The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-02-10
MAGYAR MUSICIANS.
Hungarian Bands Here and Their
Great Increase in Number,

Great Increase in Number.
One of the Hungarian gipsies Who re-
Gently came into prominence through
the Chimay- Rigo episode told Pafis
reporter that during the stay of his
band in Philadelphia local millionaire
paid him and his men twenty-five hun
dred dollars a night for six months Cor
playing in the bankers dining room
during dinner. The reporter believed
the story, and, on the continental thee
ry of omne Americanum pro maGnln-
co, it was generally credited. The SON
in-law of the same millionaire is said
to have hired the band every evening
for two months on the same liberal
terms. This yarn came out after dis
cussion with the leader of the band in
which Rigo had played concerning the
profits the musicians could make IN
Paris. They are paid there at the rate
of from two to four dollars night, and
it is probable that they receive about
the same amount here, with the maxi
mum figure possibly represented more
frequently than it is in the French cap
ital But there have been players in
the different Hungarian bands here
who have received much larger sala-
ries A really handsome, black haired
fellow who plays in a music hall up
town is said to receive one hundred
dollars week for directing the orches-
ira, in which he plays first violin. But
even If this particular musician really
does earn so much, his case is excep-
tional Probably the majority of the
Hungarians playing in bands here
would be we'll satisfied with the weekly
twenty-eight dollars which makes up
the pay of their compatriots in Paris.
In Budapest and in the European ho-
tells, they play for what the guests
choose to give them when the hat is
passed around.
The number of Hungarian bands here
has increased greatly since the first
was brought to New York, and they
play now in the most exclusive as well
as in the most democratic places. They
were at one time greatly in vogue for
private dinners, although the demand
for their services during the last few
years has extended to rather different
a. It
very few of them in the restaurants,
and their services were claimed chiefly
by private entertainments. But at
present they do less work of that kind.
As the fashion of giving afternoon re-
ceptions with music in New York grad
ually lost it's hold the gipsies found one
very profitable field of labor materially
restricted. But the concert halls and
the restaurants were opened to them,
and there has been profit enough in
those places to increase greatly the
number of these men here. Gradually
they have gone to other cities of the
country, and there is scarcely one OF
any size which does not now boast its
Magnaten capelle. London has had the
services of these musicians at social
events for some years, although there
are not so many employed there as in
this city and in Paris. The Hungari-
ans have been playing in Paris longer
than in New York, and it is only
through certain recent occurrences that
they have become especially conSpicl-
Gus. Several stories that have been
widely spread have put the tZiganes in
a new position in Paris. They have be-
come there the irresistible fascination
of susceptible and usually rich young
women. Before Rigo came into notori-
ETY. with the Princess Chimay, another
and an old Hungarian, named Palikar-
Jus, had been receiving, until he drank
himself to death, most of the money
and all of the affection of q beautiful
young woman in Paris. Since his
DEATH which occurred not long ago, the
woman has erected to his memory q
fine tomb in the famous cemetery OF
Pere Lachaise, in which he is buried.
There is no apparent reason for the
development of this new interest in the
Magyar musicians, and judging from
the men here, no such epidemic is like
ly to break out. Few of them are
handsome, and most of them are mar
ried, although that condition is not re-
garded as an obstacle to the indulgence
of the present Paris fancy The men,
bers of the band in which Rigo played
We're all married men and most of them
were the fathers of families. The same
is true of the musicians that come to
New York. In spite of snowy uniforms
the men are fairly poor specimens OF
physical beauty. They are all under
sized and dark skinned. Like the Par
is players. few of them are able to read
music. and they learn what they know
from listening to the leader, and then