The age-herald., 1900-12-13
SKETCHES FROM
 EVERYDAY LIFE


 Sunday, find it a very dull day in our southern towns. They came here from Att lanta, where they were not allowed to give a concert on Sunday. The trouble was that Strauss had all his programmes printed in pamphlet form before he started on his tour. The programmes are numbered from one to ten, and he selects one of them for each performance. The trouble in Atlanta the word sacred on it, and they would not have a Sunday concert that was not sacred If this word had been on the pro- gramme there would have been no trouble. to change any of the selections. If all good music is not sacred, then I don't know the meaning of the word-ilowever that is an outside matter
 Strauss, finding he would not be allowed to play in Atlanta on Sunday, took the early train and came to Birmingham, reach- ing ihere about noon. He could have bought a little rubber stamp with the word sacred on it and dsetored his programmes, but he scorned such quack proceeding. Ar irving here he was met at the station by an old friend, Mir. Karpeles, whom he knew in Austria Strauss, by the way, cannot speak English, nor any of his orchestra. He was not only delighted to see his old friend but was glad to see someone who could speak German. After the greetings hba rUith Bohemian tastes, wanted to know, was where he could get some beer. You can't get any here Sunday said his friend. Sum- day is what we call a dry day This spec imen of dry humor was lost on StrausA Matters were not so bad, however His friend who was a member of the Press Club and therefore of Bohemian tastes, ex- plained that at another club, the Turn Verein, they could be furnished with beer. The whole orchestra therefore repaired to the Turn Verein, where seventeen barrels of beer were empued during the afternoon. There were forty-five members of the or- chestra, and about as many members of the club, so if you are fond of calculation you can estimate how much beer the orchestra consumed, keeping in consideration the fact that a German can drink about twice as much beer as an American-and still be sober.
 q noticed another curious fact about Strauss orchestra" he continued, (which seemed to bear out the theory advanced by some Frenchman, that playing stringed in- struments promotes the growth of the hair, while wind instruments produce badness. The only man in the orchestra who might be called bald was the flute player, and the next baldest man was the cornetist. All the others had an average amount of hair, and there was only one man in the orchestra wno cultivated a Paderewski style of hair mess I suppose he had a particularly res- onant violin. Why the vibrations caused by stringed instruments should promote the growth of the hair and the vibrations from wind instruments produce badness, no one has yet been able to explain. It seems that it ought to be just the reverse, as plenty of wind is said to be good for the hair The theory, however, seems to hold good as far as the wind instrument is concerned, for the trumpeters in the French army are so universally bald that it has originated the name of 'trumpeters' badness
 suppose nuSlCidIS are tIie HlOSt ScH- sitive people in the world" said listener. when the first speaker had finished. "The first time I saw Thomas orchestra I mo- ticed a little violinist sitting on the ex- treme left of the stage. He was not only small but rather odd looking, and his mind did not seem to be on his work. He played mechanically, seldom looking at his mu- sic, and his gaze wandered around the stage as if looking for some one. I came to the conclusion that he was a poor musi- elan. Thomas, unlike Strauss, encourages individualism In his band, and during concert there will be half a dozen solos. He does not play himself-probably this is the reason. There are usually one or two singers with his troupe who relieve the monotony-if you could speak of all music as monotony-with an occasional song. As the concert proceeded several solos were played by different musicians and one or two songs were sung. One was by very pretty girl and the moment she came on the stage the little musician gazed and lis- tened with rapt attention. When the song ended he led the applause of the entire house so enthusiastic was he. After awhile a number was reached on the programme which l saw was a violin solo, l forget the namo of the selection, and the violinist who was to play 1T had some un- pronouncable name, but these things are to be expected at a concert, so prepared to enjoy the music being especially fond of violin playing. To my surprise the little musician arose and stepped to the front of the stage. I was afraid the playing would be ordinary at the best, but at the first touch I saw that he was a master of his art. When he finished playing there was a storm of applause which nothing but an encore would appease. He came out again, this time leading the pretty girl who had sung, who seated herself at 8 piano. which was at one side of. the stage, 10 play his accompaniment They two were to play together and the orchestra was to have nothing to do but listen, and well might they listen, for I never heard anything as tender, exquisite and beautiful the piece