The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-01

connection with the forthcoming con
tenary celebrations in honor Of the
great navigator.
Senior Manuel Gracia, the great sing
ing master, has entered his ninery
fourth year. the oldest practiclne pro-
lessor Of music Of eminence in the
world. for, despite his great age. the
veteran &eacher of Jenny Lind. Cattle
rine Hayes and Mathilde Marchesi. has
not yet accepted the retirement he has
so we'll earned.
M. Eugene Ysaye, in a recent inter-
view, said: There had never been such
an earnest and intense. thought mani
tested in America toward music as the
present time. go
America" said he. Els going for
ward and some Of her composers have
great future before them. When a
musician refuses to- accept new prin-
'ciples, which are proved to be true. he
Injuries his art. hfsla
Bach. to me. is the pure genius. In
Wagner we find Baoh,1 In Beethoven we
find Bach, and his lnHuence Is to be
seen in all the greatest writer's
Chamber music,H he, continued, "is
for me the highest art, and today IL
we wish to make up an interesting
programme Of chamber music. now
please notice this, We must call on
the French composer. The new French
audiences in France at present are oc-
eupied with Wagner. Today I can
show no less than twenty chamber
works which are grand in every re-
spect, and possibly ten or fifteen SYM
phonies. This modern French music
Is difficult to comprehend and another
interesting feature is that the comy
HI 10
are In the ranks of the rich. I mention
among the foremost the following
names: Franclk, Count Vincent d'Indy,
Gabriel Faure, Baron Ernest Chausson.
De Busy, Duparck, Bordes, MARQUIS
de Breville, Maynard, Paul Dukas.
Lazari and Rapartz. They are at pres
ent unknown. In ten years I think
they will be celebrated
Wagner's works dominate the Ger
man stage still, and recent statistics
published at Beyreuth show an increase
of the number of performances in other
countries. From July 1, 1896, to June
80, 1897, there were given in German
LILA performances Of Wagner's operas,
an increase Of ffty-one over the prev
tous year.
A new American soprano, Miss Fran
NNSSe&
Covent garden season.
The English play censor objects to
Satnt-Saens' Samson ct DELLA" Grau
had this opera among his list Of works
to be produced during the coming sea-
son at Covent Garden opera house,
London. The censor has positively
prohibited it, presentation. This Is
not on account OF any intrinsic levity,
for. az an orator1o, It would pass mus
ter in the British isles without ques-
ton, but operas based on scriptural
subjects are never allowed in operatio
form in England. When Rossini's
Moses" was creating a Juror in a
number of European cities, it's pro-
till the music had been adapted to g.
new lbretto. entitled 'Peter the Her
nit"
Verdi has decided to leave his estate,
SAINT Agata, at Busseto Italy, to take
up his residence In Milan. He will
live at the hotel where he has been
accustomed to stay for. the last thirty
years whenever business called him to
the old Lombard city. There are many
bonds that connect him with Milan.
His first wife and his two children
rest there, many of his works were
performed there first and in that city
he has founded a fine home for super
animated singers, which has just been
opened. Verdi some time ago asked
permission to have his second wife
buried in a little graveyard at SAINT
Agata, and it was granted, but the
master has changed his mind. and he
wishes now to. bury her In the chapel
of the new home. and ito rest there
himself when he Is dead.
It is now announced that but one
performance of grand opera will be
given in the Northwest this season by
the Damrosch and Ellis company, with
whom Nine. Melba is travelling. Word
has come from Mr.. Ellis that the COM
r'any is anxious to get back East, and
that it cannot afford to play in any
theater of ordinary seating capacity,
on account Of the heavy expense un-