The sun., 1903-08-30

| DHLhpLdce. IL was very Iouchlhk' Az "a'
also very cheap.
The widow OF the composer might have
bought the old house and converted II
into o. museum; but that would divert az
tention from Bayreuth, where, as PhiliT
Hale observed, they buried Wagner in the
backyard like a cat Besides,, Nine
Cosma wished to give the people OF LeiL Zig
formerly the stronghold Of fanti-Wagnerism
a severe lesson 1t seems to me that the
retaliation cuts both ways
MY first evening in Budapest was u cas-
cade Of surprises. The ride down from
Vienna is not CHEEKY until the Cathedral
and palace OF the Primate is reached, at
Gran, a superb edifce challenging the
valley of the Danube. lnterminable prai-
ries, recalling the traits OF our Western
country. swan around the busy little tram
until this residence of the spiritual lord OF
Hungary was passed. After that the
scenery as far az Orsoya. Belgrade and
the Iron Gates is legendary in its beauty
To hear the real Hungarian gypsy on
his own heath has been long my ambition;
In New York he is often IA domestlcat ed
fowl, with aliens in his company. But In
Pest My hopes We're high. The COM
bination Of peppery food, plprika gulya5i,
was also an item not to be overlooked.
| soon found an establishment where the
music IL the best in Hungary, the cooking
of the hottest. After the usual distracting
| tuning the band splashed into herce
| prelude and as tasted my first native dish
| | thought l was at Sheepshead Bay listen
| ing to rag-time and eating a hot tamale
Fancy coming thousands OF miles TO
| hear the original OF all the cakewalks and
eat preparation that might have
been turned out from bogus Mexican
restaurant 1t was too much l wept
real tears--the food was over-seasoned
| 1t took exactly four CzardGs and the
RlkocZy march TO convince me that
was not dreaming of Manhattan Beach.
But this particular band was excellent.
Finding that some Of the listeners only
wished for gypsy music, the leader played
the most frantically bacchanaian In his
repertory. Not more than eight men made
up the ensemble! And such an en-
sembe. 1t seemed to be the ideal
definition of anarchy unity in variety.
Not even a Richard Strauss score gives the
idea of vertical and horizontal music-heard
at every point of the compass, issuing from
the bowels of the earth, pouring down
upon ones head like a Tyrolean thunder
storm. Every voice was independent. and
syncopated as were the rhythms. There
was no raggedness in attack or cessation.
Like a streak of Jagged, blistering light
ming, a tone would dart from the double
bass to the very scroll Of the fddles. In
mad pursuit, over country black as Ser
Wan politics went the cymt0LOM, closely
followed by two Clarinets-in b and + fiat.
The treble pipe was played by a jeweller in
disguise he must have been jeweller, SO
fond was he of ornamentation and cataractS
of pearly tones. They made trelliswork
behind which he attacked his foes, the
string players In the midst Of all this
melodic chaos the leader, cradling his fiddle
like something alive. swayed as sways tall
tree in the gale. Then he left the podium
and hat in hand collected white pieces and
kronen 1t was Disseminating.
The tone of the hand WAS more reailient
more brilliant than the bands we hear in
America. And there was more heart, fire,
swing and dash in their playing. The
Sapping melancholy of the Ldssu and the
diabolic vigor of the FriskG are things that
l shall never forget These gypsies have
gretto is genuine oHegreho They play
rag-time music with true Rhythmic appre.
citation for the reason that it's metrical
structure is grateful to them.
In Paris the cakewalk is thing OF mis-
understood. misapped accents. The
Budapest version Of the Rakoczy march is
a revelation. No wonder Berlioz borrowed
it. The tempo is a wild quickstep; there is
no majestic breadth, 40 suggestive OF mill
tary pomp or the grandeur OF warlike
race. Instead, the music defiled in crazy
squads, men breathlessy clinging to the
saddles of their maddened steeds; above
them hung the haze of battle, and the hoarse
shouting of the warriors was heard. Five
minutes more Of this excitement and heart
disease must have supervened. Five min
utes later saw the band grinning over their
tips, drinking beer and looking absolutely
incapable Of ever playing such stirring and
hyperbolical music.
After these winged euchantments I was
glad enough TO wander next morning in the
Hungarian Museum, following the history
of this proud and glorious nation, in its
gNH
and its banners captured from the Saracen.
Such mementos re-create a race. In the
picture gallery. a modest one, there are some
interesting Munkaczys and several Ma
karts; also many specimens OF Hungarian
art by Kovacs. Zichy-a member of a noble
and talented family 81 kelly and Michael
Zichy's cartoon illustrations to Madach's
The Tragedy of Mankind.
Munkaczy's portrait of Franz LisZt is
rather muddy and btuminOus. Two orig
inai aquarelles by Dore were presented
by Liszt | was surprised TO find in the
modern Snot the "Sphynx' Of Franz Stuck,
a sensational gruesome canvas. which
made stir at the time of first hanging in
the Munich Secession exhibition. Budapest
purchased it.; also q very characteristic
Segantini. an excellent Otto Sinding, and
Hans Makar's "Dejanira." A beautiful
marble of Robins marks the progressive
taste Of this artistic capital.
II would seem that even for a municipality
oi New York's magnitude the erection of
such Hall of Justice and such Parliament
building would be- tax beyond its purse
Budapest is not n rich city. but these two
public buildings. vertable palaces. gor-
georsly decorated, proclaim her IA a highly
civilized centre The Opera House. which
seats only LOO, il the most perfectly ap-
pointed in the world; its stage apparatus
is better than Bayreuths. and the natural
position of the place is unique From
the ramparts of the royal palace in Buda---
old Ofen-y your eye, prOnise-cranlmed
sweeps series of fascinating facades,
churches palaces, generous embankments,
while between itS walls the Danube flows
torrentially down 10 the mysterious lands
where murder is admired and thrones are
playthings.
In the Liszt museum is the old. bucolic
pianino upon which his childish hands
first restea at Raiding his birthplace. His
baton: the cast of his hana and of Chopin's
and the famous piano Of Beethoven, at
which most Of the immortal sonatas were
composed and upon which I.iszt Feren-
czel played for the great composer shortly
before his death in 1927. The little piano
has no string, but the Beethoven--a Broad
wood h Sons, Golden Square, London 80 the
fall board reads il full of iangling wires.
the keys black with age. Liszt presented
it to his countrymen--he greatly loved
Budapest and taught several months every
winter at the Academy of Music in the
spacious Andrassystrasse