The record-union., 1896-07-26

SACRAMENTO DAI
years ago, has undertaken to convey
the Munich Royal Opera Company to
London in July, 1897, for series of per-
formances, which will include Mozart's
Don Juan" and Figaro" Richard
Strauss will be the conductor.
A Paris paper relates the following
anecdote of the famous opera composer,
Auber He often said that he would
give all the laurels of his later years if
ne could be restored to youth. Once,
when old age was under discussion, he
exclaimed: Yes, it is annoying to grow
older day by day, but so far no other
way has been found Of living long" One
evening, at soiree, King Otto of Greece
said to him: Il hear you have written
another opera" Il confess 1 have been
SO lndiscreet," was Auber's answer.
When he was very old man he at
tended the funeral of friend On re-
turning, he remarked tc his companion;
L fear this is the last time of my going
tc a funeral as an amateur"
According to Berlioz, the origin of the
the leadership of the "concertmeister,"
or first violin, in an orchestra arose
from the deafness Of Beethoven when
the musicians, in order that they might
keep to gether, eventually agreed to fol-
low the slight indications of time which
the concertmeister gave them, and not
to attend Beethoven's conducting stick"
Every amateur knows moreover. that
until comparatively recent period the
conductor himself played violin or sat
at the piano, to indicate the tempo. Sir
George Grove thinks that Spohr was the
first to use baton, at a Philharmonic
concert in 1920. There is, however, a
tradition that Heinrich Albert used
conductors stick in Germany as early
as the first half of the seventeenth CEN
tury.
A Holstein newspaper tells a story of
musical COW. A peasant sold COW to
another, but when the new owner tried
TO milk her she refused to give up the
milk. All efforts were unavailing tilt
1T occurred to the first peasant that his
daughter always sang while milking.
So tune was started and the milk soon
filed the bucket
During the past season 212 operatic
performances were given at Hamburg,
Of which fifty-four, or more than one
fourth, were devoted to Wagner, not
withstanding the fact that Hamburg's
leading Wagner singers We're in Amer
lea. Wagner leads other composers as
markedly in most other German cities,
as we'll as in Paris.
Jack Sheppard is to be seen on the
stage again. Joseph Haltton has finished
new four-act play called "The Idle
Apprentice" of which the thief and
prison-breaker is the hero. He has made
considerable use of Harrison Aims
worth's novel The principal part will
be played by Wheedon Grossmith.
It appears that the death of Sir Au-
gustus Harris will not interfere with
the autuminal programme at Drury
Lane, as he had practically completed
all arrangements for the opening melo-
drama and pantomime to follow
London is to have another new the
ater. 1t will be built in the Charing
Cross Road, nearly opposite the Gar
rick, for Mr.. Musgrove, an Australian
manager.
David James the younger has been
playing his fathers old part, Perkyn
Middlewick, in Our Boys" in the Met
ropole Theater, London.
Sardou Is said to be writing play for
Sir Henry Irving, which will deal with
the most stirring events of the French
Revolution and have Robespierre for
the central figure.
Forbes Robinson the other day laid
the foundation stone of the new
Shakespeare Theater at Clapham, a
London suburb.
Daniel Sully is now business manager
Of Sully's Pavilion at Newport. The
house was opened on the 18th inst with
first-class vaudeville show.
Primrose and Vests Minstrels close
their season at ST Louis this month and
will tour the Eastern and Middle States,
18th.
Beaumont and Fletcher's "Philaster'
IN French translation was the play
Belgian workingmans club in Brussels
chose to perform recently, and it was
acted well.
A. J. Weltner has issued a brochure
Of no less than 10S pages entitled Mo
zart's Works and the Vienna Court
OPERA" giving details regarding all the
performances of Mozart's operas in that
city.
TON Grogen' is one of the many
farce comedies that Maggie Cline is ac-
cused of making preparations to star in
next season.
Minnie Maddern Fiske will star next
season under the management of A. NJ.
Palmer in a new play.
THE DESPISED RICH.