The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-04-24

genius in general with few Latin idosyncrases
thrown in.
"-1,-2+ch him like cat the day of the first con-
GER" wrote Isaacs' informant. He'll be the
of rcrrous collapse. There's knowing when he'll
whip out his hypodermic and begin squirting
phne into One squirt will steady him. More
than that and he'll to pieces, Take the needle
fro ID If you have force, you'll never
&C. him The concert hall let alone onto the stage
The young volinist, whose exploitation In America
Isaaco had undertaken, had set Italy on fire, con-
qac-cd Germany. and. most remarkable of all. made
London sit up and for the moment, forget the clas
steal traditions Of Joachim In fact. it was a Lon
dca audience which had been reused to such enthu-
SIN that when he tucked his fiddle under his chin
played the Paganini G-string arrangement OF
the prayer from Rossni's Noise 1t had detached the
ho-ccs from his carriage and drawn him in triumph
- hotel. Moreover Conway-James Conway the
famous English violin collector, Of course-had been
moved to take the Paganini "strad" from his
cabinet and had himself placed it in young Months
hands not as gift. it is true. but loan for
indefinite period.
1t was this episode the Paganin "Strad together
with tho popular reclamation of Mont the Second
Paganini," and, important OF ALL certain
semblance IN his photographs to the accepted like
nesscc of Paganni himself, that had led 1saacs to
consider the possible availability of the young vir
tuoso for American tour. He put little faith in
London musical opinion. and that viz
tuoco might fire all Europe without igniting spark
In America But the "Strad" his appellation OF the
Second Paganni," and look OF the great fiddler in
tic photographs of Monti set him to deep and earnest
thinking
Isaacs had been a press-ag before he became
concert manager and he still considered enter
prise, before going into it. from the pressasent's
point of view.
Unless he could see lot of good newspaper stuff
in the attraction he asked to handle, he "cut it
out" But with his Baxter Street temperament and
his Broadway imagination. he now had visions Of
himself working the press in series Of 'stories'
abou. the Second Paganini" and the Paganini
"--."2d" why not further and work the
prevalent psychological fad by limiting that Monti
played Paganni well because he none other
than Paganin himself. reincarnation Of the great
violinist Any might know this by observing
and listening him when his bow passed like
gican's wand the strings, evoking music such
as h2d been heard since the mortal remains OF
the epoch-making master Of the violin had been laid
ct lienoa How eagerly the great and gullibe
Anasss@aG r-e-a vcld take ne hook if baited with
such story properly attested and cleverly written.
Iccc- new what that meant in increased box-ofice
receipts.
Isaacs not of the small fry among
managers whose chief function it is to get up
d,a2.c Tor aspiring but mistaken, young men and
wor.cn-chicny women-who think they have a call
When the notion to do something struck him, he did
st quickly. Money flew. If it back with big
profits well and good. If it flew out Of sight, why
goodbye and better luck next time. This. by the
vcy, was next time The long-haired pianist
w:on he had banked the previous season; had not
been success, which greatly puzzled the manager.
AL other long-haired pianists whom he had
aged had made money for him. But whether Monsieur
KorowsHis hair had been too long. just not long
enough Isaacs could tell-the discriminating
American public is extremely critical in such
tiers. consequence however, his present gamble
the young Italian virtuoso represented all Of the
money that he had left. was make break" for
him.
This was that had made the day just passed--the
day OF Months debut-the most desperate in his whole
experience as a manager. He had taken his cue from
tbs warning sent him by his European agent and had
literally watched the violinist like cat What
day! There had been but one circumstance to relieve
in any way the strain his nerves For the
ncateshelf, and evidently placed there by Monti
h;=:se,c. Is2acs had observed print copied from the
Only existing daguerreotype Of Paganini. 1t a
fl. IcnStA the figure TALL emaciated in quantity
clothes 4 rose curved like the Of prey,
hr-c hands with caw-ke fngers-"talons" Fetis
hal called them-holding the violin in position the
bow rc.ccd for the stroke truly wonderfully vivid
picce of portraiture full of action and showing that
uncanpy look which all OF Paganipis bogra pliers
write about length.
Til pas, cadaverous face on which genius sor-
and he'll had engraved their lines" Heine
and tAc7c i in the daguerreotype.