The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-11
PORTLAND MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

A musical friend writes from Boston !:
81 saw VIM. X. Chapman OF New York
and the Maine Music Festival, at the
opera list week, and later on ct tho
Touraine, with some of the opera stars. !
thought he was looking q good deal
bothered, and coming up to him. said,
after shaking hands. how are you, and
how goes your Mains Festival, Mr.. Chap
mnnY Aren't you of your New York beat
a little early In the season. oh, oh.
oh. he said, its taking all my time and
my strength this week to catch my pr1ma
donna. We've got to have Madame Sem.
brich in Maine this fall anyway, and
don say die until IL is oil over, but by
jove, l shouldn't be surprised II l didn t
live to say the word, for / haven't slept a
wink for week. He looked bit seedy,
and believed him. told him he looked
as 1t they might have:been running him
through clothes wringer, but when ne
had showed me q hatch OF contradictory
kilograms anu letters with which bis
pockets were stuffed l began to think II
was mean to laugh at fellow, when he
said he was down. IL appears that 1t 10
no fools Job to get contract signed and
sealed with tina Prima- Donna Absolute Of
all the prima donnas In these Rrent days
i never quite realized what Ii meant 10
bring singers conductors, managers and
agents all into accord for certain days In
year. The money question Is sufficient
ly staggering; its big enough, but 1t
doesn't seem to cut mitch of figure,
-four figures only, while to at in dates
and meet all reQuirements,i 10 work cut out
for the venerable Job. Just look at this.
says Mr.. Chapman ruefully, got this tho
day before yesterday. holding mp q
rumpled yellow telegram 1t says, all
right with Sembrioh they accepts oner,
thinks matter settled Now look at this
one he groaned Twenty four hours later
this is what ! get: Can't come to terms
on account OF kamschAtka trip In sep
tember, Await letter. Jones. Now Ism
this enough to make man nervous, eli !
Well, i came on here and I've talked ana
listened. and argued with these people in
the polyglot rest OF 1t, and now I'm Ao-
ing Of to take rest, and drive my
horses, while they make up their what
'ye-call- en- minds. he looked the m
utberable at me- Now 1t would look to
the inexperienced as il ona might get an
ultimatuin ont OF a great singer, and her
manager with less wear and tear. persp!r-
alton and woe, hut 1t seems not.
Madame Sembrich is star Of the hrst
magnitude. the best drawing card in the
world today. She Is wanted In several
directions about this same time, and
| wanted badly. Her own manager has FIRST
claim CO her time, and what IL left over
| is hotly disputed, not to mention that the
price So upon her service: is high enough
to make people sit up as they say over
| in England Now Mr. Chapman shows
pluck and deterIn ination and knows how
to go about his work. He bids fair to put
through the negotiations he has begun, II
working like the traditional dogs, and
hanging to his point will do the trick.
Those in Maine who haven't heard
Madame Semhrioh have big treat e
look forward 10 and long for, for musical
", there ia nothing better on the earth
and Mr. Chapman will have nothing lesi
than the best. Madame Sembrich's nam'
on the festival programme will call out
more people from other states than any
other attraction Mr.. Chapman could get
and, with his keen scent for the success
full thing in the right place and his tena
city in sticking TO his purpose, he II
likely to beat his festival record for yor
in september. or in October, 1899
Madame Sem brich ia whole mist O
birds, even IL she Is not the only bird II
the whole operatic nest I'm sure wisi
you this great musical feast and hope I,
be there to see and hear. - NJ. C.