The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-13
THE LIBERAL IMPRESARIo.
He Would Do ms Well II He Employed Ann
ateurs of Social Consideration.

He Would Do ms Well II He Employed Ann
ateurs of Social Consideration.
The box Office man was commenting on the
case OF the too liberal impresarlo.
He was looking for the society business"
he said. and one Of the mistakes he made was
to think that he had to supply the best music
at the same time. Maybe bad music would
have settled his fate. But that was a question.
1t was a certainty that too expensive music
would. One Of his mistakes was TO think that
the music played a really important part In the
scheme. He had an orchestra of ninety men
when thirty would have done Just as we'll.
That was his first error. The second was TO
think that he had to engage expensive ~soloists.
He paid one singer s1.25O for four songs. In
Guiding the encores. When he tried to Engage
her this year she you'd not listen TO n cent
less than $500, Now. his game ought to
m man T When is se rieh ni and has social aTfaYY iniae GF ~p Is
very likely to have some singer. fiddler or
piano player who is anxious to get, before the
poor. Perhaps most OF them, are poor.
But that has nothing to do with the case
ing to attract. That is one OF the last things
they, think about. The man who sets out TO
their money either because they want to be
thought a part OF society or TO see what 1t looks
like. so they would never object, If they knew
that Miss Smith was "a protege Of the swell Mrs.
row whether she sang OH the key all the
time. Herr Skveek. the distinguished Hun
garian yiolinist.. might not know catgut from
fishing line so far Us they were con ;ernei. II
it was we'll established he had taken dinner
at the Browns and was Il good friend OF theirs.
Fraulein Jammemhard might not know her
fingers from her thumbs when. she got at a
piano. and yet MAKE a big hit with the kind Of
audience that went there so long as the crowd
knew that the Joneses were back OF her and
interested in having her a success.
ETY.. audience as much, as the best known
artists. Yet they would not cost the manager
anything. Nearly every kind of game to work
the society crowd has been tried excepting
has undertaken it yet. The number of pro-
fessionals who are, itmateurish and the anna
tours who would like to be professional is
large enough to supply any manager with So
that, And every one OF them would have So
ciai backing enough. to interest the audience
that pays its money for the sake of that kind
OF a show. The market Is so overcrowded
lightning to be, unimportant compared to
what it was. Only a short time ago a young
singer. and by no means n bad one. came back
to New York after several years of study In
way or another to get an appearance at the
Metropolitan Opera House. She sang there
oIce-probably for nothing or for a very small
sum-and was never heard Of again. She was
come back from abroad. are fairly well quail
flea and wait in vain for any public appearance.
They are. of course. inferior to the artists
with the great names that get the big salaries.
But the ordinary social audience does not dis
tinguish any particular difference between
them. They suit IL and they are mighty cheap
for the manager, so cheap that l cannot un-
why nobody has ever thought OF us
ing them as bait for the society crowd that
everybody who goes into the business is ang-
ling fOrn