THEATRICAL AND
RUDOLPH ARONSON
<b°^
Theatrical
and
Musical
Memoirs
RUDOLPH ARONSON
Theatrical and Musical
Memoirs
By
Rudolph Aronson
-
McBride, Nast and Company
IQI3
Copyright, 1912, by
CURTIS PUBLISHING Co.
Copyright, 1913, by
McBRiDE, NAST & Co.
Published, February, 1913
FOREWORD
Numerous friends both in this country and in Europe have
prevailed upon me to write my memoirs covering more
than thirty years of a most active life devoted to the bringing
of musical productions and artists before the public, and so I
have given the spring and summer of 1912 to the procurement
of data and to writing and completing the work. Excerpts
from what is now comprised in this volume may be recognized
as having appeared from time to time in Munsey's Magazine,
The Saturday Evening Post and Collier's Weekly. I am
grateful also to Mr. Charles L. Ritzman and to Mr. J. M.
Priaulx of Ditson and Company for photographs and data
furnished.
I am indebted to my lamented brothers, Edward and
Albert, for their sincere co-operation in my behalf and their
advice and assistance in spurring me on, when at times I was
on the eve of defeat.
This work is offered to the public as a slight token of ap-
preciation for its kindly interest manifested in my career, and
as a tribute to a profession it has been my pleasure to serve.
RUDOLPH ARONSON.
NEW YORK, November, 1912.
20223-13
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I STUDENT DAYS IN NEW YORK AND PARIS .... 3
Early Musical Impulses — Strauss Concerts in New
York and Berlin — First Wagner Festival in Bay-
reuth, 1876 — Meeting with Richard Wagner and
Franz Liszt and Interviews with Them — Notable
Attendance at the Banquet in Wagner's Honor.
II RETURN TO PARIS 17
Resumption of Studies After Return from Wagner
Festival — The Unpopularity of Wagner's Music at
the Cirque d' Hiver — Attendance at First Pro-
duction of Masse's "Paul et Virginie," 1876 — Inter-
views with Johann Strauss and Olivier Metra —
First Productions of Saint-Saens' ''Le Timbre d'
Argent" and Gounod's "Cinq Mars."
III INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO 25
First Concert at Gilmore's Garden — Realism in "The
Awakening of the Lion" — The Metropolitan Con-
cert Hall with Its Sliding Roof — Composition of
the "Sweet Sixteen" Waltz for Jules Levy, the
Cornet Virtuoso — How the Casino Was Planned
and Built — The Distinguished Stockholders of the
New York Casino Company — European Trip to
Secure the Services of Eminent Composers — First
Meeting with Massenet in 1882 — His Objection to
His First Name.
IV THE OPENING OF THE CASINO 47
Inauguration of the Unfinished Playhouse in 1882
with Strauss' "The Queen's Lace Handkerchief"
— Beginning of the First Continuous Series of
Sunday Popular Concerts — First Meeting of the
Directors of the Metropolitan Opera House in the
Casino, 1883.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
V THE WORLD'S FIRST ROOF GARDEN 57
Inauguration on July 7, 1883 — Francis Wilson and
"The Dotlet on the I"— "The Merry War" from in
Front and Behind the Curtain at the Casino — The
Home of Comic Opera.
VI FIRST PERFORMANCE OF "ERMINIE" 65
Lillian Russell's Appearance in "Polly" — Heinrich
Conried and His Connection with the Casino — The
Beginning of "Erminie," the Most Successful
Operetta of Modern Times — The Author's Predic-
tion of Failure — Other Works by Offenbach
Lecocq, Audran, Millocker, Gilbert and Sullivan,
etc.
VII CONCERNING SOME CELEBRITIES 79
Paderewski and the Automatic Piano — The Serpen-
tine Dance of Loie Fuller — Master Josef Hof-
mann's Remarkable Precocity — Eugene Sandow's
Appearance at the Casino — Fanny Rice and a
Would-be Admirer — The Initial Production of
"Cavalleria Rusticana."
VIII THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 91
Sir Arthur Sullivan's Visit to the Casino — Lawsuits
Occasioned by the Piracy of "Erminie" — Francis
Wilson and Louise Sylvester Brave the Blizzard of
i888—Marie Jansen and the Ballet Girls of
"Nadjy" — General William T. Sherman at the
Casino — An Attempt to Set Fire to the Casino —
The Bronze Figure Group.
IX THE STRAUSS GOLDEN JUBILEE 119
Presentation of the Gold and Silver Wreath to the
"Waltz King" — Incidents Relating to the Celebra-
tion— The Contributors to the Wreath.
X VISIT TO MOROCCO 133
Days in Tangier — A Ten-day Journey Through the
Open Country to Fez — Presentation to Sultan
Mulai Abdul Aziz — Giving the Sultan Music Les-
sons.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
XI RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS . . 147
Old New York — Meeting with Verdi — Banquet to
Madame Adelina Patti — Signer Cardinali's Mishap
— Jean de Reszke Gives Gratuitous Instruction to
Talented American Girl — Madame Emma Eames
and the Manuscript Society of New York — Miss
Alice Roosevelt and the Wax Figures — Sarah
Bernhardt's Generosity — The Advent of Henri
Marteau — Teresa Carreno's Return to America —
Brahms, Carreno and D' Albert — Meeting with
Eduard Strauss in Cologne and His Subsequent
Appearance in New York — Presentation of Johann
Strauss' "Vienna Life" at the Broadway Theater.
XII MORE RECOLLECTIONS 175
Interviews with Pieter Tschaikowsky — The First Per-
formance of Puccini's "Tosca" at La Scala, Milan
— Meeting with Leoncavallo in Italy, and His Tour
in America — Kocian at William C. Whitney's
musicale — Mascagni and His Pupil — A State Con-
cert at Buckingham Palace — Of Isadora Duncan,
Maud Allan, Ruth St. Denis, and Thamara de
Swirsky — The Difficulties of a Manager.
XIII THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY .... 219
The Evolution of Musical and Dramatic Enterprises
— Moving Picture Shows — Overproduction and
Superfluous Theaters — The "Star" System and
Present-day Productions as Compared with Those
of the Past — Various "Schools" of Operetta — The
Press Agent and His Ingenuity.
XIV THE AMERICAN PALACE OF ART 263
Proposed Plan for a Palace of Art for Washington,
D. C., to Comprise a Conservatory of Music and
School of Dramatic Art — The Scope and Details of
This Suggested National Institution.
INDEX OF NAMES 271
ILLUSTRATIONS
Rudolph Aronson . . Frontispiece
FACING PAGE
Johann Strauss 4
Richard Wagner 8
Siegfried Wagner 8
Georges Bizet 12
Franz Liszt 12
Charles Gounod 12
A Letter from Camille Saint-Saens 20
A Letter from Emil Durand 26
Josef Gung'l 30
Jules Levy 30
H. Saro 30
A Letter from Charles Gounod 40
Massenet 40
A Letter from Massenet 42
The Casino, New York 48
Madame Theo 52
The Casino Roof Garden 58
Lillian Russell 66
Sadie Martinot 66
Marie Jansen in "Nadjy," 1888 72
Francis Wilson and Pauline Hall in "Erminie," 1886 ... 72
Josef Hofmann 82
Jaroslav Kocian 82
Paderewski 86
Leopold Godowsky 86
Jacques Offenbach 92
Lillian Nordica 92
Sir Arthur Sullivan . 92
Hans von Bulow 96
Walter Damrosch 96
The Strauss Golden Jubilee Wreath 122
Theodore Thomas . . . 128
ILLUSTRATIONS
FACING PAGE
Anton Rubinstein 128
The Sultan of Morocco 138
Verdi 148
Joachim String Quartette 154
Adelina Patti 158
Teresa Carreno 158
Josef Strauss 162
Eduard Strauss 162
Johann Strauss III 162
From the Original Manuscript of Eduard Strauss' "Greeting
to America" 164
Tschaikowsky 176
Jan Kubelik 176
Puccini 176
Richard Strauss 180
Henri Wieniawski 180
Mark Hambourg 180
A Letter from William Howard Taft 188
A Letter from Theodore Roosevelt 194
Luigi Arditi 202
Leoncavallo 202
Isadora Duncan and Her Dancing Class 210
Maud Allan 214
Ruth St. Denis 214
Thamara de Swirsky 214
Reginald De Koven 222
John Philip Sousa 222
Victor Herbert 222
Eugene Sandow 232
Mascagni . 232
Camille Saint-Saens 242
Henri Marteau 242
Franz von Suppe 246
Henry E. Dixey 246
George Grossmith 246
William Howard Taft 256
Theodore Roosevelt 256
Jean de Reszke as Raoul in "The Huguenots" 264
Brahms 264
Edouard de Reszke as Mephistopheles in "Faust" ... 264
STUDENT DAYS IN NEW YORK AND PARIS
Theatrical and Musical Memoirs
CHAPTER I
STUDENT DAYS IN NEW YORK AND PARIS
Early Musical Impulses — Strauss Concerts in New York and
Berlin — First Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, 1876 — Meeting
with Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt and Interviews with
Them — Notable Attendance at the Banquet in Wagner's
Honor.
I HAD my first opportunity to see the world in New York
City on April 8th, 1856. I am credibly informed that,
aside from those directly interested in the affair, my ar-
rival caused no unusual excitement. Despite this rather quiet
reception I remained in New York, and at the age of six be-
gan my studies by learning to play on the piano — I also at-
tended Grammar School No. 35 on West 13th Street at that
time presided over by Dr. Thomas Hunter, and later I became
a pupil of Packard's Business College in New York, with a
view to my following a business career. My music teacher,
Leopold Meyer, however, discovering in me a strong preference
for music, persuaded my indulgent parents to prepare me for a
musical career, and in pursuance of this I received instruction
on the piano, on the violin and in the theory of music. Fol-
4 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
lowing the Boston Peace Jubilee organized by Bandmaster
Patrick S. Gilmore, with a constellation of musical stars from
all over the world, Herr Johann Strauss, the Viennese "Waltz
King," was engaged to conduct his own compositions at three
Philharmonic Society concerts in the New York Academy of
Music, at Fourteenth Street and Irving Place. The Phil-
harmonic Orchestra of one hundred musicians was under the
direction of Carl Bergmann, with Leopold Meyer, my teacher
as concertmaster. In company with my brother Joseph (him-
self an excellent amateur violinist), I attended the first of
these concerts on July 8th, 1870, being then a youngster of
fourteen; and append herewith the program of that memo-
rable occasion.
JOHANN STRAUSS, "THE WALTZ KING
STUDENT DAYS IN NEW YORK 5
Academy of Music
First
GRAND ORCHESTRAL CONCERT
in New York
of the Illustrious Composer and Chef d'Orchestre from
Vienna
HERR JOHANN
STRAUSS
Monday Evening, July 8th, 1870, at 8 o'clock
on which occasion Herr Strauss will preside over
The Finest Orchestral Ensemble in America
selected expressly for him at the Boston Jubilee
Conductor CARL BERGMANN
Pianist J. H. BONAWITZ
PROGRAMME
PART I.
1. Overture— "William Tell" Rossini
Grand orchestra under the direction of
Mr. Carl Bergmann
2. Introduction to the Third Act of "Lohengrin" Wagner
Grand orchestra under the direction of
Mr. Carl Bergmann
3. Waltz— Kuenstlerleben (Artist's Life) Strauss
Grand orchestra under the direction of
Herr Johann Strauss
4. Piano-Forte Solo — "Tannhauser" March Wagner-Liszt
Mr. J. H. Bonawitz
5. Circassian March Strauss
Grand orchestra under the direction of
Herr Johann Strauss
PART II.
6. Overture— "Rienzi" Wagner
Grand orchestra under the direction of
Mr. Carl Bergmann
7. Waltz — "On the Beautiful Blue Danube" Strauss
Grand orchestra under the direction of
Herr Johann Strauss
8. Piano-Forte Solo — "Luther's Hymn"
Arranged by Bonawitz
Mr. J. H. Bonawitz
9. Polka — "Pizzicato" Strauss
Grand orchestra under the direction of
Herr Johann Strauss
10. Marche aux Flambeaux Meyerbeer
Grand orchestra under the direction of
Mr. Carl Bergmann
6 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Strauss stepped on the little platform in front of the or-
chestra, violin in hand, amid thunders of applause, and con-
ducted his Artist's Life Waltz in his own inimitable manner,
at times himself playing the violin.
During the second number of this most popular creation
the "Waltz King" showed that, notwithstanding the inspira-
tion he possessed, he was subject to the commonplace acci-
dents of ordinary humanity, for he slipped from the little
platform on which he stood and smashed his violin. Without
hesitation and showing little indication of undue haste, he
seized a violin from the concertinas ter, and losing only eight
bars continued "Artist's Life" amid an outburst of enthusiasm
from the audience such as I have never elsewhere heard. It
is an honor to record that the magnetism of that genius of
dance music inspired and overwhelmed me. His irresistible
ease in conducting filled me with enthusiasm, and was the
foundation stone on which I built my musical career.
During my early musical studies, I was domiciled with my
parents at our house on 14th Street near yth Avenue (then
one of the most fashionable thoroughfares in New York).
It seemed that already the love for music and the theater had
imbedded itself in me, and as the Academy of Music at 14th
Street and Irving Place was not far away I, in company with
my brother Edward, soon managed to form an acquaintance
with the janitor of that then famous "Temple of Art," and
two and sometimes three times a week the good-natured jan-
itor smuggled us in through the stage, and, ascending the emer-
gency staircase leading to the gallery, we heard there to our
STUDENT DAYS IN NEW YORK 7
hearts' content the works of Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Rossini,
Gounod, and Ambroise Thomas; and such artists as Brignoli,
Lagrange, Adelina Patti, Nilsson, Kellogg, Lucca, Parepa,
Albani, Gerster, Nevada, Gary, Hauk, Campanini, Maurel,
Capoul, Del Puente and others, with Max Maretzek in the
conductor's chair.
On one of these eventful occasions, however, when reaching
the gallery, we found it minus the usual audience and upon
inquiry discovered that a ball was to be held that evening in
honor of the Grand Duke Alexis. We remained in the gal-
lery until the orchestra had played the introductory march
and then ventured downstairs to the corridor which was fast
filling with guests. We noticed that the manager's office had
been transformed into a temporary committee room and
buffet.
To my surprise I was accosted by a tall and strikingly hand-
some gentleman who with a slight foreign accent said, "Could
you perhaps direct me to the committee room*?" (I must
already have had in the early stages of my career a sort of
managerial bearing.) I replied, "Why, certainly. Will you
follow me*?" The tall gentleman followed and when the
door opened there was a hearty welcome by a dozen or more
of New York's most distinguished citizens, and I learned that
my questioner was none other than His Royal Highness the
Grand Duke Alexis, brother of the former and uncle of the
present Czar of Russia.
At the age of sixteen I disclosed a talent for composition,
and it is with the keenest, satisfaction that my memory goes
8 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
back to the presentation of my first waltz, "Arcadian," at
the Arcadian Club, New York. Upon that occasion the good-
natured Albert Weber, Sr. (head of the Weber Piano Com-
pany), turned the pages of my composition for me, spoke
encouraging words and helped me to win my first success.
This waltz was immediately published, and on September
yth, 1873, was publicly played for the first time by Theodore
Thomas's orchestra at the Central Park Garden, Seventh Ave-
nue, Fifty-eighth and Fifty-ninth Streets. The favorable
manner in which this waltz was received by the audience en-
couraged me to go to Europe for further instruction. Ac-
cordingly I left New York shortly after the death of my
mother in the following year, accompanied by my three
sisters.
Arriving in Paris in 1874, I at once sought Professor Emile
Durand, of the Conservatoire National, as he had been highly
spoken of to me as a most finished and capable musical in-
structor. I became one of his pupils, and for three years
followed attentively a course of studies in harmony, counter-
point, instrumentation and composition.
During my residence in Paris I attended most of the con-
certs at the Conservatoire, at the Cirque d'Hiver and the
Grand Opera and Theaters, and in my spare moments com-
pleted a number of compositions of which the "Marche Tri-
omphale" was performed with much success at the Johann
Strauss Monster Concert in Berlin on June 17th, 1876, and
the others by the leading orchestras and bands in Paris, Ber-
lin, Vienna and London, for which I was decidedly grateful.
STUDENT DAYS IN NEW YORK ( 9
Following is the program of the interesting Strauss Con-
cert in Berlin:'
STADT PARK
No. 147 Grosse Friedrichstrasse
Sonnabend den 17 Juni, 1876
Letztes
STRAUSS'S CHES MONSTRE-CONCERT
ausgefiihrt von der Berliner Symphoniekapelle und der, des
Kaiser Franz Garde Grenadier-Regiments unter Leitung des
K. K. osterreich Hof-Ball-Musikdirector's
JOHANN STRAUSS
der Konigl, Preuss, Musikdirect, Herren Prof. Ludwig von
Brenner und Saro.
PROGRAMME.
I. THEIL.
1. Ouverture z. op. "Der Beherrscher der Geister"
v. Weber
2. Marche Triomphale v. Rud Aronson
3. Intro., Thema und Variationen a. d. op.
"Die Abenceragen" v. Cherubim
4. Miserere a. "Trovatore" v. Verdi
5. Newa-Polka v. Johann Strauss
6. Cagliostro-Walzer v. Johann Strauss
7. II. Finale a. d. op. "Martha" v. Flotow
8. Jubel-Ouverture v. Weber
II. THEIL.
9. Ouverture "Ein Sommernachtstraum" v. Mendelssohn
10. Trolola, Toskanisches Volkslied v. Gordigiani
11. Carnevals-Botschafter Walzer v. Johann Strauss
12. Walthers Traumlied a. "Die Meistersinger" v. Wagner
13. Variationen a. d. "Chorfantasie" v. Beethoven
14. Corso-Quadrille v. Philipp
15. Wiener Blut Walzer v. Johann Strauss
16. Immergrun Potpourri v. Saro
10 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Naturally I was present at the first Wagner Festival at
Bayreuth in August, 1876, stopping en route at Berlin on
a visit to my good friend, Herr Saro, Germany's most famous
bandmaster, who honored me in performing for the first time
my "Victory" and "Washington" Marches at the Stadt-Park,
where I had as my guest a young cousin of mine (a resident
of Berlin) Gabriel Rosenberg, who later on came to New
York, composed the "Honeymoon" March and other popular
numbers under the pseudonym "George Rosey" and con-
quered.
At Bayreuth I was one of the six New Yorkers at that his-
torical event, the other five being Dr. Leopold Damrosch,
Francis Korbay, Louis Dachauer, Fred Schwab, of the New
York Times, and John P. Jackson of the New York Herald,
who afterward translated into English several of Wagner's
works.
The crowd of visitors at Bayreuth was so large on this oc-
casion that hotels were filled beyond their comfortable capac-
ity, and the people stopped sending 'buses to the railroad
station for new guests. I was one of the victims of this over-
crowding, and with my friend John P. Jackson, tramped the
streets until we found in a private house a large room contain-
ing six beds. We engaged two of these beds at a fabulous
price, so high that the rental of the entire six beds probably
paid off any mortgages that may have then existed against
the property. On the following night after the Wagner per-
formance I aided Jackson in preparing his criticism on the
STUDENT DAYS IN NEW YORK 11
work. That the cable might be retained until we had com-
pleted our review, and his paper thus receive the first news in
America of this great event, Jackson gave the operator a few
hundred meaningless words to send over and we rushed the
preparation of our message. The result of this clever and
expensive expedient was that the newspaper scored a beat in
its notice of the greatest musical event of the century.
In honor of the grand event Bayreuth was adorned in a
lavish and artistic manner. It offered an artistic tribute im-
pulsively paid to the most illustrious art triumph of modern
times. In the American Register of Paris, August iQth, 1876,
I wrote of this interesting festival as follows :
"Bayreuth is magnificently draped with banners, emblems,
and so forth, and from one end of the city to the other the
German colors are visible. The trains bring in hundreds who
are unable to obtain accommodations in the hotels and are
compelled to find lodgings in the neighboring villages.
"The Emperor of Germany arrived last evening and was
received by the populace ; some two thousand men took part in
a Fackelzug arranged in his honor, the band played Wagner's
Kaiser March, the Prussian anthem and a Fackeltanz, after
which the crowd dispersed. The streets are literally packed
with people, and in passing some of the private residences
strains from "Die Walkiire" and "Gotterdammerung" are
heard."
The performance of "Rheingold" should have begun at five
o'clock on Sunday evening, but was postponed until seven
12 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
o'clock. Between these hours thousands were strolling in
the direction of the theater. About seven o'clock the German
Kaiser arrived and was ushered into the Prince's loge amid the
greatest enthusiasm. In a few moments the fifteen hundred
seats of the auditorium were occupied and almost immediately
eight or ten trumpeters — stationed in an opening in the
amphitheater — by the playing of a few measures of the prin-
cipal motive of Rheingold announced the beginning of the
evening's performance, a most original, timely and beautiful
innovation.
The invisible orchestra of one hundred and twenty picked
musicians under the able conductorship of Hans Richter with
August Wilhelmj as concertmaster made an overwhelming
success. Following is the cast:
Wo fan Franz Betz
Donner Joseph Koegel
Froh George Unger
Loge Heinrich Vogel
Alberieh Karl Hill
Mima Karl Schlosser
Fasolf Alb Filers
Fafner F. von Reichenberg
Fricka Friderike Grim
Freia Marie Haupt
Erda Louise Jaide
Waglinde Lilli Lehmann
Wellgunde Marie Lehmann
Flosshilde . . . Minna Lammert
STUDENT DAYS IN NEW YORK 13
It was my good fortune during the first Wagner festival
to have a seat directly behind that of the master himself, and
this gave me an opportunity to see how intently he followed
every movement on the stage and in the orchestra. He was
a little, wiry, nervous man, and just before the conclusion of
each act he would spring to his feet, rush behind the scenes
to consult with the artists, superintend the settings, and then
appear before the curtain to acknowledge the plaudits of
the audience. As the curtain arose for the next act he would
quietly resume his seat.
A casual happening that I chanced to witness marked Franz
Liszt as the next person of consequence to Wagner in Bay-
reuth at that time. Liszt was passing the hotel where the
Emperor of Germany was stopping, and His Majesty, on the
veranda, recognized the famous "Abbe Pianist" and saluted
him first, an honor rarely conferred upon an artist. In this
instance it showed the positive reverence in which Liszt was
held by even an emperor. Another evidence of reverence to
art and talent was manifested at the banquet after the com-
pletion of the first Bayreuth festival. Wagner, seated at a
table with the artists of the Ring of the Nibelungen — Franz
Liszt, Hans Richter and August Wilhelmj — was commanded
to step over to the tables of the Emperor of Germany and his
guests and to be seated with them. This marked courtesy,
however, Wagner declined, explaining that he must preside
over his own table.
This banquet was attended by six hundred people, and in
14 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Herr Wagner's address he set forth that his final remarks
at the theater the previous evening, "Wenn sie wollen, haben
sie jetzt eine Kunst" (If you so desire you now have an art
of your own), were not to be misunderstood, that he merely
meant them in connection with Germany alone, who was not
original in her ideas, but imitates France and Italy. His idea
was to create in Germany an Art heretofore unknown, and he
thought that the success of the first performances of the "Ring
des Nibelungen" partially assured this. He thanked in the
most emphatic terms his life-long friend Franz Liszt, without
whom his success would have been limited. They embraced
each other, to the utmost gratification of the banqueters, after
which Herr Wagner was presented with a silver wreath by
Madame Lucca (not the prima donna, but the wife of the
Milan Music publisher).
At the conclusion of this never-to-be-forgotten banquet,
I had the honor of a few moments' conversation with Wagner
and Liszt. They expressed to me their gratitude at the success
of the Wagner works in young America.
RETURN TO PARIS
CHAPTER II
RETURN TO PARIS
Resumption of Studies After Return from Wagner Festival—
The Unpopularity of Wagner's Music at the Cirque
d' Hiver— Attendance at First Production of Masse's "Paul
et Virginie," 1876— Interviews with Johann Strauss and
Olivier Metra— First Productions of Saint-Saens' "Le
Timbre d' Argent" and Gounod's "Cinq Mars."
