The herald., 1897-05-30
Stray Chords

Goldschmidt's music-drama "Gaea." is
to be given In concert form in Dresden at
an early date.
Mrs. Katherine Bloodgood Is now en-
gagged as solo contralto at West End Col
legiate church. New York.
Frau Amalia F. Materna, the great Wag-
merriam singer has retired from the stage.
and will teach operatic students in Wag-
ner roles. att
Miss Katherine Ruth Heyman, the tai
ented young pianiste of Sacramento. has
Berlin and Paris.
A charity concert for the benefit of the
Free kindergarten Association will be
given by the st. Cecilians under the direc-
tion of ]. C. Dunster in Simpson taber-
nacle June 10th.
A new opera by Franchetti entitled,
"Pourceaugnac," has just been presented
at Milan. 1t is reported to be fine work.
besides being of great originality. 1t is an
opera on the lines of Rossinis Barber of
Seville" brilliantly orchestrated and full
of choice melody.
Nine. Adelina PATHS recent visit to
London was not one of unalloyed triumph
or JOY. On the way thither to meet an en-
gagement to sing at Albert hall. she~got
a cinder in her eye and had to reliquish a
fee of $500 to Mme.- Albani. who took her
place. Then her husband. Signor Nicoini
fell i'll and she was suddenly recalled to
Wales to attend him. 1t is rumored that
Signor Nicolini's malady is - a cancerous
nature.
| Mile. Blanche Marchesi. a daughter OF
the Celebrated teacher of that name, re-
Gently shared the honors with Paderewski
in London Philharmonic. Mile Marchesi
made professional debut in Berlin in 1895,
but was prevented by serious illness from
continuing her career until January of the
following year. when she sang in M. Breitt-
ner's Philharmonic concerts in Paris Sub
sequently she gave her own recitals, and
in December of the same year Les Contes
Mystiques.''
Some persons having, apparently with
malicious intent, circulated the report that
Anton Seidl will not return to America. 1t
must be stated here, says a New York ex-
rlange, that he has no intention whatever
of deserting the country of which he Is
now an adopted citizen, and which could
not possibly get along without him at
present. He will conduct Wagner in Lon-
don and Bayreuth, make visit to the
capital Of Hungary. where he was born a
years ago, and return in the autumn fcdIy
to preside again over the Philharmonic
concerts and the opera at the Metropoli-
tan.
writes w. J. Henderson. Lehman herself
helps to prove that. So did Fischer. They
are doing it yet. Furthermore, Wagner
never intended it to be unsingable. He
would have wept with joy If he could have
had 1t properly sung in his day. But
singers who were sufficiently masters of
their art to sing his music were all at that
time welded to other styles and to the
cries of operate performance which made
them useless for Wagners purposes.
Therefore, he had to train a new school
of performers, and most of them were not
finished singers. Their vocalization was
rude, unpublished. cultural, explosive, and
the public hearing a new style of music.
voiced in this rude. barbarish manner,
naturally thought the roughness an es-
sential part of the music Wagner was
blamed for the faults of his singers. If
there had been De Reszkes and Bisphams
and Nordicas to sing Tristan und Isolde
in 1865 two-thirds of the opposition 20 Wag-
ner's music would have died upon the spot,
and the production of Der Ring des
Nibelungen in 1875 would have been
awaited as an event certain to take its
place in musical history beside the produc-
ton Of Bachs st. Mathews Passion and
of Beethovens Fifth Symphony"
Edward Grieg. Norway's great composer.
perhaps the most original of living har-
monists. Is in Vienna at present. His con-
certs there last year were so successful
that he has returned to give three more
concerts of his own works. Grieg was born
in 1843, and the world has already the
flower and fruit Of his genius. His