MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10347, 23 January 1897, Page 4 (Supplement)

MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

Ihe Potter-Bellew Company have completed tbeir long, but very successful season ati the Opera House. Mr. Geo. Darrell and his company are the next occupants with the "Queen of Coolgardie." A neat little anecdote concerning Johannes Brahms ie making the round of the German press. The master, notwithstanding the somewhat austere character of many of his compositions, is a great admirer of the dance tunes of Johann Strauss, Calling at Strauss' house recently to offer bis congratulations upon the marriage engagement of his daughter, the latter requested that he might commemorate his visit by a few lines in her album. The celebrated composer with singular amiability and tact thereupon wrote down the first few bars of tho famous valse " An der Schb'nen blauen Donan," to which he added the words: " Unfortunately not by Johannes Brahms." Who ire the true critics?—those who pose as such, or the unsophisticated children of nature ? We have" just read that an Arapahoe Indian pub a nickel in the Blot of a phonograph and, on hearing a high note from a famous prima donna, wrapped his blanket around him and fled. Devonshire 13 fertile in parish clerk Btories. When visiting in that country eome time ago, a writer well known in musical circles was told of a dispute betweeu the gentleman who officiated in the hold of the "three-decker" and his

colleague who led the choir. The question was who should fix tho metrical psalms for singing. Matters came to a head one Sunday, when the clerk announced the 100 th Psalm, " All people thab on earth do dwell." Up rose the chief of the choir and exclaimed, "All people that on earth do well," " My Soul, praise the Lord." All who .ire acquainted with the tune called "Coronation," usually sung to "All. hail the power of Jesu's name," will be interested in the following inscription on a tomb in Shirley cemetery, Mase:—" Here sleeps the sweetest singer, Oliver Holden, composer of the tune 'Coronation.' Born in Shirley, September 18, 1765. Died in Charlestown, September 4,1844. To his dear memory this tablet is placed by his granddaughter." A beautifully constructed organ, designed by Papal order, for Sb, Peter's Church, in Eome, has just been built by Messrs. Walker and Co., of Ludwigsburg. The instrument is constructed in such a way that, despite its weight of 7500 kilos, ib may be moved with the greatest ease, by a single person, from one part of the church to another. Amongst other special features ib possesses two solo registers, or organs, supplied with an extra high pressure of wind, and which, in view of the gigantic proportions of the edifice for which they are intended, are expected to produce a mosb powerful effect. Why do musicians wear long hair? (asks the Musical Opinion). Some people suppose that they do it because, as in the case of Samson, they believe that theirstrength lies in their locks; others cynically suggest that they do it from affectation. It seems thab the explanation lies in quite another direction. A Boston medical journal declares emphatically that long hair comes to the musician because he does no nighb brain work, Composers, who are presumed to havo this night work, are bald in the eame proportion as other people; bub instrumental performers have usually fine crops of hair, and retain their locks to an advanced age. These performers spend many hours a day iu practice, bub they do not give up the night to mental work, which is surer than anything else to make a man's head turn billiard ball. On the other hand ib seems—according to the Boston oracle—thab brass instruments, notably the cornet and the trombone, have a fatal influence on the hair. This is ex-

plained by the fact that in blowing their . instruments the faces of the players are. congested, which "affects their entire heads, and anything throwing blood to the head has a tendency to make the hair fall out." Alas ! yes; and a man playing the trombone next door will affect an "entire head" that does not rest) on bis own ehoukk-K! Mr. Pollard's present New Zealand tour will close in Auckland aboub the end of April, and the company will then cross over to Australia, opening at the Adelaide Theatre Eoyal on May 22. The latest addition to Mr, Pollard's Opera Company is Miss Curtice, who has been long conueeted with the Wellington Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society, and has taken an active part in most of its later productions. She recently made her first appearance with the company in Wellington in the chorus in " Les Manteaux Noirs." ■ America is to be visited this season by both Mascagni and Leoncavallo, intent on giving orchestral concerts in the big cities. Both composers will probably be much, lionised by enthusiastic American amateurs, for whom, by the way, Mascagni has written a waltz. This sounds suggestive! Is it a delicate hint tbafc the composer of the "Cavalleria" thinks this is about the height Americans have reached in music ? Jean de Reake has been advising Madame Melba to study Wagner. This she has done, and considerable interest has been felt as to the result of her first Wagnerian appearance, which was to take place in New York on the Ist instant. A private cablegram received in Melborne, says the Sydney Mail, conveys the following gratifying intelligence:—" Madame Melba made her first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera House last night as Brunnhilde in Wagner's "Siegfried," rendered in German. Madame Melba scored an enormous success in the part." ' Nordica has been writing indignantly to the English newspapers lately because Manager Grau refused to give her £300 for each of her performances at Covent Garden, and offered her instead the paltry sum of £200, which she scornfully refused. She modestly says thab as Calve asks £280, and Melba £240 per night, she (Nordica) should receive £300, and she upbraids Jean de Reszke with having brought about a reign of foreign singers, who are given preference and the highe3t> salaries. Also, that Jean was once perfidious enough to have received £1000 for one performance, a statement that he emphatically denies, although he blushingly admits that he once drew £600 from a performance in Boston. M. Ernest Van Dyck, the tenor (since 1888) of the Vienna opera, who is an ideal " Parsifal," created the part of the Chevalier d'Harmenthal in Messager's new opera lately. The Belgian singer has a voice of beautiful quality, but it is as an actor that he first attracts attention, his acting being passionate and his declamation admirably distinct. He is, however, unequal, as the writer heard him in a performance of Wagner's " Lohengrin," before a crowded audience at raised prices in the Leipsic Opera House, where, possibly from nervousness, for almost the whole of the first act he eaug very flab. As "Parsifal," which he has sum/ at the Bayrenth festivals since. 18S8, ho is perfect, as he looks the part of the "guileless simpleton" to the life, and by his originality as as actor and intelligence as a singer, realises to us the " King of the Holy Grail." VanDyck, who threw over the study of jurisprudence for the operatic stage, in spite of the opposition of his wealthy parents in Antwerp, was brought to the foro in Paris (where he was stndying singing, and procuring the means of livelihood us sub-editor of the newspaper LaPatrie), in ISS9 by Jules Massenet, who had been (truck with his singing in private circles. Lamoureux engaged him for four years for his Wagner concerts, and this launched him completely. He will sing in Russia this month, and appear at the next Covenb Garden season in London, where he is veil known. Mr. Nab Goodwin had gob back bo San Francisco before the lasb mail left, and is xather bard on Australian audiences. In an interview he is reported as saying :— "Our artistic success in Australia was phenomenal. We didn't lose any money. In fact, we made a little, and our last night was an ovation. You can sing to those people;) you can dance to them, but for heaven's Bake don't talk to them. They are insular, they don't understand American humour, and they don'b want to, The critics gave us fulsome praise, but I might as well have posted the name ' John Jones' as my own, for they'd never heard of such a person. Flattering, wasn't itt 'Their papers do nob publish much American news." Mr. Musgrove, he said, cabled to faim to secute Miss Elliott for Flavia in the " Prisoner of Zenda," and he was offered 10,000 dollars to remain in Australia and jplay the piece. . Musico DBituxicDS.