AFTER the Bayreuth festival I returned to Paris and
resumed my studies under Professor Durand, attend-
ing musical performances or similar and improving
diversions. A grand concert was announced for October 29th,
1876, to be given at the Cirque d'Hiver, with the famous
Pasdeloup as director. In the course of the concert M. Pas-
deloup introduced Siegfried's Death March from Wagner's
Nibelungen. The anti-German feeling in France at that time
was so intense, the hatred for all things German was so deep-
seated in the French heart, that the beginning of the Death
March was likewise the beginning of a most disgraceful scene.
Before the march was reached loud outcries began, outcries
of "A bas la musique de Vavenirl A la porte Wagner!" and
so boisterous and so persistent were these cries that many in
the vast audience left the hall, evidently fearing more violent
17
i8 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
demonstrations from the riotous element. Some gentlemen
arose and declared the manifestation ridiculous, coming, as
it did, before the march had been heard. This seemed to
quiet the tumult sufficiently for the march to be played, but
even its magnificent passages could not soften the rancor in
the French heart, inasmuch as the whistling, hooting, stamp-
ing and yelling recommenced and the turmoil was even in-
creased. Monsieur Pasdeloup nearly broke his baton, vainly
endeavoring to regain order. He tried to speak to the audi-
ence but was not permitted to get beyond "Mesdames, Mes-
sieurs! Respectez les executants, Fart, la musique!"
After many efforts Monsieur Pasdeloup succeeded in giv-
ing an interrupted rendition of Weber's beautiful overture to
"Der Freischiitz," and it was accompanied, as it had never
been before and has not been since, by the maledictions of
three thousand angered hearers, who shouted at its conclusion
"A has Pasdeloup!" The entire scene was one not soon to be
forgotten.
In commenting upon the first performance in Paris of Vic-
tor Masse' s "Paul et Virginie" (November, 1876) I wrote:
"It is charming, replete with melodies of a sympathetic nature;
orchestration superb. The interpretation of the various char-
acters by Messieurs Capoul (who later became assistant di-
rector of the Paris Grand Opera) and Bouhy and Mile. Ritter
(a girl of seventeen and a sister of the distinguished pianist
Theodore Ritter) and Madame Engalli, was delightful."
The Opera ball of January, 1877, is worthy of notice,.
RETURN TO PARIS 19
because an innovation was made in it that season. Hundreds
of gas jets illumined the magnificent building wherein the ball
was held, and the brilliancy thus produced can hardly be sur-
passed by modern electricity. In previous years candles had
been used, and the spluttering, dripping wax was so profuse
as to remind me of a snowfall. The dissatisfaction caused
thereby was great, and particularly vehement among the
numerous persons whose costumes were injured. Over 125,-
ooo francs were taken for tickets, and the estimate was made
that upward of 7,000 persons attended the ball. This was
not difficult to believe, for the mass was so dense as to give
little opportunity to the terpsichorean devotees.
On the occasion of this Opera ball I had the pleasure of
meeting and conversing with both conductors, Monsieur
Olivier Metra, who presided for so many years over the or-
chestra at the Folies-Bergere and idolized by Paris as com-
poser of "Les Roses," "La Vague" and "Serenade" Waltzes,
and Herr Johann Strauss, who had just arrived in the city.
Herr Strauss expressed to me his fear that, judging from the
last rehearsal, the orchestra would not perform his works
properly, and he gave me reason to believe that he thought a
prejudice existed against him as it did against Wagner. He
assured me he was sehr zufrieden with the rendition of his
works in New York and Boston, but added that, although
his stay in those cities was pleasant, he would never again
attempt to cross the ocean. After a few moments' further
conversation he uttered a hearty auf wiedersehen and as-
20 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
cended the orchestra platform, where he conducted his superb
waltz, "Wine, Woman and Song" to be rewarded by the un-
restrained plaudits of the vast audience.
In February, 1877, I attended in Paris the first representa-
tion at the Theatre Lyrique, of Camille Saint-Saens "Le
Timbre d'Argent." Monsieur Saint-Saens had a flattering
audience, as it embraced many famous composers and other
talented persons well known to the Paris world. Among the
composers of eminence I noted Charles Gounod, Ambroise
Thomas, Anton Rubinstein, Jules Massenet, Victor Masse,
Ernest Reyer, Victorien Joncieres, Paladilhe, Duvernoy and
Guiraud.
The opera was not warmly received. The libretto seemed
to be a mixture of "La Muette de Portici" and "Faust," and
the music was unworthy the composer of those marvelous
symphonic poems which are played wherever classical music
is appreciated, establishing for Saint-Saens a reputation sur-
passed by few living musicians.
In April of that year I witnessed the first performance of
Gounod's "Cinq Mars" at the Opera Comique in Paris. The
intention had originally been to present the opera "Le Cinq
Mars" March fifth.
Commenting thereon at that time I wrote: "The introduc-
tion to the first act is splendidly scored and introduced a won-
derful Marche funebre. This, with a few choruses and an
unusually striking duet in Act IV commencing
"Oui le ciel seconde nos voeux,"
i
V
n
?
RETURN TO PARIS 21
is the gem of the opera, which I think will not add to the
established reputation of the composer 'Faust,' although
the rights of publication and representation of 'Cinq Mars'
in France, England and Italy were disposed of, at fabulous
prices."
I also dwell with much pleasure on my attendance in 1877,
at an early production of Bizet's "Carmen," given at the
Paris Opera Comique with Galli Marie in the title role. My
written comments on the performance at that time may be
of interest now.
"Monsieur Bizet deserves much praise for the masterly
instrumentation of Carmen throughout, and although at
times a little heavy or 'Wagnerian' it is pleasing to the ear.
The melodies are original, characteristic of the Spanish al-
though the 'Habanera' was composed by Yradier (a popular
Spanish song writer) and cleverly re-arranged by Bizet. I
was particularly impressed with the music in the Fourth Act,
full of pathos and genuine dramatic power, while the duet
song by Carmen and Jose, before she is stabbed, is rendered
additionally pathetic by the contrast of its mournful strains,
with the gay notes of triumph resounding from the neighbor-
ing 'Plaza del Toros.' The excellence of this work will soon
place Monsieur Bizet in the very first rank of the rising young
composers of France. There is hardly a doubt that Carmen
will meet with success in New York."
INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO
CHAPTER III
INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO
First Concert at Gilmore's Garden — Realism in "The Awakening
of the Lion" — The Metropolitan Concert Hall with Its
Sliding Roof — Composition of the "Sweet Sixteen" Waltz
for Jules Levy, the Cornet Virtuoso — How the Casino Was
Planned and Built — The Distinguished Stockholders of the
New York Casino Company — European Trip to Secure the
Services of Eminent Composers — First Meeting with
Massenet in 1882 — His Objection to His First Name.
IN May, having completed my studies in Paris, I left that
beautiful city for my home in New York, and on the
eve of my departure received the following letter from
my esteemed Professor Durand :
"My dear Aronson,
"Before you leave Paris I desire to express to you the satisfac-
tion you have given me in pursuing, with the most absolute assidu-
ity, my lessons in harmony, counterpoint and orchestration. I do
not doubt, but, that with a continuation of your work, your talent,
matured by reflection and study, will bring you numerous successes.
Remain laborious and persevering, as I have known you to be, and
accept, dear pupil, my best wishes for your success and the ex-
pression of my affectionate sentiments.
EMILE DURAND,
Professor of the National Conservatory of Music, Paris.
25
26 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Immediately following my arrival in New York, Mr. P. S.
Gilmore, the famous bandmaster, honored me by placing on
the programme of his first concert for the season (May 24th,
1877) at Gilmore's Garden, 26th Street, Madison and Fourth
Avenues, my new waltz, "Return from Abroad," and at subse-
quent concerts my "Washington," "Triomphale" and "Vic-
tory" marches, the first composed for the Centennial Exposi-
tion in Philadelphia, 1876.
When I had completed some orchestral works upon which
I had been engaged during the summer months, I was per-
suaded by over-enthusiastic friends to lease for Sunday even-
ings the Madison Square Garden — then known as Gilmore's
Garden — from Sheridan Shook and Edward G. Gilmore, its
managers. At that time the Barnum Circus was performing
there during the week, but the managers of the circus prom-
ised to move the animals' cages, so as to avoid a noise during
my intended concerts. For this purpose about one-third of
the Garden was screened off and my orchestra of fifty musi-
cians was placed on a platform in front of the improvised
screen.
When I began the music, there came at an opportune mo-
ment, as though the animals had been trained for it, an out-
burst from lions, elephants, tigers, hyenas and the other varie-
ties of wild creatures. This added much realism to the number
on the program first greeted by the roars, which chanced to be
Kontski's "Awakening of the Lion." As I had also included
Strauss' "Sounds from the Vienna Woods" and Litolff's
X"<^^^ /- /& — - -?*\ — ^ s/)
^^^^^^^^^ <%&*£&£f£^£gZ^*Zi£^Z^^,£&
A LETTER FROM EMII.E DCRAND
INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO 27
•'Robespierre Overture," the savage addition was not an un-
pleasant feature.
This accompaniment, however, convinced me, that environ-
ment was one of the essentials for proper concert entertain-
ments, and so firmly did this conviction take hold of me, that
the following year (1878) on one of my trips crossing the
Atlantic on my way back to New York, I had the good
fortune of meeting Mr. Charles Lanier, a fellow passenger, to
whom I suggested the introduction of the European Concert
Garden, with American embellishments. The idea at once
appealed to him and he proposed that it be called "The Metro-
politan Concert Hall," and almost immediately after our ar-
rival, he enlisted the co-operation of our mutual friend, Mr.
Jesse Seligman, who, like Mr. Lanier, was public-spirited,
and favored any enterprise that would uplift music and art
in the metropolis. The Metropolitan Concert Company was
organized and the stockholders besides Messrs. Lanier and
Seligman included J. Pierpont Morgan, James J. Goodwin,
Wm. E. Strong, Edward Winslow, Henry Morgan, Geo. W.
Cotterill, F. O. French, Francis H. Tows, Adolph Hallgarten,
Josiah M. Fiske, Morris K. Jesup, Wm. H. Appleton, Wm.
R. Garrison, Jose F. Navarro, Wm. H. Scott, Henry Have-
meyer, Edward Cooper, Wm. A. Cole, Theodore Havemeyer,
James E. Ward, C. F. Woereschoeffer, A. B. Stone, G. S.
Winston, Julius Hallgarten, D. C. Calvin, Algernon S. Sul-
livan, Charles Renauld, Grosvenor P. Lowrey, Wm. H. Gun-
ther, Charles Mali, Louis Waetjin, James P. Lowery, George
28 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
W. Dillaway and J. N. A. Griswold. The Metropolitan
Concert Hall was constructed in 1880 at Broadway, Forty-
first Street and Seventh Avenue, New York (the present site
of the Broadway Theater).
The building had been designed by Mr. George B. Post,
$
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Am., i q.^ i.q --+1-4.
V< a 1 1 =j=
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and was modeled somewhat after the concert resorts in
Vienna and Berlin. The raised orchestra platform faced the
orchestra seats, of which there were about eight hundred; in
the balcony were boxes only. Refreshments were served from
an excellent French restaurant, situated over the orchestra plat-
form. A novelty, however, was a sliding roof, in the center
INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO 29
of the roof proper, and encircling this sliding portion was
a promenade that made a pleasant summer and winter resort
at reasonable prices. The building was sufficiently large to
accommodate, all told, over three thousand persons. At this
hall were given concerts of a popular order with an orchestra
of fifty selected musicians under my conductorship.
In July, 1880, at the Metropolitan Concert Hall, I revived
with much success some of the most popular compositions of
Paul Jullien, who captivated his audiences at the Old Castle
Garden in New York in 1854. It was at this time, too, that
I composed my "Sweet Sixteen" Waltz for the famous cor-
net virtuoso, Jules Levy. This waltz achieved signal suc-
cess, and the sale reached several hundred thousand copies.
After I had conducted one hundred and fifty consecutive
concerts there, Mr. Theodore Thomas for three weeks followed
me as conductor of the orchestra. About this time I evolved
the plan of building the Casino, which should have the first
real roof garden in the world.
Spurred on by my brothers Edward and Albert and urged
by a restless but clearly defined ambition, I prepared again
to visit Europe and sought in my brain for a new musical idea.
I had the personal satisfaction of knowing that my single-
handed, strenuous efforts had raised the Metropolitan Con-
cert Hall to an honored position, being, as the papers kindly
said, one of the finest concert halls ever built. When I finally
sailed in February, 1881, I had no thought that the hall would
become an ice-skating rink, a quasi-theater, and then be de-
30 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
molished entirely to make place for the Broadway Theater.
The basis of the prompting that led me now to visit Europe
was a desire to create in New York a place of amusement that
should be a distinct improvement on the Metropolitan Con-
cert Hall. With the hope of finding a suggestion I might
utilize, I visited many of the cities of the Old World, and
gathered from Kroll's Garten in Berlin, from the Volks Gar-
ten in Vienna and from Frascati's in Paris a multitude of sug-
gestions which later I was able to use to advantage.
One evening, returning to my lodging at the little Hotel
Mayran in the Square Montholon in Paris, after a concert at
Frascati's, I considered whether such a resort would meet with
success in New York. While the inquiring thought occupied
my mind, I recalled frequent visits during my student days
in Paris to the Ambassadeurs and the Alcazar on the Champs
Elysees, where each summer I had enjoyed so many delight-
ful open-air entertainments with refreshments served al fresco.
But a realization of the enormous price of land on Broadway
showed me the futility of attempting to replant the Champs
Elysees gardens to a central part of New York.
To the realization of this financial obstruction I believe
may have been due my greater thought, for at once came to
me the question : Why not utilize for garden purposes the roof
of the building I hope to erect, and thus escape the enormous
cost of valuable ground space*? Already had I christened it
in my mind the Roof Garden, and I could mentally see an
adornment of plants and shrubbery and fountains. I imag-
INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO 31
ined concerts and other entertainments being given there, re-
freshments being served — in other words, I mentally trans-
ported the Ambassadeurs from the ground floor of the Champs
Elysees in Paris to the roof of a building on Broadway in
New York.
I discussed the matter with Johann and Eduard Strauss.
During my visit to them, the latter most courteously invited
me to attend a special rehearsal of his orchestra and instructed
me in the proper interpretation of the Strauss repertoire.
About this period I heard for the first time Johann Strauss'
operetta, "The Queen's Lace Handkerchief," with which I was
immensely pleased.
After leaving Vienna I paid a flying visit to Herr Josef
Gung'l, the veteran composer, at Hamburg, and he quite sur-
prised me with the information that in 1848 he had crossed
the Atlantic Ocean with an orchestra of thirty-six men, and
had given several concerts at the Astor Place Opera House
in New York. Later he visited other cities in the United
States and intended going to California, but was prevented
by the sudden decamping of eighteen or twenty members of
his orchestra. This curtailment of his musical talent com-
pelled his early return to Europe in 1849. Herr Gung'l
called his daughter Die Amerikanerin because, though she was
but six months old when he took her with him to the United
States, she had, he declared, inhaled some of its free ideas even
at that age. This lady has since become, as Madam Nau-
mann, a famous vocalist in Germany. Herr Gung'l wrote
32 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
two of his prettiest and most successful waltzes, "Traume auf
den Ozean" (Dreams on the Ocean) and "Delaware Klange,"
while in America, a fact which he recalled with pleasure.
Like Johann Strauss, Gung'l was of a most genial disposition.
He had composed more than one thousand piano-forte pieces,
nearly all of them arranged for orchestra.
With the roof-garden idea safely secreted in my mind, and
considered by me as an addition to the construction of a
theater, concert hall, ballroom, reading room and restaurant,
all in one building, I sailed for New York after a limited stop
in Europe — limited in time, but particularly rich in the new
ideas it had implanted for future development.
In April, 1881, I earnestly began the task of raising capital
to construct my projected building. I suggested to a number
of public-spirited and wealthy New Yorkers the plan of es-
tablishing in the city a thoroughly European Casino, with
several novel features introduced. This suggestion received
such encouragement that I undertook at once the formation
of the New York Casino Company, and its completion meant
six months of persistent work on my part. I worked un-
ceasingly, and personally interviewed at least two thousand
men, procuring over five hundred stockholders, including J.
Pierpont Morgan, Charles Lanier, Jesse Seligman, Cyrus W.
Field, Jesse Hoyt, Robert Minturn, Isaac Bell, L. L. Lorillard,
William H. Vanderbilt, George Peabody Wetmore, H. McK.
Twombly, James M. Constable, Chauncey M. Depew, Wil-
liam H. Fogg, Daniel S. Appleton, Cornelius N. Bliss, C. L.
INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO 33
Tiffany, Frederick Kernochan, Theodore Havemeyer, U. S.
Grant, Jr., C. C. Baldwin, B. Perkins, Chester Griswold,
Charles E. Strong, Osgood Welsh, N. K. Honore, Jesse R.
Grant, Alfred Youngs, Thomas Minford, Baron C. de Thorn-
sen, George C. Clark, Washington E. Connor, William Cruik-
shank, W. H. De Forest, Robert L. Cutting, Jr., C. Goddard,
J. Low Harriman, C. B. Fosdick, M. V. B. Smith, J. D. Tiles-
ton, William Reitlinger, Theodore A. Hummel, E. F. Wins-
low, C. N. Jordan, T. Houston, T. W. Lillie, C. Littlefield,
W. H. M. Sistare, B. B. Kirkland, Edward Kemeys, R. P.
Lounsbery, Henry W. Bibby, George M. Tooker, R. A. Hag-
gin, Frank T. Wall, N. Y. Mortimer, H. S. Wilson, J. A.
Stow, F. D. Tappen, E. K. Willard, H. Knickerbocker, Sam-
uel Ward, J. M. Hughes, R. H. Parker, C. T. Barney, J.
McGinnis, Jr., Thomas C. Platt, A. G. Meyers, George F.
Opdyke, H. L. Horton, James A. Garland, George F. Baker,
Juan P. Terry, A. E. Terry, Y. Martinez, Edward Winslow,
M. B. Brown, W. N. Hamilton, C. B. Foote, Frank Ehret,
George W. Ballou, John C. Latham, William Harriman, S.
A. Strang, V. A. Blacque, Charles W. Kohlsaat, Rudolph W.
Schack, C. I. Tappen, J. M. Libby, J. Whitely, J. D. Prince,
J. J. Lancaster, W. G. Davies, Charles Gregory, J. T. Clos-
son, R. C. Rathbone, H. C. Brown, Charles F. Fearing, John
H. Draper, M. Woodruff, N. S. Simpkins, Jr., H. C. Fahne-
stock, Joseph S. Stout, H. C. Oakley, Henry Villard, William
H. Starbuck, D. A. Lindley, Horace White, C. Lapsley,
Charles A. Johnes, W. E. Pearl, William D. Searles, W.
34 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
H. Duff, H. O. Havemeyer, James Scott, L. C. Murray,
A. H. Dayton, Arthur Dyett, L. G. Lockwood, L. M.
Bates, H. C. De Rivera, S. H. Roosevelt, G. H. Palmer,
Phil E. Harding, A. C. Downing, Jr., Paul L. Thebaud,
H. Durkee, J. R. LeRoy, William L. Pomeroy, J. F.
Plummer, John H. Scribner, N. Hobart, B. Gray, Walter
Langdon, Joseph H. Brown, A. H. Calef, E. A. Treat, E. S.
Auchincloss, Charles S. Smith, G. J. Brown, D. A. Davis, F,
Baker, S. W. Sibley, H. F. Weed, Charles B. Stockwell, E. C.
Moore, Gardner B. Charlick, George F. Damon, George J.
Gould, William Rhinelander Stewart, Lewis Edwards, Pierre
Lorillard, Benjamin H. Bristow, Joseph W. Drexel, E. W.
Stoughton, William Dowd, Horace Porter, Edward Cooper,
Robert G. Remsen, Adrian Iselin, Jr., Heber R. Bishop, N.
M. Beckwith, Robert B. Roosevelt, Edmund C. Schmidt,
William Rhinelander, Daniel E. Sickles, and Austin Corbin.
I finally succeeded in securing over $300,000 for the enter-
prise.
The popularity of the Newport Casino, at that time the
most fashionable place of the kind in the country, suggested
to me the name Casino for my new building, and while I was
soliciting subscribers, Messrs. Kimball and Wisedell, the
architects, were at work on the plans. The planning of the
building went smoothly until I broached my idea for a roof
garden. Upon this declaration, the architects threw up their
hands, metaphorically speaking, declaring that such an absurd-
ity could not be. No roof could be made that would sustain
INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO 35
a crowd, and if it were tried, the people would fall through
to the cellar. They concluded their horrible warnings by
saying :
"How do you expect to carry fifteen hundred persons
on the roof of a building4? Consider the tremendous
weight!"
"Suppose you built, say, five additional stories over the
contemplated building," I answered. "Would not the
weight be as great as that of the proposed roof garden and
its audience4?"
They answered negatively, explaining that in the former
case the weight would be divided and in the latter concen-
trated. But I persisted, perhaps because I knew nothing of
architecture and its limitations.
At this point it may be of interest to give my original plan
relative to the construction of the Casino at Broadway and
39th Street, New York. The property was then occupied
as a coal yard, remote from any other place of amusement
and was surrounded by numerous vacant lots.
"The building is to be of brick stone, and polished terra
cotta; is to be four stories high, with a stone tower running
twenty feet above the roof, and in general design of Moorish
architecture. The basement will contain the kitchen, store-
rooms, steam appurtenances, cooling and fanning apparatus —
to keep the structure at all times at a pleasant temperature —
and the necessary paraphernalia for illumination. The grand
extrance and lobby — forty-five by fifteen feet, is to be on the
36 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
39th Street side, and to guard against every emergency there
are to be eight twelve- foot exits.
"On the Broadway ground-floor front the restaurant, cafe
and reading room — under the supervision of one of our best
known restaurateurs — are to be situated, and will be fitted up
sumptuously in Louis Quatorze style. The room will be
eighty feet square.
"Two wide stone stairways are to lead from the 3Qth Street
entrance to the foyer and theater, the latter sufficiently large
to accommodate 1,500 persons, and to be fitted up in light
woods, and decorated in white, blue and gold, similar to the
theater attached to the Newport Casino. Here during the
summer, light comedies and operettas will be performed in
conjunction with the regular concerts, which will take place
on the roof garden and in winter it will be used for lectures,
meetings, concerts, private theatricals, balls, etc. An open
balcony or terrace is to encircle the third story, looking directly
into the theater, and be so arranged that during the fall and
winter it may be inclosed wjith glass casings, and be used as a
foyer as well as for floral and art exhibitions.
"The fourth story, or roof, will be laid out as a beautiful
summer garden, and besides being prettily illuminated, will
be ornamented with many rare exotics, to be loaned by sev-
eral of the stockholders. The music stand is to be so con-
structed, with a new form of sounding-board, that the orches-
tra will be distinctly heard throughout the building. A suite
of rooms, forty by seventy-five feet, with separate entrance on
INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO 37
Broadway, is to be set apart from the hall and theater, so that
private entertainments can take place without any interfer-
ence from other parts of the structure. One of the features
of the Casino is to be its admirable arrangements for balls,
etc., there being adequate ladies' and gentlemen's retiring
rooms, and every other convenience for such occasions."
The tremendous success of the first operetta presented at
the Casino entirely changed my original policy, and eliminated
the real Casino features of my enterprise.
In 1880, when I leased the land upon which the Casino is
built, the rent was $10,000 and taxes annually, my company
agreeing to construct the building to cost not less than $100,-
ooo. At the expiration of the lease, the building reverted
to the owners of the land, who I understand are now (1912)
receiving approximately $65,000 annual rental!
I went so far as to say that I was resolved to have a roof
garden, and if I could not have a roof garden I should want
no building. I finally persuaded the architects to give the
matter further consideration and when I saw them again,
forty-eight hours later, they told me a way had been found
to meet all the difficulties. They had devised a way of
strengthening the foundations as much as possible and using
extra heavy girders.
