AUSTRALIA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5092, 27 October 1894, Page 2

AUSTRALIA.

Mrß Palmer profited to the extent of .£260 by her recent benefit in Melbourne. Mr Fillis, who oleums to hare lost: £8000 in the colonies, left for South Afrioa on Oct. 4. Mr Oily Deerinj was married on Sept* 17, in Melbourne, to Mlbß Bobo Blaokfbura, professionally know as Miss Liuda Eaymond. Cyril Trier (cays Sydney "Truth") bus a splendid voice, but on several occasions' recently evidence has been prominent of the near approaoh df the " cracking" period. He won't last many months as a soprano. In George Rignold'e revival of JuZtus Omar Mr J. P. Cathoart will play Brutus, Mr Scot Inglia Caaiius, Mr 0. Hall Julius Ceemr, Mr Laohlan M' Go wan Deciua, Miss Kato Bishop Portia, and Miss Watte* Phillips Lucius. Last week I mentioned that Miss Nellie Stewart had relinquished singing: Heir Junoker's song "I was Dreaming," which Bhe bad introduced into Ma Mie Rosette, on account of the publisher baring declined to pay her a royalty on, each copy of the song sold. This happened during the Brisbane teiflon. Ou toe Company returning to Sydney the song was 6ung as usual, an arrangement be!n£ como .to by whioh the publisher consented to pay Miß3 Stewart a royalty of 3d par copy on all copies sold by him in Australia from Sept. 29. The publisher reekena tbat th ; s will mean, at least. jSSOO for the prima donna's abate. Affairs at the Alexandra under the Inigo Tyrrell management (says the " Austra« lasi&n " of Ooc. 6) have gone anything but harmoniously. The opening night was disfigured by the failure of both the big effects, and the lessee signified his opinion on the oubject by advertising on the Monday that " The Variety Show was bad wihti a big D," that the ncenio etnff had evidently tried to kill The Life We Live, and would be replaced in globo, and that " ML'S Day will also take a night off— aho is such. an artless thing, tva-la." A £250 writ from the "artless thing" referred to, and claims for wages from the 6ucharged employed, rewarded this . literary eflorb and on Tuesday Bjr Tyrrell had to deftnd two actions in thn Diehict Court, one tor the paltry sum of 5s lOd and the second and mare important forJB4, This latter c«se really comprised the whole question, for tbo whole quarrel lay between Mr Francis Sjiellan the chief mechanist, and Mr In ''go Tyrrell. In ft counter claim ' for wilful damage, Mr Tyrrell alleged that Mr Spellan, had doua his be3t to murder the aenson. in order to secure the theatre for the rehearsals of the Lyric Club, and that he had wilfully caused the oapsizing of an engine und boiler required for the gre»t effecf, with damage to the extent of JBI2 or £19, and great danger to everybody concerned. After bearing the evidence the magistrates made an ord«r against Mr Tyrrell for £2, with 80s costs, and dismissed the counterclaim. A great deal (remarks the "Sydney Morning Herald") has been written and said about "The Lost Chord" craze ia this part of the world. It has been sung m succession by Minos Christian, Patey, Sterling, and Ada Crossley; and on Sept 29 the popular aria was rendered in the afternoon by Master Cyril Tyler audio th'u evening by Mdme Belle Colo. The brier! narration of these facts elicited from Mr Herbert Van Vieet, the accompanist of the Cyril Tyler Company, the solemn assurance that as yet Sydney folk "hadn't even begun to know ' The Lost Chord.' " •' The only time I consider that I heard the SullivAn aria imprenoiyely renderod," continued the unconscious humourist, "was at Adelina Pa^ t \'n firpt. fc&tival of popular prices in New York in Muy, 1891. New Yorkers had paid fabulous sums to hear the great singer, and her management then hib upon the idea of an afternoon fostival ia the Madisou Square Garden Amphitheatre, a kind of circus »ud tournament Hall, holding 18,000 people. So instead of Sdal being the Jo nee t charge, it wae made the highest, the prices being ' three two, and ono ' (dollar p). The place was packed, and the great feature of the afternoon was ' The Loflt Chord/ arranged as a two parti chorus, itnd tendered by 2000 ladies, with an orchestra of 150 players. The final bar, phrased carefully in unison, was given with a maßEive force which made ! 'the Bound of that grand Amen' a thingnever to be forgotten. The choruß wag . eauoied three times, and the listener felts r ho had ' got all he wanted' on that occaV rion, even at the cost of suffering a mental vaouum whenever there&f tor ho heard the air »b a solo." Thus Mr Van Vieet | and

new one would like to hear Sir Arthur Sullivan on the subject! The following items are from the Sydney "Bulletin":-. ] Cyril Tjlet'g voice seems to have gone in the middle-— proßunring that it erar had a middle— but his hiyh notes are Btill strong and clear. . Aleo, the higher hia note the less womanly its tone. Struck Oil 18 tho apotheosis of a much | weaker pioce, entitled The Deed, or Five j Tears Away, from which it wan specially i •written up for J. C. Williamson and Maggie Moore. Mdme Christian retires finally from puhlio life with the farewell concert given to her in MelbDurue Town Hall. She has been singing: in Australia for twenty-three years — her first; appoarcnce being at W. S. Lyßter's benefit concert;; after that she sang in conjunction with every noted artist — Jonny Cl&uf, Di Mimka, Arabella Goddard, Santley and Cowen ; with the last in twenty-eighb of the thirty oratorios (riven' by him during the Centennial Exhibition. She sang with splendid voice in Mcra et Vita a few mc'ntbs ago. She retires beoauue, aa pie succinctly Bays, "an artist cannot live upon air." The preßentEtyle of entrepreneur will no fc pay artist)' fees while he can gat unproved lingers to spoil their voicrs at the rate of a few shillings a night. For four years Mdme Christian has been in bad health. Cariously enough, her first public appear- . ance was, sad her last appearance will be, in a ohurch. Sho was singing, as a girl, in.tha Dockyard ohurch at Woolwich, England, where the organist was her music-maoter. The leading soprano was iuddenly taken ill, end ehe timidly volunteered to tike the part. W. S. Ljster wasin. the church, and having heard her sing "Hear my Prayer," made her an offer to come to Australia. Hor last appearance will be at So Mary's, Sydney.