The record-union., 1899-01-08

saw great future in store for the boy,
and used. every effort to have his capa-
bilities developed to the fullest extent,
besides inspiring Burmester to pursue
a career of the first order. Won Bu-
low, indeed, spent many hours with the
young man playing duets, and great
friendship grew out of their frequent
association.
Burmester decided to live in seclusion
for some time, and accordingly retired
to Helsingfors, in Finland, where he
spent three years at the hardest kind
of work, practicing from eight to ten
hours daily, and when he did return to
ask for public recognition it came to
| him in showers. He is, as regards
technique, pure and simple, a remark
able executant, and his ability in this
direction, so prominent European art
lists claim, seems almost without linn
it. His tone is full of sympathy and
resonance, and his phrasing excellent.
| The Nord- Amerikanischer Sanger
bund, organized in Cincinnati in 1S49,
will hold its semi-centennial in that
city next June 1t is said that over
1900 singers will be in attendance.
The third marriage Of Patti has set
a Paris journalist looking up famous
actresses and singers of the past who
have married and retired Among the
historic celebrities mentioned are So
phie Cruvelli, who became Countess VIZ
gier; Augustine Brohan Of the Coincide
Franchise, who left the stage owing to
weak eyesight, and married the Count
de Chest; while Mile. Croizette we'd
ded M. Stern. General Battaille's wife
was Nine Mombelli, Colonel Andre led
Mile Chapuis to the altar of Hymen,
and Mile. CALI Marie, the once popular
Carmen, is now living in a splendid
villa on. the shores of the Mediterra-
mean, not far from the busy and bril-
liant Canebiere and the Quai de la
Fraternite. The first impersonator of
Bizet,s interesting heroine is known as
Nine. Delaur, wife of wealthy bust
ness man. There are also mentioned
Mile. Lefevre, who married the BARI
tone Faure; Mile. Fevre, who is at
present Nine. Rely, her husband be-
ing an art critic of repute; Nine. Car
rere of the Opera, who is united to
Xanroff, the famous singer of jo-
vial ballads and songs, while Yvette
Guilbert of the long black gloves, is de-
signated in private life as plain Nine.
Schiller, and when not amusing the fire.
quenters of music halls resides at a
quiet country seat, and cultivates good
works as well as her garden
Under hygienic conditions, nothing
seems to be more conducive TO lon
gevity than hard brain work. Nearly
every week one reads of some German
professor reaching the age Of eighty
or more, and German Professors almost
invariably work like beavers. In the
musical world the hardest workers
have, as a rule, lived longest, as. for
example, Bach, Handel, Haydn, Spohr.
Wagner, Lizst. There are many ex-
ceptions, to be sure. but it may be
taken for granted that SO Woodworking
a man as Schubert, for instance, would
have lived as long as Haydn had not
the accident of typhoid fever carried
him off; and SO with Weber and
Chopin, who were so unlueky as to get
consumption. and with others. In the
music-publishing world a remarkable
case of longevity is recalled by an auc-
ton sale in London of the business of
Robert Cocks & Co. The original Rob-
ert Cocks, who, after sixty years in
business. retired in 1881. was poor
boy of IA, who came to London, and
being smitten by the attractions of 4
| military drum and fife band, resolved
| to learn the flute. In 1923 he began to
publish music, and for a quarter of a
century he worked sixteen hours day.
He lived to be nearly ninety.
Somebody once alluded to a group If
three persons as two musicians and a
singer"
Only in rare instances are singers
possessed Of innate sense of rhythm.
and We're it not for the restraint of ,,i-
ano or orchestra, many Of them would
find it exceedingly difficult to keep time.
Musical America: Many singers are
oblivious of the accompanist and would
placidly continue their song were he to
omit two or three measures, or to stray
into an entirely foreign key. Antoin-
cite Sterling was once taken to task
for such an oversight, but with rare
presence of mind replied: IT sing as
God taught me. I hear nothing, see
nothing The poor pianist could Ger
tainly not criticise the Lords vocal
method.
Louis c. Elson makes the plausible
suggestion that the reason why Mozart
did not become musical reformer, but
left forms as he had found them, was
that he learned to compose at so early
an age that the rules of his art became
to him fixed and unalterable as the
laws of the Modes and Persians
>
A new square in Vienna. adjoining
the Favoritenstrasse, has been named
Brahms Platz," and a commemorative
tablet has been placed on the house,
Carlsgasse, No. 4. where the master re-
sided for a period of seventeen years.
- =
Wolodia Roujitsky. the little boy of s.
after delighting London with piano
forte recitals at which he is said to
have displayed the power, accuracy
and taste of strong man, has re-
| turned to Russia to resume his studies.
Truly the close Of the century is pro-
life in baby geniuses Of nearly every
kind.
Musical America: Mrs. Chambers
Ketchum is scientist, college professor,
musician, novelist. poet dramatist,
actress, religieuse and nun. She has
just completed her autobiography.
which covers 1000 manuscript pages,
and will not be published till after her
death. So remarkable a woman in
clines one to favor the theosophical
1 theory Of many lives At any rate,