The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-02
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS
SCHEME PROPOSED TO PROMOTE
MUSIC CULTURE IN AMERICA.
Danirosch To Have Both MeIba and
Pol PIancon Next iear-News of
the singers and Composers.

the singers and composers.
w. S. B. Mathews. the well-known writer
on musical subjects, has this to say in a
recent number of the Musical Record: IF
! were given carte blanche to set in opera
ton one device calculated to promote Amer
lean musical culture more rapidly than an
other, l should know exactly what to DO.
l would set in operation in at least twenty
of the cities of the gecond-class lin magni-
tude). such as Cleveland. Buffalo, Newark,
Cincinnati. St. Louis, Chicago, Minneapolis,
st. Paul, Kansas City, Omaha and the like,
English opera by stock companies. In or
der to do this it is first necessary to find
a manager-a sensible business man, who
need not be especially gifted in music. 1t
is his business to canvass the field with the
musical director, in order to ascertain
what the necessary expense of opera with
such and such a stock company would be.
1t must have two or three sopranos for
second ~roles-good. American girls, we'll
trained singers. able to deliver an English
text intelligibly-and at least two singers
for each OF the other registers OF voice
tenor, baritone. contralto and bass. IneSe
would necessitate a salary list a~ggregatlnS
from 1900 to $3.50 a week. The chorus
would cost about $500: orchestra. $500; direc-
tor and chorus master both 5000. House on
shares, say % per cent. of the gross re-
ceipts. Total for forty weeks, $4,000, or a
total intake of $117, 900 for about $50 per
formances, an average of about 1920 for
each performance. Any theater manager
will at once see that this expectation could
easily be met. It will be objected that TINS
estimate makes no allowance for dressing,
stage setting. etc. True, and we VIII nave
TO enlarge our ideas by whatever sums are
necessary to do this part of the work IN
a proper manner.
According to the New York Sun, there is
no longer any ground for doubt as to Nine.
Melba's appearance in this country next
winter with the Damrosch company. AL
though no contract has been signed yet,
one will be, and Nine. Melba's roles, ac-
cording to its provisions, are to be Juliette,
Marguerite and Lucia. The cause of Nine.
Melba's willingness to leave the Metropoli-
tan company has only just become known,
and, curiously enough, it arose from that
troublesome little principle known as the
EXCLUSIVELY of control over certain roles.
1t will be remembered that 1T was this
question that brought about the most Ia
nous row of the opera season, and II
further served to make the present trouble
that exists between Nine. Melba ana
Maurice Grau. One of the prima donna 5
cherished possessions was the role OF
Juliette, and although Nine. Earnes
yearned for a chance TO sing the part.
Mime. Melba insisted on the rights con-
ferred on her by the late Henry T.. Abbey:
Finally Mile. CalVe appeared in Faust
and made Il, great success. Nine. Meloa $
snare in "Siegfried' was not a success; All
this was discouTaging enough TO Nine. Mel
ba.. but the last straw came when Nine.
Games was allowed to sing Jullette W1ile
Nine. Melba was stllI IN TINS Gou unty and and
Mime. EameS was making a success as
Juliette down at the Metropolitan: 1t was
then that Mime. Media said that she would
never forgive Manager Grau for having al
lowed such a thing, and that Wheh the OPP
portunity came she would let nm see ina
- . q ;.,niAanf had nnf RGpA ned her menu
ory. So when Walter Damrosch ADMITTED
Charles Ellis as partner Nine. Media ielt
that her chance had come ahu g * here
with his company. There Is theIeioIe al
other instance at hand of that httie pTac-
tice called EXCLUSIVELY OF roles, when Is
so hattering to the singers but sometimes
so Injurious in other respects. Jean De
Reszke had a letter from Coslmar w dstlel
and she wrote that it was her nope that
Baireuth might soon receive the dlstlnc-
ton which his presence amonSBthe perform
ers there alone couId give.
Five years ago Brahms remarked cheer
fully to his intimate friend and apostle,
Professor Hanslick, that he had made a
nice sum of money with his compositions.
II trust you have made your will?' asked
the critic. MY wiI!' exclaimed Brahms IN
great surprise. why 1 am perfectly well.
"For that~very reason said Hanslick, IF
such matter is postponed until one is old
anu SICK. IL Is dDN " iCd0 " -,
something foolish" Brahms was silent ana
seemed to be lost in thought. A few days
later he brought his will to Hansilck ana
begged him to take care of 1t. his estate
Is valued at about 100000 HORNS. -.
Many commentators have conJectured
that Brahms wrote his last compositions,
-Four Serious Songs (opus 121), based on
the saddest of biblical texts, and equally
bis apnroaching death. '"They seemed to
be. when frst sung this winter, an eNll
omen" writes Hanslick, and in the his
- - ~,,,-ia thau uiI 6nnhflpGC SllrNlVA
as a remarkable, genuine presentlment or
death. Yet when Brahms composed those
songs at lschi last summer he was in per-
feet health, and had nc. thought or death
till some months afterward. In all proba-
bility the choice of his texts was connected
with the death lin May, 1880, or cara
Schumann, which deeply depressed nm.
A new company, of which Maurice Grau
IS to be manager, will assume the lease Of
the Metropolitan Opera House, New York,
before many months, for a period of three
years. II will have a capital stock of about
$200. 0O0. This company will represent vari-
Gus New York capitalists, and the estate of
William Steinway will also probably sub
scribe. 1T is this company which VIII give
the grand opera of 1895" said one of the
directors. The new company will be In
no sense a reorganization of Abbey,
Schoeffel & Grau, and. in fact, Will nave
nothing to do with it, but will give the
public grand opera on It's own re-
sponsibility. If it should meet with the
same i'll fortune we have experienced, it
may expire when the lease has run out. Ii
things go well, however. 1t may last in
definitely"
Mile. Calve is said to possess the taste of
her compatriots for garlic in an unusually
liberal degree, and she particularly enjoys
the fragrant dish as ii is prepared by the
chef at the Plaza Hotel. New York. Dur
ing the tour through the West. Mile. Calve
had found nobody who could prepare this
vegetable so much TO her satisfaction as
the particular chef of the Plaza who at
tends the prinla donna's wants. He exert
ed himself particularly on her return, and
sucn a dish of garlic as had rarely been
Nncocted was ready for Mile. Calves de-
or. She enjoyed it, and. if rumor is
ect. enjoyed 1t to such an extent that
De We're had to sing Marguerite in
place on Monday night.
sIcale was recently given in the
drawing rooms of Miss Bryant, daughter of
William Cullen Bryant, in Paris. The elite
of the American colony was gathered
around the charming hostess. The pro-
gramme was composed of selections by
Messrs. Bemberg and Nevin. sung by Miss
Minna kellogg and Miss GeneVieve Weaver.
Miss Kellogg's excellence has previously
been commented on. Her marvellous meZZo-
cOntralto voice a violoncello in
power and sympathy. The young cOmpos-
ers. Bemberg and NeVin. may we'll congrat-
ulate themselves on having had Miss KEEL