The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-05

son costs from 200 to 1900 marks, or from
$500 to 800. A parquet seat for a single
performance costs 8 marks, or 81. In the
second gallery you can rent box for the
year for about two-thrds and in the third
gallery for one-half the cost Of those in
the first balcony, or 5000 marks a year.
Single seats for the evening in these up
per tiers cost from 50 cents to 81, accord
ing 20 their location. In the top gallery
the hoi-polloi get an opportunity TO hear
the best opera in the world by paying
from Is cents to 80 cents.
Opera is given six nights in the week
and Sunday is the gala night. Then every
body who owns box occupies 1t If he
can arrange to do so. Monday is usually
the off-night, when the opera house Is
closed. The singers are employed by the
year, and the calendar is made up SO
that the principals appear only on alter
nate nights; but the chorus and the or.
chestra and those men and women who
take the minor parts must be always
there. Many of the chorus and the or
CheStra have other business. They are
shopkeepers or mechanics or artisans.
Some may be music teachers. l heard
of one gentleman whose cook and coach
man were both employed in the chorus,
which made It rather inconvenient when
the family wanted 70 drive to a perform
ance.
The salaries paid are amazingly low
when compared with the incomes OF the
atrical ana musical performers in the
United States. The first Soprano. the
prima donna, seldom gets more than S.,
900 or $4,000 a year. tho first tenor litue
less and SO on down TO the chorus and
orchestra, who are paid sums that seem
trldlng-$200, $500, $500 a year. Some OF
the principals consider themselves well
paid If they receive $500 salary, while
the soloists in the orchestra are satisfied
with $1,000 and $l,20O year. But they
are assured of permanent employment
and at the end of a certain number of
years ore entitled to pensions like school
teachers snC employees in the civil service
of Germany.
A German school teacher can draw
pension amounting TO about $50 year
after teaching twenty consecutive years.
and after teaching thirty years the amount
Is increased to 800 or 800 All the munici
pal governments pension their employees
for service after twenty-five years or
more. The same is true of the govern,
ment railways and every branch of the
civil as well as the military service of
Germany. The attendants in the public
libraries, art galleries and museums, the
guide who shows you about the emperor >
palace or the royal castles, are all en-
titled to this distinction when they reach
a certain age or serve a. certain numbeA
OF years. That rs one cause of the con-
serVatism of the country and the lack of
progress. These men and women hang on
hopefully to any kind of a government po-
sitlou they can get, knowing that 1t Will
give them shelter and bread at least as
lorg as they live if they behave them
selves reasonably well.
But the difference in musicians salaries
between Germany and the United States Is
greater than Is found in any other profess
sion. Mr.. Sousa, the bandmaster told me
once of his trombone player, who bears
the scriptural name of Hell. He was dis
covered in one of the orchestras over here
where he was receiving $50 a month and
boarding himself Mr.. Sousa agreed to
pay him $50 a month and his hotel bills
and travelling expenses and also his steam
ship fare If he would come to America
Mr.. He'll accepted eagerly, but the second
year. when he learned his value according
to the American standard, he struck for
800 week and got It, The first violinist
in the Frankfort or chestra is only 81 years
old, but commenced to draw pension for
twenty years service four years ago, for
he Joined the orchestra when he was only
10 years old. All the musicians are given
four weeks vacation with pay.
In most of the German cities the opera
begins at or $50 o'clock and closes at 3
o. clock or a little later which Is a very
sensible plan from the German point OF
view, for it Is the custom here to have
dinner at / or o'clock and supper at s
or 8 o'clock. Gentlemen go from their
stores and offices TO the opera, where they
meet their wives, and then have supper
when they get home after the perform
ance There is a buffet in the building. at
which beer, pretzels, sandwiches, Ices,
cakes, wines and other refreshments can
be had between the acts, and II is always
well patronized. Economical people bring
crackers, cakes and sometimes sandwiches
in little bags with their opera glasses.
On Sunday nights Ii is customary for
many of the ladies' and gentlemen to dress
for the opera, but during the week they
always go In street costumes and leave
their hats and wraps in the cloak room.
This is to suit the convenience of the gen.
tlemen who come direct from their BUSH
ness. But there Is very little dressing in
Germany on any occasion. Less money
Is spent here for personal adornment than
in any other country in the world. and
even on Sunday nights, except in Berlin
during the social season, not more than
one-third of the audience of an opera are
i'm evening dress.
AS the operas are a matter of education,
they are given exactly as they are writ
ten and exactly as the composer intended.
In the United States stage managers take
great liberties with musical scores. They
leave out embarrassing passages. They
shorten operas sometimes by emitting en-
tire acts, and often interpolate compost
tons by other composers in order to
brighten up the performance. But II a
manager did that in Germany he would
be discharged. 1t is the purpose Of the
management and of every performer con-
scientiously to convey the idea that was
in the mind of the composer for the in
structlon as well as the edification of the
audience.
AS soon as an act Is finished everybody
gets up and goes out of the audience
room to drink a glass of beer or shake
the kinks out of their legs by ppomenad-
ing in the foyer. Friends sit down at lit
tie tables and gossip as they drink and eat,
but there Is never any visiting in the
boxes; and, furthermore, people who go
TO the opera to show their gowns and
their jewels get very little consolation and
are considered vulgar, if not disreputable.
Anybody who would attempt 30 carry on
a conversation in one of the boxes or do
anything to disturb the rest of the atr
dience would be Kissed out of the house.
Such conduct as is common at the opera
in New York and other cities of the United
States would not be tolerated for a mo-
ment either by the management or by the
public. At the beginning Of each act the
doors are locked and are not opened again