The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-01-09


ously jealous. The two men meet, the
husband insults the other, there IS a
quarrel, and the lover kills the husband
with a sudden blow. Time passes, the
murderer is not discovered, but marries
the woman whom he has made wod-
ow, she being ignorant of his crime
For a long time they live very happily,
But her son gets on the track of the
truth, gradually accumulates proof,
finally taxes his stepfather with his
guilt, and stabs him. To save the wo-
man the pain of knowing the truth, the
dying man declares himself a suicide.
The general critical opinion about
Louis n. Parker's play, The Happy
Life" which is said to be enjoying
great prosperity at the Duke of York S
Theater in London, seems to be that 1t
opens uncommonly well, but proceeds
upon a supposition that is wholly pre-
posterous falls to pieces rather in the
middle, and ends conventionally. The
story, in a word, is of a young man,
who is shut up by accident in his cham
bers, with a young gig, perfect
stranger to him, feels bound to marry
her in haste ito save her reputation"
(Which no one had assailed), repents
at leisure, ultimately falls in love with
her in dead earnest, and lives happily
ever afterwards
The London Daily News" has the
following: The monument to Gounod is
to be a bust of the composer surround
ed by a group of the three heroines Of
his three favorite operas. With the
bust the sculptor, M. Mercie, has had
but little difficulty. Eminently
French face, Gounod's was also emf
nently artistic and suggestive. 1t was
just the face to give a sculptor his OPP
portunity. But the heroineS are per-
picking in the extreme. Contrast the
sculptor can certainly get, but the
types are his difficulty. 1t would be
easy to select as his models the prima-
donnas who have made their own of
these roles. But, apart from the ques-
ton of jeaIousy-for what great French
singer has not essayed Marguerite?-
NJ. Mercie is much too sincere an art
ist to adopt this course. In his search
for the ideal he has only to be bound
by the limitations prescribed by his own
art. In the meantime there is consid-
cradle curiosity to see what models he
will finally select, and whether they
will be professional or selected from
fashionable life"
Is England a musical country? In
deed it is, if we may believe the London
"Athenaeum," which, in a recent issue,
blows the horn for England in the fol-
lowing note:
F. H. Governs RUTH performed last
week in Berlin, was nearly as great
failure as Sir Arthur Sullivan's Cold
en- Legend" was shortly after its pro-
duction at Leeds in 1888 Two causes
are accountable for this. In the first
place, oratorio is not so beloved in Ger
many as it is here, and again, large
mixed choirs are, for the most part,
conspicuous by their absence, and con-
Sequently when a choral work of large
dimensions is to be performed, n
scratch" chorus has to be provided,
with of course Indifferent results. Il
would be false modesty TO mince mat
tiers. England is now once again the
most musical nation in Europe, as she
was three centuries ago; far ahead,
that is, of Germany, Austria and
France in all the higher forms of the
art save opera, and Italy in all This
statement is not easily susceptible of
contradiction.
The following account of Verdi's first
attempts to earn his living is con-
densed from his new biography by
Crowest: Verdi went to school at
Busseto, and was boarded and lodged
at cobbler's shop at the not very high
charge of cents per diem. The local
organist taught him music and took out
his fees in the form of provisions from
the shop of the elder Verdi. Verdi
swept out the warehouse of Barezzi
who, however, was an earnest music
lover, and soon placed the young man
under Provost, the local bandmaster
and organist. His confessor tried to
induce Verdi to become a priest, but
the youth preferred art, and Barezzi
encouraged him. The organist of Ron
cole died, and young Verdi gained the
post. with the modest salary of eight
dollars year. He even composed GER
tain things, which are still preserved
in the archives at Busseto. As every
mus;c-lover knows, Verdi was denied
admittance TO the Milan Conservatory
on the ground that he showed no spec
ial aptitude for music"
American theatrical life as exhibited
in our small Western towns. and by
those players so frequently pictured in
our humorous journals as walking over
railway ties. is to be described in the
most entertaining way IN a volume en-
titled THE Barn Stormers" which Will
soon be published. The joy and trials
hl frf, he raf Of
gypsy-like existence are said to be
printed in true colors in this book,
which is supposed to be written by an
actress who has had a wide and varied
personal experience. Many of the sit
uations are ludicrcus. while there is an
occasional touch Of pathos and even
bit OF tragedy.
Sir Arthur Sullivan has now definitely
undertaken to compose for the Leeds
Triennial Festival which will be held
on October 3th. 9Th, It'll and Sth. the
iong-expected successor to THE Cold
en- Legend 1t viii be a secular cam
tata Of half-programme length and the
subject is at present secret. although
II current rumor. which credits Sir Ar
thur with the intention to set a YER
sion Of The Vicar of Wakefield prove
true. so much the better. Edward
German has declined commission ow-
ing to press Of overwork. but ii is said
that at the meeting of the committee
at Leeds ten days ago, the other two
novelties. namely, DR. Stanford's JUDI
lee TIE Deum" in Latin. and Herr
Humperdinck's symphonic poems sug-
gested by visit to Tangier. were offici-
ally announced.