The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-04-22


the word rag-time means and the origin
of it," the New York Tribune prints the
following:
1.-THE question looks simple and ought
to be easily answered; but it isn't. Rag
time Is rhythm which is the most
Characteristic feature of what may be
called American negro music. Its foun-
dation is the effect which results from the
division of the accented part of a measure
into two notes, of which the first is the
shorter, sixteenth and dotted eighth IN
common time, for instance. The result Is
peculiarly propulsive and stirring. and the
fondness of the negro 1or it IS doubtiess
due to the strong rhythmicai sense Which
is innate with him. 1t is possible, also
that it is a product of some African i IAN.
guages, this being reasonable dsductloi
by analogy from the fact that sltntial
effect. which might be called the Mag
var snap" is the most marked charae's.-
stic of Hungarian music, and there :
unquestionably the fruit of veroai metre
in Magyar tunes, however. the sSAcop ,s.
ton occurs in a different part OF the meas
ure-tne last half-and the effect Is oe
scribed bv the term "alla zoppa'-that IS
in a lmping or hating style. as 20 tue
origin of the term "rastime' the writes
confesses his ignorance. and he mas NO.
even theory.
w rex,iav of the three weeks of the
New Orleans French grand opera In Ghi-
o,so the Tribune says: The audiences
baye been uniformly small throughout the
season. in some cases eXtraordindfts So
| In a few cases respectaole . isSsiu
| ance has been observed-perhapst Z,oeo OF
| even s,o0-but these nave been .ns
| csntions. the average probably not eAcseo-
ing from 200 to 1900. OF course no au-
Gisnce is a good audience in the aaait no.
| r;,,,, unless il numbers from 500 10 t'oyV'
| ana when the attendance drops 20
an,1vhere around the LOCO mark the Nast
| hail presents a desolate and disies'f te-A
| ing appearance.
oratorio is doomed in Paris. Handel
| .r,Iessiah,, was lately sung at the Cau.S Gu
- So F,ustache. On February l5th the
Parisians heard Berlio's Reduiem anu :,
the first half of Gounod's keaelllptioit'
On March 18th, Wagner, Love fease -
the Apos ties and NJ Massene
vet Unpublished oratorio, The froiii, ,e,.
Itand and on April 18th and 18Th On mar
doses. Bach,s .tSt. Matthew Passion Mu-
sic.
Maurice Grau announces that the grant =,
opera season in America for lNS-iSi VIZ
open at san Francisco on November i-th
next.
Black Patti has cleared neary q quarter
of million dollars in the last i've sea-
sons. Probably no one would oolect ~
have this experience coupled with me
others that happened to Jones, since thdS
is really PATHS real name.
Francis Wilson tells in the Philadelp ma
Bulletin an odd little story ABOUT 'iS
| Il ;tes ,,cppSS.
"Manv years ago. he said. Violet Wei
norte wanted an opera, and JacoooWsNi
sent her two. She liked the hpretto OF
one of them. but thought that tns
| music was commonplace In tae oths.
opera the libretto was dlstnctNely p,io'
but the music was melodious ana cdlcIs
And so she sent for Jacobowski, and ASK
ed him if he couldn't weld the COCO
Iibretto and the good music together ana
make one clever opera out OF two fnsaio-
GRE ones. Jacobowski took her advice ana
sE,rninie' was the resultant
The COMPOSER of the melody Of Annie
ra,,rias, died al her home in Scotland q
So ji,,,s ago. She was Alicia Anne Spot
tiswoode. who married Lord John Doug
los scott. son of the Duke of BuecieuSh
IN 1874 The words OF Annie Laurie IN
one form or another. date back TO the ear
ly part of the eighteenth century
The philadelphia Press announces tina:
II has been planned to have series OF
six or eight sympony concerts next WIN
fer ar the Academy of Music by an Or
chestra of Philadelphia musicians under
the direction of Mr.. Fritz Scneei.
Nine. CaIve will not be member Oh
the Grau opera company next season r.. -
ing engaged TO appear at the Opera com
tone paris. There she VIII create TWO
rolas. one in Wagner opera and the
other in IL Ouragan by Zola and bfu-
neau.
Nine Lillian Nordics, Mr.. Henri Mar
teau. and Mr.. Walter D1mrosch VIII ap.
pear among others a the h3l 80 ~, ~ ~,
/ concert in aid of the Boer WIDOWS anu -
nhans ar the Metropolitan Opera House
, New York, on Thursday evening, Aprl
18th.
Chicago and ST. Louis are to be dlsci-
| plined next season for their lack o. tt-
teresr in the performances gwen ~
last winter by the Ma1iicv 80 II
! company, and no opera Will De given -
! either bv him for some time TO come Du
rinr- t,e season of opera recently attefnpl-
cd in Chicago by the French company
which had been all winter IN NV ot
leans, nine uersons presented tnsiiss 80
| one night at the Auditot tE4Lt. -
the extent of the audience. NaturallE n, ~
performance was given. On the otn Ls
hand. the performances given ny 'hs
cheap-priced English companies NEE
with the greatest success everywhere
Paderewski will take home to his SWISS WISE
chateau at least million francs tSsse,5vol
clear profit after his five months L3' t
in the United States, Mexico and Cail'iua'
Mascagni recently delivered lecture IT IN
Venice on The Revolution in Music ne
Iauded Verdi to the skies. and laia Sues re-,
ON the assertion that it was necessary .il-b.
music should be popular and national a,
once, in the sense that it must spril7
from the heart OF the people he 'e->-
pressed the greatest admiration TOY We
ner,s genius, but found fault WIN IN: NE
successors and imitators and the cru
who had seduced the composers oil youLs
1taly into external Imitation OF wagner 'l.. :
forms He said that he eou.d nor - coii,
ceive of an Italian composer VINO cgalL
write songs and symphonies to the ,le TIa,,
of the opera Under the skies o. 10y
opera was a necessity. England mad liess -