The sun., 1909-02-28
EARS OF SOCIETY ANNOYED
COMPLAINT or TOO MUCH MUstc
IN THE DRAWING ROOM.

Priced singers and Orchcstras fer
MusieAles which Guests Dlsiike--
4 Dilemma Of Ambiu0us Hestesees.
New Workers who are in the hAhit Of
reoeiving invitations feel spprehensivs
nowadays as they open them.
thank Heavenl" said q woman who
took a card out OF its envelope yesterday.
I'm glad to see there In no music about
this. Whenever ! see the word In the
corner OF an invitation shudder.'
The musical accompaniment TO social
parties has been so overdone this
season that invitations 10 musioales are
no longer IN demand. II s only when
the invi itation comes from a hostess that
one cannot we'll offend or from one whose
house In really too beautiful TO be ignored
that the word music does not cause
some dismay.
y shall never for get a party I went
to Last week. said one Of the younger
set who does not relish serious entsr-
tainments. Il spoke to the hoetese,
who stood at the head Of the drawing
room, and then saw that the chairs had
all been arranged "a II We were In ths-
afro. the seats in rows. -!
q took a place after few words with
the hostess and found myself seated NEXT
TO persons did not know. Soon the seats
about me were filed up. and I was just
as much away from my friends a. UT
had been At theatre. q
ITO my horror saw enter tho orchestra
from an opera house which had been
giving concert that evening. had been
there for about two hours In a box with
some friends, who dropped me at my
| hostees's house after the concert. Hets
was to listen TO it all over again. =
The uproar OF the band in a drawing
room was something deafening. For
two hours or more those men played.
! with the interruption Of occasional per-
| formanceI on the cello by an old man
with white hair, who must have played
at least dozen numbers. II was so ap-
palling that | escaped so soon az the
first number was over.
DO you wonder why New York peops
are beginning 10 look askance at any
thing that invites you 20 listen TO music?
Anybody could have heard such concert
under much more favorable oircum-
stances in an opera house for q very
moderate price. Why import it to q
salon and deafen the listeners?
1T was lust the same way at a concert
given by n hostess last week She hAda
| famous singer come to her house and he
sang several numbers which most OF the
much better at the Metropolitan Opera
House. There seems. however, to be q
rage this year for having the high priced
opera stars
The engagement of the high prioed
opera artists is as q matter OF fact thought
/ a. IL f.,o 80
that the prima donna or the tenor gets
g., 900 or 90, 900 adds certain cached TO
| any festivity. Few hostesses are heroic
/ enough, however, TO engage the enttre
orchestra from an opera b ouse and then
supplement that heavy fare by an fnstru-
mental musician. .-.
-The engagement Of singers 10 In a
/ measure an admission Of a certain lack OF
knowledge what to do for your guests
said a woman who has been at several
OF these entertainments this winter. al
though there are certain circumstances
under which music might be made very
delightful. Chamber music, for instance,
| is intended for such use; but II Ia looked
upon as too musical and<acks the excite
nent thst the presence OF the opera
singers bring.
offering consisted Of a series Of chorlses
by eight we'll trained women's voices
| which were a novelty. IL IL highly prob
able, however, that the guests invited as
a rule to the musicales at which the high
very much dissatisfied at the performance
Of these musical pieces which would
probably have been over the heads Of
many OF them
'0ne hostess who tried TO make this
sort Of music popular had all the players
dressed up in silk breeohes with silk
stockings and white wigs. That gave
them very interesting look Of antiquity.
| but the men did not play very we'll. When
she tried to get the hest Of these players
! IL dress up in the period of the quartets
Of Haydn and Handel they declined.
Men eminent enough in their profession
| to play this music we'll would not make
monkeys of themselves by donning silk
| brooches and stockings
| The musicians do not care much more
for entertainments Of this kind than the
| guests do.
Il think ] ought to charge twice ~
much for my services at musicale
said an accompanist who follows many OF
tho opera singers on their well paid
progress through the drawing rooms OF
tho wealthy. FOR ! have at least twice
as much work to do. ] always have IN
play the prelndes over two or three times
in order to stop the conversation and ]
never have the glory Of having my finales
listened to since the talk begins the minute
the singing ceases. An accompanied
| OuRnt 10 DC ptilu Jusl az fluCn III oACoss
of his regular fee as the singers are.
Occasionally the leading vaudeville
singers are engaged to appear in private
and they amuse the guests much morn
than the operate big bugs without cost
ing nearly so much. The difficulty about
them is that their contracts as a rule for
bid appearances outside their theatres.
SO there are few Of the private theatrical
performances here that are always a
feature OF the entertaining during the
! London season.
'One of the most successful parties
ever had said hostess who had grown
weary OF paying big prices TO singers.
-cost me only SIS for the entertainer who
kept sixty guests in rosrs for an hour.
He was a very popular vaudeville per-
former. He was exceptional, too. in that
his monologue was suited to a certain
degree Of refinement in his hearers. Few
Of the women in the music halls are avail
able for private entertainments because
they are-well, they are not suited TO pri-