Books › Musical Courier 1913-05-28: Vol 66 Iss 22, 1913 › scan 21
Scan 21
Musical Courier 1913-05-28: Vol 66 Iss 22, 1913
71 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 24. See the scan on archive.org.
1VARIATIONS
3What are the others saying?
5Max Smith tells in the New York Press of May 26 that the Century Opera will employ the unusual scheme of presenting "each opera seven times in succession—in English six times, in the original language once—and then to drop the work from the repertory. The task of learning to sing roles even passably well in two languages is by no means easy. One can imagine the hard-working members of the polyglot company, their memories burdened with two sets of words, their tongues struggling valiantly with sounds to which they are not accustomed, uttering one phrase in German, the next in English and all the time intent on making the meaning of the text understood by the men and women on the other side of the footlights who are so eager to be initiated into the mysteries of the libretto.
7"How much 'education' would the public receive from an Isolde expiring of love if she should sing after this fashion:
9"Mild und leise, he is smiling, now his eyelids held er oeffnet—see, oh, comrades! Saeht ihr's nicht? How he beameth, wie er leuchtet, steeped in starlight, hoch sich hebt! How his heart ihm mutig schwillt, vol und happy beats in his breast?
11"Wie den Lippen, heav'nly rest, suesser breath he sanft entweht. Harken! Seht! Hear and seht ihr nicht? Is it ich alone am hearing die so tender voll endearing. Wonne swelling, alles telling, mild versehnnend, from him sounding, in me dringet, auf sich rushes trumpet tone that um mich klinget? Heller growing, mich umwallend, are these Wallen sanfter pillows? Sind es balmy beauteous Duefte? one of two readings
12"Wie den Lippen, heav'nly rest, suesser breath he sanft entweht. Harken! Seht! Hear and seht ihr nicht? Is it ich alone am hearing die so tender voll endearing. Wonne swelling, alles telling, mild versehnnend, from him sounding, in me dringet, auf sich rushes trumpet tone that um mich klinget? Heller growing, mich umwahrend, are these Wallen sanfter pillows? Sind es balmy beauteous Duefte? one of two readings
14"How they rise and mich umrauschen, shall I breathe them, shall I lauschen? Soll ich sip them, untertauchen? To my panting mich verhauchen? In the wogenden Schwall, in dem harmony Schall, in des world's Atems whirlwind be drowned? and, sinking, ver-drinking, in a kiss, haechste bliss!"
16They have judges and juries at pupils' examinations. The teachers of the candidates represent the defense. All that is lacking is a competent prosecuting attorney.
18Dialogue between the Metropolitan Opera House and Oscar Hammerstein (from Town Topics):
19O. H.—I will give opera.
20M. O. H. (sneeringly)—Yes, you will.
21O. H.—That's what I said.
22M. O. H. (as before)—Yes, you did.
23O. H.—I did. What of it?
24M. O. H.—You'll see.
25O. H.—Yes, I will.
26M. O. H. (menacingly)—You will.
27O. H.—Aw, g'wan!
28M. O. H.—Huh!
29O. H.—Bah!
30M. O. H.—Who are you talking to?
31O. H.—Who you think?
32M. O. H.—Better look out.
33O. H.—What for?
34M. O. H.—You'll find out.
35O. H.—Who will?
36M. O. H.—You will.
37O. H.—Aw, shut up.
38M. O. H.—Shut up yourself.
40Last week this column had a word of praise for Arnold Bennett, a novelist who knows how to write about music. The other side of the subject is treated by the University Magazine, as follows:
41"Why cannot those who pen romances treat of music without the most grotesque exaggeration? It is not im-
43possible to answer the question. The imaginative temperament cannot be responsible, since, curiously enough, the exaggeration of the poets is less insane than that of many novelists! The reason surely is to be found in the emotional intensity of music, the almost insuperable difficulty of translating its effects into words; the necessity to the story teller of narrative matter—less applicable to the poet—and lack of technical equipment.
45"Perhaps the commonest form which this exaggeration takes is in attributing impossible attainments to the hero. In 'The First Violin' Herr Courvoisier, whose only qualification was having amused himself with a violin when a regimental officer, becomes a concertmeister and holds his own at the head of an orchestra; and the heroine, after a short study of the pianoforte, though modestly describing herself as 'a great bungler' who 'rather hindered than helped,' yet plays Beethoven's fourth symphony at sight from the full score! Oscar Stephenson, in 'The Prodigal Son,' learned enough in an admittedly wasted year or two at the Royal Academy of Music to reach the very summit of the musical Parnassus by its most difficult facets—as conductor and composer.
47"Ouida—a constant sinner—alluding to a broken violin, gives us the interesting information that 'the keys were smashed beyond all chance of restoration!' And in 'Mr. Barnes of New York' the tension on somebody's nerves is like that on 'the C string of a highly tuned violin.' As there is no such string, it is difficult to know exactly what this tension was."
49Near-bohemians should remember that, according to Humorist Adkins, of the Pittsburgh Post, "a picture of a fencing girl, and a pipe rack, constitute a 'den.'"
51Under the heading of "Business Opportunities" there is this advertisement in the New York Times of last Sunday: "The eminent Cataldo Vinci, founder and director of several musical academies of Milan, Italy, author-proprietor of Biblical, historical and celebrated productions of interest to America and Americans, highly endorsed by Massenet, Queen Margherita, Verdi and other eminent people, is seeking financial backing to stage his celebrated 'Social Trilogy' in this country or Buenos Ayres. Also offers his new opera 'Amore,' with poems, music and orchestral parts, and score, on royalty basis, or can be purchased outright for $200,000. Address Captain Cataldo Vinci, Box 353, Madison Square, N. Y."
53Do not forget the address. It is Box 353, Madison Square, N. Y.
55From the Washington Times comes this arraignment of our national current product:
56"If the ancient worthy who said, 'Let me write the songs of a nation and I care not who makes its laws,' could visit the United States today he would hear some things that would cause him to rush to the shadowy ferryman and beg to be taken back at once.
57"With a Sicilian on the curb grinding out 'When the Midnight Chuchu Leaves for Alabam,' a player piano around the corner banging away at 'Be My Baby Bumblebee,' and a graphophone up the street producing 'The Devil's Ball,' the poor old back number would feel a mad impulse to get at the fellow who writes the songs for this nation and strangle him on the spot."
59"I'm tired of life."
60"That being the case, go to a 'Parsifal' performance and shout 'bis' after Amfortas' solos."
62Beau Broadway, with a set, stern face, writes this in the Morning Telegraph: "Sapphire M'Gurk says he never heard Melba sing, but he likes the way she fixes peaches."
64Bacon's symphonies? Listen to London Punch:
65The wide range of works hitherto attributed to other authors but now incontestably proved to have emanated from the brain and pen of the omniscient Bacon has been further enlarged by a momentous discovery, details of which have been communicated to us by the famous composer, Professor Bilger.
66Briefly stated the discovery amounts to this, that Bacon—Beethoven—Bach.
67The proofs are as follows:
68If we take the name Francis we find the letters F, A and S stand for the key signatures of three of Beethoven's symphonies—viz.: No. 6, in F, No. 7 in A, and No. 3 in E flat or E's in its German equivalent.
69But the surname Bacon is even richer in corroborating evidence. For not only are the initial and final letters (B and N) identical with those of Bacon, but the intervening letters A C O stand for Associate of the College of Organists.
70Again, Beethoven was born at Bonn, which obviously stands for B (ac) onn. His Christian name was Ludwig, which, when separated into its component parts, "my"
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.