The record-union., 1899-07-23
fessional German agitators. Their pride
has a better basis.

fessional German agitators. Their pride
has better basis.
= =
The persistency of a type of folk
song in spite of a change in environ
ment of sufficient influence to modify
the artistic products of a people has
convincing Illustration in Finland. The
Firms are an older race in the North
ern Peninsula Of Europe than any Of
the Germanic tribes. They belong, too,
to an entirely different stock; though
they have mixed with them since, there
was originally no affinity of race be-
tween them and their conquerors Their
origin is in doubt, but it is supposed
that they were Mongols, which would
make them relatives of the Magyars in
Hungary. The influence of the Swedes
upon their culture began in the twelfth
century, when Christianity was forced
upon them, and it has never ceased,
though Sweden was forced to cede Fin
land to Russia in 1909 by the allied
powers. Now Russia, though under a
solemn pact to permit liberty of Ian
guage, education and religion to the
Firms, is engaged in stamping out the
last vestiges of nationalism in the
country SO beautifully called Suomi by
its people. The cultivation of music
as an art in the modern sense began in
Finland toward the close of the last
century, and the composers, directors
and teachers We're either Germans or
Scandinavians who had been educated
in Germany. The artistic music of the
Firms therefore is identified as close
ly as possible with that of the Scan
dinavian peoples, but the vigor of prim-
| tive influences is attested by the un-
| mistakable elements of originality in
their folk-songs. The ancient Films
| had the Northern love for music, and
their legendary Orpheus was even a
more picturesque and potent theurgist
than the Greek
| His name was Wainamoinen, and when
he tuned his Tyre with pleasing woe,
| While listening forests covered, as he
played,
| The soft musician in moving shade
Sims Reeves, the most famous tenor
singer of his day. who retired from the
stage to teach in 1892 and six years
afterward was obliged by failing health
to give up teaching also, was SO care
full of his voice in his palmy days that
| he declared his conscientiousness had
| cost him at least 100000.
Il have lived the life of an anchor
| ite,' he once said. You really do not
know, and the public do not know, what
| self-denial 1 have practiced, what de-
| privation I have suffered during my
career. / am the most careful and
abstemious liver in the world"
| He preferred to disappoint an aud
ience by not appearing rather than by
singing when his throat was not in
the best condition. He was most thor
| ough in all his practicing. He says:
Il have always studied by words; I
have read them and phrased them in
every possible way, and asked myself
what they meant, and interpreted them
according to my own feeling. I walk
up and down, trying this line and try
ing that, until I feel that have struck
the right idea
His getting ready to sing was always
a more laborious effort than the sing
ing itself.
| Some time ago it was hinted in the
foreign papers that the church author
tiles We're not altogether satisfied with
the way in which Dom Lorenzo Perosi
was careering about Europe in order
to direct his oratories and completely
neglecting his duties as organist of ST.
Marks, says the New York "Com-
mercial Advertiser" He was to have
appeared in London to conduct three
of his works in Queens Hall, but at
| the last moment he sent word that he
could not come as he had been recalled
/ to Rome to assist at the consistory.
This is taken by continental writer's to
mean that he will no longer be allowed
to pursue his career as a star, SO long,
| indeed, as he is formally connected
with the church. One is tempted to
believe, however, that this will not lie
very long, for he has announced his
| intention to devote himself in the near
| future to secular music, especially the
| opera, and as the whole Peros boom
was merely the result of the. church
attempt to offset the pernicious effects
| of modern Italian opera, it can easily
be seen that his period of usefulness
| is nearly over.
The twenty-fifth anniversary of the
production of Johann Strauss we'll
| known operetta Die Fledermaus" was
! celebrated in many German theaters.
There is, perhaps, no other work of
| the kind which, after so long a period,
| has maintained its freshness and its
popularity to the same extent die
| Fledermaus" was first heard in the
! Theater an der Wien, Vienna, on April
5. 1874, with Marie Geistinger as Rosa
linde. Following the example of Vien-
ma and Munich, Berlin has given the
"F1edermaus" at the Grand Opera, with
grand opera cast and Richard Strauss
as conductor. The success was so
great that the manager has decided
| to add the work to his regular roper
| tory, and to bring out Ritter Pazman"
in the same way. The first two per-
formances netted $10,OC0, which the
Empress added to the fund for a hos
pital for consumptives.
| Chinese PC1iteness.
When in Shanghai Prince and Prin-
cess Henry of Prussia were given an
amusing example of Chinese politeness.
/ t,l LII