The herald., 1897-07-25
Stray Chords

stray Chords
During the past season at Brussels,
the most popular singer was Nine Marie
Brema.
She-Why does that piano sound first
high and then low when Miss Wilson
plays it?
He-Well you see, she is learning to
ride wheel and uses both pedals from
force of habit.
| A tablet has been placed on the house
in the Alsterglacls, Hamburg, where
Hans Won Bulow lived from 1887 to 1894.
The singing of Nine. Eames in the role
of Elizabeth in "Tannhauser' recently
in London. is described as artistic in
the highest sense
A rather strange circumstance exists
, in connection with the so-called popular
coon" songs, and it is that they are in
varlably written by white men.
Mascagri has a son years of age now
studying in the Rossini academy OF
Pesaro, who is showing a genius for the
violin. He will shortly be heard in pub
! lic
| Josef Holman has returned to his
residence in Berlin after an extended
tour in Russia, where he played on sew
4! enteen occasions in st. Petersburg with
marked success.
Vance Thompson says in the Courier:
''The pope disapproves of female voices
in all liturgical services, and dislikes the
violin. Heavens Are we going back
to the days of male soprano?''
Here is little story clipped from the
Boston Herald, which has a moral for
those end-ofth the century young ladies
| who strive to combine dexterity upon
the keyboard with grace upon the
wheel:
| Stavenhagen, the pianist who was
heard here some seasons ago, has been
appointed director at the Munich opera
| house. May the conductors chair prove
softer for him than the virtuoso's hard
piano stool. says the Musical Age.
The Association of German Musicians
! is busy just at present compiling and ar
| ranging full and complete edition of
the works of List. The edition is soon
to be launched upon the market, and will
doubtless be a IRRITABLE treasure trove
to many a student.
Mr.. William Armstrong, the musical
critic of Chicago, by request of Sir
Alexander Mckenzie, the president of
the Royal Academy of Music, London,
lectured June "a before a distinguished
audience on american Composers"
Mr. Armstrong was presented with
laurel wreath at the conclusion of his
lecture.
Those who possess the ten volumes of
Wagner's literary works may now COM
plete their collection by adding the
'Nachgelassene Schriften," published
in a new form by Breitkopf & Hartel.
This collection includes the "F'raS-
mente'' of an earlier supplementary vol
ume, besides the sketch of Die Sara
zenin," an opera in five acts, and "Jusus
Won Nazareth" previously published in
a separate volume of 100 pages, and con-
tanning in prose Wagner's sketch of a
drama which he intended to write on
that subject For many years Christ
drama was one of his favorite projects,
, but even he lacked the courage to carry
it out Some of the leading ideas were
afterwards incorporated in disguise in
"Parsifal.''
How many musical Conservatives
and colleges are there in this country?'
a lady writes from Pasadena. Lord de-
liver us; we have no idea of the number
There must be fifty in Southern Cali
| fornia alone for anybody in this glorious
country can start a musical conserva-
| tory, issue certificates or degrees, or
pronounce in favor of his or her particu-
| lar vocal method. That is one of the
reasons why we are overrun with so
many musical frauds, and why we have
| M for o1Ir musical acCOmDlisl-
ments That is the reason-or at least
one reason-why Mcdowell does not
care to be known as an American COM
poser That is the reason the foreign
artists approach us patronizingly and
that is the reason-or at least one of
them-why we have such meager must
cal criticism-Musical Courier, New
York.
Mr.. Joseph Bennett Of the London
Telegraph is not one of those who be-
lieve that the symphony is an obsolete
form of music Here is what he says:
Notwithstanding Richard Wagner's full
mination against the orchestral sympb-
ony as a played OUT musical form,
composers, who really should know bet
ter, will insist on putting that great man
in the wrong. Almost the last act of
Peter Tchaikovsky was to produce
work which has stirred musical Europe
over all it's broad surface. In England,
| the pathetic" symphony of the Russian
master excites positive enthusiasm. The
public cannot hear it too often, and
short sighted concert managers are, as
in Wagner's case, doing their best to set
up nausea by ministering in excess to
appetite. Why not make this god-send
last the longer by dispensing it eco
nomically? The main point is, however,
that a good symphony has no less vital
| ity now than in the palmy classic days.