The record-union., 1898-12-18
houses. Many structural changes art
to be made in the auditorium

Liszt appeared in his Hungarian cos :
tune, wild and magnificent. He told
Mendelssohn that he had written some
thing special for him. He sat down,
and, swaying right and left on his mu
sic STOOL played first Hungarian melo-
dy, and then three or four variations,
one more incredible than the other.
We stood amazed, and after every body
had paid his compliments to the hero
Of the day, some of Mendelssohn's
friends gathered round him and said:
"Ah, Felix, now We can pack up. No
one can do that; it is over with U.s."
Mendelssohn smiled, and when pressed
to play something in return, he laugh
ed and said that ne never played now,
and, this, to a certain extent, was true.
He did not give much time to practis-
ing then, but worked chiefly at COM
posing and directing his concerts. How
ever, LisZt would take no refusal, and
SO at last little Mendelssohn, with his
own charming playfulness, said: We'll,
I'll play, but you must promise me not
to be angry" And what did he play?
| He sat down and played first OF all
Liszts Hungarian melody. and then one
variation after another, so that no one
difference. We all trembled lest Liszt
should be offended, for Mendelssohn
could not keep himself from slightly
| initiating Liszt's movements and rap
lures. However, Mendelssohn managed
never to offend man, woman or child.
Liszt laughed and applauded, and ad-
mitted that no one, not he himself,
could have performed such a bravura-
ID
! A good story is related Of the French
composer Leo Delibes, best known in
this country by his opera tLakme"
and the "Copella" ballet. One day he
met the late Charles Monselet, who was
on his way to a restaurant where, once
a fortnight, a well-known champagne
merchant gave a dinner to prominent
authors and journalists. These dinners
were prepared by one Of the most noted
cooks, and the choicest wines were
served. Delibes on this occasion invlt-
Ell his friend to dine with him, but
Monselet said he was already invited
to meet some friends, and, inspired by
a mischievous thought, he said, Come
along-it's a table d'hote at six francs
($l2O a cover: we will pay our own
bills" DelibeS accepted, and when the
viands and fine wines We're brought on,
one course after another, his eyes open
ed wider and wider. Monselet had in
formed his friends of the joke, and at
the end the waiter passed around a
tray on which each diner deposited six
francs Delibes, who had muttered to
himself repeatedly, six francs!" ad
r. cd hn1 fron tn hiC
pile Of silver, and afterwards he called
the waiter aside and informed him
soto voce that he would take a months
Announcement tickets for that table
d'hote.
New York Times: Mrs Whiffen, who
in 'Trelawny" plays Mrs Mossop, the
affable landlady of the theatrical lodg-
ing-house, in those stored 'early six
ties" was known as Blanche Galton,
and used to sing contralto and nezzo-
soprano roles in the English opera
troupe of which her sister, Susan Gal
ton, was prima donna She married
young tenor singer in the company,
Thomas Whiffen, who was not much
of a tenor singer, but developed in time
into an exceedingly popular comedian.
the sixties, early or late, can we'll re-
member Mr.. and Mrs. Whiffen, as Sir
Joseph Porter and Little Buttercup, in
III. NJ. S. Pinafore,' at the old Stand
ard Theater in New York. Mrs. Whit
fen has several times appeared upon
the Sacramento stage.
New York Post: The English conser-
vatories train thousands of singers
every year, and thousands of others
are trained by private teachers. Yet
London Truth" complains that the re-
tirement of Mr.. Lloyd from public life
will leave Ben Davies the only tenor
of the first rank in England Who is
to blame for such a state of affairs
the pupils or the teachers?
Myron w. Whitney, Jr son of Amer
ica's famous bassO, has returned from
Italy after three years course of in
struction under his fathers teacher,
Vannuccini, and will devote his talents
to concert and oratorio.
Julie Opp is winning golden opinions
in the English provinces, where she.
has been acting with George Alexan-
der's st. James Theater company the
snowy and attractive role of Lady
Beauvedere in THE Ambassador" by
John Oliver Hobbies. The ''possibili-
ties" of Miss Opp are great, and she
has not lacked recognition, either in
England or her own land.
A new farce by H. V. Esmond. call
ed Cupboard Love-" has just been
produced in the London Court Thea
ter, where it succeeded the When a
Mans in Love- of Messrs. Hope and
Rose.
Miss Eleanor Calhoun was the Portia
in the recent production Of THE Mer-
chant of Venice" by the London Eliza
bethan Society. Recently she has been
playing Cleopatra to the Antony Of
Mr.. Benson in Newcastle and else
where.
The recent operation for cataract un-
dergone by the popular English come
dian. John L. Toole, has proved COM
pletely successful
Hall Caine will return to England
early in December to resume work on
play which he hopes to complete
within a few months
Mrs Owen Marlowe, whose daugh-
ter, Ethel, died suddenly on the stage
Of the Knickerbocker Theater Novem-
Der 10th. is still prostrated, and. it is
feared, may never play again
Joseph Jefferson has gone to Old
Point Comfort to recuperate. his sons.