El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-03-10
~ - -: y

' ~ g
RESULTS OF HIGH SALARIES.
The Grau-De Reszke Opera company
: from the Metropolitan opera house il
New York failed to draw in Chicago
so that heroic steps are now necessary
, to save the outfit from utter insolvency
The attendance has been very unequal
and Mr. Upton Of the Chicago Tribune
in commenting on the situation edito-
rally says: SIT is not far to look for
; the cause of this disparity in attend
ance. The outcome goes to show what
, has often been Set forth, that the
administration of Italian opera is on q
wrong basis. Fashion and faddism are
slowly but surely undermining it.and its
demise is only question of time. Two
or three star performers are secured
and paid enormous sal aries-salar les,
indeed, far beyond what they can
legitimately earn. These favored few
of the cast are served up to the public
in various alluring ways before the
season opens. Small talk and gossip
a bout them are plentifully circulated.
Pleasant fiction and sensational stories
are woven around them. Their pictures
are omnipresent. In various cunning
ways sort of operate furOre is raised
and these few star performers are made
the centres of attraction. When they
appear fashion turns out. When they
do not fashion stays at home. Mean
while these few stars. being the draw
| ing cards, demand and get extortiopate
| salaries. This involves extOrtiOnate
prices, and the result is that the great
| middle class cannot afford to go unless
| they frequent the top lofts or stand up.
So they generally remain at home,
which accounts for the small audience
| on Tuesday night as com Dared with
that of Monday night, which was fash
ions opportunity to display itself and
| to Lave its names and its adornments
| duly gazetted.
During the last ten years about ten
of Schubert's autographs were sold by
| auction in Berlin. On May 81, 1894,
the music for Antigone, dated march
1917, FRI. Schubert consisting of Sc
ven and quarter folio pages, was sold
for AGO marks One of his longest
L,eder compositions, Einsamkeit, was
disposed of on November 81, 1887, for
100 marks. On this work Schubert
wrote in a letter on August 3, 1918
1T is, as | believe, the best that l have
done, for l was free from care" Other
manuscripts brought 100 to $50
marks. 1t is not commonly known
that he worte some music for syna-
gogue. The text was the ninety
second psalm in Hebrew, and the work
Sulzer, 1t has not. however, held its
ground in the Synagogues, as it is not
sufficiently liturgical in tone.
The growth of the musical depart
ment of Yale university, the past year.
has been in keeping with it's history
from the foundation of the department,
the piano department having increased
in a marked degree. University stu
dents are now admitted to the New
Haven sympnOay orchestra.
A well equipped organiza ton of fifty |
performers, special advantages are
given in the way of piano concerto |
playing with the orchestra, and mer- |
itorious compositions by students are
also played by it,
Edwards souvenir. musical instru-
ments at the Worlds Colum bian Ex-
position" is a valuable work published
by the Presto publishing company, of
Chicago. This souvenir includes pro-
fuse cuts and illustrations of the count
less musical instruments displayed in
section | of the manufacturers blu Id
ing, along with photographs of exhi BIZ
tors and interesting descriptions, both
of instruments and b ographies of
prominent musical people interested in
the greatest fair the world ever saw.
A full list of awards is given. The
hook as a reference is invaluable. F.
D. Abbott the editor, was one of the
liveliest men in the fair, and his ad-
vice was often sought for.
The remodeled music hall in Cincin-
natl was recently opened by the Dam
rOsch opera company amid great eclat'
A Franz Schubert exhibition is being
held in Vienna where nearly 1900 ex-
hibits are being displayed. These in
clude water color dra wings illustrating
Schubert's songs. His piano is also to
be seen, besides drafts for the proposed
to the great composer. |
ease of particular interest is that con-
tanning autographs of his compositions,
among them that of the Corps Fan
5asia' composed in 1911. In the por-
traits of the 'Classics of Schubert's
Time" is Papa Haydn and the original
copy of his hymn to the emperor,
The Austrian national anthem.
Down with the high salary humbug
n opera, says the great west, and this
includes both companies on the road
The western peop'e are not proposing
W pay UUOuSduuS vi uOlldtS d 10
)peratic singers who will sing for as
many hundreds in Europe as they
charge thousands here. The high sal
sried humbug must be and will be
destroy ed. Musical Courier;
THE Worcester Mass, Musical asso-
;iatiOn in the past has made and
ollowed it's own presidents, and it is
q order to establish new one by vot-
ng that in future it will pay no artist
more than $500 for single concert,
Ind send a copy of the same to all the
musical papers and associations in the
The above is from a report showing
low the high salary crime has
we'll nigh wrecked this great associa-
ion.
Nordica has finally signed with Dam {
'osch and is now appearing under his I
nanag cement in the Metropolitan opera {