With this I was satisfied, and in December, 1881, ground
was broken for the building of the Casino. My intention
was not to devote the Casino exclusively to operetta perform-
ances and concerts, but to make its uses more extended.
38 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Having raised, as I thought, sufficient money for all pur-
poses, and the architects having the plans for construction
well in hand, I sailed for Europe in January, 1882, in quest
of attractions for my new enterprise. I again visited Herr
Johann Strauss, in Vienna, and made him an offer to direct
with his orchestra a season of popular concerts at the Casino
in New York. But the Waltz King had positively resolved
never again to cross the ocean, the memory of severe seasick-
ness endured on his one trip being sufficient to deter him.
Sadly disappointed in this failure, I went to Paris, hoping
there to find the composer I should consider worthy of pre-
siding at the opening of my Casino.
At that time the reigning dance-music favorite as writer
and conductor was Monsieur Emile Waldteufel, who was a
jolly, middle-aged gentleman, and a delightful companion,
and whose popular waltzes, "Manola," "Violettes," "Tres
Jolie," etc., I first presented to the American public at my
concerts at the Metropolitan Concert Hall in New York.
During a luncheon with me at the Cafe de la Paix,
Monsieur Waldteufel regretfully declined my invitation that
he and his orchestra open the Casino. His declination, he
assured me, was solely due to his engagements not only at the
"Elysee" for the Presidential and other official functions,
but numberless private affairs long contracted for.
Undaunted by my double disappointment, I visited the
illustrious master of music, Charles Gounod, in hisj artistically
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INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO 39
appointed apartment on the Boulevard Malesherbes. It was
early in the forenoon when I called, and, as it was Monsieur
Gounod's custom to exercise in fencing at the hour I had
selected, I found him sheathed in a leather costume and with
a foil in his hand. Plunging at once into the purpose of my
visit I said:
"Maitre, I desire you as the greatest French composer to
write an Inauguration March for the Casino now in course
of construction in New York, the city where your 'Faust,'
'Romeo et Juliette' and many of your other works have met
with such magnificent success."
"That is a little out of my line," he replied, ccbut let me
consider and I will communicate with you."
In the course of the following day his letter came :
26 Fevrier 1882.
My dear Mr. Aronson: —
As I said to you, 400 Guineas is the amount fixed, for all rights
of a march for orchestra and chorus. Said march shall be delivered
in Paris between April 25th and 3Oth on the payment of that amount.
The purchaser of the march can make any arrangement for same
that he desires. That is his affair — and I have no right to interfere.
Very truly yours,
CH. GOUNOD.
P. S. In order that the march shall be delivered between April
25th and 3Oth, it is necessary that I have the words — at the latest
— between March loth and I5th.
CH. Go.
Exclusive copyright for a march for orchestra and chorus for the
inauguration of the concerts of the Grand Casino of New York.
400 Guineas.
40 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
To my regret, however, this offer was declined by the direc-
tors of my Company.
It was upon this visit to Paris that I hadi the great pleasure
of meeting another master, the distinguished composer, Mon-
sieur Massenet. My meeting with him was at the Grand
Opera, when one of his own masterpieces, "Le Roi de Lahore,"
was being performed. In the course of our conversation I
said to him:
"Do you know, Maztre, that your works are immensely
popular in America? In fact, just before I sailed, I heard
your 'Scenes Napolitaines' at a Theodore Thomas Concert in
New York and the large audience was entranced with its
characteristic beauty and its magnificent instrumentation."
The master looked at me with unfeigned surprise, and in
a voice sincerely enthusiastic asked:
"Do you mean to say, my friend, that my music is already
played over there*?"
I quote this to show in an imperfect way the simplicity of
this very remarkable genius, whose works, including "Poeme
d'Avril" "Scenes Hongroises," "Scenes Pittoresques,"
"Scenes Napolitaines," "Overture a Phedre," "Don Cesar de
Bazan," "Marie-Madeleine," "Eve" "Le Roi de Lahore,"
"La Vierge," "Manon," "Herodiade," "Le Cid," "Esclara-
monde," "Le Mage," "Werther," "Thais," "La Navarraise,"
"Sapho," "Cendrillon," "Griselidis," "Le Jongleur de Notre
Dame," "Cherubin," "Ariane," "Don Quichotte," and
"Roma," are performed the world over.
MASSENET
INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO 41
In 1906 while in Paris I fixed an appointment with the
great master at his little studio in the Menestrel — No. 2 bis
rue Vivienne — otherwise known as Heugel et Cie, his pub-
lishers, where on certain days and hours of the week he
courteously gave audiences to operatic and concert aspirants,
instructing and advising them in thei proper interpretation
of his works. On that occasion I suggested that the com-
poser give a few moments of his valuable time to Mr. Paris
Chambers, a cornetist, who had just arrived in the French
Capital. Although he was at first averse to listening to a
cornet player he finally agreed.
Mr. Chambers was presented, and he then charmed Mas-
senet with his interpretation on the cornet of the composer's
beautiful "Elegie," accompanied on the piano by Massenet
himself. Rising, he complimented Mr. Chambers and said,
"I have just composed a little song 'Je t'aime,' which ought
to make fine effect on the cornet when performed by an artist
like yourself." Mr. Massenet first played it on the piano,
and then Chambers "went over it" to the evident delight of
Massenet, who was recognized by artists the world over as
a marvelous coach, a born stage director, an artist to his finger
tips, kind and gentle and yet insistent upon what he con-
sidered proper interpretation.
During the winter of 1911 I met Massenet for the last
time in Paris, just as he was leaving the Menestrel to enter
his carriage. He was wrapped in an immense shawl which
almost covered his face, for he was very susceptible to colds.
42 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
I again suggested a tour in America, and this time the great
master answered, "Very, very sorry; not only because I fear
the ocean trip, but now I am too old." He was then sixty-
nine years of age. He died August 14th, 1912.
He was undoubtedly the greatest melodist and orchestra-
tor France ever produced, and his works will remain to the
world as everlasting monuments for this prolific genius.
Had I not succeeded in carrying out my Casino enterprise,
I should have followed a course of studies in orchestration
with Massenet, from whom I was the recipient of many
valued letters of which the following was one of the most
interesting.
Paris, Nov. 24th, 1911.
Mr. Rudolph Aronson,
227 Riverside Drive,
New York, America.
Dear great friend: —
Your letter and the clipping from the newspaper gave me much
pleasure. From you I have also news of my works in America !
How amiable and good you are, and how much I thank you.
Faithfully yours,
J. MASSENET.
What course could be pursued so that the director of the opera
or those who write the advertisements for the theater and news-
papers would be prevented from always quoting my name incor-
rectly?
My scores have printed thereon
Music by
/. Massenet
and never, emphatically never, the entire first name but the initial
only written otherwise, my name becomes altered, and eventually
this fantastic inaccuracy must disappear.
i J 3
J 1 I
•4.i
A
2 s
x; '5
.>
I 1
; T ' ?-
-I 3
*
*
INCEPTION OF THE NEW YORK CASINO 43
Ah! how much I would like you to make known to the theater
management my rectification ; in that case, the advertisements would
then be correct! and the newspapers would follow the good ex-
ample.*
I endeavored on several occasions to engage Massenet for
a short tour in the United States and Canada, to conduct and
supervise his own works, but he always declined, fearing the
ocean crossing. On one occasion he said to me that some
time previously he had accepted an engagement to conduct
some of his works in Algiers, but arriving at Marseilles with
his baggage, he noticed the roughness of the water and de-
cided then and there not to risk the sea trip, and returned to
Paris by the first train.
* This tempest in a teapot was occasioned on account of Massenet's strenuous
objection to his own name "Jules."
THE OPENING OF THE CASINO
CHAPTER IV
THE OPENING OF THE CASINO
Inauguration of the Unfinished Playhouse in 1882 with Strauss'
"The Queen's Lace Handkerchief" — Beginning of the First
Continuous Series of Sunday Popular Concerts — First
Meeting of the Directors of the Metropolitan Opera House
in the Casino, 1883.
THE declination of both Strauss and Waldteufel, though
a great disappointment to me, did not divert me from
my original thought that the opening attraction at the
Casino must be of a popular foreign flavor. It occurred to me
that inasmuch as Maurice Grau had engaged the operetta
queen, Madame Theo, creator of La Jolie Parfumeuse, Pomme
d'Api and other Offenbach roles, for a winter season of oper-
etta, she and her company to perform in French, I should do
well to negotiate with that manager and also with Mr.
D'Oyley Carte, manager of the Savoy Theater, London, in-
tending from the latter to secure a new Gilbert and Sullivan
opera. With Mr. Carte I arranged also that the Casino be il-
luminated throughout with the same kind of admirable elec-
tric apparatus as that used in the Savoy Theater.
An irritating slowness of the work occasioned by difficult
rock excavations where the Casino was to be built, hastened
my return to New York, where I arrived in April, 1882. I
48 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
used every argument and effort to hurry the architects and
contractors, and finally, after numerous postponements, they
agreed to deliver the completed building to me on September
nth, 1882. This definite promise enabled me to negotiate
with Mr. D'Oyley Carte for the presentation of a Gilbert
and Sullivan opera. I also closed by cable an arrangement
with Mr. Maurice Grau for the appearance of Madame Theo
and her company on the above mentioned date.
Work on the Casino was continued day and night, but the
elaborate and artistic exterior as well as the interior wood
carving and plaster panels covering walls and ceilings, re-
quired so much attention, that it became evident that the
theater portion alone could be completed by the date set.
On many occasions until two o'clock in the morning I was
in the workroom of the Casino watching Mr. Thomas Wise-
dell, one of the architects, busily engaged planning and draw-
ing in detail the artistic panels of correct Moorish design for
embellishing the interior of the building, and it is to be re-
gretted that Mr. Wisedell's overwork and strenuosity brought
about his demise just before the completion of the Casino.
Sir Edwin Arnold, author of "The Light of Asia," and one
of the world's foremost authorities on Moorish architecture,
during his lecture tour in America, visited the Casino many
times, made sketches of the entrance portals and other parts
of the ornamental exterior and of the interior panels. Sir
Edwin said to me that the Casino was the finest example of
Moorish architecture he had encountered.
THE CASINO. NEW YORK
THE OPENING OF THE CASINO 49
On August 24th, 1882, receiving a hearty welcome on her
first visit to America, Madame Theo arrived in New York
by the steamer Labrador, accompanied by her manager,
Maurice Grau, and her company of forty-six people. Her
repertoire included "Madame L'Archiduc," "La Mascotte,"
"La Jolie Parfumeuse," "Le Grand Casimir," "Les Cloches
de Comeville," "La Marjolaine," "Niniche," "Bagatelle,"
and "Pomme d'Api."
To my sincere regret, and despite the efforts we all made,
the Casino could not be made ready for opening on the date
arranged and Maurice Grau most reluctantly was compelled
to transfer Madame Theo and her company to the Fifth
Avenue Theater, where she achieved a pronounced success.
Negotiations were then entered into with Mr. Samuel Grau,
brother of Maurice Grau, representing Mr. John A. McCaull,
whose operetta company was at. that time playing at the
Bijou Opera House, New York, for an opening date. This
I made sufficiently distant — October 2 1st, 1882 — to provide
for every delay. I told Mr. Grau I had recently heard in
Vienna, "The Queen's Lace Handkerchief," by Johann
Strauss, and if that operetta could be secured and presented
with an adequate cast I should be willing to accept it for our
opening. I explained to him that by an adequate cast I
meant an exceptionally large chorus and an orchestra of
thirty musicians, a number never before engaged in operetta
performances in America. To this he assented.
Fortunately Mr. Townsend Percy had secured the Amer-
50 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
lean rights of "The Queen's Lace Handkerchief" and had
made an English translation and adaptation. Mr. McCaull
had under engagement an able conductor, Herr Ernst Caten-
husen, admirably fitted to direct a Strauss operetta.
After very careful perusal and acceptance of the libretto
the following cast was selected:
The King Miss Louise Paullin
The Queen Miss Lilly Post
Donna Irene Miss Mathilde Cottrelly
Marquise of Villareal Miss Jennie Reiffarth
Cervantes Signor Perugini
Count Villalobos Mr. Jos. S. Greensfelder
Don Sancho Mr. George Gaston
Don Quixote Mr. Jay Taylor
Minister of War Mr. Harry Standish
I entered into an agreement with Mr. McCaull for the pres-
entation of this work at the Casino.
Rehearsals were assiduously held, extra workmen were re-
quisitioned and all seemed to augur well for the inaugura-
tion on October 2ist; but it was another case of "man pro-
poses." The elaborateness of the decorations again inter-
fered and another postponement appeared to be inevitable.
McCaull, though, with a big, expensive company on his
hands, insisted on opening.
And open I did!
On October 22nd the first Sunday gala concert was given
THE OPENING OF THE CASINO 51
in the unfinished Casino by members of both of Maurice
Grau's opera companies and an orchestra of sixty musicians
under my conductorship. This was the first Sunday concert
beginning a regular course of Sunday concerts ever given in
the United States.
Following the concert six more performances of "The
Queen's Lace Handkerchief" were given under most unfavor-
able conditions, owing to the continued low temperature in
the Casino.
Swallowtail coats were in view up to half past eight p. M.,
but overcoats, hats, and wraps began to be de rigueur before
nine o'clock, and during the entr'actes, ladies and gentlemen
tramped about the foyer to keep warm! So notwithstand-
ing the comparatively good business, I decided to close the
theater and to reopen it in a complete condition on December
28th, 1882. "The Queen's Lace Handkerchief" took to the
road in the interim and played to excellent business in Phila-
delphia, Chicago and other cities. It returned to New York
in time for the above date, when a reception for the stock-
holders of the New York Casino Company, the press and in-
vited guests took place, the program consisting of an intro-
ductory concert by an orchestra of fifty musicians under my
conductorship, followed by the Second Act of "The Queen's
Lace Handkerchief."
"The Queen's Lace Handkerchief" opened the completed
Casino on December 3Oth, and the cast was that of the pre-
vious presentations, except in the case of Mr. Francis Wilson,
52 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
who replaced Mr. Gaston as Don Sancho. The theater was
filled to its utmost capacity and the audience proclaimed the
play a success, a judgment fully verified by the succeeding
one hundred and thirty performances. This opera was with-
drawn only to make room for the Maurice Grau French Opera
Company, in accordance with an agreement previously en-
tered into.
Following five Jullien concerts with my orchestra and
famous vocal and instrumental soloists, including Emma
Thursby, Emma Juch, Zelda Seguin, Emily Winant, Teresa
Carreno, Alexander Lambert, Louis Blumenberg and Jules
Levy, the French Opera Company was scheduled to appear
with Madame Theo on March lyth, 1883. Madame Theo
played in "La Jolie Parfumeuse" with great success. Later
Victor Capoul with Madame Deri vis appeared in Gounod's
"Romeo et Juliette" and Masse's "Paul et Virginie," and
during the last week of their engagement Madame Theo and
Capoul appeared conjointly in "La Fille de Madame Angot"
and "La Mascotte." These productions were followed by
Gilbert and Sullivan's "Sorcerer," presented by the McCaull
Opera Company, including Lillian Russell, Laura Joyce,
Madeline Lucette, Louise Paullin, Julia De Ruyther, John
Howson, Digby Bell, George Olmi, Charles J. Campbell and
A. W. Maflin. On May 5th Offenbach's amusing operetta,
"The Princess of Trebizond," was produced with a cast em-
bracing most of the capable artists mentioned above. "The
Queen's Lace Handkerchief" was revived on June nth and
MADAME THEO
THE OPENING OF THE CASINO 53
continued until July 7th, making a total of two hundred and
thirty-four performances to its credit at the Casino.
The first meeting of the directors of the Metropolitan
Opera House, then in course of construction on a site diag-
onally opposite to the Casino, was held in the foyer of
the Casino on May 23rd, 1883. Among those present were
Messrs. William K. Vanderbilt, Robert Goelet, Adrian
Isclin, George F. Baker, Henry Clews, William C. Whitney,
G. Henry Warren, James L. Breese, A. Cutting, J. W.
Drexel, R. T. Wilson, D. O. Mills, George Peabody Wet-
more, H. McK. Twombly, James A. Roosevelt and George G.
Haven.
THE WORLD'S FIRST ROOF GARDEN
CHAPTER V
THE WORLD'S FIRST ROOF GARDEN
Inauguration on July 7, 1883 — Francis Wilson and "The Dotlet
on the I" — "The Merry War" from in Front and Behind
the Curtain at the Casino — The Home of Comic Opera.
THE inauguration of the world's first roof garden on
July yth, 1883, brought realization to my dreams.
The Champs Elysees had been transported to Broad-
way; the Ambassadeurs lifted from Paris and placed upon the
roof of a building in New York.
The New York Herald in commenting upon the opening
of the roof garden on top of the Casino had this to say in its
issue of July 8th, 1883:
"The buffet floor and garden on the roof of the Casino were
opened yesterday evening for the first time and were much
admired by a large gathering of visitors. The buffet floor,
which is over the top floor of the theater proper, is beautifully
decorated in light blue, gold and silver, like the theater foyers.
A cafe provides coffee, ice-cream and light beverages. A
number of those who visited the Casino last evening, strolled
around the buffet floor or sat at the tables and regaled them-
selves with cooling refreshments, while listening to the per-
formance of 'The Queen's Lace Handkerchief.' At the close
of the opera Mr. Aronson's orchestra took possession of the
57
58 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
small stage at the end of the buffet floor (over the proscenium
arch) and played a few popular selections, delighting quite
a large audience on the roof which has been transformed into
a garden. There are plenty of shrubs and bright flowers well
arranged, and a number of rustic seats. Arches of gas jets,
which shine through vari-colored globes, make the scene bril-
liant and enchanting. The rustic seats were well filled all
the evening, and the promenade was very popular. The
cooling breeze was most refreshing. The buffet floor and
garden cannot fail to be a most popular addition to the
Casino's attractions. The outside lights around the buffet
and roof lit up effectively the exterior of the building. 'The
Queen's Lace Handkerchief received its last performance last
evening and the ladies received lace handkerchiefs as memen-
toes of the occasion."
The New York World of July 8th, 1883, commented as
follows :
"Without any doubt New York has now, for the first time
a summer garden and a summer theater combined, which
make a place of amusement worthy of the metropolis.
"The Casino last night threw open its cafe and its garden
on the roof, and in addition to the opera proper, The Queen's
Lace Handkerchief being in full swing, these new features of
the already popular house drew together all the first-nighters
in town. The colored lights blazed from the roof and lit
Broadway and Thirty-ninth Street for blocks, and at nine
o'clock, there was a row of promenaders, looking down from
THE WORLD'S FIRST ROOF GARDEN 59
the Moorish balcony, upon the groups in the street, and over
the roofs of the city, wet with the shower that had just passed.
"In the construction of the Casino the attempt had been
made to combine the opera-house, the cafe, the summer gar-
den, and the promenade in an unexampled feat of architec-
ture. Mr. Aronson is to be congratulated on the success of
his attempt. It is now possible to sit at a table and drink
your beer or wine fanned by the night breeze and at the same
time look down upon the performance of a comic opera or
listen to the music of Mr. Aronson's orchestra.
"What are ordinarily galleries, are here great open spaces
with tables, through which the air circulates freely, and the
topmost gallery of all being on the roof, is literally a garden
with tropical plants in profusion and colored lights trans-
forming it into a fairy bower, with no other roof than the
cool starry sky.
"The whole aspect of the Casino, now that it begins to de-
velop its summer resources, is unique and charming. There
is nothing like it in America and we question whether there
is anything exactly like it, in the world. Whether it will
with its coolness, its seductive performance and its indomitable
Aronson, woo the people of New York in the heated term re-
mains to be seen. One thing is certain, however, that every-
thing has been done to overcome the seasonable objections to
amusements, and the Casino ought to be the most popular
resort in town while the dog star rages."
To show all that can be done in music is not the only re-
60 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
quirement of a manager. In the process of this showing are
many difficulties that perplex and tremendously irritate. An
imperative requirement is for a manager to keep his head in
spite of these.
It is rumored that when Sappho added two strings to the
lute she felt more gratified than she did over all the poetry
she had written and all the scholars she had taught. I may
be pardoned for making even modest comparison with an
artist so famous as Sappho, but my gratification was likewise
beyond measure when I knew that I had rightly calculated
the preference of the people and that I was adding my bit to
the gayety of the nation. These little satisfactions are com-
pensation for the little annoyances, and the latter are for-
gotten in the accomplishments of which they form an un-
avoidable part.
As I stated before, "The Queen's Lace Handkerchief" ran
at the Casino for two hundred and thirty-four presentations,
a phenomenal run in those days. The remarkable success of
this operetta prompted me to seek other Strauss compositions,
and "Prinz, Methusalem" most fortunately was my selection.
One hundred and two performances were given and they were
all crowded. No let-up in excitement came with the termina-
tion of "Prinz Methusalem," wherein Francis Wilson in his
interpretation of a topical song "The Dotlet on the I" scored
an enormous success, for I was overwhelmed with a shower
of injunctions that I fought with counter injunctions. All
of these were incited by my announcement that I would pre-
THE WORLD'S FIRST ROOF GARDEN 61
sent Millocker's "The Beggar Student," which in its turn
achieved much popularity. Next the lure of Strauss'
"Merry War" attracted me as it did almost all New York.
The Casino was thronged while the "Merry War" was there,
and its charming waltz, sung by Signor Perugini, was received
by the public with as great an enthusiasm as was the waltz in
Lehar's "Merry Widow" in after years.
Thus was the Casino established as the home of comic
opera. The success I had met with confirmed my belief that
the public had tired of the terror and melancholy conveyed to
its mind by the plays that had enthralled it, and was eager
to exchange tears for laughter. The people proved more
than ready to support productions whose music belonged to
a bright and merry school and was wedded to a plot that was
romantic and humorous. The compositions of the great mas-
ters awaken thoughts that have lain dormant in the human
brain, as though dreams were being realized, and it was my
wish to arouse these pleasant sensations with light music, that
all could appreciate because all could understand.
While a stage "Merry War" was amusing thousands of
auditors, a veritable merry war was raging between a certain
prominent manager and me. The cause of it was a contract
I had with him, which was to expire on May 1st, 1885, and
which I declined to extend for one more year.
This manager thereupon allied himself with a dissatisfied
stockholder at the Casino and undertook to give me trouble.
The alleged grievance of the stockholder was that my door-
62 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
keeper had refused to recognize that gentleman's non-transfer-
able card of admission when it was presented by the stock-
holder's servant. The stockholder then brought a suit
against me as president of the company and manager of the
Casino. After a lengthy, costly and irritating suit a deci-
sion was given in my favor.
FIRST PERFORMANCE OF "ERMINIE'
CHAPTER VI
FIRST PERFORMANCE OF "ERMINIE"
Lillian Russell's Appearance in "Polly" — 'Heinrich Conried and
His Connection with the Casino — The Beginning of
"Erminie," the Most Successful Operetta of Modern
Times — The Author's Prediction of Failure — Other Works
by Offenbach, Lecocq, Audran, Millocker, Gilbert and
Sullivan, etc.
WHEN the manager had ended his season at the
Casino the operetta "Polly" was presented, hav-
ing Miss Lillian Russell as the "pet of the regi-
ment." Miss Russell's husband, Mr. Edward Solomon, was
composer of the music, and he had but recently arrived in
this country, coming with her from England.
"Polly" enjoyed a run of eight weeks, when it was removed
to give place to "Billee Taylor," another of Mr. Solomon's
operas. Miss Russell was also in this opera and it ran until
the end of June, 1885.
About this time there were rumors that another theater was
to be erected in a central locality in New York, with a roof
garden somewhat similar to the one on the Casino. I im-
mediately consulted my attorneys, had drawings of the Casino
65
66 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
roof garden prepared, and sent them with the necessary docu-
ments to the Patent Office at Washington, applying for a
patent.
The authorities informed me that a patent would have
cheerfully been granted, because the roof garden was a boon
to the public, but that they were deterred from granting
same, because my application was not made within one year
of its inauguration.
