The San Francisco call., 1897-06-10

Susan Strong said nothing for publication;
probably she felt that she was young enough
TO bide her time. Grau engaged her for Covent
Garden this summer, and the girl who was
treated as pretentious amateur at home has
just made a great hit as Aida in London. she
is said to possess e powerful and very extend
ed voice, which she uses with great talent and
skill. Not only the London critics but the
foreign CORES pondents speak well of her. The
London correspondent of the Paris Figaro, tor
instance, says: "When this American singer
mas acquired q little ID ore suppleness she will
undoubtedly take her place in the first rank
OF lyric artists"
From al over France singing societies re-
Gently pilgrimsged to Longjumeau to assist at
the Inauguration of the flrststatue ever erected
TO the famous composer Adolphe Adam. Adam
was born in Paris, lived and died in Paris, and
hated the country with a consuming hatred;
therefore 1t occasioned some astonishment
when the little town of Longjumeau took
upon itself TO erect fine statue to his
memory. Adam however conferred lasting
fame upon the burg by his opera. the famous
"POstilion OF Longiumeau," and on that &C
count the citizens of Longjumeau felt that
they owed the composer grateful recognition.
''Tne Position" had its first success in Paris
but il was soon translated into German and
the famous tenor Wachtel made it practically
his own by his inlmita BILE rendering of the
title role. In 1868 Wachtel played the
role OF ChaPelou in "The Position" for
the thousnndth time, and during the
Frsnco-P Prussian war the Germans had
become endesred to souvenirs of
Longjumeau, through frequently seeing the
opera, that they took the signpOst of the inn
back to The Fatherland with them. The citi-
zens were in such despair at their loss that
they reclaimed their treasure which had bsen
immortalized in the opera and it has since
been restored to them. In addition to being a
weil-known composer Adam was also a critic
and writer, and an interesting collection OF
his writings has been published under the
title souvenirs dun Musician" In this work
he says: 'At years old 1 could neither read
nor write-not even music. My only pleasure
was to strum on the piano, which had never
learned, everything being played by ear Ny
mother was in despair at my backwar dness"
Judging BY Adam mothers need not despair If
their children are backward at years of
age, for this lazy seven-yeGr-old died at SO
after having written forty operas, fifty DalletS,
hundreds OF airs for Yaudevilles, more than
200 pianoforte pieces, MANY vocal melodies,
choruses, cantatas, hymns, masses and other
church music, in addition 10 numerous criti-
cisms
A curious effect was produced lately at a
performance OF Mascagnis 81 Rantzau," Civ
en- by travelling opera troupe in Manchester.
When the moment came for distributing TO
the artists their costumes for the opera the
stage manager discovered that the trunks con-
tanning the "Rantzau" part of the theatrical
wardrobe had by some mIschance been sent
on to the next town. Everybody was plunged
into despair. 1t was i'm possible at that late
hour TO change the opera, and the only cos
tunes available were those OF 'Tannhauser''
which were decidedly unsuitable for an opera
that ought 10 be costumed good deal as
Irving costumes "The Bells" However, this
was the only course 10 follow, so the good peo-
pie of Manchester were treated to the spectacle
OF Alsatian citizens dressed up as landgraYes,
nymphs. bards, ondines and sirens
1t seems that the receipts at the Bayreuth
festival will be very seriously affected this
year by the mourning among the French aris-
tocracy, caused by the disaster at the charity
bazaar. Nasnerianism is almost cult in
France at present, aud number of leading
French families had booked seats for the fes-
tival. The Baroness de Saint-Didler alone had
taken nine places, and mad engaged a villa at
Bayreuth for the season. Nearly all the book
ipgs made by French families have now been
Cancelled. and the conseQ uence is that the fes-
tival will lose some OF its most liberal patrons.
The two new italian operas, "La Boheme"
are beginning 10 make the tour of Europe
PnecinPs ''La Boheme" is to be mounted ar
the Royal Opera OF Berlin shortly and Leon
cayallos ia Boheme" is engaged for next
season at the Imperial Opera OF Vienna. The
latter house has also acquired the right
TO present Puccini's "Boheme," but since the
great success of Leoncavallo's work, il has
ceded Puccini's TO the Theater an der Wien.
famous Sandman bandit. Giovanni ToIu-
one OF those classic bandits OF the FRA Dia-
volo" type, that exist no longer-be lore his
recent death recounted his memoirs 10 a Sar
dinian journalist. This interesting autonio.
graphy has just been published in Italy by the
firm of Dassi. 1t ought to contain good
material for Hbrettista
The critics Gave been very much shocked at
Covent Garden By the substitution of cornets
a-piston for the usual long trumpets in the
triumph scene in aida" They speak of the
anachronism as an instance of shoekingly bad
taste on the part of the management
An exposition has just been opened in Vienna
OF autographs and other souvenirs of Doniy att,
collected for the Don:zetti Centenary. The
Emoassador OF Italy and number Of uotabIes