FOREIGN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5426, 29 November 1895, Page 1

FOREIGN.

Franz Yon Suppe", the Viennese composer, baa left a landed estate valued at £18,000, with cash and securities worth £20,000 more. Mr George Grossmith was married on Sept. 23, in London, to Mies Adelaide Astor, a Bister of Mies Letty Lind, and an attractive and promising actress. A granddaughter of Jenny Lind is said to possess a wonderful voice and unusual musical ability. This desceudant of one of the greatest vocalists was heard recently by Madame Marchesi, the famous teacher, who predicts that with judicious cultivation the young lady will become a vocalist of the first rank. i Madame Thalberg, widow of the most famous pianist of his time, and daughter of Signor Lablache, the moat celebrated basso ever heard upon the operatic stage, died recently at Napleß, aged eigbty-fonr. When her husband died she had the body embalmed with a petrifyiDg preparation that preserved it with Borne semblance of life, and kept it seated in the room where Thalberg used to work. It is curious that Madame Thalfcerg was nob a musician,' but absolutely disliked muaic. The accounts just issued by the Civic authorities relating to the Guildhall School of Music, show that no other establishment in the world devotes so large a sum to the teaching of music. The Guildhall received last year £28,802, out of whioh cum the professors had £27,525. The famous Paris Conservatoire has an income of nob much over £10,000 a year, and the professors rarely obtain more than £100 per annum each. Several of the Guildhall teachers earn from £400 to £500 a year. Sir Joseph Barnby receives £1000. Mendelssohn composed the music of Antigone in the incredibly short space of eleven days. He was well trained in the classics, and read the Antigone in Greek before commencing the music. _ The famous poet Ludwig Tieok assisted in producing the work on the Court stage at Potsdam, and it was performed in thoroughly antique style on Frederick William the Fourth's birthday, Oct. 15, 1841. Of course the representation was for a Belect few. It was later on, at Leipsic, that it became known to the general public, on March 5 the following year.

The *' Leipzig Signale " publishes Mdme Marcheei's impressions as she spent her summer vacation in travelling about Europe and hearing musical performances. Sbe highly praises the Brussels Conservatory, at whose examinations she acted as memhre dv jury des concours de chant, and remarks with approval that the music of Gluck, Mozart, Hayden, Handel, Bach and the old French and Italian masters is still the foundation of vocal Btudy in that institution. Modern composers she says, give themselves but little concern about the voice, their rule being simply "bend or break." " Why do not the singers combine in a vigorous strike?" she asks. "It would be a blessing for singing humanity and compel composers to study the voice The marriage of Sims Beeves to Miss Maude Rene, one of his pupils, and a young, beautiful and accomplished lady, created quite a Btit in musical circles in London. " The veteran tenor's .first wife was much older than himsalf . She was not in the profession, and died suddenly ; and a p -infill incident was the tenor being startled by the news of her death just after he bad, in the pantomime of Old Mother] Goose, been singing— ! My wife's dead, there let her lie ; She's at rest, and so am I. His eecond wife, n^e'Bmma Luccombe, was in e.uly life a popular soprano and died on June 10-lasfv The pte3<?nt Mm Simß Reeves has already appeared in public aa a singar j with decided success, and when the mar- ; riage was announced it was also stated that she would appear at some concerts with her celebrated husband. Sims Reeves was born on Sept. 26, 1818, and in future