Immediately following "Billee Taylor," Zell and Genee's
"Nanon" was produced under my own management. "Na-
non" was staged by Mr. Heinrich Conried, who afterward be-
came director of the Metropolitan Opera House, and it
achieved great success. It was followed by other successes,
Czibulka's "Amorita" and Strauss' "Gypsy Baron," which
also were staged by Mr. Conried in a most sumptuous man-
ner.
During this German operetta invasion, and at the urgent
request of Mr. Conried, I was promoted from manager of the
Casino to god-father of his (Conried's) son Richard!
The date May loth, 1886, will long be marked in the his-
tory of comic opera, because on that evening I began the pres-
entation of "Erminie," the most successful operetta of mod-
ern times. This marvelous operetta was staged by Mr.
Harry Paul ton, the author of its libretto, and it enjoyed
twelve hundred and fifty-six performances at the Casino
alone, almost unprecedented.
The first knowledge I had of "Erminie" was early in 1886,
FIRST PERFORMANCE OF "ERMINIE" 67
When Mr. Edmond Gerson cabled me from London, saying:
"Can procure for you for five hundred dollars new operetta
by Paulton and Jakobowski, entitled 'Erminie,' and now
playing at the Comedy Theater, London, to fair business."
I at once replied by cable : "Send libretto and if satisfactory
will wire five hundred."
Before this could be done, however, Mr. Frank W. Sanger
purchased the operetta in conjunction with Mr. Willie
Edouin and Miss Melnotte and finally arranged with me for
its production at the Casino. In the course of its phenomenal
run they received one hundred and twenty thousand dollars
in royalties on it. This is a forceful illustration that occa-
sionally a fair success in Europe will make a great success in
America.
Mr. Harry Paulton, when his work of staging "Erminie"
was finished and the final dress rehearsal was at an end, said
to me in a voice full of disappointment:
"With the antics of some of the people on the stage, the
many interpolations and its Americanization, so to speak,
'Erminie' will be a fiasco." I expressed decided disagree-
ment with this statement, although I realized that it is a
difficult matter to judge beforehand what the public will
accept.
As an example of the quick expediency required of a
theatrical manager, a few of the incidents connected with the
presentation of "Erminie" are appropriate.
I found it necessary in order to strengthen the entrance of
68 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
the two thieves, Caddy and Ravvy, in the first act of
"Erminie," to introduce something foreign to that operetta,
which I had discovered in Planquette's "Les Voltigeurs du
32 me" and it fitted the situation like a glove, getting four
and five encores nightly.
Again, when I approached Miss Marie Jansen, one of the
most popular soubrettes of those days, with a view of engaging
her for the part of Javotte in "Erminie," Miss Jansen read
the part over, then handed it back to me with tears in her
eyes, saying : "Mr. Aronson, is it possible that you ask me to
play such a mediocre part that has not even one song4?" I
thought of what she said for a few moments and then replied :
"Very well, I will get a song for you that will be acceptable."
And I did. I took a little catchy German song I had heard
in Berlin some years before, had words written to fit the
situation, with the refrain, "Sundays after three, my sweet-
heart comes to me." This I submitted to Miss Jansen, who
promptly accepted the part and the song, and the ballad thus
introduced made one of the hits of the operetta. Miss Jan-
sen thanked me many times thereafter for "that splendid in-
troduction."
The cast of "Erminie" was ideal and included many of
those artists who later were leaders in the field of comic opera.
In the cast were Pauline Hall, Marie Jansen, Marion
Manola, Jennie Weathersby, Agnes Folsom, Rose Beaudet,
Francis Wilson, William S. Daboll, Harry Pepper, Carl
Irving, Max Freeman, A. W. Maflin and Murry Woods, and
FIRST PERFORMANCE OF "ERMINIE" 69
Jesse Williams as musical director. The occasion of the five
hundredth performance of "Erminie" was made a gala day
for the company, all the members being presented with
mementoes. On that day I remember Mr. Wilson saying to
me: "Do you know, Mr. Aronson, this continuous playing of
the same part is telling on my nerves and at times I almost
feel as though I were forgetting my lines. Why won't you
relieve me of the part temporarily*?" I very much regretted
not being able to accommodate Mr. Wilson, but it would
have been difficult to replace him after his tremendous suc-
cess.
"Erminie" continued, running on for hundreds upon hun-
dreds of performances and was finally succeeded by Lacome's
"The Marquis," Lecocq's "Madelon," Chassaigne's "Nadjy,"
Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Yeomen of the Guard," Offen-
bach's "The Brigands," "The Drum Major," and "The Grand
Duchess," Chassaigne's "The Brazilian," Lecocq's "Madame
Angot," Millocker's "Poor Jonathan," Hellmesberger's
"Apollo," Strauss' "Indigo," Zeller's "The Tyrolean,"
Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana," Genee's "Nanon" (re-
vival) Audran's "Uncle Celestin," Millocker's "Child of For-
tune" and "The Vice Admiral," and my own "The Rain-
maker of Syria," the libretto of which was by Sidney Rosen-
feld.
Miss Lillian Russell's engagement at the Casino extended
over a long period, and during that time she missed but one
performance and I had only one misunderstanding with her.
70 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
It was a custom of hers to call on me at the end of each season
with the request for a small increase in her weekly salary, and
the request was generally granted, as Miss Russell was a
valuable addition to any high-class company. Her last ob-
servance of this custom was the occasion of our very slight
disagreement. We had arranged for the usual increase,
which brought her salary up to, I believe, seven hundred and
fifty dollars a week; and she left me, saying she would call
on the following Thursday to sign her contract, which I was
to have ready at that time. On the day agreed Miss Russell
called at my office and said: "Mr. Aronson, I have signed."
Not entirely understanding what she meant by this remark,
I told her the contract was ready for her signature. She
continued then rather nervously: "I have signed with Mr. T.
Henry French for twelve hundred dollars a week and a share
in the receipts above a certain amount every week." To this
I made again the only reply possible for me to make, that if
she had signed a contract on such terms she was to be con-
gratulated.
During the preparation for the presentation of "Erminie"
at the Casino I was very frequently in consultation with Mr.
Henry E. Hoyt, the famous scenic artist. At that time Mr.
Hoyt had a small studio among the flies over the stage of the
Metropolitan Opera House. This was a congenial resort for
me, where I could enjoy the ideas of a finished artist regard-
ing the elaborate scenery that was being planned and made
ready for this new opera. During these consultations I sug-
FIRST PERFORMANCE OF "ERMINIE" 71
gested to Mr. Hoyt that he experiment with a stage setting
entirely of one color. With the proper light effects such a
setting would, I thought, be beautiful. The result of our
conferences was the famous pink ballroom scene in the second
act of "Erminie," which was painted by Mr. Hoyt, and
brought him most favorable encomiums.
A great deal of discretion was shown in the selection of the
cast for "Erminie," and I particularly remember that my at-
tention was called to a young actor then appearing with the
Salsbury Troubadours, Mr. William S. Daboll. I was so im-
pressed with his acting, his personality and general make-up
that I engaged him at once for the role of Ravennes, the gen-
tlemanly thief in that operetta, and my judgment regarding
him was fully sustained by public and press. Mr. Daboll
scored an unqualified triumph, and had not unsuccessful
speculations and illness hastened his early demise, he would
have achieved very great prominence in America.
While Chassaigne's delightful operetta, "Nadjy," was in re-
hearsal for the Casino, Miss Sadie Martinot, who had been
engaged for the leading part, became involved in controversy
with Mr. Richard Barker, who was staging the operetta, con-
cerning some stage business in the last act. I was watching
the rehearsal from the front and felt that Miss Martinot was
correct in what she wanted done, which was merely a change
in the position of the chorus girls in order that she might
make a better entrance. Mr. Barker possibly did not ap-
prove of the change, for he replied to Miss Martinet's re-
72 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
quest, "I am directing the stage and you must follow my in-
structions." Miss Martinot then declined to continue unless
her suggestion was accepted, and came in front to consult me.
She stated her demand and I replied, "Had you suggested
your idea to Mr. Barker or to me previous to the rehearsal,
I have no doubt that either or both would have acquiesced.
But your peremptory demand on the stage before the entire
company was unwarranted." Her reply to this was that she
would not play the part. "Very well !" I said, "the operetta
will be played anyway on the day set, five days hence."
I at once rushed to Miss Marie Jansen's apartment, in-
formed her that I was in an awful predicament, explained the
situation and appealed to her to help me out, and to rehearse
and play Nadjy on the following Monday — five days later.
Miss Jansen looked at me earnestly and all she said was:
"Man, are you insane1? Why, I couldn't learn the dances
in that time, not to mention the music and the lines! And
how about the dresses?" She placed particularly strong
emphasis on the last obstacle, the dresses, so I guaranteed her
them for Sunday morning. She once more considered for a
time, then said, "I have engaged passage for Europe, but if
it is a favor to you, I will cancel that and go right over to
the Casino and look at the part." She went to the Casino
and I to the dressmaker on Fifth Avenue, where, after much
argument and after finally agreeing to pay one hundred and
fifty dollars in addition to the regular price, the three dresses
were promised for Sunday morning. I hastened back to the
FIRST PERFORMANCE OF "ERMINIE" 73
Casino, where I found Miss Jansen had already started her
rehearsals, and when I told her the dressmaker had promised
me the gowns in time, she became so absorbed with the part
that she hardly left the Casino night or day until the opening
of "Nadjy."
When Miss Jansen appeared on the first night of the
operetta she received a veritable ovation. For five minutes
the vast audience applauded the energetic Jansen to the echo,
and in that operetta she made one of the greatest hits of her
career.
Miss Sadie Martinet was one of the enthusiastic admirers
of Miss Jansen at the "Nadjy" premiere. I remember,
though, a few days previous thereto I requested her for
emergency's sake, to deliver to me the three "Nadjy" dresses
she had had designed and made in Paris at my expense, and
she declined, preferring to pay for and retain them as sou-
venirs.
Previously when Miss Martinet made a pronounced hit in
Genee's "Nanon" at the Casino, among the funny incidents
that make every serious matter easier to overcome, was one
that occurred the third evening of that operetta. One scene
was somewhat in the form of a diminutive menagerie, and
Miss Martinot had entire charge of the animal collection dur-
ing the scene. She was animal trainer to a quantity of doves,
pigs, geese, goats and other live-stock of small dimensions.
While bringing these wild beasts into a condition of domestic-
ity Miss Martinot fed them with a selection of dainties most
74 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
popular with such creatures. But the little pigs apparently
were not amenable to this kindness, for they ran about the
stage and one of them indulged in frequent squeaks. Dur-
ing the second evening of "Nanon" an officer representing a
society with a long name, called at my office and informed
me that the shriek was injurious to the little pig, although
it might be an addition to the scene. He explained that the
reason it was injurious was because it was doubtless occa-
sioned by the prick of a pin or needle, as the beautiful attend-
ant and the bountiful food would otherwise put from the
brain of the pig all thought of squeaking. The officer then
asked me to have this stopped. I promptly agreed to do so,
and the officer returned to his seat for further enjoyment of
the play. The following evening the officer again came to
my office. He observed rather bitterly that he had accepted
my word the night before that the pig would not again be
made a pin cushion for the pleasure of a Casino audience, but
that on this evening the animal had again shrieked, and in
the tones of that shriek he, the officer, could detect great pain.
Of course I made profuse apologies for this recurrence of
cruelty and invited the officer to go back of the scene with me
to interview the pig regarding the matter. We saw the prop-
erty man, and after I had told him the purpose of our call
he exhibited a papier-mache pig, which Miss Martinot manip-
ulated so cleverly as to conceal its artificial nature from the
audience. He repeated the squeak in the flies with such ex-
cellent naturalness that I was at once relieved from the sus-
FIRST PERFORMANCE OF "ERMINIE" 75
picion of cruelty, all idea of the pin and needle accessories
was abandoned, and the officer left me with earnest apology
for his mistake and with a smiling face.
The troubles and worries haunting me thus far I had con-
sidered real, but they were nothing compared to those that
now came along. I had shortly the consolation of knowing
that the worst was yet to come. In one of the operettas at
the Casino — it was entitled "The Marquis" — were three
really prima-donna roles, Mae, Marie and Marion, for which
the Misses Bertha Ricci, Lillie Grubb and Isabelle Urquhart
had been cast. Each of these three ladies wanted the so-
called "star" dressing room, nor would she be satisfied with
any other. As a matter of fact, I had put no star dressing
room in the Casino because I never intended having a star
there; I intended to have a strictly stock company. But
these ladies, one and all, regarded the room known as Room
A to be a star room, and demanded it. For the moment I
was at my wit's end, until the plan came to me of dividing
the one room into three by placing through it two partitions,
having a separate door to each of the three sections and let-
tering the doors respectively A, AA, and AAA. By this
means peace was restored. Each lady was quite satisfied
with a room two thirds smaller than need be, for each lady
was exalted into a prima donna.
CONCERNING SOME CELEBRITIES
CHAPTER VII
CONCERNING SOME CELEBRITIES
Paderewski and the Automatic Piano — The Serpentine Dance of
Loie Fuller — Master Josef Hofmann's Remarkable Pre-
cocity— Eugene Sandow's Appearance at the Casino — Fanny
Rice and a Would-be Admirer — The Initial Production of
"Cavalleria Rusticana."
IN "Uncle Celestin," a light operetta at the Casino, I in-
troduced for the first time the automatic piano. The
dummy player was made up like Paderewski, who was
then the rage in this country. One evening during the
"Uncle Celestin" engagement the real Paderewski strolled
into the Casino, and I invited him to accompany me on the
stage, holding forth to him the promise of great joy in meet-
ing a brother artist. He accompanied me and his surprise
was genuine when I introduced him to his double, made up
so accurately as to be almost undistinguishable from the orig-
inal, who fell all over and finally into the piano. Paderewski
laughed heartily at his double's antics.
This "Uncle Celestin" episode recalls my business associa-
tions with Miss Loie Fuller, and her original dance.
Late in the eighties Miss Fuller had been engaged by me
for a minor part at the Casino, which, however, she declined
just previous to rehearsal time, accepting instead an engage-
79
80 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
ment with Mr. Nat Goodwin in "Little Jack Shephard" at
the Bijou Opera House in New York. After a short season
there, Miss Fuller left for England, played in a company in
London, and while there, discovered the light material which
she afterwards used in her dances.
Returning to New York later on, she called at my brother's
office at the Casino, stating that she had a new sort of a
dance which she was quite sure would take, and that she
would like to submit it to me. My brother came to my office,
explained the matter, and although I was a little piqued at
Miss Fuller's action on the occasion of her first engagement
at the Casino, I fixed an appointment with her for a rehearsal
for the next morning.
My orchestra was on hand, and I sat back in the audito-
rium to watch the dance. Miss Fuller gave her directions for
the lights, the orchestra played a Spanish dance that I had
heard many years before, and she then appeared with the
two sticks and a white flowing gown of light fabric which she
waved to and fro.
At the conclusion of the dance she came back to my office
and I said to her: "Miss Fuller, the only things in your dance
are the sticks and the material." I then played for her a
charming little piece, just received from Paris, Gillet's "Loin
du Bal," and said to her, "Now, that ought to fit your dance
like a glove." I further suggested to her a title for her dance,
"The Serpentine," because the waving of the sticks indicated
that. I then agreed to have her lights properly arranged and
CONCERNING SOME CELEBRITIES 81
before she left my office she had signed a contract with me
for two years — at fifty dollars per week.
The "Serpentine Dance" was put into rehearsal at the
Casino, and then was interpreted by Miss Fuller during six
weeks on the road in conjunction with "Uncle Celestin,"
after which the combined attraction was presented at the
Casino. After a few performances and because I declined to
increase her salary Miss Fuller retired from the Casino and
later sailed for Europe, appearing at the Wintergarten in
Berlin and then the following year at the Folies Bergeres in
Paris, where the dance was sumptuously done with lights and
effects, creating a veritable sensation, so much so that Miss
Fuller after a few years returned to New York and appeared
at Koster & Bial's, then on 34th Street, receiving a fabulous
weekly salary and scoring a wonderful success. On one oc-
casion during this engagement, she requested me to visit her
back of the stage and presented me to her friends present —
as the father of her dance — a very graceful compliment on
her part.
I was one day invited by Mr. Henry E. Abbey to attend
an exhibition he proposed giving of the almost incredible
musical talent possessed by Master Josef Hofmann, then a
boy of eleven. This introduction of the wonderful boy was
made at Wallack's Theater to an audience of musicians, ar-
tists, newspaper men and others interested in art in all its
phases. Little Hofmann did a variety of marvelous piano
"stunts" and I, among others, put him to a test. I played on
82 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
the piano sixteen bars of an unpublished waltz I had recently
composed, and, while I played, young Hofmann listened at-
tentively. Then, seating himself at the piano, he played my
waltz correctly, modulated from one key to another, inter-
polated other melodies, and after five minutes of this extem-
porizing, reverted to my waltz in the original tone and note
for note. This brought great applause from his critical au-
dience, and for fully an hour after that he submitted his
talents to tests, far surpassing even the exalted opinion all
had formed of him.
This reminds me of another incident involving that most
delightful man, Mr. Abbey; and although it is slightly in-
congruous to intermingle muscle with music, I think the story
is theatrically interesting enough to excuse me in doing so.
Most persons will remember Eugene Sandow, the strong man
with the marvelous physique, whose personal manager at that
time, was Mr. Florenz Ziegfeld (the present day producer of
successful musical reviews). Well, Mr. Abbey had engaged
Sandow, and he said to me one day: "Aronson, I will let you
have Sandow for what he costs me, six hundred dollars a
week. You place him between two of the acts or at the
finish of your operetta at the Casino, and I'm sure he will fill
the house." Unfortunately for Abbey, this suggestion was
made in July at a time when theater business is rather
hazardous. So I replied, "Although this attraction is some-
what out of my line, and you are so sure of your card, I will
give you fifty per cent of our receipts after we have cleared
CONCERNING SOME CELEBRITIES 83
the average weekly receipts." Abbey was a born speculator.
He accepted my offer and Sandow came to the Casino, where
he gave his first performances in this country, including his
lifting of a grand piano on a platform with a dozen or more
persons thereon.
However, the fact that it was July and that the tempera-
ture was terrifically high, had an unhappy influence on busi-
ness, and only one week in the entire six of Sandow's engage-
ment did the house receipts go above the average. So, for that
one week only did Mr. Abbey receive any monetary return
from the Casino for Sandow's most admirable work. But
Abbey's speculative disposition had a satisfactory return in
the publicity Sandow received on the road because of his
lengthy Casino appearance. Immediately following his
Casino engagement Sandow appeared to enormous business at
the Trocadero in Chicago during the World's Fair.
I could boast, as could Mr. Abbey, of bringing a famous
pianist to the attention of the public. During my popular
Sunday night concerts at the Casino in the eighties, I pre-
sented Mr. Leopold Godowsky, a youth then, and now recog-
nized as one of the foremost pianists living. At his first ap-
pearance in New York on Sunday, January i8th, 1885, he
performed Mendelssohn's Prelude and Fugue op. 35, a
Chopin Scherzo and the Rubinstein Valse Caprice, making
an excellent impression. In these concerts I also presented
Mr. Alexander Lambert, another gifted pianist, Mr. Louis
Blumenberg, the distinguished violoncellist, and Mr. Michael
84 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Banner, the violinist, who had but recently received a first
prize at the Paris Conservatoire, and for the first time at the
Casino, Sunday, December Qth, 1883, the distinguished
prima donna, Madame Nordica. Madame Nordica sang the
aria from Mozart's "Magic Flute" and the polonaise from
"Mignon" of Thomas. Of course she sang them magnifi-
cently. I had not met her since 1878, when as a young girl
— Miss Lillian Norton — she crossed the Atlantic with Gil-
more's Band and sang through many European cities with that
excellent organization. I was a fellow passenger upon the
occasion and we had music galore during the trip.
During Miss Fanny Rice's engagement in "Nadjy" at the
Casino, following the retirement of Miss Marie Jansen, she
was annoyed as most leading artists are with notes from stage-
door "mashers." One of them was written on delicately
tinted paper and signed "Jewels." The letter stated that the
writer had considerable property in his possession which be-
longed to Miss Rice and that he was anxious to deliver it to
her but only in person, and asked her to put a personal in the
Herald and state where and when he could see her. A street
corner would suit him best, he said, and she was to hold a
handkerchief in her hand, so he could identify her. There
were two dollars enclosed to pay for the personal.
Miss Rice burned the letter and gave the money to a poor
woman. She thought no more of the matter. A few days
after, another letter was received which again called her at-
tention to the matter and stated that the writer had failed
CONCERNING SOME CELEBRITIES 85
to see the personal. No attention was paid and then, another
note reached the theater, stating that the property consisted
of valuable diamond earrings, pin, bracelets and trinkets of
all sorts.
"Nadjy" here concluded to consult her husband, and he
inserted the following personal in the New York Herald on
April 3rd, 1889:
"Breakfast" — if your object is strictly business and it is true that
property has been left to me and intrusted to you for delivery, you
will find me at my home 270 West 39th Street, Wednesday, at one
o'clock.
FANNY RICE.
It is not necessary to state that the would-be masher did
not turn up. If he had, he would have been received very
cordially by Miss Rice's husband, a score of reporters and a
big Newfoundland dog.
To illustrate how much attention was given to the scenic
requirements of Casino productions I remember that I com-
missioned Mr. Henry E. Hoyt, the artist, to paint for the
second Act of "Nanon" (The salon at Countess Carlotta's)
a fac-simile of Fortuny's famous painting, "Choosing the
Model." Its success was second only to the pink ballroom
scene in "Erminie."
I also recall the engagement (I mean for the stage) of Miss
Victoria Schilling, the daughter of Mr. Morosini, the banker.
She eloped from Yonkers with a coachman of her parents.
Mr. Morosini refused to recognize his daughter as long as she
86 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
remained with her coachman husband, Ernest Schilling. She
decided finally to adopt the stage and joined my company
in 1885 during the run of "Amorita," playing the part of a
young artist very acceptably indeed, so well that she became
the understudy for one of the leading characters, and was re-
engaged for a part in "The Gypsy Baron" which followed.
One Sunday evening during his engagement with "The
Beggar Student" at the Casino, Mr. Fred Leslie dined with
my family, and at the table he suddenly imitated the me-ow,
me-ow of a cat, so cleverly that my father, then over seventy
years of age, said, "Why don't you throw that abominable
cat out!" I said, "Governor, if we throw that cat out, it will
have to be our guest, Mr. Leslie!" My father laughed
heartily and apologized to the comedian.
On one of my visits abroad, Mr. James Creelman, who at
that time was correspondent of the New York Herald in
Paris, informed me he had just returned from Italy, where
he had interviewed His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII, in Rome,
and while there had been present at an early performance of
an extraordinarily beautiful opera, "Cavalleria Rusticana,"
by a new composer, Mascagni. At the same time Mr. Creel-
man gave me an Italian libretto of the opera, and was en-
thusiastic in his eulogy upon the music and of the originality
of the tenor solo at the beginning of the opera. Most un-
fortunately I was compelled to return to New York hastily
and thus was prevented from hearing that remarkable work,
which in the course of a few months became the talk of
CONCERNING SOME CELEBRITIES 87
musical circles. It was not until the following year that I
went to Europe again, when I heard "Cavalleria Rusticana"
and arranged for its production in New York. America
showed signs of becoming "Cavalleria Rusticana" mad as
was Europe then, and anticipating this, I hastened to New
York with the score of that opera carried safely in my suit-
case. I also carried with it Zeller's unusually tuneful operetta,
"Tyrolean," and as soon as I reached port I arranged for a
double performance at the Casino, consisting of both works.
