The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-09
PAYING FOR BOSTON MUSIC.
BARS IN TIE WAY OF HEARING
TEE SYMPHONY CONCERTS.


pening to be in Boston some Friday or
Saturday during the winter, should decide
that he would 10 and hear the SYMPHONY
Orchestra upon its native platform hs
would receive a surprise amounting 20 a
shock
II it happened TO be Friday afternoon
he would in all probability moi be able p
get a seat for love or money. For lat
matter the New Yorker, as such, doesn't
get anything in Boston for love Of himself.
he being regarded there with much OUT
ward contempt and not a little secret
jealousy.
But when ev en- his money-his good
money, as he is prone to call it-oan't buy
him a place in Symphony Hall, hat ugly
home Of beautiful music, his surprise turrS
to shock. He asks indignant questions
and learns the following facts:
Symphony Hall contains something mors
than $500 seats. When the announce
ment Of the seasons concerts is published
it contains the following paragraph,
Tickets for the series Of concerts and
for the series of ~rehearsals, SIS and $40.
according to location" OF course even
the New Yorker understands that the con-
certs are on Saturday nights and the public
rehearsals on Friday afternoons.
But what he does not understand is thai
the price Of the tickets is by no means SIS
and SO, according to location. The price
is whatever a seat will bring more than
SIS and $40, those figures representing the
minimum price at which two divisions
of seats will be sold.
The SIS seats for the rehearsals are sold
at auction at Symphony Hall on October
1; the $40 seats for rehearsals are sold In
the same way ON October ?; the SIS and the
$40 seats for the concerts are auctioned
of on October 4 n 5. Seats are sold only
in the regular order and no more than
four seats are sold on n bid.
Probably it is as impartia al a method az
any of arranging the matter. A good
many Boston quirks, which at first strike
the as queer, justify themselves
on closer investigation.
There Is perhaps no more reasonable
way OF adjusting a scale OF prices than by
letting the people do il themselves. n
certain persons, for the good of the causa
and the glory Of themselves-are willing
10 pay premiums Of from SIS TO $500, as on
one occasion, h shall say them nayt
Even after all these contributors TO gain and
to glory have been accommodated there
are plenty of seats TO be had at prices which
will average from 81 TO 81 so for each OF the
t~wenty-four performances.
There is only one sort of person who 10
left in a very bad way. This is the one whoJ
like the stray New Yorker, wants to enjoy
a single concert.
Suppose he goes to the box Office and with
cheerful assurance asks for a seat for the
Friday afternoon rehearsal. He Is tod
that there are no seats for sale. A boH7
There are no boxes In Symphony Hall.
Well. meekly, can he have standing room
No one is allowed to stand.
It is all true. Every reserved seat In the
building is sold for the entire season. STAN
dees are not admitted
At a ticket brokers' downtown there 10
now and then a seat TO he had, some one
sending in a season ticket to be, a. II were,
sublet for the occasion. But so far a. tie
Friday rehearsals are concerned his does
not often happen.
Yet, though the man In the box Office
may neglect to mention IL, there are seats
to be had, even in fact only at the Lass
moment They are good seats, too, and
dirt cheap.
But one does pay for them all righs
enough. If not with money, yet with tins
utNd ENlCikbhs AAhSthy VCoboe NNO ~
capacity OF the second balcony, are re-
served for sale as so-called rush seats.
These seats cannot be bought III adj
vance. Those who wish them must be in
line when the doors are opened. Each
person must rave in his or her hand a sil-
yer quarter. Nothing else will be accepted.
A half dollar for two, or a dollar for four
or two dimes and a nickel for one-none q
49,. ill L.. -A.Nsxl E.-L 1900 Hava
for himself and pays with a quarter,
One man holds a bag into which the quar-.
tiers are dropped. Another man stands By
with a counter, which he presses, click.
click. for every person admitted.
When his counter shows that sos persons
have passed in, the bar falls and not another
soul-or at least not another body can pass,
The sos already in rush pell nell up tbs
stairs, tripping on their skirts, painting
and putting and finally sorambling madly
into their seats. which as a matter Of fac,
are quite as good as those in the balcony
below them.
II is very seldom indeed that all the 500
rush seats are not sold out. Sometimes
when there is to be a famous %soloist, theirs
would be several hundred more persons in
line than there are seats, IL il were not that
the management sends out somebody to
count up and to warn the excess thai there
is no hope for them. This is a matter u
more than common humanity, since this
rush seaters have to wait outside in the
cold. not being allowed even in the lobby
until they are to be admitted to the hall
Many women wait in line thus for two or
three hours in order Co ave the advantage
Of these 2S-oent seats. They bring tholr
camp stools n books, wear their waImest
clothes and. more than likely. their ur1st
scientific principles and stick it
out. in fair weather and foul, the whole
through.
The rush seat il a feature peculiar % ths
Friday afternoon rehearsal. All Of the
seats for the Saturday night concerts are
included in the auction sales at the opening
Of the season.
The deadhead is practically unknown ~
the symphony concerts. There are only
two free seats in the entire house. These
are known as guests seats, and are gen"
orally given TO the soloist for the use Of hs
or her friends.
There have beer instances NJ dst1-