The record-union., 1899-08-20

and immortal, and while girls and boys
live they will dance to the music of
the Beautiful Blue Danube"
The rights and privileges Of playgoers
have found a stanch defender in Bel
gian gentleman, who, having purchased
a book of "Das Rheingold" at the we'll
known Theater de la Monnaie, in Brus-
sells, was annoyed to find that he could
rarely refer to it during the perform
ance of the opera owing to the prac-
tice of turning down the lights In the
auditorium. According to the Bay
reuth tradition, the theater was now
and again plunged in obscurity. and 1t
is on this ground that the irasclpie
playgoer has entered a formal action
against the management. The partlcu-
lars of claims state that whereas, owing
to the darkness, it was impossible Tor
the plaintiff to follow the action ot
Wagner's work. with the aid Of the au-
thorized book, for which he paid the
performers at that house sing in way
which renders it impossible to under
stand a word that they are supposed
to be uttering, he prays that the court
will order the management to refund
the price of his stall, and to allow hlm
damages. 1t is said that the complain
ant is supported by a number of sub
scribers, and that the case will be seri-
ously argued in the Brussels court.
Meanwhile, a number of persons have
pledged themselves to attend the next
representation of "Das Rheingold" with
pocket-lanterns, which they will take
out the moment that the electric lights
are extinguished.
At the competition of the German
Choral Societies, in Cassel Germany.
the Imperial Prize was won by the
Cologne Choral Society.
Kaiser William has ordered the pro-
duction of Glinka's Life for the Gar
and diplomatistS are drawing many
conclusions from this fact. 1t is the
distinctive Russian opera.
A well-known gentleman recently cal
culated why Patti and Paderewski
tickets are SO very expensive. Here is
the result of his figuring: "a hundred
thousand people every year. he says,
begin the study of music; their tuition
expenses aggregate S1.00O,000. At the
end of the first year these 100000 peo-
pie have, perhaps, developed 1000 mu-
sicanS Of more than ordinary ability.
At the end of the second year, this
number has dropped to 500. At the
end of the third year, this number has
dropped to 100 At the end of the
fourth year, this number has dropped
to fifty. At the end of the fifth year,
it is reduced to five. At the end of the
sixth year, there may be one out Of
this entire number whose name has a
national significance. If all goes well,
in ten years, this one person may be-
come famous In the meantime, the
original 100000 are digging away try
ing to get foothold on the ladder of
fame. Now, let US figure up what it
has cost to develop and discover one
really famous musician. One million
dollars per year, for years, amounts to
total Of S12,000,000, and this is what
one really famous musician has cost.
I may be accused of putting this on a
basis that is altogether too practical
and savors too much of the dollar-m mark
and the commercial spirit, but our crit
les must bear in mind that I am trying
to answer the question why PATHS and
Paderewskis come SO high. Take, for
example, the cut-glass industry. Sup
pose the entire work for one year of a
factory produced only five perfect spec
linens. 1t does not take shrewd math-
ematician to show us that the cost of
these specimens would be very large
Nine. Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler will
not play in this country during the
coming season.
Paderewski, it is said in London, will
receive for his two performances at Mr..
Astor's house this summer $4,000.
Emil Paur will conduct the New York
Philharmonic Orchestra this coming
season, and it is part of the program
to make a Western trip, beginning
about the middle of October.
There is trouble over the proposed
monument to Schumann, to be erected
in his natal city of Zwickau, in Saxony.
A suitable design cannot be found.
None of the plans offered are received
with favor.
Miss Evelyn Ashton Fletcher, who
recently returned from abroad, has de-
cided to introduce her music method
in the West, and will travel to form
summer classes. probably as far as Cal
ifornia, says an exchange.
Beethoven's ancestry has been traced
back to 1713, when tailor named