Mr. Heinrich Conried was to be stage director of the double
bill, with Laura Bellini, Grace Golden, Madame Von
Doenhoff and Charles Bassett and William Pruette in
"Cavalleria Rusticana," Miss Marie Tempest playing the
title part in "Tyrolean." The orchestra of fifty musicians
was under the leadership of Mr. Gustave Kerker. At once,
upon my announcement of the first performance of "Caval-
leria Rusticana," Mr. Oscar Hammerstein also announced a
performance of the same opera at the Lenox Lyceum at Fifty-
ninth Street and Madison Avenue, New York (now the Plaza
Music Hall), and we watched one another with great sus-
picion. But my production was the first in the New York
field and was an invitation opening, so that all the local music
world went to the Casino. Subsequently I gave fifty-five
performances. Mr. Hammerstein gave only three perform-
ances and said that the opera should have been called Caval-
leria Busticana instead of Rusticana!
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO
CHAPTER VIII
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO
Sir Arthur Sullivan's Visit to the Casino — Lawsuits Occasioned
by the Piracy of "Erminie" — Francis Wilson and Louise
Sylvester Brave the Blizzard of 1888 — Marie Jansen and the
Ballet Girls of "Nadjy"— General William T. Sherman at
Casino — An Attempt to Set Fire to the Casino — The Bronze
Figure Group.
ON June 3oth, 1885, Sir Arthur Sullivan occupied a
box at the second performance of "Nanon" at the
Casino, and he complimented me highly upon the
artistic completeness of that operetta, emphasizing the excel-
lence of the chorus work and the orchestra. Sir Arthur had
just arrived from England to superintend the final rehearsals
of "The Mikado" at the Fifth Avenue Theater, New York,
and also to use his every effort for the suppression of the many
piratical productions of that clever opera.
Speaking of piratical productions, brings to mind that I
was a victim of them during my representations of "Erminie"
in 1886, 1887 and 1888. In those years I had no less than
fourteen lawsuits against pretended owners of this very suc-
cessful operetta, produced or announced to be produced un-
der all sorts of fictitious titles such as "The Two Thieves,"
91
92 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
"Robert Macaire," "The Vagabonds," "The Robbers,"'
"Ravvy and Caddy," "Robert and Bertram," and so forth.
In each suit I secured an injunction, but it meant for me much
trouble and expense. Mr. David Leventritt was my attorney
in these suits, and they kept him exceedingly busy, almost to
the very moment he was elected to the bench of the Supreme
Court.
I recall the greatest blizzard of modern times in New York
in March, 1888, when for three days (with snow in some
places twelve feet deep) traffic was at a standstill. On the
first night of the blizzard, March i6th, only two performers,
Francis Wilson and Louise Sylvester reported at the Casino
(the latter almost exhausted from the effect of the wind and
snow). "Erminie" was still the attraction, but the only ap-
plicants for seats on that memorable night were three sturdy
Canadians — to whom (in the absence of my treasurer) I ex-
tended a complimentary pass for the following evening, when
I thought it might be possible to resume operations.
My policy had always been to keep the Casino Comic
Opera Company intact and devoid of stars, and to this I
attribute largely the artistic results of the performances given
by that company under my direction. It was entirely owing
to this policy that I rejected a proposal made by Mr. Francis
Wilson, after his long engagement with me, to give him a re-
duced fixed salary and an interest in the profits of our com-
pany. My rejection of this request resulted in Mr. Wilson's
combining with Messrs. Nixon & Zimmerman and they later
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 93,
on became important factors in the so-called Theatrical
Syndicate with Messrs. Klaw & Erlanger, Charles Frohman
and Al Hayman.
One of the potent factors in the success after success of
many Casino productions, is attributable in a great measure
to the creation, so to say, of new original business, something
that would strengthen a scene, a situation or a finale. As
I previously mentioned, the apropos introductions and
changes in "Erminie," so in "The Grand Duchess," in order
to give Miss Lillian Russell a dignified entrance, befitting the
character of the part and her own personality, I suggested to
Mr. Max Freeman, the stage director, that inasmuch as we
never had a snow scene on the Casino stage, why not intro-
duce one in "The Grand Duchess," and have Miss Russell ap-
pear gowned in her magnificent ermine set, in a sleigh on
the top of a hill and descend towards the footlights during
the falling snow!
Mr. Freeman at first intimated that it was all foreign to
Offenbach's masterpiece, and then acquiesced, and my sug-
gestion was carried out and with very great success.
Also in Offenbach's "Brigands," I decided after ex-
amination of the score that the finale of the first act was not
strong enough, and commissioned Mr. Gustave Kerker, then
the musical director at the Casino, to write an effective waltz
measure, which he did and with some telling business this
finale received four and five encores nightly.
Again in "Nadjy," I suggested to Mr. Richard Barker,.
94 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
who was directing the stage, that we must make one of our
strong effects in the ballet scene. We had a chorus of un-
usually pretty and well formed young ladies and they were
put through a regular course of ballet training with Monsieur
de Bibeyran, the Casino's ballet master, and in their short fluffy
white and pink skirts in contrast with the one, entirely in
black, worn by Miss Marie Jansen, presented a most pic-
turesque appearance, and proved an immense factor in the
great run of Chassaigne's tuneful operetta.
In Millocker's "Poor Jonathan" the third act was laid at
West Point, on the Hudson. I said to Mr. Heinrich Conried,
who had charge of the stage, "We must introduce here an
effective military march and evolutions for the girls of the
chorus to be uniformed as West Point cadets." I wrote the
music for this introduction published as a march under the
title, "For Love or War." It took eight weeks of incessant
rehearsal with Mr. Conried and a prominent drill master of
one of New York's crack regiments, to teach the girls (forty-
eight in number) the difficult steps and more difficult evolu-
tions, but they finally acquitted themselves like real warriors,
receiving encore after encore at each performance, and ma-
terially aiding the immense success achieved by the operetta.
Many prominent Europeans expressed themselves in high-
est terms at the excellence of the Casino productions. Herr
Eduard Strauss during his first visit to America in the eight-
ies, paid me a great compliment when he said that he re-
garded the representations of the Johann Strauss operettas at
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 95
the Casino as infinitely superior to those in either Berlin or
Vienna.
Later on Dr. Hans von Bulow, the famous pianist and con-
ductor, visited the Casino with Mr. Walter Damrosch. "The
Grand Duchess" was on the boards with Lillian Russell in
the title role. Dr. von Bulow said to me at the time that he
had never witnessed a more artistic and elaborate presentation
of the Offenbach burletta (as he termed it) anywhere in Eu-
rope. I thanked the Doctor heartily and invited him to the
Casino Cafe, and was surprised when he ordered and drank
three bottles of Sarsaparilla !
On the occasion of the 75th performance of "The Grand
Duchess," May 5th, 1890, Miss Russell was presented with a
replica of the crown originally worn by Mile. Hortense Schnei-
der, the famous creatrice of "La Grande Duchess" in Paris in
1868. The orchestra on that occasion was directed by the
composer, Jacques Offenbach.
Before the presentation of "Erminie" at the Casino I had
contracted with Mr. T. Henry French for a six weeks' engage-
ment of the Violet Cameron Opera Company from London,
beginning October 4th, 1886. During those six weeks my
company, for the first time in its history, played a road en-
gagement in "Erminie" with the original cast, to phenomenal
business, in Boston at the Globe Theater three weeks, in Phila-
delphia at the Chestnut Street Opera House two weeks and
in Brooklyn at the Park Theater one week.
Miss Violet Cameron (daughter of Lydia Thompson, a
96 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
great favorite in London) and her company duly arrived ac-
companied by Lord Londsdale (intimate friend of the then
Prince of Wales and later King Edward VII) as its manager.
A few days later there appeared on the scene the husband of
Miss Cameron, a Mr. David de Bensaude, whose presence oc-
casioned much trouble and an enormous amount of newspaper
publicity. It was verily a case of "The Earl, the Prima
Donna and the Husband."
The first operetta — I should say burlesque — presented, was
"The Commodore," an adaptation from Offenbach's "La
Creole." At the conclusion of its premiere, there congregated
such a mob at the Thirty-ninth Street stage entrance of the
Casino, that I found it decidedly advisable to escort Miss
Cameron through the auditorium of the theater (after the re-
tirement of the large audience) and then to Broadway through
my private office, in order to avoid an impending riot at the
stage door. There seemed to have been intense feeling
aroused against the manager of noble birth who afterwards
was sued by de Bensaude claiming one hundred thousand dol-
lars as damages.
Although Miss Cameron was a delight to the eye and the
ear, "The Commodore" and its successor, "Kenilworth," did
not seem to appeal to the American public, so that the business
was only fair and the company returned to England after a
short tour on the road. i
A memorable occasion was when the Ancient and Hon-
orable Artillerymen of London, accompanied by the West
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 97
Point cadets, attended the performance of "Nadjy" at the
Casino on June nth, 1888. General William T. Sherman
and friends occupied two boxes. After the first act, Cadet
Alexander Perry arose and said in a commanding voice, "At-
tention ! Classes rise ! Three cheers for the retired general of
the Army!" How the voices rose and rang! The vast au-
dience joined in the ovation. General Sherman stepped to
the front of the box and said that forty-eight years ago he
had worn the cadet gray, and expressed the hope that the
graduates would excel their predecessors if only a little bit
and that they would at least follow the example set them
m maintaining the great Union. Loud and continued ap-
plause followed the gallant General's remarks. It was on
this same evening that I said to General Sherman that I
had recently invited General Grant to the Casino, who in-
quired as to what was playing there. I replied, "A musical
show called 'Erminie,' " and General Grant answered, "I'll
wait until you play a drama or a comedy, as I don't care for
musical shows!" General Sherman then informed me that
he accounted for that in this way: "During the war, the al-
most continuous rattle of horses' hoofs, the beat of the drums,
and other weird sounds had evidently imbedded themselves so
thoroughly in General Grant's ear that a veritable dislike for
a real musical or melodious strain was occasioned ! It is very
different with me, however," continued General Sherman,
"for I am fond of all kinds of music, whether light, popular
or classical !"
98 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
The advent of a new work by the authors of "Pinafore,"
"The Pirates of Penzance," "Patience," "The Mikado," etc.,
Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan, was always the sensation of the
time.
I procured the exclusive American rights for what was at
that time their latest opera, "The Yeomen of the Guard," al-
though the title was not made public until just before the first
production at the Casino on October lyth, 1888. Previous
thereto, however, a number of stories were circulated, placing
the locale of the new opera in Sweden, Hungary, Dalmatia,
Bulgaria and other quarters of the globe. Strange to relate,
the music of the finale of the second act was first received and
put into rehearsal, then followed something of the first act,
and then came another number of the second act, and so on,
and finally, at the latest moment the remainder of the score.
This precaution had been taken, to avoid piratical productions
which at that period seemed to be very much in vogue.
There were many applications from reputable managers to
procure rights for the production of "The Yeomen of the
Guard" in various sections of the United States, although they
knew nothing of the subject or value of the opera. I received
from The Emma Abbott Opera Company ten thousand dollars
for the rights in San Francisco and the Northwest, and from
John Stetson the same amount for Boston and the East in ad-
dition to fixed royalties. Besides the regular Casino Com-
pany, I organized what was termed a "number two" company
to invade Chicago and the West.
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 99
With all my efforts and those of my confreres, "The Yeo-
men of the Guard" did not score the success of any of the
aforementioned works of Gilbert and Sullivan, accountable in
a measure to the rather gruesome libretto. Some of the music,
however, was in Sir Arthur's best vein, particularly the finale
of the first act, with its double chorus effect and its wonderful
musicianly treatment; indeed it was a veritable masterpiece in
itself.
Mr. Richard Barker, the eminent stage director of the
Savoy Theater, London, representing Mr. D'Oyley Carte, the
manager of Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan, was sent especially
to direct the rehearsals and supervise the production of "The
Yeomen of the Guard," and I engaged a well known prima
donna, who had just arrived from Europe, for the leading
part, but she had to be dispensed with, a week before the open-
ing performance. Although the possessor of a most charming
voice, she lacked the necessary stage experience for this class
of work. Her part was acceptably filled at short notice by
Miss Bertha Ricci.
Mr. D'Oyley Carte endeavored to arrange with me for the
presentation at the Casino in New York of Gilbert and Sul-
livan's "The Gondoliers," insisting, however, upon a guaran-
tee and a fixed number of performances, which I flatly re-
fused. If Mr. Carte would have guaranteed me another
"Pinafore" or "Mikado" success in addition to permitting me
to engage for the leading part his incomparable comedian, Mr.
George Grossmith, an agreement might have been made, but
ioo THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
suppose "The Gondoliers" should have turned out to be an-
other "Ruddygore" or a "Yeomen of the Guard," what then?
An inferior company was later on sent over from England and
"The Gondoliers" did not prove successful.
At the rehearsals of a Gilbert and Sullivan opera at the
Savoy Theater in London, which I attended, the ladies and
gentlemen of the chorus were seated in a semi-circle on the
stage, in the midst of which was a small upright piano. The
late Mr. W. S. Gilbert attended nearly all the musical re-
hearsals, took notes of the style of composition, time and
rhythm and then invented his groups and stage business.
Mr. Gilbert was, as is well known, a very strict disciplin-
arian. He would stand on the stage at rehearsals and repeat
the words and action of the parts over and over until they
were delivered as he desired. All the arrangements of color
and the groupings were designed by him.
About this time two important events occurred at the Casino.
One was the introduction, back of the seats, of the automatic
opera glasses, a boon to theater-goers and now quite univer-
sally adopted; the other was an attempt to set fire to the
building.
For some insubordination, I notified my chief stage machin-
ist that his services would not be required after Saturday
night. The night previous to his discharge, he placed a candle
surrounded by inflammable material in one of the rooms back
of the upper boxes in the theater, calculating that the candle
would burn down and ignite the inflammable material just as
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 101
the audience was leaving, and he would be on hand with a
bucket of water, ready to extinguish the flame and that his
heroism would at once reinstate him. Luckily, the night
watchman made his rounds earlier than usual, and recognizing
through the cracks of the room an unusual light, opened the
door at almost the moment when the candle had reached the
inflammable material. He extinguished the impending flame
and thus averted a catastrophe, for the performance was not
yet over.
I reported the case to the then Superintendent Byrnes, who
questioned me on many points, and finally asked if I had re-
cently discharged anyone. I mentioned the stage machinist,
and the superintendent at once procured his address. With
Detective-Sergeant Dusenberry, I went to this residence, and
just as we arrived he was walking down the stoop, valise in
hand. He was immediately put under arrest, and divulged
the whole plan to the Superintendent. He was tried and
sentenced to seven years' imprisonment.
During the memorable days of "Erminie" at the Casino in
the eighties, there was a frequent attendant, in the person of
the heir to the Brazilian throne. On one occasion the Prince
expressed to me a desire to meet Mr. Francis Wilson, who was
then performing Caddy with so much success, and one evening
I arranged with Mr. Wilson that he meet the Prince in his
ragged stage togs on the roof garden before his entrance in
the first act. I introduced Wilson to the Prince, who ad-
dressed him in his slang parlance thus : "It pleases me mightily
102 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
to meet yer royal 'ighness and when I land in Rio I 'ope to
call on your pop. Would yer 'ighness like to jine me in the
'iint on Thursday, 'ave some fine 'orses and 'ounds. Won't
yer 'ave an eye opener*?" The Prince, although amazed at
the query, enjoyed it immensely, called the waiter and ordered
a bottle of champagne, and when it arrived Wilson said:
"None for me. I'll have a glass of croton." He got it, and
with a hearty grasp of the hand bid the heir to the throne
farewell and rushed down from the roof garden to the stage,
just in time for his entrance with Ravvy, his partner in crime.
At one of the performances of "The Marquis" at the
Casino, James T. Powers, the popular comedian who was
playing the part of Briolet, had occasion to swallow during
the scene a dozen or more tarts, to the amazement of the
audience. The imaginary tarts were made of paper which
he retained in his mouth until after leaving the stage. At
this particular performance, after taking ten or eleven paper
tarts, a real tart filled with salt was placed amidst the paper
ones and in his hurry he bit into it. One can imagine the
predicament Powers was placed in. It was evidently in-
tended for a joke, by some one on the stage, but the per-
petrator was never discovered.
In the eighties, during the phenomenal run of "Erminie,"
Miss Pauline Hall, who had sung herself into popularity
through her artistic rendition of that famous catchy lullaby,
was in the habit after the performance to take her magnificent
and costly jewels home with her in her little satchel. She
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 103
was accompanied by her maid and one evening after cross-
ing Broadway at Thirty-ninth Street, she was attacked by a
highwayman, who appropriated Miss Hall's satchel and ran
away. The prima donna with her maid, hurried to their
apartment at Seventh Avenue and Thirty-ninth Street, and in-
formed the police, but the highwayman was never discovered.
Fortunately Miss Hall had taken the precaution to place her
jewels in the keeping of her maid so that the robber had
nothing but her satchel for his risk and trouble. But after
that experience I strenuously advised Miss Hall to place her
valuables in my safe at the Casino, and she acquiesced, and
there were not any further robberies.
As already stated the Casino opened on Saturday evening,
October 2ist, 1882, with "The Queen's Lace Handkerchief,"
and after a limited number of performances had been given
the house was closed to permit of the finishing of the decora-
tions and furnishings. When all was in readiness, the doors
opened once more on December 3oth, 1882, and for more
than ten years performances were given without interruption
either in summer or winter. By actual reckoning, over three
million five hundred thousand people had witnessed comic
opera performances given in this house during that period, and
the sumptuousness and brilliancy of the many successful pro-
ductions will long be remembered by a large part of this
immense throng. Almost every star and artist of prominence
in the comic opera or musical comedy world to-day, has at
some period of their career appeared in this appropriately
104 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
named "Home of Comic Opera" as the following list amply
indicates, and in the order of their presentation at the Casino :
"The Queen's Lace Handkerchief" STRAUSS. Louise
Paullin, Lily Post, Mathilde Cottrelly, Jennie Reiffarth,
Signor Perugini, Joseph Greensf elder, George Gaston (fol-
lowed later by Francis Wilson), Jay Taylor, Harry Standish.
"The Sorcerer." GILBERT AND SULLIVAN. Lillian Rus-
sell, Laura Joyce, Madeline Lucette, Louise Paullin, John
Howson, Digby Bell, George Olmi, Charles Campbell, A. W.
Maflin.
"Princess of Trebizonde" OFFENBACH. Lillian Rus-
sell, Laura Joyce, Madeline Lucette, Emma Carson, John
Howson, Digby Rell, George Olmi, A. W. Maflin.
"Prince Methusalem" STRAUSS. Mathilde Cottrelly,
Lily Post, Julie de Ruyther, Rose Beaudet, Francis Wilson,
A. W. Maflin, Jay Taylor, Harry Standish, Ellis Ryse.
"The Beggar Student" MILLOECKER. Bertha Ricci,
Rose Leighton, Rose Beaudet, Mathilde Cottrelly, Fred Les-
lie, William T. Carleton, W. S. Rising, Ellis Ryse, Harry
Standish, H. D. MacDonough, Harry Hamlin.
"The Merry War" STRAUSS. Gertrude Orme, Lily Post,
Mathilde Cottrelly, Rose Beaudet, Fred Leslie, William T.
Carleton, Signor Perugini, E. Cripps, J. A. Furey.
"Falka" CHASSAIGNE. Mathilde Cottrelly, Bertha
Ricci, Carrie Burton, Hattie Richardson, Julie De Ruyther,
Billie Barlow, J. H. Ryley, Hubert Wilke, Frank Tanne-
hill, Jr., Alfred Klein (brother of the famous author Charles
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 105
Klein), Harry MacDonough, A. W. Maflin, Louis Raymond.
"Little Duke" - LECOCQ. Georgine Von Janaschowsky,
Agnes Folsom, Genevieve Reynolds, Billie Barlow, J. H.
Ryley, Hubert Wilke.
"Nell Gwynne" PLANQUETTE. Mathilde Cottrelly,
Laura Joyce Bell, Ida Valerga, Irene Perry, Annette Hall,
Billie Barlow, Jay Taylor, Charles Dungan, Wm. Hamilton,
Digby Bell, J. H. Ryley, W. H. Fessenden, Edward Cameron,
J. A. Furey.
"Apajune" MILLOECKER. Mathilde Cottrelly, Lily
Post, Belle Archer, Kate Ethel, Rose Marion, Florence Bell,
Francis Wilson, W. S. Rising, Jay Taylor, Ellis Ryse, Her-
bert Archer.
"Patience." GILBERT AND SULLIVAN. Mary Beebe,
Laura Joyce Bell, Rose Leighton, Irene Perry, Ethel Clare,
J. H. Ryley, Digby Bell, C. W. Dungan, Geo. Roseman,
J. A. Furey, George Appleby.
"Die Fledermaus." STRAUSS. Rosalba Beecher, Ida
Valerga, Irene Perry, Agnes Folsom, Mathilde Cottrelly,
Mark Smith, De Wolfe Hopper, C. W. Dungan, Charles
Plunkett, A. W. Maflin, Edwin Whitney.
"Polly." SOLOMON. Lillian Russell, Alice Barnett,
Rose Beaudet, Florence Bemister, Marion Giroux, Agnes
Folsom, Isabelle Urquhart, Hindie Harrison, Louise Gordon,
J. H. Ryley, Harry S. Hilliard, John T. McWade, E. H.
Aiken.
"Billee Taylor." SOLOMON. Lillian Russell, Verona Jar-
106 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
beau, Alice Barnett, Josie Hall, J. H. Ryley, Harry S. Hil-
liard, John E. McQuade, Wm. White, E. P. Temple.
"Nanon" GENEE. Sadie Martinet, Pauline Hall, Billie
Barlow, Alice Vincent, Agnes Folsom, Rose Beaudet, Carrie
Andrews, Florence Bell, Adele Langdon, Marie Koenig, Sadie
Wells, Emma Hanley, Francis Wilson, Wm. T. Carleton,
W. H. Fitzgerald, Alexis Gisicko, Harry Standish, Gustavus
Levick, Wm. Herbert.
"Amorita." CZIBULKA. Pauline Hall, Madeline Lucette,
Georgie Dickson, Billie Barlow, Agnes Folsom, Rose Beaudet,
Florence Bell, Adele Langdon, Victoria Schilling, Carrie An-
drews, Emma Hanley, Eugenie Maynard, Frank Celli, Fran-
cis Wilson, W. H. Fitzgerald, Harry Standish, Alfred Klein.
"Gypsy Baron." STRAUSS. Pauline Hall, Mae St. John,
Letitia Fitch, Georgie Dickson, Billie Barlow, Victoria
Schilling, Agnes Folsom, Rose Beaudet, Emma Hanley, Flor-
ence Bell, William Castle, Francis Wilson, W. H. Fitzgerald,
Alfred Klein.
"Eriminie" JAKOBOWSKI. (Original cast.) Pauline Hall,
Marie Jansen, Marion Manola, Jennie Weathersby,
Agnes Folsom, Rose Beaudet, Francis Wilson, Wm. S. Daboll,
Harry Pepper, Carl Irving, Max Freeman, A. W. Maflin,
Murry Woods, C. L. Weeks and J. A. Furey; (and in subse-
quent casts) : Louise Sylvester, Mary Stuart, Alma Varry,
Georgie Dennin, Josie Sadler, Sadie Kerby, Isabelle Urquhart,
Fanny Rice, Eva Davenport, Sylvia Gerrish, Florence Bell,
Eva Goodrich, Kitty Cheatham, Henry Hallam, Mark Smith,
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 107
George Olmi, Charles Plunkett, Edwin Stevens, Fred Solo-
mon, James T. Powers, B. F. Joslyn, Charles Campbell,
John E. Brand, N. S. Burnham, Ellis Ryse, Frank Ridsdale,
E. B. Knight.
"The Marquis" LACOME. Bertha Ricci, Isabelle Urqu-
hart, Sylvia Gerrish, Lillian Grubb, Rose Wilson, Estelle
Morris, Rose Ricci, James T. Powers, Mark Smith, Courtice
Pounds, Max Freeman, Arthur W. Tarns, Edgar Smith,
Henry Leoni.
"Madelon" LECOCQ. Bertha Ricci, Isabelle Urquhart,
Sylvia Gerrish, Lillian Grubb, Rose Wilson, Florence Barry,
James T. Powers, Mark Smith, Courtice Pounds, Arthur W.
Tarns, Edgar Smith, Henry Leoni.
