The record-union., 1897-07-04

These quaint persons rejoice in ex-
lceedingly sturdy convictions. They are
tremendously earnest. AT the slight
est pretext afforded by what is said on
the stage they break out into a storm OF
lapplause or howls of Indignation. as the
lease may be. AS their opinions are al
| nCst as varied as the cut Of their gar
nients, applause and cat-calling are al
| ways going on at the same time. Inc
different schools group themselves SO
as to give greater force to their demon
strations. By a sort of unwritten con-
| Yention the anarchists have acquired
right to the gallery. In the orchestra
there is no band-foregather as a rule
| the friends of the author. In one cor
ner are to be found nothing but sym
| bolist'' poets, in another the "Naturlsts
stand elbow to elbow. These antagonist
groups have only one feeling in COM
| nlon-their contempt for the Philistlne.
If the more bourgeoise section OF the
audience shows the least disposition TO
find a scene a trifle too audaclous or
really too ensible-and such
| scenes crop up at the Theatre de
! tPOeuyre-au Bohemia is in ferment
and screeches of execration bring the
offenders to their senses or at least re-
duce them to silence. The one unpardon-
abb crime is to laugh at what you listen
to. Everything must be taken seriously
Saturday Review: Mr.. Sachs details
the causes of fires in 1913 cases which
have broken out at the back of thea
ters. Forty four have been due to de-
| fects in the gas installation, 81 TO open
!
paratus, 81 to fireworks IS to lamps,
II to explosions, { to defects III the
electric installation, and similar nun
| Der to gases In the case of io3 the
time of outbreak is reported. Forty-two
per cent. occurred in the night, Il per
cent, in the daytime, IL per cent. with
in two hours after a performance, ana
13.5 per cent during the progress OF an
entertainment OF the total NUMBER
of outbreaks chronicled, 5S4 have oc-
Cured in Europe Q39 in Great Brittany
and 531 in the United States New
York has the largest proportional
fires at 81 different establishments
and London comes second with 80 at
| y establishments, and Paris third
with 81 at 2S establishments.
An anecdOte IS tOlQ OF NJ. OuOoHt'
the successful banker, whose play,
| "Fredegonde, has just been presented
by the Comedie Francaise. The play
was offered to the Odeon thirteen years
ago and rejected, the then director of
the Odeon taking objection to the ac-
! ton of the piece. Mr.. Dubont defended
| his plot by pointing out that it was
| based on a careful study of Gregory of
Tours Gregory of Tours." retorted
the director contemputously; he
wasn't theatrical manager!"
The London Times says of Puc-
| cini's opera, THE Bohemians," which
! had it's first performance in England
! (at ManchesteD by the Carl Rosa COM
pany on April 22d: Thus the story,
such as it is, though by no means an
altogether pleasant one, is free from
the luridness of most of those used by
composers of the modern Italian school.
| The Wagnerian theory of continuity,
| which now, of course, is an accepted
principle of dramatic composition, is
f, observed, but otherwise the opera is
! singularly free from Teutonic infiu-
! ence, Wagnerian or other. Melody, in
the invention of which Signor Puccini
is often singularly happy, abounds, and
| often, as in the fine scenes between
Mimi and Rudolph, the composer
| reaches a high dramatic point with
means which are comparatively simple.
! His music is entirely free from eXag-
/ geratiOn-in other words (for which we
have much to be thankfuD, but it is al
ways forcible enough for it's purpose.
There are, Of course, no set
songs, and there is practically
no abstract instrumental music.
not even an intermezzo to tickle
the ears of the groundlings. Neverthe-
! less by the beauty of melody. by the
refinement of the music compared with
| that of many modern Italian operas,
| by the cleverness with which the theme
has been handled by the composer, who
turns easily from grave to gay, from
| lively to severe" and, lastly, by the
absolute freedom from clap-trap cheap
| effects so common in much modern op-
era. Signor Puccini unquestionably has
scored a very distinct success.
!
| Chambers Journal: Berlioz. the en-
| inent French composer, had caustic
| wit. He could not endure Bach. and
| he used to call Handel "a big hog q
musician of the stomach For this
! he was paid out by Mendelssohn. who
declared that after touching a score Of
Berlioz. soap and water were neces-
sary. BerlioZ, however, had his musical
hero, and that hero was Beethoven.
| Touch Beethoven irreverently and his
! ire was kindled. There is a certain
passage from the double basSes in one
| of the masters scores which was at
one time believed to be almost impossi-
BILE of execution. Now, Habenecs con-
! Quoted a performance of this work in
Paris, and gave the passage in lues-
ton to the 'cellos. Berlioz, who was
present, met Habeneck soon after, and
asked him when he meant to give the
passage as Beethoven intended it 20 he
given. Never as long as I live SAID
| Habeneck. We'll, We'll wait" replied
Berlioz; don't let it be long
| The following passages occur in some
recently published letters by Bizet, the
| composer of Carmen: IT am an
| eclectic. / lived three years in Iatly,
and l have been influenced not by the
| shameful musical proceedings OF that
country, but by the temperament of
| some of its composers. Ny sensual
| nature is gripped by that fluent, lazy,
amorous, lascivious, passionate music.
| BY conviction l am German. heart
| and soul. put Beethoven
| above the greatest, the most renowned.
Only one man was known 10
make music quasi-improyisee or at
least music that seems so-and he is
| Chopin, a strange and charming per-