The San Francisco call., 1897-07-22

servant of the high director OF the coult thea
ter, Richard Wagner" Wagner was very
modest in his demands at that time. Twenty
FIVE louis d. orl 1t was not with that that he
was able to supply himself with the sumptu-
GUS dressing gowns that he affected and the
stuffs of silk, of velvet and of brocade with
which he wished to cover himself and his sur
roundings.
The Italian papers, copied by several French
journals, have bes making quite noise over
the disappearance of the Greek composer
Spiro samara, author of Flora Mirabilis la
Martire,' and several other operas, who they
say set out to take part in the Greco
Turkish war and whom they supposed 10 be
dead, or at least wounded and prisoner. A
Milanese paper takes the affair less tragically
and even pushes skeptlcism to the borders OF
raillery. "lf we can believe" it says, "the
condolences of a friend, Samara has been for
some time hidden under the Theater Lyrique
of Milan; and while waiting for the resurrec-
ton OF his Furia Domata' he may mysteri-
ously put to music an elegy over the fall of
Domoko. with a march in fugue style upon th
heroic retreat of Prince Constan tine"
AT Paris the Opera Comique has closed Its
door-the annual closing-with an excellent
representa- ton OF ''Werther," which had at
tracted TO the theater all the admirers of this
and sentiment NJ Carvalho, however, is not
therefore free from the cares of his position.
Every day he hears unpublished scores. First
1t was 'Le Caprice de Roi," by NJ. Paul Puget,
which is announced for representation next
winter; then the "Spahi," by NJ. Lucien Lam
bert, which will also be on an early pro-
gramme; afterward the Louise of NJ. Gus
lave Charpentier. NJ Catvalho does not only
hear scores; he also hears the artists. and
among them he sometimes meets with some
excellent ones, as Mile. Suzanne Adams, who
passed the opera with success, and will make
her debut at the Opera Com ique next October.
The French papers are congratulating Nine.
Nordica on having made her peace with M.
Jean de Reszke. The Menestrel adds: "This
little war has just terminated by telegram
which Nine. Nordica has addressed to q large
New York journal, confessing that she had
been misinformed, and that it was not NJ. de
Reszke who had prevented her engagement by
NJ. Grau during the last New York season. In
any case Nine. Nordica has gained for herself
a very pretty little advertisement, VIII ich, by
her ordinary means, of which we have been
able to judge lately in Paris, would probably
not Otherwise have been assured to her."
Nine. Frances Saville was to have sung the
part of The Forest Bird in Seg fried with the
Covent Garden Opera Company, but she noti-
fed the management that she did not con slider
the role suitable and that they had better have
a substitute ready. When Conductor Seidl was
informed of this he refused to rehearse the
piece with Madame Saville, and some one else
sang the part. 1t appears, however, that she
eventually took the role and greatly distin-
guished herself.
MN. Camille s int-Saens and Louis Gallet
whose collaboration has already been so fer
tile, are working on vast lyric composition
retr acing the history OF the nineteenth GEN.
tury, and which will be executed on the occa.
sion of the Universal Exposition In 1900.
The Municipal Council OF Milan has decided
to give this year no subsidy to the Scala Thea
ter Probably, as result, the principal
opera-house in Italy will remain closed. Hap
PLY there remains to the Milanese the thea
ter of NJ. Sonzogno, the Theater Lyr1que, so
brilliant, and with repertory varied, one
similar to which it would be very desirable to
see in Paris.
The prize in the competition for medals com
memorating the Donizetu centenary has
been awarded to G. ChIattone of Bergamo,
His design bears on one side the press OF
the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, where
Donlzetu lies buried, and on the other side
bears female ngure, carrying palm. SYM
and of his glory.
The estate of the famous impresario, Sir
Augustus Harris, is finally settled, and it is
found that when all bills are settled the prop
erty left by the manager amounts to f1OO, 900.
Sir Augustus evidently made opera pay better
than id the late Henry Abbey.
An unpublished oratorio entitled "The
Death of Noses" words and music by an
English rabbi, Marc Hast, was lately per-
formed a Queens Hall, London. Many of the
rabbits congregation were present and ap.
plauded warmly, but the critics reviewed 1t
less favorably.
The author of several libre ttos which the
composer Smetana has put to music Mime.
Elise Pech, who writes under the pseudonym
of Elise Krasnolwska, has just been decorated
by the Emperor of Austria 1t was Nine. Pech
who furnished the libretto for Smetana's opera
"Le Baiser," which is played so frequently in
Austria and Germany.
The most ancient theatrical paper in Ger.
many, the Neuer Theater- Dienst, which was
published at Berlin, has ceased to exist. after
a life OF fifty years.
The Scandinavian musical festival which
has just taken place at Stockholm had very
great success, artistic and material. That