"Nadjy" CHASSAIGNE. Lillian Russell, Marie Jansen,
Isabelle Urquhart, Jennie Weathersby, Fanny Rice, Elma
Delaro, Kate Uart, Sylvia Gerrish, Zelma Rawlston, Laura
Russell, Emma Lawrence, Rose Ricci, Florence Melin, Clara
Coudray, Fanny Adams, Rene Ferrers, Addie Mason, Edith
Mai, Ina Weddell, James T. Powers, Mark Smith, Jno. E.
Brand, Henry Hallam, Fred Solomon, Edgar Smith, A. W.
Maflin, A. W. Tarns, J. A. Furey.
"The Yeomen of the Guard" GILBERT AND SULLIVAN.
Bertha Ricci, Sylvia Gerrish, Isabelle Urquhart, Kate Uart,
J. H. Ryley, George Broderick, Henry Hallam, George Olmi,
Charles Renwick, Fred Solomon, H. Adams.
"The Brigands" OFFENBACH. Lillian Russell, Fanny
Rice, Isabelle Urquhart, Sylvia Gerrish, Anna O'Keefe, Laura
io8 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Russell, Delia Stacey, Jennie Donaldson, Eva Johns, Flor-
ence Wilson, May Grosvenor, Clara Randall, Edwin Stevens,
Fred Solomon, Max Lube, John E. Brand, Henry Hallam,
Richard F. Carroll, H. E. Walton, George Olmi, A. W.
Maflin, Arthur W. Tarns, Henry Leoni, Chas. Priest, Henry
Vogel, Charles Renwick, J. A. Furey, Fred Hall.
"The Drum Major'' OFFENBACH. Pauline Hall, Marie
Halton, Eva Davenport, Sylvia Gerrish, Florence Bell,
Georgie Dennin, James T. Powers, Edwin Stevens, John E.
Brand, N. S. Burnham, Charles Campbell, A. W. Maflin.
"The Grand Duchess" OFFENBACH. Lillian Russell,
Fanny Rice, Isabelle Urquhart, Anna O'Keefe, Drew Donald-
son, Delia Stacey, Laura Russell, Florence Wilson, Sylvia
Thorne, Fred Solomon, Henry Hallam, Richard F. Carroll,
Max Lube, Arthur W. Tarns, George Olmi, Henry Leonir
Charles Renwick, J. A. Furey, Charles Priest, George R.
White, M. J. Thomas.
"The Brazilian.'" CHASSAIGNE. Marie Halton, Edith
Ainsworth. Grace Golden, Eva Johns, George Olmi, John E.
Brand, Fred Solomon, Richard F. Carroll, Henry Hallam,
Max Lube, A. W. Tarns, A. W. Maflin, Henry Leoni.
"Madame Angof." LECOCQ. Camille D'Arville, Marie
Halton, Eva Davenport, Grace Golden, Eva Johns, Lizzie
Leoni, Florence Bell, Drew Donaldson, Fred Solomon, Henry
Hallam, Charles H. Drew, Max Lube, A. W. Maflin, George
Olmi, A. W. Tarns, Henry Leoni.
"Poor Jonathan." MILLOECKER. Lillian Russell, Fanny
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 109
Rice, Eva Davenport, Grace Golden, Harry MacDonough,
Charles Campbell, Max Figman, A. W. Tarns, James Maas,
Edgar Smith, Edwin Stevens, Jefferson De Angelis.
"Apollo''1 HELLMESBERGER. Lillian Russell, Louise
Beaudet, Eva Davenport, Grace Golden, Jefferson De An-
gelis, Edwin Stevens, Ferdinand Schuetz, Harry MacDon-
ough, Max Figman, Edgar Smith, Charles Renwick, James
Maas.
"Indigo." STRAUSS. PaulineL'Allemand, Louise Beau-
det, Eva Davenport, Villa Knox, Jefferson De Angelis,
Edwin Stevens, Ferdinand Schuetz, Edgar Smith, Charles
Renwick.
"The Tyrolean." ZELLER. Marie Tempest, Annie Mey-
ers, Anna Mantell, Jennie Reiffarth, Carrie Boelen, Drew
Donaldson, Jefferson De Angelis, Fred Solomon, Ritchie
Ling, Henry Leoni, Harry MacDonough.
"Cavalleria Rusticana" MASCAGNI. Laura Bellini,
Helena von Doenhoff, Grace Golden, Charles Bassett, Wil-
liam Pruette.
"Nanon." (Revival.) Marie Tempest, Drew Donald-
son, Eva Davenport, Grace Golden, Edwin Stevens, Max
Figman, Fred Solomon, Ferdinand Schuetz, James Maas.
"Uncle Celestin." AUDRAN. Annie Meyers, Sylvia Ger-
rish, Villa Knox, Jennie Reiffarth, Jennie Weathersby, Mabel
Stephenson, Jefferson De Angelis, Harry MacDonough,
Henry Leoni, Maurice Abbey, George Mackenzie, A. W.
Maflin, J. A. Furey, and Loie Fuller in her serpentine Dance.
no THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
"Child of Fortune." MILLOCKER. Lily Post, Annie
Meyers, Jennie Reiffarth, Clara Coudray, Charles Bassett,
William Pruette, Henry Leoni, Harry MacDonough.
"The Vice Admiral." MILLOCKER. Annie Meyers, Villa
Knox, Lizzie Derious Daly, Jennie Reiffarth, Emma Hanley,
Mabel Potter, Jefferson De Angelis, Charles Bassett, Harry
MacDonough, Henry Leoni.
Following is list of operas and number of performances :
The Queen's Lace Handkerchief 234
The Sorcerer 21
The Princess of Trebizonde 50
Prince Methusalem 102
The Beggar Student no
The Merry War 69
Falka 1 10
The Little Duke 50
Nell Gwynne 43
Apajune . .< 42
Patience 22
Die Fledermaus 42
Polly 55
Billee Taylor 7
Nanon 150
Amorita 103
Gypsy Baron 86
Erminie 1,256
The Marquis 75
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 111
Madelon 5°
Nadjy 256
The Yeomen of the Guard loo
The Brigands 167
The Drum Major 67
The Grand Duchess •. ' 145
The Brazilian 64
Madame Angot 61
Poor Jonathan 208
Apollo 85
Indigo 50
Cavalleria Rusticana 55
The Tyrolean 100
Uncle Celestin 60
Child of Fortune 60
The Vice Admiral 75
The success of the Casino productions during my regime
was due in a great measure, not only to the generally well
chosen casts and artistic stage equipments, but to the stage
and musical directors, and they included Heinrich Conried,
Richard Barker, Max Freeman, Jesse Williams, Gustave
Kerker (composer of the famous "Belle of New York"),
Ernst Catenhusen, Adolf Novak, J. de Novellis, John Braham,
Hermann Perlet, Paul Steindorff, Selli Simonson, and Ernest
Salvator.
The following named scenic artists, Henry E. Hoyt, Rich-
ard Marston, William Voegtlin, T. S. Plaisted, Goatcher and
112 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Young Harley Merry and John Mazzonivich, are also de-
serving of much credit for their share of the work at the
Casino.
One after another some of the leading artists of the Casino
Company retired, first it was Francis Wilson, then followed
Marie Jansen, then Pauline Hall and later Lillian Russell,
accepting more lucrative starring engagements with other or-
ganizations and creating thereby much opposition. I there-
upon decided in 1892 to change the policy of the Casino en-
tirely, in other words to endeavor to establish there a theater
on the lines of the Opera Comique in Paris, with a box tier
on the balcony floor, seats and boxes to be sold first by sub-
scription, as at the Metropolitan Opera House. The reper-
toire was to be made up of the works of the lighter French
and German schools. I kept this entire matter a secret, sailed
for Europe for a tour of inspection, and while in Paris met
Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan at the Hotel Bristol. I suggested
to him my idea and he seemed so much impressed with it
that he said, "Meet me in New York in two weeks." I re-
turned to New York almost immediately, feeling assured of
Mr. Morgan's co-operation, but to my heartfelt regret the
directors of the Casino Company, a few days before my ar-
rival, decided to turn the Casino into a music hall, on the
plan of the Empire and Alhambra in London, with smoking
accessories, etc., and all my argument with the directors was
of no avail, and I was obliged to take the first steamer back
to Europe in order to select a number of vaudeville attrac-
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 113
tions for the innovation at the Casino. While I was absent,
a ballet was being rehearsed on the stage of the Casino under
the direction of the famous ballet master, Espinosa, from
the Alhambra Theater of London, and the necessary altera-
tions in the auditorium and on the buffet floor were perfected.
I closed a number of engagements and procured several
options for well known artists while abroad.
Among other acts I presented for the first time on any stage
the "Bronze Figure Group," which from its description I felt
would meet with public favor. The portrayers, in place of
fleshings, covered themselves with some contrivance colored
in bronze, presenting subjects from the old masters very clev-
erly posed.
Among the artists who witnessed the rehearsal of the
"Bronze Figure Group" at the Casino on March 1st, 1895,
were Augustus St. Gaudens, William M. Chase, J. S. Hart-
ley, J. G. Brown, J. Wells Champney, Francis S. Jones, J.
D. Smilie, Frederick Carl Blenner, M. F. H. de Haas, F. S.
Church, George R. Halm, George W. Maynard and Carroll
Beckwith.
"The Disk Thrower," "The Fisher," "The Gladiator,"
"The Runners," and "Ajax" were admirably presented, elicit-
ing most flattering encomiums from the distinguished au-
dience. But some prudes objected to the exhibition, the mat-
ter was brought before the court, and Mr. William M. Chase,
then President of the Society of American Artists, testified
in my behalf as follows:
1 14 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Q. Have you seen the bronze statues at the Casino?
A. Yes.
Q. You have made a study of art?
A. Yes.
Q. In your opinion is the exhibition modest or immodest?
A. Modest.
Q. Did they impress you as being in any sense indecent?
A. I had the impression that I was looking at bronze figures
and I thought them very fine reproductions of statues I have seen.
Q. (By Justice Simms.) Now, Mr. Chase, don't you consider
the exhibition on a public stage of a theater to which the public
are admitted on the payment of a fee, of persons nude or partly
nude an indecent and immoral spectacle?
A. I lose sight of the fact that they are nude, and consider only
the artistic result, and from that standpoint I don't consider them
any more indecent than the original figures would be in a public
gallery.
Q. You think that the exhibition of a nude figure in a public
place would not tend to deprave the public mind?
A. On the contrary, I think that it would cultivate the artistic
sentiments of the people.
Mr. J. G. Brown, the famous painter of street gamins,
sustained Mr. Chase and earnestly declared that the bronze
figures did not represent vitality or suggest creatures of flesh
and blood and were in his opinion excellent representations
of beautiful statues produced by the ancient masters, which
the genius of the present age could never hope to reproduce.
This case created a great sensation at the time, was carried
to the Appellate Division and finally decided in my favor.
The vaudeville innovation at the Casino was finally
launched on September 26th, 1892, and although the per-
THE FORTUNES OF THE CASINO 115
formances were excellent of their kind, the public had not yet
become accustomed to smoking in the auditorium of a theater,
and furthermore there seemed to be a general feeling of sor-
row on the part of the public that the "Home of Comic
Opera" had broken away, so to speak, from its moorings, and
they zealously kept away, with the result that the artists under
engagement were placed elsewhere, the vaudeville experiment
discontinued, and the Casino turned again to its former policy.
On November 14th, 1892, Mr. J. M. Hill presented for
the first time at the Casino, the delightful operetta "The
Fencing Master," by DeKoven and Smith, with Marie Tem-
pest as Francesca, and it scored deserved success.
Mr. Hill was of a most speculative disposition. On one oc-
casion he informed me that his leading artiste had requested
that he permit her to select her own costumes for a musical
play then in rehearsal. He acquiesced good-naturedly and
gave her carte blanche to purchase what she wanted. The
artiste selected not only the costumes and accessories but lin-
gerie, stockings, shoes, slippers, hats, etc. The bill, amount-
ing to nearly two thousand dollars, was sent to Mr. Hill and
after scrutinizing it, he said to the artiste, "Why didn't you
buy the whole establishment while you were at it? I shall
pay this, but hereafter carte blanche will be excluded from my
vocabulary."
THE STRAUSS GOLDEN JUBILEE
CHAPTER IX
THE STRAUSS GOLDEN JUBILEE
Presentation of the Gold and Silver Wreath to the "Waltz
King" — Incidents Relating to the Celebration — The Con-
tributors to the Wreath.
IN my whole career nothing has given me greater pleasure
than being chosen custodian of the magnificent gold and
silver wreath (the cost of which was defrayed by Amer-
ican admirers) which I had the honor to present to Johann
Strauss in Vienna on the occasion of his golden jubilee on
October 15th, 1894.
Before my departure at the beginning of October with the
Strauss wreath in my trunk, I arranged that on the evening
of its presentation, every theater and concert orchestra in New
York play programs made up entirely of the works of Johann
Strauss, befitting this historic event. Arriving in London, I
exhibited the wreath at Tiffany's on Regent Street, where it
was acclaimed by public and press an artistic masterpiece, and
as soon thereafter as possible I left for Vienna, where great
preparations had been perfected for the Strauss Jubilee fes-
tivities.
I doubt if in the annals of the world's history any one has
ever enjoyed the triumphs, the ovations, the love and admira-
tion which the whole world has united in extending to
119
120 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Vienna's son, Johann Strauss, the composer, director, and man,
of whom Richard Wagner said: "One Johann Strauss waltz
overshadows in respect to animation, finesse, and real musical
value, most of the mechanical, borrowed, factory-made prod-
ucts of the present time." And now was held the golden an-
niversary of Strauss' marriage to the lovely muse of melody.
With his black hair, straight, elastic figure and sprightly car-
riage, genial manners, and the fire of genius burning in his
eyes — who would accuse him of seventy years? He cer-
tainly danced through life to the accompaniment of his own
waltzes.
Twenty years before, the Theater an der Wien was the
scene of Strauss' first operatic production and triumph, so it
seemed but fitting that the first evening of celebration,
October 12th, 1894, be dedicated to the production of his new
opera "Jabuka" in the same house. The theater was packed
from pit to gallery, and the success was a foregone conclusion.
The cast included the favorites: Gerardi, Frau Pohlner, Frau
Biedermann and Messrs. Streitmann, Felix and Josephi.
Saturday evening, October 13th, there was presented in the
Royal Opera House the new ballet "Rund um Wien" in
honor of the master. In the first act, amid artistic grouping
of the dancers and exquisite scenic effects, the center rose of
an immense floral wreath unfolded its petals and disclosed an
excellent portrait of Strauss. The feted man was dragged
from his box and fairly carried onto the stage amid the en-
thusiastic plaudits of the great audience.
THE STRAUSS GOLDEN JUBILEE 121
The next morning, in the Musik-vereinsaal, was assembled
a most distinguished gathering. In the boxes were Brahms,
Hanslick, Schratt, Sonnenthal, Materna, Beeth, VanDyck,
Lucca, in short, all the shining lights of Vienna's artistic cir-
cle. The "Fledermaus" overture was never more perfectly
given than by the superb Philharmonic Orchestra under the
leadership of Fuchs. "Wine, Woman and Song," arranged
for chorus and orchestra, set every head nodding, every heart
beating. Alfred Griinfeld, the pianist, outdid himself in a
concert paraphrase from Strauss waltz motifs and an arrange-
ment of the Persian March. The "Blue Danube" waltz, for
chorus and orchestra, acted like magic on the hearers, and
Strauss, who during the concert had given all honors to the
performers, was obliged to appear and respond to innumerable
recalls.
In the afternoon a second concert was given by the Strauss
orchestra, under the direction of the fascinating Eduard
Strauss. A garland of interwoven Strauss compositions dat-
ing from 1844 to 1894, electrified the audience, and honors
were shared by the brothers.
The reception Monday morning, October 15th, was the
event of the festivities. The beautiful home of the master at
No. 4 Igelgasse, was an immense bower of loveliness; and
what an assemblage graced the scene! Such talent, genius
and brains; the greatest representatives of literature, music,
art and culture were gathered together to pay homage to the
nineteenth century's most beloved musician. There they
122 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
were — Brahms, Hanslick, Fuchs, Jahn, Richter, Brill, Renard,
Griinfeld, Gericke, Goldmark, Goldschmidt, Kremser, Tilgner,
Count Kinsky, Lucca, Dr. Griihl, Bosendorfer, Sonnenthal,
and Baron Bezecny, who had charge of the arrangements.
The rooms were filled with rare and costly presents, while in
the stairways and every nook and corner there were laurel
wreaths and flowers.
There were present only four Americans, Miss Lillian Apel,
a very talented pianist who had been studying in Vienna with
Letchetisky, Miss Harriet Cady, Mr. Glentworth, correspond-
ent of the New York Herald, and myself.
Robert Fuchs had written and dedicated to Strauss a sere-
nade suite, with motifs taken from the "Fledermaus," which
delighted everyone. It was played under the direction of
Herr Fuchs, by the Conservatory Orchestra, composed of
twenty-five students of stringed instruments. The master
was overwhelmed by the tribute paid him, and exclaimed : "It
is too much ; I do not deserve it." I thereupon took the floor
and delivered my speech in German, of which the following
is a translation:
"It affords me unlimited pleasure to have been selected on
behalf of my American brothers upon this occasion — an occa-
sion so unique, so deserving, so remarkable of remembrance.
"When it was announced on the other side of the Atlantic
that a committee had been formed in Vienna to celebrate in
this your noted city, in a fitting manner, the fiftieth anniver-
sary of the accession to conductorship of one whose name is
THE STRAUSS GOLDEN JUBILEE WREATH
THE STRAUSS GOLDEN JUBILEE 123
worldwide, the idea occurred to us that Americans ought to
have a part in such a celebration, and you will be glad with
me to know that America bears her part on this occasion in
offering a tribute to that genius of popular music who has done
more to gladden the hearts of the masses and has set more
feet in sympathetic motion than any other living musician, a
tribute which will show that Americans are not the heathens
or savages in the musical world which many Europeans might
consider them to be, but on the contrary are heartily in touch
with every true artist and his work.
"It will interest you to know, that at the Casino in New
York, under my own direction, was first presented in the Eng-
lish language one of Strauss' operettas, inaugurating that
playhouse with his delightful 'The Queen's Lace Handker-
chief (Das Spitzentuch der Konigin), which was followed
by the 'Fledermaus,' 'Prince Methusalem,' 'The Merry War,'
'Indigo,' and 'The Gypsy Baron,' all of which were popular
successes.
"Without hesitation, it can be stated that your distinguished
master is deserving of the thanks of the New World for
creating a new era in dance music and showing the people how
it should be played.
"Your great leader will recall, how at the Boston Peace
Jubilee in 1870, at the first rehearsal, conducting himself in
his masterly manner one thousand musicians, he announced
that he had never heard the 'Pizzicato Polka' and the 'Blue
Danube Waltz' interpreted with more vim, precision, and
124 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
feeling than on that memorable occasion, a result due not to
that gigantic orchestra, but to the magnetic genius of the mas-
ter with the baton.
"As a slight token of regard and esteem for the 'Waltz
King,' one hundred of America's most distinguished com-
posers, musicians, conductors and other admirers have en-
abled Mr. Paulding Farnham, the artist, to design, and
Messrs. Tiffany and Company to manufacture, the silver and
gold laurel wreath which I now hold in my hand. Each of
the fifty leaves is inscribed with the name of a favorite com-
position of the master, his portrait, with a strain of his fa-
mous 'On the Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz' in gold, de-
pictive of the 'Golden Wedding' of his artistic career, and the
intermingling of the Austrian and the American colors.
"With America's high appreciation of his genius and work,
a work which we hope may yet be prolonged for many years,
I present, on behalf of those whom I have named, this token
to the great master and composer, Johann Strauss."
Herr Strauss in response said that he owed everything to
his predecessors, and above all to his father, who showed him
the way to musical progress, especially in the sphere of dance
music. "My feeble merit," he continued, "having only taken
an enlarged form and broadened preceding methods, I feel
that you do me too much honor. I am no orator, I have
spoken enough."
Strauss then fairly wrung my hands, and all crowded about
to admire the most beautiful gift of the jubilee. It was the
THE STRAUSS GOLDEN JUBILEE 125
most eloquent tribute paid him and Strauss testified his appre-
ciation by suggesting that it alone adorn the banquet table in
the evening at the Grand Hotel and that later it be exhibited
in the National Museum.
My "Strauss Jubilee Waltz," which I dedicated by permis-
sion to the Waltz King, formed part of the musical diet at
the banquet and I had the honor of a place next to the only
lady present, Frau Johann Strauss, and Herr Eduard Strauss,
to whom I casually remarked: "If you ever contemplate pay-
ing another visit to America (he had been there with his or-
chestra in the early eighties) may I count on its being under
my management'?" The Herr Director, taking me by the
hand, replied: "You have my assurance, that if ever I go to
America again, it shall be under your direction."
In connection therewith the following characteristic letter
from America's foremost conductor is of interest :
Fairhaven, Mass.
July 2 ist, 1894.
Rudolph Aronson, Esq.,
New York.
Dear Sir:—
Your letter was forwarded to me here. Enclosed please find
check for my subscription towards the silver wreath to be presented
to Johann Strauss.
My orchestra has disbanded for the summer and will not meet
until October. Otherwise I am sure the members of Thomas' Or-
chestra would, like myself, have considered it an honor to have
signed your paper and would have been glad of the opportunity to
show their appreciation of this genius of popular music.
Yours truly,
THEODORE THOMAS.
126 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Those who subscribed to the wreath were :
Rudolph Allen, Rudolph Aronson, John H. Burdett,
Sigmund Bernstein, David Blakely, Charles Henry Butler,
George L. Beebe, A. B. Bauer, C. M. Bomeisler, Charles O.
Bassett, L. S. Bernheimer, H. C. Barnabee, Ernest Caten-
husen, Lucciano Conterno, Albert Crane, A. Murio Celli,
Richard F. Carroll, Laura F. Collins, Mathilde Cottrelly,
John Church Co., A. De Novellis, Walter Damrosch, Ludwig
Englander, George Ehret, G. Emil Elliot, M. I. Epstein,
Max Figman, Nahan Franko, Max Freeman, L. Froehlich,
L. Fuenkenstein, C. A. Graninger, H. S. Gordon, Theodore
C. Gross, Leo Goldmark, Victor Herbert, Wm. Frank Hall,
Oscar Hammerstein, De Wolf Hopper, H. W. Hunt, J. W.
Herbert, T. B. Harms & Co., A. Herrman, M. Hirschfield,
Reginald De Koven, Charles H. Ditson, Leo Ditrichstein,
Oliver Ditson Company, Jefferson De Angelis, James C.
Duff, Gustave Kerker, Alexander Lambert, Louis Lombard,
Jules Levy, Julius J. Lyons, Arthur Mees, Max
Maretzek, Ovide Musin, A. Newman, Ernest Neyer, J. W.
Norcross, Jr., J. L. Ottomeyer, Charles Puerner, Hermann
Perlet, A. R. Parsons, Simon Hassler, Rafael Joseffy, R. E.
Johnston, Theo. John, G. Jacquin, Wm. Knabe & Co., Paul
Steindorff, H. E. Schuberth, Thos. Q. Seabrooke, Henry
Seligman, Wm. Steinway, Frank V. Strauss, George Sweet,
Theodore Thomas, A. Tomaso, Aeolian Company, R. Thai-
Ion, Arthur W. Tarns, Samuel Untermyer, F. C. Whitney,
Francis Wilson, Wm. Pruette, George Purdy, L. M. Ruben,
THE STRAUSS GOLDEN JUBILEE 127
W. B. Rogers, W. J. Rostetter, G. M. Rosenberg, A. Reiff, Jr.,
J. H. Ryley, Morris Reno, A. G. Robyn, Anton Seidl, John
Philip Sousa, Jesse Williams, C. F. Wernig, A. Waldauer, Carl
Zerrahn.
