for Philip
the Fifth OF Spain, given through. Cardinal
Alberon1. Each instrument bears in relief the
arms OF the Bourbons OF Spain, the heads are
inscribed with the royal lilies and the bridges
are OF scuIptured ivory. The viols bear the
/ inscription; 'Antonius Stradivarius faciebat
Cremona MDCCXYIIL' The instruments are
well preserved, each one being in its original
case of walnut wood. This quartet, which Is
absolutely original OF its kind, has a great his
/ torical as wellas artistic interest" L'Italia
however, omits to say where the instruments
were discovered, and who owned them when
NJ. G. Hoppe discovered them.
The specialist journal aluminium indicates
q new use"to which the metal aluminium has
recently been put in Austria Hungary, that is
+ in fabricating musical instruments. The band
OF the Third Regiment of Infantry (the Arch
duke Sir Charles Own has employed it in the
construction OF keuleurums. The instruments,
in addition to having better appearance than
when made OF brass, are lighter, and ae-
cording TO experts the sound Is much more
melodious.. The regiments in garrison at
Vienna have also been provided with alumni
mum drums, and it is said they Will shortly be
given to all the bands OF the Austria Hungary
ing when the trombone and other brass instru-
ments via be. replaced by instruments OF
I aluminium.
a new experiment IN opegahc enterprise is
being tried very successfully at the town OF
Reggiod d Emilia in italy. The. personnel of the
| orchestra and OF TIE chorus, ''the masses" as
they say over there have united themselves
/ into q cooperative philharmonic society to be-
come the impresarios of the municipal theater
during the carnival seasen. A committee OF
I townspeople took shares III the undertaking in
order to make "a small subsidy for the ill-peid
theatrical toilers, and the sociaistfc enterprise
is now in sueh good shape that there is every
possibility that the chorus and the orchestra of
Reggie d. Emilia viii reap "a much larger share
OF the present seasons gains than has hitherto
been their wont, for ''the masses are i'll paid
in Continental theaters.
f.. The Emperor William III is inexhaustible in
his artistic ebulliuons. An officer of his suite
recoupts the following incident which hap
pened. recently at q banquet presided over by
his Majesty. During the repast band belong
I ing to a huzz6r regiment was playing the ia
nous popular ditty "Fuhiculi-Funicula The
sovereign shook his head at the PERFORM
snce Saying: "No, no, that's not it; the soul
and the fire are all wrong. Ir's only in Italy
that they; how 70 play that,n.and jump
ing from the table he took the baton from the
hands Of the conductor, saying, ''Take your
turn at listening, I'll take your place for mo-
ment,', and giving the signal to commence,
with 8heroic gesture, he conducted the musi-
clans through Fqniculi-Funicuia" with a
dash and Yerve that were quite Neapolitan.
There is such thing as claiming what does
not belong to one in sn excess OF patriotism. a
Partisan journal lie Menestrel in burst OF
chauYinisttc joy at the number of "operas be-
longing TO the French repertoire which are
being performed at theaters on the German
side of the Rhine, triumphsRrly quotes among
the list such distinctively Italian works as
Rossini's ''William Tell'i and Donizettis
Daughter OF the Regiment" With such splen-
did works as ''Faust," Carmen" 81 Attaque
du Moulin" etc., to crow over. it seems in
comprehensive why patriotic French paper
should rejoice because a German theater is
performing Italian operas.
There seems TO have been q hoodoo over the
production OF Johann Strauss new opera,
''Waldmeister (Asperula) First, the manage.
ment had conflict with Girardi, the. great fay-
orite OF the Viennese, ,:who refused to play his
role because it was hot comic enough The
old composer at last succeeded in persuadipg
him to appear, when Miss Dirkens the diva of
the theater, fell sick and had TO go ayyay IN tho
Alps for change OF air. Several directors of
foreign theaters who had gone to Vienna To he
present at the first performance had to wait a
whole week to see ''Waidmeister.n Tho onar.
eta was at last produced and the Viennese
newspapers speak OF it as an overwhelming
success.
1t seems the Sultan has not lost his regard
for music in the midst OF his somewhat dis
agreeable conference with the different Euro
pean ambassadors. Nero played for his own
qualification while Rome was burning, and
while his Armenian subjects are being mas
sacred the Sultan spends most of the time he
can snatch from affairs of state in PLAYING fav-
orite airs from operettas on the piano. ala
File de Nine Angot" is the work to which he
is most attached.
The Philharmonic Society OF Berlin is about
to produce new symphony by Hugo Mailer.
an orchestral conductor in Hamburg who is
almost unknown in this country, but who is
said to be a composer of remarkable talent.
destined to make great name for himself. He
Is also said to be second TO no living musician
as chef d'orchestre
The much-divorced Eugene dAlbert has pro-
duced new opera, "Ghismonda," atthe Rova,
Opera, Dresden. The work only had success
OF esteem. The second act, which contains a
long love scene, made the best impression.
Miss Anna von suppe, a granddaughter OF
the Viennese composer who died recently, is