The record-union., 1899-09-17

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| In a recent number Of ST I,e Temps
Jules Claretie tells a touching anecdote
of Calve, or rather publishes one of her
letters, in which she tells the story.
1t is of a little hunchback flower-maker
of Nice. Several years ago Calve gave
a concert there for the benefit of three
very poor families, in one of which
was a little paralyzed hunchback girl
of fifteen who helped her mother by
making artificial flowers. Calye be-
came interested in her, and had her ap-
prenticed to a flower maker, and then
went away and forgot all about her.
Four years afterward, when she re-
turned to Nice to sing "Ophelia,'' one
day her little protege was brought to
her in a wheel chair. Her mother said
that she had become ''une grande
artistic" and that her flowers brought
very high prices; but, helas the doc
tors said that she could live not longer
than six months. Some one had told
her that Calve when she played
"Ophelia," needed wild flowers, and so
she had made garlands especially for
her benefactress, each flower of which
was a little poem. Calve wept when
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the little flower maker lived in a
gloomy old place, where the sun never
shone, she had her taken to a house
where during the last months of her
| life she might enjoy sunshine. "Oh!
le romarin ct les violettes de Shakes
peare, mes sous les doigts amaigris de
la petite poitrinaire!" says Claretie, in
a burst of emotion.
/
] Musical America: In order to under
stand how it is possible to assist the
already developed mind in the acquire
ment of musical taste, we must first
understand how and by means of what
educational process in childhood, taste
unconsciously links itself with knowl
edge and ability
Unfortunately, the usual methods
chosen to induce a child to think Sc
riously on art matters are calculated
to foster childish opposition, or to yield
| no other result than an attitude of
defiance. Parental anxiety instead
of accomplishing good, too often is the
very rock on which is destroyed the
child's inclination to be studious. Ev-
cry day such a child looks sullenly for
ward to the hour appointed for music
study; and in it's little mind that. period
is firmly. established as an hour of
drudgery-an hour Of undeserved pun
ishment.
Children should be made to under
stand that one of the highest aims Of
art is pleasure. Where this is done,
protestation quickly vanishes. Almost
any occupation presented to child in
the light of enjoyment acquires ire
sistible attraction. Tom Sawyer knew
what he was about when he glowingly
depicted the delights of whitewashing
d fence!
Where no love for the art exists it
certainly is either very difficult or alto
gether impossible to form musical
taste But in the very young child even
a genuine musical tendency is not al
ways appreciable. If the musical sense
exists, in however feeble degree, the
influence of much music will soon i'm
pei it to the surface of the child's ma
ture.
Let the child have plenty of fresh
airl' is the physicians cry when he
feels the sluggish pulse and notes the
pale and haggard face I say, let the
child have plenty of fresh musical air
if you wish to beautify it's musical
taste. No music can be too classical,
no composition too philosophical to
serve as musical food for the child on
whom Nature has bestowed a gift for
the art. Even as, by reason Of its inn
pressionableness, a child passes quickly
from one language TO another learning
to speak each new one with astonishing
rapidity and intelligence, so can its
elastic mind quickly adapt itself to
any form of musical language.
l should fill a child's earlier life with
Mozart's music. till every trill and
graceful thought is stamped upon the
heart and mind forever. With that
musical Virgil as guide, no child's
taste could be led astray.
Brahms and Tschaikowsky met but
twice." says a. writer in the London
sMusical Standard" son the last oc-
easion Brahms was sufficiently interest
ed in Tschaikowslky's fifth symphony
to travel expressly to Hamburg in order
to make its acquaintance. After the
performance the distinguished COM
posers dined together, and the consci-
entious Brahms frankly admitted that
he did not like the work at all, where
upon the unusually meek Russian
plucked up sufficient courage to inform
his host that the dislike of each other S
music was mutual. They parted on
excellent terms, nevertheless
Martinus Sievekine is married. his
wife, young and pretty, is a Viennese.
Timothee Adamowski has written a
4 light Onnra for the BOStOnianS
The new German copyright law has
had the especial attention of the En-
peror This bill extends the copyright
of musical works from thirty to fifty
years No article may be reprinted
without giving credit to the author
and scientific articles must have the
special permission of the author before
being reprinted.
/ II y "
Grau has re-enga ged Zelie de Luzzan
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Felix Draeseke has just finished a
choral and orchestral work, Christos. !"
/ y
The "Antoclektropolyphon is the
name of a new music box constructed
by Antonio Zibordi an Italian. to be
exhibited for the first time in 1900 at
the Paris Exposition. 1t contains S0,-
600 pieces of musical apparatus.
| The London Daily News remarks
| that 'sthe fact that the leading British
opera composers - Sullivan, Mackenzie,
/ McCunn, Stanford. and the rest-are
Ignored at Covent Garden is probably
not the fault Of the management for