I cannot refrain from extolling in the highest degree the
unparalleled services rendered the cause of music in this coun-
try by Mr. Theodore Thomas. I was a frequent attendant
not only of the Philharmonic Society Concerts under his con-
ductorship, but of his excellent summer night concerts at the
Central Park Garden at Seventh Avenue, Fifty-eighth and
Fifty-ninth streets, New York, when I was quite a youth in
the early seventies. On Thursday evenings, I remember,
Thomas devoted the second part of the program to more
serious and classical compositions, and on one or two occasions
when that second part consisted wholly of works by Wagner
(the "Rienzi" Overture, "Tannhauser" March, Introduction to
the third act of "Lohengrin"), a large part of the audience de-
liberately left the hall, causing Thomas to remark from the
platform that as soon as the anti-Wagnerites had finished
retiring, he would resume his program! Afterwards Thomas
and his admirable orchestra went to Cincinnati, and later on
to Chicago, where finally a permanent magnificent orchestra
was organized and a great hall erected for him, which is a
lasting, well-deserved monument to that genius of the baton
and exponent of all schools of music.
After Theodore Thomas' absence from New York for
many years, he announced a series of concerts with his Chi-
128 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
cago Orchestra at the Metropolitan Opera House in New
York, and I conceived the idea that it would be a fitting com-
pliment to present Thomas with a loving cup at the first of
these concerts.
I called upon Mr. William Steinway (the head of the firm
of Messrs. Steinway & Sons), whose friendship at that time
with the great conductor had been somewhat strained, but
when I suggested a loving cup for Theodore Thomas he at
once subscribed for a handsome amount, and so did many
other old friends and admirers of Thomas.
Mr. Gerrit Smith, then President of the Manuscript Society
of New York, made an appropriate address in presenting the
artistic cup, and the leader replied in most grateful terms.
Contributors to the testimonial were: William Steinway,
Elkan Naumburg, Henry Seligman, George Foster Peabody,
B. T. Frothingham, Walter Damrosch, Frederick Cromwell,
Henry K. Sheldon, Homer N. Bartlett, Smith N. Penfield,
E. C. Phelps, William C. Carl, Grant Odell, George William
Warren, Richard H. Warren, Charles H. Ditson, Warren
Pond, Rafael Joseffy, Gustave A. Kerker, Arthur Foote,
William Mason, Mrs. H. Walter Webb, Mrs. Henry Draper,
Mrs. Ella A. Toedt, Miss Amy C. Townsend, Charles F. Mc-
Kim, Stanford White, Frederick Dean, Mrs. John L. Gard-
ner (Boston), Miss Aloise Breese, Xaver Scharwenka, Victor
Herbert, Emma Juch, Adolph Neuendorff, Albert Ross Par-
sons, Maude Powell, Bruno Oscar Klein, John K. Paine, Karl
THE STRAUSS GOLDEN JUBILEE 129
Feininger, Madame De Vere-Sapio, Fanny Bloomfield-
Zeisler, Ernest Neyer, C. W. McAlpin, Gerrit Smith, J. M.
Lander, Robert Jaffray, Jr., Morris Reno, Dr. H. Holbrook
Curtis, John L. Burdett, B. J. Lang, Arthur Mees, J. F. Von
der Heide, S. B. Whitney, Montgomery Schuyler, and
Rudolph Aronson.
In concluding his presentation address to Mr. Thomas, Mr.
Gerrit Smith said: "When Mr. Rudolph Aronson presented
his testimonial wreath of silver to Johann Strauss in 1894,
on the occasion of his fiftieth anniversary as conductor, the
name of the first subscriber was Theodore Thomas. And
what was the reply of the Waltz King at seeing this name?
'Der, kann aber meine Walzer spielenT
"To-night, once again, by the labor and zeal of Mr. Aron-
son, we as friends, musicians, members of the Manuscript
Society of Composers, and other well-wishers, have the honor
to present you with a center piece or bowl, as a slight token
of our esteem. I believe that I am right in saying that you
are the first conductor who has been thus publicly honored in
this country.
"Upon the edge of the bowl appear, in bas-relief, the heads
of your intimate and cherished friends — the musical repre-
sentatives of different nations — Wagner, Brahms, Berlioz,
Rubinstein, yourself and Beethoven. I place Beethoven last,
because, though one of the dearest of your friends, I feel as
if you were not personally so well acquainted with him. If
these men were here to-night, they would rise up, and call
130 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
you blessed. While this souvenir is a decorative piece for
flowers, I may add that it may, in case of necessity, be used
to decorate the selfish interior of man !"
No more beautiful tribute could have been extended to
Theodore Thomas, than was extended him at the banquet at
which I was present at Delmonico's in New York, April 22nd,
1891, when Mr. George William Curtis in proposing Mr.
Thomas' health said:
"I rise to propose the health of a public benefactor, an
artist whose devotion to a beautiful, refining and ennobling
art, has greatly distinguished his name and given great dis-
tinction to the city in which he lives. He has made the con-
ductor's baton an imperial scepter, with which he rules not
only an orchestra, but an ever-widening realm of taste and
cultivation.
"In his hand it has become an enchanter's wand, which
has transformed our musical ignorance and crudity into ample
knowledge and generous appreciation. While it has intro-
duced us to the crowned and acknowledged masters of the
past, it has summoned and revealed the still shadowy figures
of the future.
"Musical artists have come and gone. Virtuosos of every
kind have appeared, have charmed us and have vanished.
But through all changes, the one figure which has remained,
the laureate of the past and the herald of the future, is
Theodore Thomas."
VISIT TO MOROCCO
CHAPTER X
VISIT TO MOROCCO
Days in Tangier — A Ten-day Journey Through the Open
Country to Fez — Presentation to Sultan Mulai Abdul Aziz —
Giving the Sultan Music Lessons.
EVER since the memorable visit to the New York
Casino of Sir Edwin Arnold, the noted exponent of
the Oriental Arts, I was imbued with a desire to jour-
ney over that interesting country so ably portrayed by him and
in June, 1902, armed with credentials from President Roose-
velt, Secretary Hay and Secretary Cortelyou, I again crossed
the sea.
Arriving in Paris, I left there almost immediately by the
"Sud-Express" for Madrid and thence to Seville, Granada,
Cadiz, and Algeciras. Enchanted with what I had seen in
all these quaint, picturesque places, I went over by ferry boat
from Algeciras to Gibraltar, where I laid in a stock of pro-
visions, intended for my journey through Morocco. After a
day or two I sailed from Gibraltar to Tangier (about a three-
hour ride) on the little steamer Gibel-Terra. I remained
four or five days in Tangier, investigating the mode of amuse-
ment of the Moors in their little cafes. The music was weird
and noisy. Occasionally a danseuse was introduced, and the
hand-clapping and the sounds of the uncouth voices of the
133
134 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
natives, their incessant cigarette smoking, with unusually
strong coffee and tea accompaniment, unmistakably enlivened
the scene.
One street in Tangier was lighted by electricity, but the
Moors created such opposition to any modern innovation,
that the lights were removed, for the reason that under the
laws of Mohammed, the Moor was to rise at sunrise and re-
tire at sunset. An attempt was also made to construct a
railroad from Tangier to Fez, but again the Moors objected
because walking was healthier and cheaper, and so was horse-
back, camel, mule and donkey riding.
I presented my credentials to the American Consul in Tan-
gier, who courteously provided me with soldiers, including an
old Caid, guards and attendants. The following evening,
with our horses and mules and ample provisions, we started
on a ten-day journey through Morocco to Fez. The very
first night, about three o'clock in the morning, just as the
attendants had erected our tents for a few hours' repose, I
heard distant sounds of quaint instruments and tramping of
horses and camels. "What is that?" I asked the old Caid,
who had traversed the country hundreds of times. He re-
plied that it was a little caravan bearing merchandise to
Tangier for the morning market there. I was preparing to
retire when the sound became more and more distinct, and
in a very short time there appeared, not a little, but an extra-
ordinarily big caravan of more than two hundred camels and
horses. So inspired was I with this remarkable scene, that
VISIT TO MOROCCO 135
then and there I jotted down my Oriental intermezzo, "The
Caravan," with a view to dedicating it to the Sultan Mulai
Abdul Aziz.
Day after day, we journeyed along over hills and rivers,
±&L
-££?£.
encountering many wild birds, including goldfinches, linnets,
greenfinches, blackbirds, robins, wagtails and numberless
hawks, and now and then we came across a running courier
carrying the government mail.
Near a place called El-Araish where there was a line of
reddish cliffs about three hundred feet in height, my horse was
136 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
so worn by hard riding and the intense heat, that he fell to the
ground, expiring in a few moments. I was provided with a
mule and so continued my trip to Fez. Strewn along the
roads at divers points on the long journey, were hundreds upon
hundreds of carcasses of animals of various species. When-
ever we pitched our tents for an afternoon or night we were
met by the head man or burgomaster, so to speak, of the
village, who provided us with basins of milk, and chickens and
eggs of excellent quality and in abundance.
Early in July, 1902, we arrived in the sacred city of Fez, the
capital of Morocco. I was then garbed in the Moorish "ji-la-
bah" of white, somewhat resembling a bath-robe, and my head-
gear consisted of a sort of a bonnet made up of strings of
heavy white cord. By mistake our little caravan entered the
wrong street and we were accosted by an individual, evidently
a friend of the old Caid, who warned us that on this street
Europeans ran the risk of being butchered by fanatics, so we
turned in another direction. Finally we reached a villa
which had been provided for our party, through the courtesy
of the Sultan, who had been previously apprised of my coming
by the American consul at Tangier.
The morning following my arrival the Sultan sent a few of
his equerries to the villa and I was escorted to the palace on one
of the royal horses. As we passed through portal after portal,
they were closed and securely locked after us. At one point
we encountered a "Rif" fanatic, expounding to a great number
of Moors his grievances, and he became so exasperated that he
VISIT TO MOROCCO 137
endeavored to kill himself in our presence. I requested the
chief equerry kindly to pass along and thus avoid the sight of
this outrageous performance, but he replied : "Custom compels
us to wait until it is all over." Eventually we arrived at the
palace, and I had the honor of being presented to His Sherifian
Highness, the Sultan Mulai Abdul Aziz, by Menebbi, the
famous Minister of War.
I presented the Sultan with a gun of American manufacture,
with smokeless powder. He took the gun out in the court-
yard and fired it to his evident delight. Re-entering the re-
ception room, he recognized my simple eye-glasses, took them
in his hand, and said "American!" I nodded affirmatively,
and he continued through his interpreter, "It is remarkable
how Americans improve upon everything," exhibiting at the
same time a pair of very heavy framed spectacles, and placing
mine on his nose, saying (laughingly), "Mazian" (meaning
"very good"). Thereupon the Sultan glued his ears to the
twin tubes coming from a phonograph. A broad smile was
spread over his face and he leaned forward as though greatly
interested in that small voice that came from the wax cylinder.
Menebbi, the Minister of War, lifted a warning hand for
silence, and I stood for a moment watching the expression of
the Sultan's face. Presently he dropped the tubes, rose from
his seat, and came to me again with outstretched hand and led
me into a spacious and sumptuously furnished apartment im-
mediately adjoining the reception room. Ranged along the
walls were four pianos. Naturally I was interested and made
138 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
that interest clear by opening one, and to my surprise it was of
fine American manufacture.
Through the interpreter the Sultan said: "You understand
the thing that has the sounds of the wind and the echo of bells
in its bosom4? You know how to make the song birds from its
midst? Ah, I can see it in your eyes'?" Mulai laid his hand
on my shoulder.
I confessed that I was more or less in love with the piano-
forte, and permitted my hand to drop on the keyboard; there
wasn't anything else to do but play, so I played.
I gave him for a starter Chopin, Rubinstein, Mozart, Wag-
ner; then I ran into the lighter music of Johann Strauss, pop-
ular airs of the day, gavottes and characteristic pieces.
The Sultan was enthralled. I turned to him at the conclu-
sion ; there was a far-away look in his eyes. Suddenly he came
to and said :
"It is like distant thunder and the echo of storms ; it is the
tramp of a thousand camels, the hoof beats of a herd of horses ;
from your fingers come the plaintive notes of a woman's voice
crying and then cooing. You have love and anger and
pleadings by the handful. I am blessed with two ears. In
what language do you make those sounds'?"
The Minister of War had dropped, oblivious to all court
etiquette, upon a near-by divan and was puffing violently on
a six-inch cigarette.
"Can you play in Spanish?" inquired His Majesty.
"Music is the same in all languages. Music is a separate
Photograph hi/ Underwood anil Underwood
ABD-EI.-AZIZ, SULTAN OF MOROCCO
VISIT TO MOROCCO 139
language to learn, but all nations hear it alike," was my re-
sponse.
"Then the hand of the Arab may play the music that the
•ear of the Christian understands4?"
"Yes, just the same as the Christian's music is clear to the
Arab," I replied.
"Then it will have to be changed," answered Mulai, fold-
ing his arms. "I want something new for Morocco."
"It will be difficult to change sound," I explained to him.
"But," he continued, seeking for something new, "the hoof
beats of one horse do not sound like the hoof beats of his sire.
Can you let the light in on that*?"
I did my best to illumine the problem, and finally con-
vinced him that one and the same horse always had the same
sound to his hoof beats.
"Suppose," said the Sultan thoughtfully, and in con-
fidence, "I should lay my fingers on the ivory and strike,
would it make your heart expand in joy and fill your soul
with a tickling*?"
"It would give me indescribable pleasure." Rising from the
stool I motioned him to be seated.
The Minister of War began to get nervous at the spectacle
of His Majesty at the keyboard. "No deed done by the
Sultan can weary the listener," said El Menebbi, gathering
his robe about him. It was evident that he hadn't grasped
the ruler's meaning.
Mulai pulled up his white sleeve, and with a motion sug-
140 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
gesting a course of physical culture, violently smote the keys.
"Are you tickled1?" was his inquiry, as the sounds died
away in the one grand inharmonious echo.
"Greatly," I said, looking heavenward.
"You are easily tickled," was his retort. "It falls into
my ears, like the voice of famine and the howl of disaster.
My heart grows smaller and my soul flees from my body.
Will you forgive me for this insult and drive the echoes
of it out of my ears'? El Menebbi," turning to the Min-
ister, "lead me away, I am a blight to the world."
I had some difficulty restraining His Majesty from rush-
ing out of the room. He was greatly overcome and asked
me to forget his playing.
At about two o'clock one morning shortly after my first
meeting with the Sultan, I heard a voice crying out under
my window, I got up and drew the blind, and there in the
moonlight stood El Menebbi gayly attired in all the glit-
ter of his office.
"Will the stranger with the quick fingers come to the
palace and lead His Majesty to the imperial couch, for be-
hold, Mulai Abdul Aziz hath both hands on the sound box
and is making diabolical noises which are like unto nothing
heard before in the city of Fez. Hasten, stranger, or Fez
will be depopulated. Lay thy soothing fingers upon his arm
and lead him away. He has already spurned the army. I
have spoken."
I accompanied El Menebbi back to the palace as speedily
VISIT TO MOROCCO 141
as possible. The Minister of War was right; the Sultan was
rehearsing with all his might. I stepped to his side and with
a respectful bow, saluted him.
Rising, with a satisfied smile, he remarked: "I have
found several notes that always sound the same. You
have let the light of the world into my bosom; embrace
me."
During the interim between my first and this visit I com-
pleted my intermezzo, "The Caravan," after attending cafes
and private functions in Fez and witnessing the wonderful
horsemanship of the natives in their "powder play," thus de-
riving color and atmosphere, and now played it for the first
time for His Majesty who was so delighted with it, that
he requested me to arrange it for his private military band
of fifty European musicians, which I did, at the same time
acquiring from the Sultan personally, the privilege of its
dedication to him.
"The Caravan" was played day after day and at all func-
tions of the Sultan, and it seemed just to hit his fancy. It
was characteristic of the Orient, yet not Moorish, for the
music of the Moors consists chiefly of the weird sounds that
emanate from their drums, cymbals, horns, ghambreens and
the like.
It was on this occasion, my second visit to the Sultan, that
I gave him his first lesson on the piano, note by note. With
his brown finger held in my hand I made him pick out the
notes of the eight keys forming an octave, and such inteiest
142 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
did he take in his new avocation that the following after-
noon I was summoned by six of his guards on horseback to
come immediately to the palace with a plan of the first les-
son that I had given the Sultan the previous morning; so I
hurriedly sketched on a sheet of paper (in actual size) a
fac-simile of the full octave, placing the fingers on the keys
in their proper position, and taking it with me, accompanied
the guards to the palace.
The Sultan was busily engaged practising the scale. He
thanked me for the sketch and presented me with a beautiful
scimitar with his initials and an Arabic inscription engraved
thereon, as a token of his appreciation. His courtesy and at-
tention and that of his suite during my stay in Fez, will
never be erased from my memory.
I recall also a dinner I attended at the palace of the Min-
ister of War, El Menebbi, in a room of Oriental splendor.
The guests were all attired in the costumes of their country
and I w&s in my dress suit. We all sat with our legs crossed,
around a so-called table on the floor. There was a great
soup tureen in the center and enormous soup ladles before
each guest; so the ladles went into the tureen and from his
ladle each partook of the soup, after this, fully half a dozen
kinds of mutton and chicken were served, and then followed
tea, with mint and sweets, of which the Arabs are very fond.
On account of the peculiar "varnishy" taste of the soup I
was almost compelled to retire after it had been served, but
I braved it until the finish of the dinner, heartily appreciat-
VISIT TO MOROCCO 143
ing the good will manifested by the Minister of War and his
distinguished associates.
On my return journey from Fez to Tangier I noticed in
many places the predominance of the palmetto. There were
figs of excellent quality in great abundance and also citrons,
lemons, limes, mulberries, walnuts, chestnuts, oranges,
quinces and pomegranates. Besides, there were olive-like
nuts that were greedily sought after by camels, mules, goats,
sheep and horned cattle, but not by horses.
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS
CHAPTER XI
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS
Old New York — Meeting with Verdi — Banquet to Madame
Adelina Patti — Signor Cardinali's Mishap — Jean de Reszke
Gives Gratuitous Instruction to Talented American Girl —
Madame Emma Eames and the Manuscript Society of New
York — Miss Alice Roosevelt and the Wax Figures — Sarah
Bernhardt's Generosity — The Advent of Henri Marteau —
Teresa Carreno's Return to America- — Brahms, Carreno and
D' Albert — Meeting with Eduard Strauss in Cologne and His
Subsequent Appearance in New York — Presentation of
Johann Strauss' "Vienna Life" at the Broadway Theater.
THE reader may be interested in the following inter-
view with my father in the New York Times of
April 3rd, 1898: "On Tuesday, April 5th, 1898,
Mr. Norman Aronson, father of Rudolph Aronson, will at-
tain the ripe old age of eighty-five years, and his friends pro-
pose to give the old gentleman a birthday party such as he will
not easily forget. Mr. Aronson was born in 1813 in Germany
and after pursuing his studies on the violoncello with Pro-
fessor Studelli, he began a mercantile career in deference to
the wishes of his parents, who did not wish him to follow his
own inclination of entering the musical field. He went to
147
148 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
England at the age of twenty and remained there until 1850,
when he came to New York, where, with the exception of
occasional visits to Europe, he has been a resident ever since.
"It is interesting to listen to Mr. Aronson's reminiscences
of New York as he found it in 1850, when trade had not
yet driven away residences on Broadway many blocks north
of Fourth Street, and when such names could be read on
doorplates as Francis Moseworthy of Colonial fame, George
Lovett, Dr. Fitch, James Cheeseman, Christopher Wolf,
General De Trobriand, Gideon Tucker, and the philanthropic
John D. Wolfe. On Ninth Street he remembers calling upon
the famous surgeon, Dr. Carnochan, who some years later was
Health Officer of the Port, and on Tenth Street stood the
mansion of Peter Lorillard. At that time, where the Fifth
Avenue Hotel now stands there were only the road houses
and grounds of Corporal Thompson, whose rare milk punches
were themes of gossip, and from where with the exception of
the corner of Twenty- fourth Street, where there was a black-
smith's forge, the vista up Broadway and Fifth Avenue pre-
sented vacant lots. Mr. Aronson was among the first guests
at the Astor House. He stopped there on his arrival in
New York, and while sitting on one of the benches in Bat-
tery Park the other day, he gave some interesting details as
to the appearance of the lower part of Broadway as he re-
membered it in 1850. He remembers well Bartlett's Wash-
ington Hotel, the private residences of the Phoenix, Whitney
and Hecksher families, the fashionable boarding house of
VERDI
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 149
Mrs. Tripp, which overlooked the Atlantic Gardens, the
granite mansion of Gordon Burnham, who presented the
Webster statue to Central Park, and on the corner of Wall
Street some three-story brick houses just vacated as residences,
and where began the dry goods district, with the stores of
Perkins, Warren & Co.
"Mr. Aronson was always a lover of music and the drama,
and recalls the many prominent artists he has heard during
his lifetime. They include Edmund Kean, Macready,
Garrick, Forrest, Booth (the elder), Salvini, Rachel,
Ristori, Cushman, Rubini, Lablache, Picollomini, Henrietta
Sontag, Jenny Lind, Grisi, Garcia, Malibran, La Grange,
Lucca, Adelina Patti, Tietiens, Mario, Tamberlik Wachtel,
Carl Formes, and the lyric dramatic singer, Parepa
Rosa. Of the latter he related the interesting story of her
marriage to Carl Rosa, who founded the English institution,
the Carl Rosa Opera Company, which celebrated its twenty-
fifth anniversary in London last year. Of her concert tour
here in 1865 Mr. Aronson remembered that she sang four
times a week, and was assisted by Jules Levy, the celebrated
cornet player, Fortuna, the baritone, and Carl Rosa, violinist.
Her tour began at Irving Hall, New York, and success was
established from the first."
My father was an ardent admirer of Verdi and rarely
missed an opportunity to attend a first performance of "II
Trovatore," "Rigoletto," "Traviata," "Ernani" or "Ballo in
Maschera" at the old Academy of Music in New York.
150 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
During one of my visits to Italy I had the pleasure of
meeting the great maestro at his home in Genoa. On this
occasion I made bold to request an autographed photograph
for my father, which to my delight, the great Verdi graciously
handed me and which is herein reproduced.
One of the greatest impresarios was Colonel J. H. Maple-
son, old-time director of the opera at the New York Academy
of Music, and his remarkable qualities were brought to my
recognition during the years from 1884 to 1886, when I had
the privilege of meeting him frequently. Many artists in
Colonel Mapleson's Company at the Academy appeared at my
Sunday evening concerts at the Casino, and in arranging the
concert programs this remarkable man would, without re-
ferring to the music or to memoranda of any description,
dictate the various numbers to be sung. He had in his mind
the title of each number of his stupendous repertoire, and
he would make up the programs offhand, naming the com-
poser and the title of the piece in whatever language it
chanced to be. That he never repeated a previous program
was a proof of marvelous memory.
A regrettable incident, although one that brought forth
great applause, occurred at a Casino Sunday evening concert
when the young and handsome tenor, Signer Cardinali, who
has the distinction of having been one of the original matinee
idols, was among the soloists.
Upon this evening Cardinali sang the "Di quella pira"
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 151
from "II Trovatore." An excessively tall and very stiff
collar evidently affected him, for in attempting to take the
high C he broke on the note, gave way to his temper, tore
off his collar, and throwing it to the floor, rushed off the
stage. He would never again appear at the Casino.
Colonel Mapleson said of Signer Cardinali after his first
appearance at the Academy: "To Cardinali belonged the
triumph of the night. At one stroke he has dethroned
Campanini." Campanini was the Caruso of that day.
In December, 1884, I was present at the dinner given
Madame Adelina Patti, in celebration of the twenty-fifth an-
niversary of the prima donna's first appearance in New York.
Mr. Max Maretzek, who was then conducting opera at the
New York Academy of Music, was present and told several
stories connected with Madame Patti's childhood. The fol-
lowing incident, in which Mr. Maretzek was a participant,
impressed itself on my memory.
"Adelina as a little girl was asked by her mother to sing
for some friends who were visiting at her house," said Mr.
