Scan 7
Musical Courier 1891-02-18: Vol 22 Iss 574, 1891
74 lines. Read by computer on 19 September 2026. Printed page 152. See the scan on archive.org.
1It had seemed thus far to Hollingsworth that their music was destined to be forever in the future, as no manager could be induced to bring them out. The business of presenting new things in the theatrical line is a good deal like running for office—no one can tell how much it will cost nor whether there is anything in it for the experimenter. The managers looked through the score of "Andromache" and that of "Boadicea," observed the complications of scenery, multiplicity of leading voices and variety of costuming, shuddered and passed on. Yet it was the one dream of the life of Titus P. Hollingsworth that these operas should be presented. To that end he would gladly have sacrificed all his friends' money—only that they refused it to him. And to that end he had made this matrimonial alliance.
3To contribute, in her humble, $30,000 way, to the fame of the great man was to the former bonnet maker a privilege and an honor. Bonds and stocks were sold and converted into cash, and Titus was ordered to go ahead with "Andromache" and "Boadicea." A manager was secured, a chorus hired and trained, scenery painted and a number of operatic stars engaged. The newspapers were "fixed" and dates established in a circuit of theatres. The discerning reader need not be told that, surrounded by such influences as these, the milliner's money began to melt away, with a celerity like that attained by the proverbial snowball in the internal regions.
5However, the company was at last organized and strutted its brief hour upon the stage. The thermometer of success in the theatrical business is a thing called box receipts. In the case of "Andromache" and "Boadicea" it registered pretty well down toward the zero point. Moreover, the farther the company went the lower it sank; until the second tenor was heard to remark that "he wished his blooming jiblots would round up a few orphan asylums and a reform school, for the echo was killing his solo parts." A little later this irreverent second tenor found his punishment, in being stranded where there were several hundred miles of bad walking between himself and a Rialto buffet.
7"It would have been all right," said Titus P. to his wife, when he returned—despondent and morose as a man who enjoyed yesterday—"only the money gave out. The public has to be educated to appreciate my music."
9"Yes," she assented, "but it takes a good deal more than $30,000 to accomplish much in that line."
11Now that the money was gone and the dream of hope dispelled, the composer found himself in a very unhappy frame of mind. His wife, who, during his absence, had been devoting herself to the affairs of the Marsyas College, exhorted him to be of good cheer, for if they both worked faithfully, he with his art and she with her business skill, they could yet realize an excellent income out of that institution. The professor scoffed at this, though not in words. What had this milliner to do with the affairs of a college of music? And now, for the first time, it began to be clear to Hollingsworth what he, the artist and the composer of famous music, had done—he had married $30,000 and a plain woman who made bonnets. The $30,000 had disappeared, and there remained, voila! the bonnet maker. The more he reflected upon these things the angrier he became, until at last he could not pass an innocent little shop where a few articles of feminine head gear were displayed in the window, without indulging in fierce grimaces and grinding of teeth.
13It has been already set forth in this narrative that the former Mrs. Maria Marken was a very sensible woman. We can scarcely doubt, therefore, that she had by this time come to have a pretty clear idea of her husband's character and of his design in marrying her. Love can put up with a good deal of selfishness and neglect—there are those who maintain that it thrives best on such a diet—but meanness and self conceit will go far toward destroying it. Nevertheless, whatever opinion she may have had of the composer and whatever were her feelings toward him, he was still her husband and entitled to all that she had or could do.
15The next thing that happened was that the newspapers had a two column sensation under a big display head all about Titus P. Hollingsworth, the eminent instructor, artist and writer of music. He had bolted—eloped and gone to Europe with the leading contralto of his former opera company. There were no "particulars" to speak of, so the reporters took up the space in telling of Hollingsworth's fame and prominence. They all went out to the Marsyas College to see his wife, and were so impressed by that lady's quiet dignity that they forbore to attempt anything funny in what they wrote.
17The faculty and stockholders of the college met and deposed the author of "Boadicea" from his place as president and elected one of their number to serve in his stead. But the ex-milliner remained the actual manager of the concern.
19She declined to institute proceedings for a divorce.
21"No," she said, "I may not be his wife, but he is my husband still"—a proposition which caused the advanced thinkers in social science, to whom it was repeated, to ponder not a little.
23A year passed, and then that happened which not a few had predicted. The ex-great man returned—penniless but penitent—and the ex-milliner received him after the manner of her gentle and confiding sex. Forthwith she set out to look for a fatted calf. He should teach in the college. The faculty and stockholders said no and were firm about it. The poor fellow must have something to do. There was the "Emporium," which was now back on her hands, and which needed a man and a representative of her interests. Titus was humble and anxious to please. He now confessed that in his youth he had earned the money which gave him his European education by working in a store and was not unfamiliar with business methods. So he was placed in charge of the "Emporium."
