The San Francisco call., 1896-10-01


that the fragments of "Parsifal" and Tristan"
that she had play ed him were simply few
bars of her own composition. She has told
other people, however, and no doubt the joke
has reached the critics ears by this time.
Gluck seems to be threatened with q pos
thumous popularity, second only to that
achieved by Napoleon a year or two ago.
Whole columns and pages OF leading musical
journals are being devoted to the composer of
"Orpheus, - and Gluck's Dreams his ideals and
his appointments are being discussed with
tender and sympathetic regard which they
were far from arousing during the poor fell
lows lifetime. The son of peasants, born in
the forests of Bavaria, Gluck passed the early
years of his life in wandering from village to
village, with violoncello on his back, and for
twenty-five years of his life as a composer he
wrote the scores of trivial Italian operettas,
which have been forgotten. On the very eve
of writing his "Orpheus" an adulirer sent him
an ode, beginning, "May you never cease to
make US laugh" and all the time Gluck was
dreaming of very different ideal, for this
gamekeepers son was the first poet musician
the world had seen. A century later Wagner
was able to re alize many of the ideals dreamed
of by Gluck, but he himself had not the liter
ary education to execute his reforms alone.
The first man who had the honor of being
| associated with Gluck in his innovations in
the librettos of operas was what we call to-day
an amateur, one Raniero de Calzabigi, Impe-
rial Counselor at the court OF the Netherlands,
who amused his leisure moments by writing
| poetry. He was not musician, but he loved
defamation, and he longed to see opera
shorn of what he called "Gothic ornaments"
in the shape of trills, cadenzas, ritornelli etc.
! Gluck agreed with him, and from this ex-
| change of views sprang "0rpheus and Euri-
| dice" the work which constitutes the evolu-
~ asa-csfp rek,s genius. At present there is a
fage' ios ~ ing tfis opeie, and 1t is among
| the works billed for the metropolitan season
| this year. If the craze for Gluck continues no
doubt his greater work, "Alceste,'' will become
the fashion also.
"The art of singing Mozart has been lost" so
say most of the critics who have attended the
revival of "Don Juan" at the Royal Theater of
Munich. Nozarts chef d'euvre was to be
resurrected In absolute imitation of its first
performance at Prague in 1887, under the
personal direction of the composer With this
object in view small theater in the style of
Louis XIV was used the orchestra was limited
to twenty-four musicians, the first finale,
which is everywhere sung with about hun
dred persons on the stage, as it represents
revolution, was only sung at Prague by seven
persons, and seven persons sang it at Munich.
The simple recitatives accompanied only by
the clavecin were also restored, but one thing
could not be resurrected, and that was the
singing of Mozarts day. The soloists were all
SO impregnated with Magnetism that it was
found impossible to impregnate any of them
with the style OF Mozart, and the director de-
clared In despair that If he wanted Mozart
singers he would have to start with beginners
and educate them on purpose, for that not q
vocalist before the public to-day could boast
of singing with the school necessary for
rendering Mozart.
Apropos of cinderella" which Massenet is
to produce this season at the Opera Comique,
it may be stated that over 100 pieces have
sprung from the slipper of this celebrated lady.
Rossini wrote one, LA Cenerentola," which
would be almost forgotten to-day if it were not
for one grand aria it contains. The first "Cin-
derella" known to the stage was vaudeville,
which Anseaume wrote in Paris in 1859 and
Ronette set to music. The vaudeville was
based on actual TACT, for Tavenard, we'll
known singer of the period, happened one day
to be passing cobblers shop when he noticed
a charming little slipper which had just been
resoled. He was so taken with its smallness
and dainty shape that he fell in love with the
unknown owner, managed to find out who she
was and married her.
Abbey, Schoeffel and Grau have completed
all their arrangements for opening the opera
season at the Metropolitan on the 18th of No.
yember Gounod's Faust will be the first
nights bill and the artists announced for it
are Nine Melba, Nine. Manteln Mile. Bauer
meister, Jean de Reszke, Edouard de Reszke
and Jean Lassalle, the celebrated barry tone who
has not been heard on the operatic stage for
some years. In addition to singing Valentine
in sFaust" Lasselle will be heard in several OF
his old roles, including that of Nelusko, in q
revival of "LAfricaine." On that occasion
Calye will be heard for the first time in the
part of Selika. The opera announced for the
second night Of the season is ssThe Meister-
singers" with Eames in the part of Eva.
One has to read the foreign papers to get
freak news from home. This is lie Menestrel,s
latest news from the United States: "The
Protestant minister of Pleasant Valley United
States, and the faithful of his flock were
grieyed and astonished the other day to find
that their beautiful organ, which they had
paid for out of their own pockets, had disan-
peared from the church. Some unknown
robbers had broken into the sacred edifice
taken the noble instrument to pieces and had
carried it away bit by bit. But" asks LIE Menes.
trel, "what could these daring and original
brigands want with the organ?"
LIE Menestrel says that Just before leaving
England Ii Hung Chang was treated to a con-
cert OF Scotch music. A whole band of bag
pipes played Tor him and a dozen or more
hardy mountaineers danced Highland fling
in kits. The old Chinaman was lost In adj.
miration at the muscular development of the
Hignlanders, but the bagpipes did not seem to
appeal to his taste Scotch nobleman who
was in the party asked, "How does our na-
tional music please your Excellency ?' The
Mandarin, with diplomatic smile, replied.
Probably as much as our Chinese music
would please your Lordship." De gustibus.
etc.
The Emperor OF Russia is a great lover of the
violoncello which he does not play at all badly
himself. In Russia his admiration for the in