The Washington times., 1902-06-16

rccm. and in that second the Lowell
bride of an evening, the lost love OF tn
great musician and the pride OF al
Vienna, dropped dead at her husband :
feet
With shrek Strauss fell fainting in
to the arms of one of his musicians anC
the happy. joyous wedding feast wa!
turned into a gruesomc tragedy.
Strauss was ever loyal to his early
love and the waltz which had figureC
50 conspicuously that night was called
THE Sophie Waltz in commemorative
of her.
Less romantic than the Strauss cpl
scde but equally pathetic was the com
position of mis- great Requiem" by Mo
zart.
Mozart's Requiem.
| One day. when the musician, like any
other mortal. was sitting in his home
wondering where he would procure the
means which he was so much in need
of at that particular time. a strange man
called upon him. Mozart had never seen
the man before and never learned his
identity. but the stranger has since been
| believed to have been an emissary from
/ the Count Esterhazy. The man had
| been directed to commission Mozart to
write requiem mass. Telling the COM
poser that he would return at certain
! time and paying him in full for the
mass, the man went away.
He went again to Mozart at the speci-
fed time, but the mass was not ready.
Mozart pleaded Illness and promised to
bn,- /, ,xfth civ Tho
mass was completed and only needed the
orchestration when Mozart, who had
been a consumptive for several years,
was taken very ILL., He lost none of
his energy and continued the orchestra
tion in bed until one day. when several
of his pupils were around his bedside
assisting him in the work. he became
very weak and everybody realized that
the end was near. His power of speech
deserted him and he was not able TO
raise his hand. After indicating by diff
ferent movements just where and how
each instrument should come in he
puffed cut his cheeks as means of show
ing where the trombone should be used.
This was the last evidence OF conscious
ness which the noted composer ever
gave. With the strains OF his beauti-
fuI mass played in soft, doleful tones
MS Soul ufHtTltu anu iAl' "cih ~
which he had given his word was
brought into being with the last breath
of his life.
Remenyi's Sudden Death.
Another figure. which was so conspic-
uous in the musical history of Europe
ten years ago. was that OF Remenyi' the
violinist. Associated with List, Joa-
chin, Brahms and other celebrated mu-
sicians Remenyi occupied prominent
position in the music world. His con-
ceptlon OF violin music was superb and
at one time he was solo violinist to the
late Queen of England.
Being OF a nomadic nature he roamed
all over the globe, playing first in one
place and then in another. During
concert tour OF the United States he
created a furore with his art and when
he came back to America a little over
four years ago and accepted engage
ments in the vaudeville houses his
playing was greeted with the most en-
thusiastic applause wherever he ap-
peared.
Travelling across the continent he
reached San Francisco in May. Several
days before his appearance at one OF
the prominent vaudeville houses there
he was taken i'll. His friends tried to
persuade him not to fill the engagement. |
but upon inquiry from the manager OF
the theater on the opening night he /
said that he would play and that he |
had never felt better in his life.
When Remenyi appeared on the stage |
H., MI a Of
bowing his Acknowledgements to the au-
dience he played selection from The
During the playing of the
number Remenyi. realizing the musical
ability OF the orchestra leader who was
him, smiled his satisfac-
tion At the conclusion OF the se!ec-
tion. and while the audience was franti
cally applauding, Remenyi stopped and
grasped the hand of the director warm
ly, thanking him for his accompani-
ment.
For an encore Remenyi played 'Old
Glory" which aroused the people to
such demonstrations of enthusiasm that
he was forced to respond to a second en-
core, and he began the opening strains
1f a selection from Delibes Sylvia.
He had played but few measures, how
7ver. when he was seen to sway forward
and fall across the footlights with his
beloved violin clasped tightly in his
arms The curtain was rung down anG
he musician carried from the stage,
out he had died playing his own requiem
n those beautiful strains from Sylvia.
Scanlon's Sad Life.
Everybody will remember how ". ].
;canlon. the Irish comedian, met first
leath of the mind. and then Of body,
through his songs. Possibly no player
Who solicited the admiration and good
will of the American public ever sue
.eeded in gaining it so readily and so
as this singer of Irish melo
lies. For years he delighted the public !
md won their hearts through his beau I
iful voice and lovableness. S
AS he sang. and his popularity grew
greater, his mind began to weaken and ,
Ifter year of more struggling to re- |
,ain his lost mental vitality, he was .
orced to give il up and go under treat :
nent. Nothing seemed to benefit him. {
nd he gradually grew worse. In the 6
rounds of Bloomingdale Asylum he q
would wander. always attended by his
aithful wife, and live again his stage
areer. over and over he would sing
he old songs. and endeavor in the most
athletic way to sing them with his old
ime vigor. but it was futile. Every
hing about the grounds appealed TO