25And on that same day Mrs. Hollingsworth was formally elected to the presidency of the institution which her business sagacity had placed far in advance of all its competitors.
27Such was the process by which the change was effected. Strange yet simple are the workings of fate!—Philip Firmin, in "The Argonaut."
29PERSONALS.
31ANOTHER LADY PIANIST-COMPOSER.—Mrs. Florence Meutz Meyer, the Australian pianist, is, it is said, about to produce in Italy an opera entitled "Victorine," the words and music being by herself.
33A STERN MARRIAGE.—The intended marriage is announced of Mr. Leo Stern, the pianist, and Miss Nettie Carpenter, the violinist.
35THE MUSIC AT DELIBES' FUNERAL.—At Leo Delibes' funeral Mr. Widor, the organist and composer, played a prelude entitled "The Snow," from the deceased composer's unfinished opera, "Kassya." Mr. Faure sang a "Pie, Jesu," the words being adapted to one of the master's melodies.
37TOOTIL A TOOTER.—Tootil is a suggestive name for a flute player, but the owner of it must be a good artist or he would not have been chosen to join Dr. Joachim and Mr. Barrett in performing Bach's concerto for violin and two flutes at the London Bach Society's concert on the 10th inst. By the way, the old giant reigned alone in St. James' Hall on that occasion. Quite right. "None but himself can be his equal."
39THEY ARE NOT RELATED.—The scribe who is charged with the duty of purveying fragments of gossip to a Parisian paper has recently contributed an item of information to its columns which is worth recording. It is to the effect that "M. Jean Sullivan," the son of Sir Arthur Sullivan, has recently made his début on the stage in America, where he has been greeted with the utmost cordiality by the Yankee critics. We need hardly enlighten our readers as to the identity of the "new comer." It is none other than the great J. L. Sullivan, the "big slugger." The author of "Ivanhoe" will appreciate the ingenious blunder of the Parisian paragraphist. Mr. J. L. Sullivan, we may add, has already reaped a rich harvest by his histrionic performances. We shall probably hear of his tempting fortune as a pianist next. He would be admirably qualified as an exponent of the modern pugilistic pianism.
41DIVERS DEATHS.—Capellmeister and composer Dr. J. Muck died at Wurzburg on January 15, aged sixty-seven. Musikdirektor and composer Josef Alberheim died at Stuttgart on January 19, aged eighty-six.
43The young Portuguese composer Joao Guerreiro da Costa, whose opera, "A Moira de Silves," is in active preparation at the Trindade Theatre of Lisbon, has just succumbed to an attack of illness, without seeing his new work performed.
45The death is announced at Levalois-Perret of a very old operatic artist, who in her time enjoyed great celebrity. Mrs. Nau had attained the ripe old age of seventy-three, and it is forty-three years since she finally retired from the Grand Opéra of Paris, after having made a considerable fortune by touring in the United States. Mrs. Nau was born in 1818, and was a pupil of the celebrated Mrs. Damoreau at the Paris Conservatory, where in 1835 she gained the first prize for singing. The following year she made an unexpected début at the Grand Opéra, Paris, as a deputy, owing to the indisposition of an artist, and had to take the rôle of the "Page" in the "Huguenots." Some years later, with Duprez as "Edgardo," she created the part of the heroine at the first performance at the Paris Opéra of "Lucia di Lammermoor," after that work was transferred from the Renaissance to the senior house. She likewise was a member of the original cast of some of the operas of Auber, Niedermeyer, Mermet and others. About fifteen years ago a daughter of hers made two or three appearances in opera in Paris, but afterward married and retired from the profession.
47Mrs. Alina Alhaiza, the opera singer, died on Friday at her residence, 30 East Twenty-first-st., of pneumonia, after a week's illness. She was born in Brussels thirty-nine years ago and was the daughter of Professor Lembède of the Royal Conservatory in that city. At seventeen she was graduated, and carried off the three prizes for piano playing, solfeggi and singing at the conservatory. From Brussels she went to Paris, where she studied under Duprez. She made her début at the old Théâtre Lyrique, then managed by Carvalho, and sang the chief soprano parts in "Traviata," "Faust," and "Romeo and Juliet." She came to America in 1871 and the same year married Paul Alhaiza, then manager of the French Opera House at New Orleans. In the last twenty years she has sung in almost every part of the world. She returned to America last spring. Her last public appearance was in this city at Chickering Hall last October, when she sang in a concert. She was under engagement to sing at the Jamaica exposition, and was to have sailed on Saturday last for Kingston. Her husband is director of the Molierè Theatre in Brussels. She leaves two children.
