The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-05-07
THEY COME HIGH.
What Nordica and De Reszke
Earn With Their Voices.
Earnings of Either Double That
of the President.
ABOUT THE CONCERTS.
It Costs $1,000 for the Weeks
Musical Events.
Musicians in Orchestra Are
Paid $40 Day.
ABOUT THE CONCERTS.

The musical features alone for the
May Festival, which begins at the Audi
forum next Monday night with a con-
cert by the Theodore Thomas orchestra.
VIII cost $500. This doesn't include any
other expense, not even postage. The
best musical talent is expensive.
The prices paid to celebrated vocal
artists is regulated just the same a the
prices paid in the produce markedly
the rules of supply and demand. BY
this rule Mime. Lillian Nordica receives
90 ger cent more this season for each
concert than she did when she was in
Topeka in 1902 When Nine Nordica
first visited Topeka she was touring the
country giving recitals Her manager
charged $500 a concert. out of that
NINE. Nordica received exactly $1,000.
the remalnde- being for expenses and
pl ont for the manager. This year OF
the HVe great pIima donnas three are
not to be considered for concert work
IN TINS country Calve stayed in Paris.
me say capital was better than trip
across Melba. like all other great
sln%ers. lad little misunderstanding
WIN Maurice Crau, manager of the
MetroDolltan Grand opera house, New
DIX, over salary. and quit America for
ner native country. Australia Games
mas Deen sick This left only two of the
eelepfated sopranos, Sembrich and Nor
Thus the rule of supply and demand
had 10 be rigidly adhered to- There
was an unusually great demand for
celeDrated sopranos. coming from mu-
s s.e towns outside of New York. Only
Semprlch and Nordica We're able to fill
the demands. OF the two Nordica is
1ar the faVorite, in fact only MeJba the
american born, can compete with Nor
dlca, the Maine musical wonder. in
popularity. There was an unusual de-
mand for Nordica. She increased her
demands and asked 81 500 a concert 1t
was but short time ago that she and
ITdu hau railing out because Cfrau
would not pay her what she demanded
1t was then that NOrdica went on a
tour, and visited Topeka She was so
successful that Grau found that he
Woulu nave TO pay her what she asked.
Next 10 NOrdlca, In the graduated sal
airy list, comes Edouard De Reszke. the
basso, who receives 81 600 for each con-
cert When the tour was arranged the
thfee speclai features were to be Duss
ana MS metropolitan opera house or
cheStra, Nordica and De Reszke The
orchestra was to play each night and
Nord1ca and De Reszke were to alter
hate giving each night of singing and
night of rest The public has demand
ed both Nordica and De Reszlxe and the
original plans have had to be set aside
Both Nordlca and De Reszke will sing
at ST Louis Monday. May H. both will
sing at Kansas City Tuesday Nav 10
and both will sing in the Auditorium.
topeka, Wednesday, May 13. But who
would want to rest night when 81. 900
or 81, 500 could be earned2
De Reszke has to sing only 100 nights
out of 1865 to make his yearly income
x1Ou,OO0 twice what the president of the
United States receives for 365 DAYS of
work and 365 nights of worry. If Nor
cica sings 100 nights year at 81 500 a
concert. her income is $150.0O0 a year.
Max Hrsch. who has been treasurer
OF the Metropolitan Opera House for
years, IS treasurer of the tour He is a
man under 40 years of age whose hair
IS perfectly white Hirsch pays out the
money to the singers. Besides that he
pays the members of the orchestra SO a
day each. That is the schedule rate of
the New York orchestra players union
Tor such work Besides their nav the
players have part of their hotel bill al
lowed. The expense to the management
of the Duss- Nordica -DeReszke combi-
nation for the Topeka concert is SO. 500
Tor the concert. The orchestra PLAYERS
receive $500 in salaries. Nordica 81 500
DeReszke $1,000 and the expense of rail-
road transpOI tatiOn, booking etc is fig
ured at $500
J. S Duss is the man behind the en-
terpr1Se. Duss has money without end
and he is responsible for the tour. The
tour began at Scranton. Pa, April %
1t VIII end at Hartford Conn. MAY 90
During the tour the orchestra and the
singers will give AZ concerts in 81 cities.
visit Is states and swing around the cir
Gle as far east as Montreal, as far south
as Atlanta. as far north as Detroit and
as far west as Omaha. The concert PEG
pie travel in a special train of two
Pullmans. private car and a 60-foot
baggage car. In Topeka the PLAYERS
viii stop at the ThrooD and Copeland
hotels.