The herald., 1897-09-19
Stray Chords

Stray Chords
"A new opera entitled "Perdita," founded
on Shakespeare's "A Winters Tale" has
been given lately with much success at
Prague. The music is by Joseph Nesvera.
Nine. Marchesi, the well-known singing
teacher, whose pupils that have become
famous are numerous, is considered by
some people to be the best teacher of our
time, while others have called her the
worst! She is at any rate very clever
woman and witty writer. and American
musicians who will fail to please her may
expect to find themselves pilloried in the
columns of the Leipsic Signae, for which
she writes. although her home is in Paris.
Now that Seidl has brought the season at
Bayreuth to a successful close, and the
final love feast has been eaten at Frau
Cosima's board, the members of the Wag-
ner family may find time to pursue their
smouldering feuds to their bitter end
Sigfried can fight it out with the musical
critics and his German countrymen in
general, of whom he has recently fallen
foul. His mother can return to her bitter
lawsuit for copyright against the Bay
reuth beer mug maker. who dared to put
one of Wagner's favorite drinking pledges
on the lids of his tankards. Besides so i'm
portant an issue the report that the en-
tire music festival netted sl5O000 in profits
L
Sun.
Herve, the French composer. whose
comic opera Little Faust" is now the
rage in Paris, began his musical career as
an organist. When a boy he strolled into
a church one day and persuaded the blower
to let him try the organ after service. He
then improvised something wonderfully
sweet and strange. The priest happened to
hear it, strolled in and was amazed.
har 1ao m y,1o ho
my boy?" he asked. ''This is the first time
have ever played it, Father" he replied.
well. you had better apply for the post of
organist here" said the priest; "there is
vacancy next week" The boy applied
and was accepted.-New York Courier.
Brahms, Kienzl writes. is one of those
artists whose individuality moves in such
determined paths that neither a mis- take
nor tempting side glance into the realm
Of effect was able to make him deviate
a single step from his ideal standpoint. 1t
is no light task to express in a few words
the Specification of our most prominent
absolute musician. Brahms is such an
exclusive. retiring nature that he reveals
himself only to him who takes the trouble
to seek him, but this trouble repays itself.
How often. he continues do great men
Judge harshly and falsely their great con-
temporaries. Spohr could not endure
Beethoven, nor Beethoven Weber; why
should we blame Wagner If he, embit-
tered by his experiences, went out of his
way in the case of Brahms, who lay so far
from his domain, and styled him 1.-The
Blond Johannes?" In Wagner is the high
est truth of dramatic expression: In
Brahms. the modest purely musical ex-
preston of a true religion of love and re-
nunciation. AS dreamer, ridculed by the
crowd, he advances, to our eyes veiled in
light mist, placidly along the paths of
holy light
"Ysaye," says the Musical Courier, with
his friend and fellow artist, NJ Raoul
Pugno, will arrive in this country abou.
Nov. 7th. and will make his headquarters
at the Brevoort house. This means that
the famous old hostelry will be the prin-
cipal rendezvous of all the great artists
in New York this winter as Proprietor
James has set aside the hotel annex for
their special accommodation during the
coming season, where he also proposes
liking up cafe and lounging room exclu-
sively for the artists and their friends.
"Ysaye cares not rap for social formal
tiles. He wants to go and come when he
pleases, and to be always surrounded by
convivial spirits like himself If he feels
like lying abed or staying in his room
until in the afternoon he does so
They tell the story of how his manager
once was shown to his room the morning
oAtci q CoHCeit anu lOunQ MIN IN q lu-
dicrous state of dishabille. You can i'm
agine how funny it must have been to see
this huge fellow (for Ysaye weighs good
230 pounds avoirdupois) with his long hair
In wild disorder and himself in pajamas,
or bed sheet worn a la julius Caesar
Others dropped in to congratulate him on
his great success of the previous evening.
1t was merry party. They talked and
smoked and told stories BY and by
Ysaye got out his violin, and Aime
Lachaume accompanied him on the piano,
There was no more talking-the ludicrous-
ness of the scene and everything were for
gotten in the music-and there were no
more stories until Ysaye laid down his in
strument and lit the inevitable cigarette
half an hour later
"Ysaye's home life in Brussels is a very
happy one. He has a beautiful and charm
ing wife and four handsome children. who
are as devoted to papa" as he is to them.
He is first professor of the violin at the
Conservatoire de Musique at Brussels for
whlch position he receives 100 francs a week
or about $50, which he aughingly told
some one was barely sufficient to pay for
his daily outlay for beer and cigars.
However, his private pupils and con-
certs prlng him In an immense income. 1t
IS said that he cleared over $780, 900 during
MS last tour in this country, and he will
undoubtedly more than double that
amount this time, as he receives the high
est price ever paid violinist in this coun-
try, or any other country for that mat
ter, and more per concert than any in
strumental artist with one single execep-
tion'