! when he warbleß " Come into the Garden, | Maud," hia favourite song Kill hare new interest. London now possesses the biggest theatre in the world. Until recently Chicago, with : its tremendous Auditorium Theatre, may be said to have had the largest building I erected solely for theatrical displays, but | now Earl's Court, with the Empress i Theatre, goes one better than the American city. The only building in London in which theatrical displays have been given to be compared with the Empresß Theatre is Olympia, but that hnge structure was not built expressly for theatrical purposes. The Empress Theatre is of iron and brick, the roof-span is 220 ft, i whilst the heignt from ground to lantern ib 117 ft. In designing the immense stage I Mr Imre Kiralfy adopted some remarkable and curious devices. The entire stage can I be moved about here and there, and put up in sections in such a mechanioal way that it can be made to assume any form called for by the exigencies of the scene. On the stage there ib room for 6000 people, without undue crushing, and the curtain ia a rich and elaborate piece of artistic work, 85ft high and 260 ft long. All the scenery, I the curtain and the stage are moved by steam power. London, Oct. 4. i The ninetieth birthday of that mar* velloua old woman Mrs Keeley falls on Nov. 22, when there will be a big benefit and reception in her at the Lyceum Theatre. I The first act of the new Savoy opera has been delivered to Sir A. Sullivan, but a I revival of The Yeomen of the Guard will precede it. Sir Arthur has also undertaken to set a libretto by Sir A. Harris and Mr R. Boulton on "The Vicar of Wakefield." The vagaries of Mr Clement Scott in the way of dramatic criticism have latterly become so flagrant that it is small wonder disagreeably frank persons at the Strand i Theatre the other evening gave this I erratic censor a sound hissing. Within one week two young managers, Mr Arthur Bourobier and Mr Elliott, commenced seasons at the Royalty and the St James' respectively with pieces .by untried authors. In the opinion of the great majority of critics and playgoers neither the Chili Widow nor Bogey wai a striking anccess, though both contain id signs of promise, and were deserving of a few weeks' run. Well, Mr Scott praised the former extravagantly and "slated" the latter savagely. The critic's friends excuse him on the ground that he has become hysterical, and consequently rather uncertain in his temper. Tery often, too, nowadays he takes extraordinary prejudices. The manner in which he ban tried j to squash Mrs Pat Campbell and failed ie notorious. The; world could very well do without Mr Scott, but Mrs Campbell ia probably the greatest . living English actress, and invaluable to the stage.gH This brings me to the Lyceum revival of Borneo and Juliet of Sept. 21. Clement Scott, in a column and a quarter of sne>r« ing depreciation, contrast a Mrs Campbell's Juliet disagreeably with that of Adelaide Neilson, Mary Anderson, Modjeska, and many others. Nevertheless, .all London will go to see the Lyceum revival, and most critics seem to think 1 (as I do myself) that Mrs Campbell's performance has I many ' good points. The ideal Juliet doesn't live. If she did she would probably bo a blend of Ellaline Terries (aa she looked three years ago) and Bernbardt. Mrs Campbell's high-water marks are the balcony and the love scenes. The tragio portions, especially the potion scene and the finale, are under-played. It is taken in too subdued and modern a key. All through it is the poetic rather than the . tragic side of the play which 'lb emphasised. Forbes Roberteon makes an ideal Borneo, a little too quiet, and lacking in energy perhaps, but a perfect picture always. I used to think Terries' Romeo the finest on the modarn stage. lam not sure I don't now. He is a more manly, enterprising, commonly carnal young lover. But all the fair sex are against me in this. The blushing debutante, the mediaeval spinster and the respectable married woman are one and all at Forbes Robertson's feet. The revival as a whole is neither aa gorgeously mounted nor aB wall played in detail as Mary Anderson's at this house ten years ago. Coghlan totally misconceives Mercntio, who in his hands is a dull dog, and Dolores Drummond makes a poor substitute for Mrs Stirling as the Nurse. Nutcombe Gould's Friar Lanrence is altogether unimprepsive, but lan Robertson scored brilliantly in the small part of the Apothecary. The famous clown Harry Payne, who for so many yeara was a stock feature of Drury Lane pantomimes, died at his house, 322, Camden Road, on Sept/ 27, aged sixty-five. He was the sole survivor of the old school of clowns, and- children delighted in him. To hear the merry laughter ring through the great theatre as he waddled on night after night at Chrietmaß time, cracking some venerable wheeze, was delightful. Mr Payne was generally supposed to spend nine months of the twelve preparing new business for the next harlequinade. But, aa a matter of fact, it was always the same thing year after year, varying but in minor details. A little of Harry Payne went a long way. Sir Augustus Harris wisely recognised this, and cut the harlequinade down from an hour and a half to half an hour. This is quite enough even for the children. Poor old Payne, however, did not like his diminishing importance, and before Christmas, 1892, declined, it is said, to play unlesß given " a decent show." I daresay he thought Drury Lane couldn't do without him. Sir Augustus, however, calmly engaged another clown and the pantomime went on as usual. The following year friends intervened and Harry Payne was clown once more. This was the winter of 1893-4, and he seemed so infirm it was guessed it would end his professional career. Off the stage Mr Payne was a grave and staid old gentleman with the air of a bishop and without a scintilla of humour, as we understand it. Most of his experiences seemed, from his own account, to have been untoward. He ought to r have been this, that and the other, but ne waßn't. One story Harry Payne often related referred to" a time when he was clown at the Surrey Theatre. The harlequin slipped as,he jumped through a clock face and his leg stuck in the eoene. Thinking to cover the bad retreat, the clown took hold of the legr and Bhook it violently, sniggering " Oh ! there's a clumsy, clumsy fellow." The harlequin was pulled through, bub did not re-appear. "Whafa up ?" asked Payne the first time he came ofi the shape. " Oh," said the prompter, " the poor fellow somehow broke his lej?." It waß the leg Harry Payne had Bhaken. When he heard what he had done he fainted away. ; .

Band of Hope.— The annual meeting of the General Committee of the Sydenham j Presbyterian Church Band of Hope was held on Wednesday evening. The election of! officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows :— Honorary president, Eev E. S. AUau ; president, Mr C. Smith ; vicei presidents, Miss M. Mann and Me t Waddellj treasurer, Miss J. Meikleham j i secretary, Mr C. E. Donaldson ; registrars, •| Meuara Black and M'Kayj organist, Miaa • Meikleham- executive committefi, Misaea 1 A. Waddell and 8. M'Dowall and Mesßrs i C. Lavender and J. Brown ; delegates to \ the Band of Hope Union, Rev K. S. Allan. j and Mr Waddell>