The herald., 1898-03-20
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Beyond the SyInphohy OiShe"'i' Ai9Ai
concert and a pleasing song and piano re-
cital the same evening, there has been no
event of Importance in musical circles DUR
ing the past week. The management of
the Symphony Orchestra should take care
not to make their program too heavy or
too long. An hour and a half is quite long
enough for an orchestral concert in the
afternoon, especially as the days grow
warmer. 1t was not the part of wisdom to
Introduce the Rubinstein concerto, and the
soloist by no means did himself or the con-
certo justice. Mr. Wilde is thoroughly
earnest musician, but as yet is unfortun-
ately hampered by palpable nervousness.
If the brass in the orchestra can be i'm
proved, trumpets introduced and one of the
trombones replaced, the general effect will
be much moro pleasing. The really re-
Inarknble amount of interest taken in
these concerts should spur the director and
every member of the orchestra to constant
effort. Important work of an educational
nature, both for the performers and the
audience, is being accomplished. The Or
chestra is already an organization Of
which every music-loving Angeleno is
proud, and which everyone hopes will
achieve permanent success.
O O O.
Mr.. and Mrs. r. e. Rowan, Jr., gave a
farewell song recital on Tuesday evening
before leaving for San Diego, where they
have secured some important engagements
and intend to reside in the future. Mr.
Rowan has several times been warned in
these columns not to strain a good barry
tone voice by attempting to sing tenor,
for as often as he does so he strays off the
key. Mrs. Rowan is a good musician and
q jealous worker and deserves success
The Rowans were assisted by Mrs. Justin
Kay Toles, a rarely talented pianist, who
has had the benefit of excellent training to
develop her natural gifts.
O o O
While definite arrangements have not
yet been concluded it seems almost certain
that we are to have two or three nights of
opera-Melba opera-next month. The per-
formances will be given in Hazards pa
vllion. which has been preferred to the Los
Angeles theater on account of the larger
stage and larger seating capacity. Melba,
despite the fears that she had fallen VIC
tim to severe throat trouble, sang LA
Traviata" in Chicago last Monday before
an enormous and enthusiastic house.
Our friends of the Del Conte opera COM
pany seem to have struck blizzard up in
Minnesota. The st. Paul Dispatch says:
The troubles in the Del Conte opera COM
pany have taken the turn of a criminal
charge, preferred against Alfredo Del
Conte and Alfred S. Harris, of the COM
pany, who have been arrested on the COM
plant of l.. NJ. Crawford, manager of the
company. Crawford says that Del Conte
and Harris have stolen the entire orches-
tration of la Boheme,' valued at $1,000,
the orchestration of Lucia di Lammer-
moor" valued at 5000, and stage proper
ties, costumes and paraphernalia sufficient
in value to bring the total amount taken to
$4,000.
Mr.. c. w. Landon, in the February
Etude. gives this advice to persons whose
pianos do not sound so we'll as they used to:
Much playing OF marches, hymn tunes
and five-finger exercises. together with
large amount of general practice and play
ing. hardens the hammers and cuts the
felt, so that if all else for fine tone quality
is favorable, still the tone is poor, harsh,
hard and unmusical. A tuner who is
hammers and restore the original tone
quality, minus the extra hardness of the
overstretched strings. But If the piano is
really good one, the tone can be fully re-
stored to its original beauty. Very old
pianos that are still good as to position and
condition of soundboard and key action
can be restrung by returning them to the
factory at an expense of from $50 to 500;
hut 1,xv
only from 81 to So.
"No poet wrote more musical verse than
the late laureate" says the London Mus-
cal Times. "and yet Lord Tennyson, though
deeply versed in the technique of metre.
had practically no knowledge of music at
all, and was quite unable to discriminate
between commonplace and inspired COM
positions. So, too, it is an open secret that
Mr.. Swinburne, perhaps the most perfect
artificer of euphony in verse that ever
lived, is equally destitute of an ear for
music Conversely the late Mr.. Robert
Browning, who, with all his great gifts and
his profound insight into humanity, was
not exactly what one might call a melo-
dious writer, had every claim to be con-
sidered an accomplished musical amateur.
He was we'll versed in theory, and proved
his devotion to the art not merely by some
Of his finest poems-'Abt Vogler, for ex
ample-but also by the assiduity of his at
tendance at the best concerts"
o O O
The Woman's orchestra will give the
Following program at the Y. NJ c. A.
hall tomorrow evening:
Overture to Raymond. .......T Thomas
Waltz, "Wein Blut". Strauss
String quartet, Largo. .Haydr
Miss Edna Foy first violin Miss
Beatrice Kohler, second violin; Miss
Vella Knox, viola Mrs. Elsa
Schoonmacher, cello.
Excerpts from Faust. .Gounod
Ceiio solo, "Oberon Fantasie'. ...... Weber
Mrs. Elsa Schoonmacher
babbilage (for strings alone) .Cillet
serenade, for flute and cello. 'Tit,1
MRS q. J. Roller. flute; Mrs Elsa
schoonmacher, cello.
aRverture, "Entfuhreig aus dem serair
''''''.'''............... Mozart
The Bostonian Musical club met at ~.
residence OF Prof and Mrs. w. G. CoeswalI
on south Flower street. Italian no,sio 49,
composers were discussed by Miss Thonn.
son and Prof. Cogswell, and the nrosra,,,
included Loves Dream After the Paf:,,