The San Francisco call., 1896-10-08
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

| "s6-14' (eighty-six degrees fourteen MIN
! utes).
! San Francisco Swedish Society announces
! a grand concert to fete the return OF Dr. Nam
| sen.
| It is comical to see how the critics of the
| New York dailies have wilted before Osear
Hammersteins new opera santa MARIA.
| These gentlemen are in the habit OF jumping
on piece with both feet when 1t does NOT
please them, and it can scarcely be credited
| that the doggerel of Hammerstein's libretto or
/ the music of his score have tickled their ears
or their imaginations. The fact is that Ham
merstein Is not a common composer, who earns
| his daily bread and beer by writing operas.
| He is big magnate in the theatrical world,
with big theater of his own; so, in spite OF
the fact that his music is crude ana rudlmen-
tary, dull and stupid the critics, with one or
| two exceptions, have slapped him on the back,
and said, Bravo Oscarl Versatile old boy!
| Do 1t again"-and the long suffering public
| is afraid that he will.
! Rafaele Vitali, a singer well known in his
| day, who has just died in Italy. had curious
experience during the course of his career.
Vitali was tenor, as well known for his good
singing as for his remarkable qualities as an
actor. In operas such as Rossini's "Othello"
and Donizettis "Lucia' he never failed to
bring down the house by his pathos. One
"Louisa Miller he was suddenly struck with
a lowering OF the voice, which made it i'm
possible for him to finish his role. In one
moment he had been changed from tenor
into barytone, and for the. rest OF his career
he sang in this latter capacity. He retired
from the stage some years ago, and devoted
the rest OF his life to teaching.
new musical sensation is agitating the
Italian musical journals. 1t was started by
the Pungolo Parlamentare OF Naples, which
received from its Milan correspondent the fol-
lowing dispatch: A very reliable informant
who is in positio to know, assures me that,
whatever people may say, Verdi will write no
more for the theater, but he is putting the nm
ishing touches to grand oratorio, something
in the style of Mendelssohn's Elijah" Ora
torio Is not popular form of musical diver
sion in Italy, but Verdi has proved himself
capable of writing sacred music, and 1t is very
possible that the grand old man may have the
promised surprise of an oratorio in store.
The comic opera epidemic has spread from
London to New York if the productions which
are being played at number of the theaters
can be digniied by that name With the ex-
ception of "The Geisha" the performances
which are masquerading under the name OF
comic opera really seem to be variety shows
under another name.
The Royal Opera of-Buda Pesth has just sue
cessfully produced a new patriotic opera, en-
tilted "Mathias Corvinus," composed by
Charles Frotzler The composer, who as
sumed on the bills the pen-name of Auer, is
the musical director of Count Esterhazy's pri-
vate theater at Totis, in Hungary. 1t will be
remembered that Joseph Haydn began his
musical fame under just the same conditions
and with the same family of Esterhazy. 1t is
to be hoped that Frotzler will one DAY reach a
fame analogous to that of Haydn.
Mrs. John Vance Cheney is succeeding very
well pianoforte teacher in Chicago.
Leo Stern, the celebrated English 'cellist, is
to visit America next January.
Mrs Katherine Fisk. the American con-
tralto, who has won success in London, is to
sing for the Chicago Apollo Club next April.
Miss sibyl sanderson is in Milan, where she
is soon to appear at the Lyric Theater in Mas
senet's "Manon' and Saint-Saens' "Phryne."