Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-01

Here COnlCtn an account WI
KNpRASFNf part of an account) of the
SS&&J singing of Madame Emma
Calve at Topeka, Kan, on Friday night, a
week ago:
Last night Calve sang to little more
than a handful Of people at the Grand.
Possibly the difference in the price had
something to do with it, for we provincial
people are still rather prone to weigh our
art with the dollar mark. But, at any rate
We are not falling for the song bird in
concert as We once fell"
"Calve appeared for her first number in
a bad humor. The stage was cold and she
shivered through Gounod's Stances de
sapho. Probably the handful of people
who sat before her chilled her spiritually.
Once or twice she made what seemed to be
s~atirical remarks in an aside TO her ac-
companist. Once she swung viciously-
swung is. the word-at a weary, FROST
bitten fly which woye its way waveringly
across her line of vision. But as the even
ing wore away she warmed physically and
spiritually and at the end was Coquetting
with her audience. With each number she
added some additional garment to her cos
tune. She sang her first number in an
evening gown and Ions fur ncckpiece. When
she cut one OF her closing selections and
brought the concert to an end she was
carrying enough clothing to stock a small
store.
1.-TWO of her encore numbers were COM
mon or garden selections River
aud Dixie 'Suwanee River passes cur
rent with any American audience, but
Dixie was an unhappy choice. Dixie is
a thing for the fife and drum corps and
not for prima donnas. And ii appeals only
to the proletariat. People who pay $3.50
per seat do not want to hear Dixie
The musical critic pays his respects to
Madame Calves ideas as to raiment in the
following words:
Her clothes might make any other
woman a trump or a dowd, but they in
variably look well on her, and she might
wear a porous plaster on one shoulder and
a strawberry mark on the other and still
retain all OF her fascination and distinc-
ton. Studied closely, Calve is not beau
tiful. But she has marvellous eyes. won
derful hair and her birthright, and no
woman needs more
In view Of the recent indisposition of
Madame Calve which prevented the
Omaha people from hearing her in recital
at the Boyd theater, It was thought that
the foregoing criticism OF the Topeka re-
J cital might be of interest.
one remembers most wildly the long fur
neckpiecc, the wondrous eyes and the in
imitable coquettlng with the audience last
year in Omaha, and it is to be regretted
that Calve had a cold.
Some persons were suspicious as to the
cold being the actual cause of the can
ceiling of the date. but Mr.. Monaghan, man.
ager of the theater, assures the musical
critic of The Bee that a very large amount
Of money was refunded and that Madame
Caive had not been a financial disappoint-
ment, but quite the contrary.
One OF the most capable and one OF the
most undemonstrative of the musicians OF
Omaha is Miss Bella Robinson. ~pianiste.
On the desk Of The Bee musical critic he
found on his return a greeting from Miss
Robinson and "a photograph of the Viennese
piano teacher, Leschetizky, IN his studio.
Miss Robinson studied with the dlstin-
guished master personally for a very con-
siderable time ana received much satisfac-
ton and encouragement. II is TO be hoped
that Omaha music lovers will have an OPP
portunity to hear Miss Robinson very
shortly, as she has been identified with
the best in music locally for many years.
.
And speaking of the piano, the astonish-
ing capacity OF Mr.. Max Landow win again
come to light in a series of remarkable
~recitals, which, it is understood, will be
given before an audience specially invited.
Mr.. Landow has perhaps hit the nail
on the head" with regard TO the question
OF recitals of music. IL certainly is a dis
couraging thing for an artist 10 get ~ a
great program and present II TO a mere
handful Of people, in a han or church
which he has rented for the occasion, and
when one counts the expense Of the place
in which the recital is held or given, and
the cost Of printing, and the various incl
dental expenses which. trivial IN them
selves. yet assume large proportions in the
aggregate, il Is a great waste of time and
money, and with little resultant good SO
say many people.
A manager OF a concert must work very
hard in order to get people interested. ut
rs a condition and not q theory that con-