The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-18

season. One interesting fact about Marie
Engle is that she is one of the very few Ameri-
can grand opera singers who has not gone to
Europe for her musical education. She learned
all she knows about music and the arts in New
York and at her home.
The lingering echoes of the wrath aroused
by Foli's ill-considered remarks continue to
afford entertainment to people who take
grim satisfaction in seeing an alleged critic
struggling heroicaily to prove that he is even
deeper in the woods than people at first sup
posed. When Foil registered his snarl at the
absence of oratorio as permanent feature OF
local musical circles, the alleged critic naively
wrote TO morning paper to proclaim the fact
that he had never heard OF the gentleman.
The tree of knowledge has sprouted wonder
fully since then, and he is now so intimately
acquainted with Foli's life that he can inform
the public not only what he has done, but what
he has left undone III the course of his career.
The latest manifesto on the subject is to the
effect that if Foil ever sung al Bologna st all it
was not in the right season. The probability
is that he never did sing there; the city is
more noted for sausages than for song, and
Foil, who has sung so often in his prime at La
Scala. the San Carlo and the Argentina, would
scarcely be tempted, even by the delicious
sausages, to take an engagement in the little
burg of Bologna.
The London Electrophone Company re-
Gently gave concert which has aroused great
interest in European musical circles. Invita-
tions were issued to the British and foreign
press to attend the headquarters of the COM
pany, in Gerard street, London, to hear the
performances being given at the Grand Opera,
and the Opera COMIC ne in Paris arrangements
having previously been entered into with the
directors of both those houses. f'However
much one may be accustomed to using the
Telephone" says one correspondent, lone feels
singular sensation when one hears Nine.
Rose Chsron singing from another country.
We would not dare to affirm that every note of
the opera came TO us with perfect distinctness.
The telephone communications between Lon
don and Paris depend very much on the state
OF the sea, and on stormy days one hears abb
solutely nothing. Yesterday evening, fortu-
nately, the channel was not much agitated,
and many of the passages of Helle' came
across the wires with perfect distinctness. 1t
is the first time that an opera recital has been
given at such great distance"
A curious concert was recently arranged by
Gevaert, Director of the Brussels Conservatory,
in honor of the Philolog ical Society. The en-
tertainment consisted OF q lecture on Greek
music, illustrated by the rendering of Greek
compositions executed on the original instru-
ments, or rather on instruments constructed
according to the originals, by Victor Mahillon.
Geyaert's lecture was resume of the Greek
part of the history of music, which be has just
published after twenty years of labor. The
music consisted of series of little airs and ex-
ercises for the ancient either, taken from an
anonymous book of Greek music, collected
some time during the Roman empire; then
followed q Hymn to the Muse" in the Doric
STYLE and Hymn to Nemesis both written
in the second century after Christ, and the
famous Hymn to Apollo" There were a num-
Der of instrumental pieces, performed on a
tibia and an aulus, and to give local color to
the affair all the performers wore the Greek
costume.
unique troupe OF light opera artists is
being organized at Munich. Its object is to
give operettas, with all the pomp and finish
lavished upon Wagnerian operas at the Bay
reuth Theater and when the troupe has made
the tour of Germany it will go to foreign thea
tiers in order to give the outside world an idea
OF what German light opera is when superbly
rendered There is no speculation in the
undertaking, as it is generally understood that
the backer of the company is young and very
rich Duke, who is fascinated with a prima
donna, and is taking this means of giving her
an opportunity to SHINE in an exceptional
fashion. The papers state that operettas have
never been mounted and sung as those of the
Munich troupe will be.
LIE Menestrel gives an account of new in
strument, called the cola, which was recently
introduced by Miss Edith Drake at 8 concert
given at the Theater Mondain, in Paris. This
instrument has an equally good effect in
pieces requiring expression and in those of
rapid movement, and its trills are of an ex-
quisite delicaey. Although it has q compass
of four Octayes it is no larger than 81 sieeve-