The San Francisco call., 1896-01-23
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

| Opera-goers during the TaYary season will
| probably receive surprise in Thea Dorre
Mignon. This gifted young woman only added
the part of Goethe's heroine to her repertory q
few months ago, but she has already made 1t
as much her own as she had previously made
Carmen. In fact, Dorre owns Mignon more
than she can ever own Carmen, for she has
been the first diva TO play the title role of
Ambrose Thomas opera along realistic lines.
When prima donna plays Carmen with end
of-the-century naturalism people who do not
tnlnk for themselves and cannot realize that
any one else is capable of doing so murmur
the sentence, "she's initiating CalVe." Dorre
does not follow Calves lines any more than
Frandin does. She had thought out her con-
ception OF Carmen six years ago. when she was
student in Milan butin Carmen it is difficult
to get the credit of entire originality, on ae-
count of the way in which Calye has over
shadowed the part.
With Mignon. however. it is different. Chris
tine Nilsson, Pauline Lucca, and other great
Mignons whom critics can bark back to played
the part on the good old conventional lines of
pr1ma donnas who were expected only to
sing and look pretty. In the first act for in
stance, they came on in fawless garments, in
stead of rags. They were shoeless, but wore
spotless white hose, which did not pretend to
delude the audience into the belief that
Mfgnon was barefooted. Dorre. however, has
cast aside all these traditions. She wears rags
and tatters during the opening scenes, and
also plays Mignon a la Trilby, with good ex-
panse OF bare foot showing. Her interpreta-
ton, to judge from Eastern criticisms, IS won-
derfully realistic and original. The following
from the Cleveland Leader is selected from
stack of equally favorable comments:
'Thea Dorre's work was splendid, and
served to show her artistic accomplishments
we'll. From the almost malignant witchery of
carmen to the softly sympathetic girl OF
Goethe's imagination is step which only
great actress could take. but the seemingly
Hmitless resources of Thea Dorre made it pos
slble for her to accomplish the task"
The Viennese are preparing to celebrate the
centennial of Franz Sehubert's birth, which is
near at hand. The municipal council has de-
clded to organize, in honor of the great COM
poser, an exposition at the historical museum,
which will include portraits OF Schubert and
autographed scores, as well as other objects
attaching to his too short existence. The
Viennese collectors have all promised to lend
their souvenirs of Schubert. The singing So
cieties, Mannergesang-verein and Schubert
bund are organizing musical fetes. At the I'm
perlal opera 1t is almost certain that Schubert's
opera-eomique, der Hausliche Kreig" Cthe
Ladies CrusadeJ, will be performed. The
work tells, in harmonious manner, about
slrlKe among the wives or crusading knights
Several amateurs intend to have a medal
struck bearing an effigy of Schubert, to COM
memorate his centenary.
An entirely new way of procuring a
famous prima donna has been started
by the management of the Imperial Opera
house at Buda Pesth. This is to ad-
vertise in the columns of a daily Laper
among the .'Wants." Between an advertise
ment for plain cook and one for a coachman,
one reads IN La Bilancia, Fiume newspaper,
the following; "The management of the Bud a.
Pesth opera-house wants a dramatic prima
donna for leading roles. The budget OF this
great theater devotes the sum of IS 900 forms
for the position" The amount is not to be dis