The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-29
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.


=
Tho Maurice Grau Opera Company will sing
this week In Kansas City and for the three per
formhnces 10 BIS given there sl4, 600 has already
been paid In. This record Is unprecedented az
an advance sale Mile Calves illness in he
troit made necessary tho first change OF bill since
the tour opened. Mile. dc Lussan sang in Gar
men" and "Mignon" was instituted for Faust"
with Mines. dc Lussan and Adams in the lead
ing roles The second part OF the present week
will be devoted to ST. Louis, where four perform
anccs will be given. Nine. Sembrich will sing
in Indianapolis and Mile Calye in Dayton n
| Nov. in accordance with the present plan Louis
vile, Cincinnati where NJ. Saleza joins the com
| pany, Chicago and Boston. the only other
| cities to be visited before the New York season
begins. NJ. Van Dyck will appear first with
| the company in St Louis as LohenOrin. Susan
| Strong, Rosa Olitzka and Adoph Muhman
are TO be his associates in the performance NJ.
| Salc2a, who sailed yesterday from Hayrc is TO
| be heard first as Don JOSE. NJ. Van Dycli is TO
| DO accompanied this year by Carl Armbtuster,
the lecturer and writer on musical topics. who is
| especially associated with III, operas OF Richard
Mantclli sailed yesterday and with their arrival
the company will be complete with the exc, ptUn
| Of NJ. Alvarez and some Of the German contin-
gent. including Nm Van Rooy and Theodore
| by no inishap beyond Mile Calves illness The
us,iGi charge was made that She fused 10 sing
not because she was ill., but because she did not
want To. That was of course founded tn"
mlsapprchensiun that ptima donnas are capri
| rous and wiitul rather than busin sslikc Cara
! butt, VINO made successful d. but at the Men
| delssohn Hall on Wednesday evening. must be
the talicst singer before the public She is six
| slender but graceful 1t was only in her bows
to ne applause Of the audi nee nee that any awl.
curious little ceremony as Miss Butt nearly htnt
herself double She is not a beauty, but her
form evidently attractive to the public II is
easy to see that she will become popular figure
| in the musical life of this season ard probably
many others TO come. She was plainly nervous
| on Wednesday and her friends attribute 10 that
th s;, n oy,remIhnsis and cxafgcrati3n in
| me Int rprctation OF several numbers. Nine.
Ihcary, a popular singer at the Grand Opera in
| Paris and q member Of the company at Covent
Garden two year., ag,n. has been 'ngaged os prin.
clpal soprano at the French Opera House in New
| Orleans during the coming season. Mark Ham.
bE9nurg. the pianist, arrived in this country on
20 years % lie studio first with his father
ana later finished his work under LeachititSky;
phcnomenon. johanna GadSki. David Bispham
and Walter Damrosch are to give, series of Wag.
nrr rccifas through the West Marie Engc will
probably not be heard in public this winter, owing
10 the death Of her father
The veteran conductor Luigi Ardit recently
contributed to a London weekly some interesting
| "reminiscences Of his experiences in this country
was practically at its beg inning when he came here
first He writes:
In Vercelli in 1s43. made my debut as an
opera conductor 1gave concerts at Turin Aroma,
and Nnrcsc after tho season, and returned TO
Milan. accepting an engagement to conduct at
| tho Teatro Re. In those days conductor WAS
| obliged TO DO a violns,. and to play himself all
| the solos. My greatest Success was invariably
| in the celebrated solo of Verdi's Iombardi'
With Bottesin visited all the principal cities of
| Italy. giving concerts, and meeting with great
applause. particularly in our duet La fiesta degli
! Zingar Inspired with success and ambition
We mado up our minds to turn our steps toward
England, the country where, in those days Italian
music and musicians were sure Of a welcome.
| Fate. however willed otherwise. Don Francisco
| Marty do Torrens, the rich Cuban impresaro
| offered us both engagements TO go to Havana.
| Bottesni as double bass. and myself as conductor
| We sailed from Genoa on Sept g. lS46, and, after
| voyage Of two months. arrived there 10 find the
| theatre where We were to have performed in ruins
| from the effect Of cyclone. Don Francisco was
not the man to allow such trile to interfere with
his plans. He very found refuge for the
| splendid company Of artists he had collected and
we were all soon in working order. Here for
moment must pause TO pay tribute to that com
| peny. l have conducted in all the principal
| theatres Of Europe. and with all the best artists
! BIZ, an ensemble 80 excellent have seldom como
across Steffenone, Bosio and Tedesco were the
| three prima donnas Salvi and Jcrcmia Bettini
| tenors; Badiali, Benevcntano. bnr,ones AIarini,
| the famous basso: there was an excellent or
chestra, in which the double bass was played by
| Bottesn An uere Italians. but artists OF tho
| kind that Italy then produced
| l composed an opera. II Corsaro," performed
| with success and made quite a reputation by tn"
| number OF trcole dances wrote. Al the end If
20 "A dad Il. N.,tH
| York, Boston. and Philadelphia, where We were
received with immense enthusiasm. | remained
oil my benefit, when the whole company appeared
he presented me with the entire receipts Of the
in N"w York, ne having secured some of the Rest
| artists from the Havana company. in 1882. |
and made a tour Of eight months in The United
| States with great success and pleasure for she
was II most charming and amiable woman My
| next step was unlucky became Joint impressario
| with Nine Devrics. and underwent heavy losses
before came out Of tho business In New Orleans
! met Nine Sontag, who was most Aious that
should accompany her to Mexico, but did not
care TO run the risk Of cholera, which eventually
carried of that most charming artist and several
OF her company.
The Italics are Sig. Ardihs and seem to ind.
upon he palmy days ia which Italian allan "pera
singers were not only much more appreciated
but seemingly much more deserving OF ii.
Leoncavalo's la Boheme" has been sung a,
tho Renaissance in Paris with sufficient success
to increase the delight Of the public that another
institution than the second national opera houses
IS TO supply new works there. Operas by the
younger French composers who have been seek
ing admission in vain to the subsidized theatres
are also 10 be heard there. The latest thing in
the way Of novelty at the Opera was the restora-
ton OF the ballet to the second act Of la Favorita
It was discarded some years ago Edward Grieg
has offended the French people by refusing TO go
to Paris for tho purpose Of conducting his new
oratorio Peace" written for tho opening of tho
exposition next year. Tho composer declined
| In these iniudicious words:
DEAR MAsTEn:--In thanking you very
much for your amiabe invitation, | regret 10
tell you that after the result of tho Dreyfus trial
| cannot decide TO come to France Like all for
cigncrs. | AM indignant ~ tho manner in
winch justice is treated In your country, and !
a. irtn