49BERLIN PHILHARMONIC SOLOISTS.—The soloists of the eighth Berlin Philharmonic concert on the 9th inst., under Bülow's direction, were Miss Clothilde Kleeberg, the clever pianist, and Lilli Lehmann's husband, our well remembered tenor, Paul Kalisch. Both are said to have scored successes.
51AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE HEARD FROM.—Mrs. Isidora Martinez-King, a soprano favorably remembered in New York, gave a concert at Berlin on the 12th inst., where she had the assistance of the pianist Fritz Schonsboe and the violoncellist F. Grützmacher.
53LESCHETITZKI DECORATED.—Prof. Theodore Leschetitzki, of Vienna, the husband of Annette Essipoff, and one of the best of living piano teachers, has just been decorated by the King of Sweden with the Wasa order.
55SEMBRICH IN RUSSIA.—Marcilla Sembrich, the great singer, is meeting with remarkable success during her tourne through Russia. Both at Moscow and St. Petersburg the diva is reported to have created immense enthusiasm.
57SHE LOST THE SUIT.—A lady who is principally known to the outside world through her suit for damages against Gounod, the great French composer, Mrs. Georgina Burns, quite recently lost her action for £1,000 for alleged libel contained in a criticism in the "Scottish Leader." Lord Stormont Darling held that everybody had a right to criticise a public performance favorably or unfavorably, so long as the criticism was not merely abuse or invective.
59FROM ENGLAND TO BALTIMORE.—Mr. Felix Lamond, formerly assistant organist at Salisbury and organist at York Minster, has been appointed organist at the Women's College at Baltimore. He is Scotch by birth, was a pupil of Dr. W. H. Monk and Raff, and was also at one time accompanist at the Trocadero Concerts, Paris.
61NOT QUITE WELL YET.—A letter just received from W. Edward Heimendahl states that that accomplished musician is not quite restored to health yet and that he will stay in Germany probably until April, after which period he intends to go for a few weeks to Switzerland, thence to England, and that he will not return to this country until the beginning of next summer.
63MRS. FEININGER CONCERTIZING IN GERMANY.—Mrs. Elizabeth Feininger, soprano, the gifted wife of the violinist-composer Carl Feininger, gave a highly successful concert at the Berlin Singacademie on the 29th ult. She had the assistance of the violinist Emil von Mylnarski and the Philharmonic orchestra under Kogel's direction.
65MRS. BURMEISTER-PEITSEN IN THURINGIA.—Mrs. Dory Burmeister-Petersen, the Baltimore pianist, is making a great concert tourne through Thuringia in conjunction with the violin virtuoso, Marcello Rossi.
67LILLI LEHMANN TO BE HEARD IN VIENNA.—The "never-to-be-forgotten" Lilli Lehmann will be heard "as guest" in six performances to be given at the Vienna Court Opera House during the period from March 6 to 20. She will appear in "Norma," "Gotterdammerung," "Tristan und Isolde," "Entführung aus dem Serail," "Fidelio" and "Merlin."
69ALVARY RETURNS TO MUNICH.—Max Alvary, the favorite tenor of American young ladies, will this year again, like last year, appear at the Munich Court Opera House during the term of Vogl's well earned vacation.
71SHE IS A PAINTER.—Helen Raff, the gifted daughter of the great dead tone poet, Joachim Raff, is meeting with much success as an artist. Her latest painting, "Palm Sunday," which was exhibited at the Munich Art Exhibition, has just been bought by the Hamburg Art Society.
73BARTLETT'S REMINISCENCES OF FOSTER.—Mr. Geo. C. Bartlett, of this city, has just published a volume (United States Book Company) entitled "The Salem Seer: Reminiscences of Charles H. Foster," in which many remarkable episodes in the life of this remarkable individuality are recalled. The spiritualist was fond of musical people and was frequently visited by them. On page 55 Mr. Bartlett tells us "he was much attached to and very intimate with Ole Bull, Louis Gottschalk and other musical celebrities. I remember a most delightful visit of one week at the home of Ole Bull in Maine." It appears that music was played all night and in the small hours of the morning Ole Bull started in with the "Carnival of Venice." Communications from Gottschalk were frequently reported by Foster to his friends. The whole phenomena of spiritualism is touched upon in Mr. Bartlett's book, which is exceedingly interesting.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.