Maretzek. "Instead of responding quickly with a song, she
thought for a moment and then asked: 'What will you give
me if I do?' She was asked by one of the company what she
demanded for a song and, though she had not yet reached the
age to realize that a warble from her throat was worth a thou-
sand dollars, she demanded what, no doubt, was quite as
valuable to her then, a hatful of bonbons. We had some
152 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
difficulty in getting these, but until we did get them, we had
no song!"
While a resident of New York, the distinguished composer,
Mr. Max Vogrich, submitted to me his grand opera "Der
Buddha" and so impressed was I with the magnificence of the
work, that during my sojourn in Paris in 1900 I called upon
Jean de Reszke at his artistic abode in the Rue de la Faissan-
derie, and informed him how much "Der Buddha" had
charmed me and that the title role was admirably fitted to
him. Mr. de Reszke said: "Cannot you arrange that I hear
it?" I replied that Mr. Vogrich was in Rome and that I
would wire him to come to Paris. An appointment was duly
fixed. Mr. Vogrich, who was a most admirable pianist,
played over his work, and so pleased was Mr. de Reszke that
he said he would suggest its acceptance for the Grand Opera
in Paris. Madame de Reszke, herself an excellent artist,
was present on this occasion, listened attentively and after
Mr. Vogrich had concluded said to him: "Your great work
is worthy of a Schumann, higher praise I cannot bestow."
I cannot permit the following episode to pass, showing
as it does the big heartedness of de Reszke: Just previous
to one of my periodical departures for Europe in May, 1906,
one Sunday morning Mr. Meyer Cohen, manager of a
prominent music publishing house in New York, with his
wife and daughter Vivienne called upon me, at my home.
Mr. Cohen whom I had known for many years, requested me
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 153
to hear Miss Vivienne's voice, wholly untrained, stating that
she had recently heard Madame Melba's phonographic inter-
pretation of Gounod's "Ave Maria" and that she would sing
it in her own way. I played her accompaniment and at once
expressed my astonishment and gratification. She was the
possessor of a well rounded, naturally sweet and warm con-
tralto quality of voice, in other words "a rough diamond re-
quiring polishing." I said to Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, that I
felt so confident in the future of Miss Vivienne, then sixteen
years of age, that I would suggest the matter to my friend
Mr. de Reszke on my arrival in Paris at an early date.
Arriving in Paris, I immediately fixed an appointment
with Mr. de Reszke, and there and then submitted the pho-
tograph of "my discovery" extolling her voice and per-
sonality in the highest degree, and emphasized the fact that
she had no money! Mr. de Reszke replied thus: "If the
young lady possesses the qualities you say she does, have her
come to Paris and I will cheerfully take her in hand, free of
charge, and from her first lucrative engagements, she can re-
fund me for my tuition."
I lost no time in cabling the good news to New York.
Miss Vivienne, accompanied by her mother, sailed over by
the first steamer. I installed them in a little apartment, not
far from the Rue de la Faissanderie. When Mr. de Reszke
heard Miss Vivienne, he said : "Aronson, your criticism of her
was in no way exaggerated, she can begin her studies to-mor-
row." And begin she did, but unfortunately her mother be-
154 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
came very ill after a short period, and she was compelled to
return to New York and thus I am sure, the world is loser of
a really remarkable voice.
On one occasion, at a reception tendered to Madame Emma
Eames (then in the zenith of her success at the Metropolitan
Opera House) by the Manuscript Society of New York, the
distinguished prima donna said to me: "How much I admire
your spotlet, Mr. Aronson!" For the moment I felt
abashed, presuming that Madame Eames was referring to the
diminutive bald-spot at the top of my head. After a mo-
ment's reflection, however, I recalled that the previous even-
ing she attended at my invitation a performance at the
Casino, and the spotlet she referred to was the Casino !
In St. Louis at the World's Fair (1904) the Palais des
Costumes, of which I had charge, was a sort of a cross be-
tween Madame Tussaud's Wax Works in London and the
Eden Musee in New York. So perfectly, and I might say,
artistically were the various subjects portrayed, that on one
occasion, a French workman in his blue blouse, wide panta-
loons and slouch hat, was arranging some figures, when Miss
Alice Roosevelt and companion strolled in. I noticed them
and said to the workman quietly in French, to take a quick
pose himself, as some visitors were about arriving. Miss
Roosevelt insisted that that man was alive, but her com-
panon ridiculed the idea, with the remark: "Why, these are
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 155
all wax figures !" They passed along, and almost a moment
after the French workman walked out, to the evident delight
of Miss Roosevelt, who had suddenly turned around and
noticed the proceedings.
While the new Chickering Hall on Huntington Avenue,
Boston, was in course of construction in the early nineties I
suggested to Messrs. Chickering and Sons the engagement of
the famous Joseph Joachim and his equally famous string
quartette to inaugurate their new concert hall. Messrs.
Chickering were delighted with my suggestion and authorized
me to cable the great violin virtuoso in Berlin, he to name
his own terms. Joachim replied: "Appreciate the very flat-
tering offer, but no inducement would permit my crossing
the Atlantic." Thus American music lovers were again the
losers.
Some years ago, after a concert in the Metropolitan Opera
House, I met Mr. H. E. Krehbiel, the dean of New York
musical critics, when we discussed the introductions of very
popular themes of famous composers in refrains of certain
marches, at that time very much in vogue; excerpts from the
"Carmen" Toreador Song, the Mendelssohn Spring Song,
Wagner's "Lohengrin," and also the extraordinarily popular
Boulanger March, etc., were freely used, although in these
cases perhaps unintentionally. What a contrast, however,
with certain present-day "would-be" composers, who don't
156 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
know the difference between a minor chord and a cord of
wood, and who bodily appropriate Schumann's Reverie,
Mendelssohn's Wedding March and Spring Song, Chopin's
Funeral March and other classics and interweave them with
"ragtime" accompaniments'? What a blessing it would be
to have a musical censor in this country, authorized to pre-
vent such outrageous tactics!
On one of my trips across the Atlantic in the early nineties
I had the pleasure of having as fellow passengers Madame
Sarah Bernhardt, the artists of her company, two singers of
repute and a wealthy Baron de . At the request of
the purser of the ship, I undertook the direction of an enter-
tainment on board, for the benefit of the Sailors' Fund.
Madame Bernhardt was not feeling well and regretted
not to be able to appear, but consented to have all the mem-
bers of her splendid company take part, as did also the two
singers.
I was informed that the Baron de had written
some very excellent poems and that he might be induced to
recite one or two of them. I thereupon interviewed him and
he very courteously acquiesced for so laudable a cause.
With such a combination it was not difficult to arrange an
unusually delightful ship's entertainment. I placed Baron
de in the "star" position, at the end of the first part.
He recited his poem in French. It was rather long, and un-
derstood by but few of the passengers, who applauded
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 157
vociferously, so he immediately followed with another, and
then still with another. He kept at it until the passengers
were beginning to show signs of fatigue, with the second part
of the entertainment yet to come. I politely called the
Baron's attention to the lateness of the hour and the fact
that there were others on the program, so he good-nat-
turedly subsided. As was customary I had three pretty girls
"pass around the plates" and when one of them approached
the Baron for a contribution, he declined emphatically, ad-
ding: "Have I not contributed sufficiently in the recital of
my poems!" With Madame Bernhardt, it was quite differ-
ent, however. The three girls had obtained sixteen hundred
francs. I informed the Divine Sarah of that fact and she
inquired of me: "How much of that amount did the Baron
contribute1?" I replied: "Not a sou." She then took from her
purse four one hundred franc notes, and handed them to
me, saying: "So that will make two thousand francs for the
poor sailors."
On Saturday evening, May 27th, 1893, the New York
Casino was prettily decorated with a lavish display of the
flags of this country and Spain, which were caught up over
the boxes and draped along the balconies and along the stair-
ways. Souvenir announcements printed on yellow silk were
given to the ladies in the audience, and all in honor of the
Infanta Eulalie, who, however, on account of illness occa-
sioned by over-exertion at the gala ball given for her Royal
158 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Highness the previous evening at the Madison Square Con-
cert Hall, was unable to attend.
The house was packed from pit to dome and the coming
of the party was heralded at half-past nine o'clock. Then
the orchestra, which had been playing the familiar music of
"Adonis," broke into the royal march of Spain and everybody
rose in compliment to the guests. There was a great cran-
ing of necks and looks of wonderment at the absence of the
Princess. The applause that greeted the entrance of her hus-
band Prince Antonio and his escorts into the boxes reserved
for them, dragged somewhat, because all waited to see if the
Infanta wasn't somewhere behind them. This point finally
decided, the audience settled itself once more and the per-
formance proceeded.
In the two boxes on the right of the stage with the Prince,
the Duke de Tarames and Secretary Jovar, were General
Horace Porter, General Varnum, A. P. Montant, Francis
Lynde Stetson and Comptroller Theodore Myers. On the
opposite side of the house in the first stage box were Mayor
Thomas F. Gilroy, City Chamberlain O'Donohue and Mrs.
O'Donohue. In the second box were seated ex-Governor
Wetmore and his wife and Commander E. Nicholson Kane.
In the audience there were such notables as Colonel and Mrs.
William Jay, Judge and Mrs. Abram R. Lawrence, Ward
McAllister and his daughter. I had the honor of presenting
to Prince Antonio a handsome silver statuette of Henry E.
Dixey as Adonis that had been intended for the Infanta. At
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 159
the close of the performance the party went to the roof gar-
den, where they occupied the boxes and witnessed the dancing
and enjoyed the singing of Mme. Naya.
Besides bringing to the notice of the American public at
my Sunday popular concerts at the Casino in New York such
artists as Leopold Godowsky, Michael Banner, and Alexan-
der Lambert, I also undertook the management first of
Henri Marteau, the young French violinist.
In the early nineties I attended the violin concours at the
Paris Conservatoire. Massenet, Ambroise Thomas, Theo-
dore Dubois and other eminent composers made up the jury,
and— of perhaps twenty aspirants— young Henri Marteau
succeeded by a unanimous vote of the jury in carrying off
the first prize. It was then that I engaged Marteau for a
tour in America, at the earnest solicitation of Massenet, and
he achieved very great success from his first appearance in
New York with the Philharmonic Society then under the con-
ductorship of Anton Seidl. Today Marteau is the recog-
nized successor of Joseph Joachim in Berlin.
At the concours above referred to, assured of his mastery of
and admiration for the queen of instruments, I suggested to
Massenet that he compose a "violin concerto," and he replied
that it was his ambition to do so. Unfortunately, however,
his enormous operatic and orchestral work prevented and the
music world is the loser.
About this time there was dissension and litigation with-
out end in the affairs of the Casino, so much so that in addi-
160 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
tion to David Leventritt, the services of such eminent counsel
as ex-Judge William Henry Arnoux and Samuel Untermyer
were retained. During those strenuous times I worked hard
on the musical score of "The Rainmaker of Syria," the
libretto of which was by Sydney Rosenfeld. It was hur-
riedly produced at the Casino under the management of
Harry W. Roseborn on September 25th, 1893, with Bertha
Ricci, Kate Davis, Sophie Holt, Fannie Ward, Nina Farring-
ton, Florence Bell, Mark Smith, Charles Hopper, Harry
Davenport, and J. A. Furey in the cast, and under the con-
ductorship of Gustave Kerker, but with only moderate suc-
cess. I thereupon became the manager of the Bijou Theater
in New York and with Henry B. Sire, its owner, arranged
for the renovation and redecoration of that house.
William Harris suggested as the opening attraction, under
my management of the Bijou, his star, May Irwin, in "The
Widow Jones," but Mr. Sire at first declined, because he was
afraid that at that time Miss Irwin was not recognized as
a Broadway attraction. However, I went on to Boston to
witness a rehearsal of "The Widow Jones" and was so
charmed with Miss Irwin and her inimitable interpretation
of that catchy, dainty negro melody, "I want yer ma honey,"
that I immediately closed a contract with Mr. Harris. Miss
Irwin appeared and for hundreds of performances delighted
multitudes and at once established herself as a Broadway
favorite.
One of the most original "presentations" to which I was a
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 161
party was perpetrated at the last performance of "The Widow
Jones" at the Bijou Theater, New York. After Miss May
Irwin had rendered in her inimitable manner the "New
Bully" song, two ushers rushed down the aisle, bearing be-
tween them what appeared to be a barrel formed of flowers.
It was hoisted on the stage with some difficulty and the
audience applauded and Miss Irwin bowed, beamed, and
smiled.
That was not all, however, for as soon as the barrel was set
down, right out of it there hopped two pickaninnies as black
as the proverbial ace of spades. The audience laughed and
applauded, and Miss Irwin was obliged to make a farewell
speech.
It was during this period that I engaged the "lioness of
the piano," the distinguished Teresa Carreno, who after years
and years of arduous unremunerative work in the United
States went to Europe and in a comparatively short period
attained the foremost position, so that my contract with her
was for six hundred dollars for each concert, which was away
out of proportion to the figure she had received previous to her
seven years' sojourn abroad. Madame Carreno scored im-
mensely on her return visit to the United States and Canada,
and was proclaimed not only the "lioness" but the "queen of
the piano," which was her rightly deserved title.
While I was in Berlin in the late nineties, negotiating for
the engagement of Madame Teresa Carreno for America, I
was told of a story, which was going the rounds regarding that
162 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
distinguished pianiste and her husband, Eugene D' Albert, the
well known composer-pianist. It seems that the relations
of that couple had been strained for some time, and one day
without any motive whatever D' Albert left his home and
shortly after announced his appearance at a concert in Berlin.
So incensed were the Berliners at his attitude that all sorts
of vengeance were threatened. D' Albert, hearing of this,
cautiously (it was said) invited his friend Johannes Brahms
to conduct his piano concerto, which was one of the numbers
on the program. The evening of the concert arrived and
so did Brahms, who was as beloved in Berlin as he was in
Vienna. With baton in hand he accompanied D' Albert.
The audience applauded vociferously, and the impending dis-
turbance was averted.
In the spring of 1900, en route to Berlin I stopped over
at Cologne, and to my surprise discovered that Herr Eduard
Strauss and his Vienna orchestra were giving concerts at the
"Flora," a prominent concert garden there. I immediately
put myself in touch with Herr Strauss, attended his concert
in the evening, enchanted as of old with his irresistible man-
ner of conducting. At times he played the violin with his
orchestra when not wielding the baton, and swayed to and
fro to emphasize the rhythm of the music, marking time also
with his right foot in a manner decidedly unique.
I lunched with Herr Strauss the following day and re-
called the promise he had made me at the banquet tendered
his brother Johann in Vienna in 1894, that if he visited
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 163
America again he would do so under my management! I
said: "Heir Director, are you ready to accept an engagement
for a tour in the United States and Canada next fall !" He
replied in the affirmative, terms were discussed and an op-
tional contract was agreed upon. I sailed for New York
shortly thereafter, consulted Mr. Henry Seligman (son of
Mr. Jesse Seligman, one of the founders in the early eighties
of my first venture, The Metropolitan Concert Hall) who
courteously aided me in financing the "Strauss" tour.
There was a great flare of trumpets preceding the Strauss
return to America. A prize of one hundred dollars was
offered for the best title for a waltz composed by me and
dedicated to Herr Strauss. Some six hundred suggestions
were received and the committee accepted the title, "Strauss
Greeting," as the most appropriate.
The first Strauss Concert was given in the ballroom of the
Waldorf-Astoria in New York on October 2oth, 1900, under
distinguished patronage which included the Austrian Ambas-
sador, Baron von Hegenmuller, Mrs. John Jacob Astor,
Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish, Mrs. George B. DeForest, Mrs.
Hermann Oelrichs, Mrs. George J. Gould, Mrs. Thomas
Hitchcock and Mrs. Elisha Dyer, Jr.
The following was the program:
Overture — Simplicius Johann Strauss
Prelude — Cornelius Schutt Smareglia
Waltz — Greeting to America (new) Eduard Strauss
164 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Ave Verum Mozart
Polka — Vienna Custom Eduard Strauss
Hungarian Rhapsody No. i Liszt
Waltz — Artist Life Johann Strauss
Ballet Music — Le Cid Massenet
Galop — Happy the World Over Eduard Strauss
At the second concert on Sunday evening, October 2 1st,
1900, at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, there
were more than five thousand persons; indeed the house was
packed to repletion and several hundred persons could not get
in at all. Strauss and his orchestra achieved a veritable
triumph. Strauss concerts were given in the principal cities
of the United States and Canada, but the season came to an
untimely conclusion owing to a railroad accident which un-
fortunately incapacitated Herr Strauss' right arm. But in
order not to disappoint the large gathering at a Charity Ball
at the Metropolitan Opera House on February 12th, 1901,
he conducted six dance numbers with the baton in his left
hand to the evident delight of the terpsichorean devotees, who
after each dance applauded him to the echo. This was his
last appearance in America.
Eduard Strauss received an academic education and was
graduated in philosophy. He at first intended to go into
the consular service, but the hereditary tastes of his family
asserted themselves and he turned to music, making his debut
as leader of the Strauss orchestra in 1862. At the close of
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"GREETING TO AMERICA"
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 165
the seventies he began his concert tours. They soon became
popular all over Europe, and in 1890 he first came to Amer-
ica, achieving an immense success and being welcomed in
sixty-one cities of the United States. He has visited over
eight hundred cities in the two hemispheres. He is com-
mander, officer or knight of twelve orders, and has received
valuable presents from thirty-two different rulers. His
musical publications include three hundred compositions of
his own and two hundred arrangements of operas, concert-
pieces and songs.
During the last weeks of the Eduard Strauss invasion I
was busily engaged in directing the production of Johann
Strauss' posthumous operetta, "Vienna Life" (Wiener Blut),
at the Broadway Theater, New York, where it was presented
for the first time on January 23rd, 1901, with Thomas
Persse, Charles H. Drew, Raymond Hitchcock, William
Blaisdell, Amelia Stone, Ethel Jackson, Rosemary Glosz, and
Maude Thomas in the cast. It was sumptuously mounted,
and the scenery and costumes were beautiful and artistic, but
the public at that time had been surfeited with light musical
comedy performances and kept steadily away from higher
class operetta productions, so that the Strauss work was with-
drawn after four or five weeks.
In the fall of 1900 I received a letter from Norbert Dunkl,
a prominent concert manager and head of the old music pub-
lishing firm of Rozsavolgyi and Company, Budapest — whom
166 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
I had previously met during my European wanderings.
Herr Dunkl informed me that he had engaged for a term
of years a young and very promising violinist, Jan Kubelik,
and urged me to hear him at the earliest opportunity. In
the spring of 1901, I again sailed for! Europe, met Herr
Dunkl on the Riviera, where he was then directing a short
tour of this young virtuoso. I heard Kubelik at Nice and at
Monte Carlo and later in London, and was much impressed
with his marvelous technique and personality, and recognized
in him a great card for America.
It did not take me long to conclude an optional agreement
for the season 1901 and 1902 in the United States and
Canada, under which agreement I was required to deposit ten
thousand dollars on account.
It so happened, that a prominent New York theatrical
manager was in London and to him I suggested Kubelik and
a partnership arrangement, he (the theatrical manager) to
furnish the money, and I to direct the tour. We were to
share in the profits equally.
After the New York manager had heard Kubelik at two
concerts at St. James Hall in London, he accepted my pro-
posal and the money was deposited, whereupon a London
concert manager, a Mr. Hugo Gorlitz, informed Kubelik that
inasmuch as he was a minor when his contract with Dunkl
had been entered into, and still was a minor, he was at per-
fect liberty to dispense with his manager Dunkl and make a
new and more lucrative arrangement with him (Gorlitz).
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 167
Kubelik acquiesced in this, to say the least, ungrateful ar-
rangement, and the money deposited by the New York man-
ager was returned to him. He thereupon entered into an
agreement with Gorlitz. Kubelik came to America and, as
I predicted, made a phenomenal success.
Following the Kubelik episode I returned to New York.
After a short period, I received a cablegram from Herr
Dunkl informing me that he had discovered another young
artist, a Miss Steffi Geyer, a violinist of the very first rank
and a pupil of Kubelik' s teacher, Professor Sevcik. I sailed
for Europe, only to learn on my arrival in Budapest, that the
young lady had on account of too strenuous practice sprained
one of the fingers of her left hand, and the accident was so
serious that her doctor prevented her from playing in public
for some time. Thereupon my attention was directed to-
ward another young Bohemian violinist, Jaroslav Kocian,
who also had studied with Kubelik under Professor Sevcik
in Prague. He was creating quite a furore, both socially and
professionally. He had played at soirees at the Waldorf-
Asters' and other fashionable houses in London, and when I
heard him at one of the Richter concerts at St. James Hall,
I was so impressed with him, that I engaged him for a series
of concerts in America for the season 1902-1903.
On the steamer crossing the Atlantic, Kocian, who was a
very handsome young fellow, attracted the attention of a
prominent London society woman, at whose home he had
played. Inasmuch as his success in the English metropolis
168 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
had been widely chronicled in the newspapers, the New York
reporters were bent upon interviewing Kocian on arrival of
the steamer. In looking over the passenger list, they at once
recognized the name of the society lady before alluded to
and were informed of her tete-a-tetes and promenades on deck
with the violinist.
Kocian expressed himself as delighted with his trip over
and his anxiety to play before an American audience, then
exhibited his three valuable violins, one of which with a
carved handle attracted most attention. One reporter in-
quired of Kocian: "How about the lady and your elope-
ment?" The violinist looked dumbfounded and simply
laughed at the query.
A sensational story of an elopement was started and the
papers throughout the United States printed columns upon
columns with illustrations. One New York paper went so
far as to print a photograph of the violin handle of one of
Kocian's violins purporting it to be the carved portrait of the
society lady.
This wonderful reclame helped materially in packing
Carnegie Hall at Kocian's initial concert with Walter Dam-
rosch's orchestra from the orchestra floor to the uppermost
gallery and establishing his artistic career in this country.
The fact of Kocian's following rather than preceding
Kubelik on a long tour was detrimental from a financial point
of view, but his artistic success nevertheless was unmistak-
able.
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 169
General William T. Sherman died February 14th, 1891,
from erysipelas resulting from a cold contracted while wit-
nessing a performance of "Poor Jonathan" at the New York
Casino on February yth. It was on the occasion of
the "Special Military Night" at which there were
also present General Daniel E. Sickles and the colonels of all
the New York regiments. On March lyth, 1891, a benefit
performance was given at the Casino for the General Sher-
man monument fund of New York.
Miss Lillian Russell, Carmencita, Nat Goodwin, James T.
Powers, the Columbia College Dramatic Club, the Imperial
Japanese Troupe, and Erdelyi Naczi's Hungarian Band par-
ticipated, and for the closing number of the entertainment,
the entire "Poor Jonathan" chorus in their West Point cadet
uniforms went through their military evolutions to the music
of "Marching Through Georgia."
One evening in Boston in the eighties while my company
was playing a very successful engagement of "Erminie" at
the Globe Theater, I noticed Mr. John Stetson, the manager
of that house, standing in the wings on the stage, earnestly
watching the musicians of the orchestra (which under my
agreement he was obliged to furnish at his own expense).
It so happened that just at that time the two horn players
had thirty-two bars rest. Stetson waited until the conclu-
sion of the act, then called the conductor and said to him : "I
noticed that your horn players were not playing!" The con-
170 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
ductor replied: "But Mr. Stetson, they had nothing to play,
they had a rest." Stetson answered excitedly: "Well, do
they expect me to pay them salaries for resting ! Not for me,
no play, no pay!"
This reminds me also that on one occasion in Boston, when
I was in negotiation with Stetson for a return engagement of
one of my companies, I wanted five per cent, more than the
gross takings than Stetson would pay, and while negotiations
were pending, he invited me for a sail on his yacht, The
Sapphire, when suddenly a veritable hurricane set in. Be-
coming frightfully seasick, I said to him: "Get me off of this
confounded boat if you want my company upon your own
terms next season!"
I attended performances of "Parsifal" and "Tristan and
Isolde" at Bayreuth in July, 1891 ; and it is possible that my
comments in relation to them, cabled to the New York
Herald on July 2yth, 1891, may be of interest now:
"No wonder Madame Cosima Wagner protests against
performances of 'Parsifal* other than those given at Bay-
reuth, for the reason that they would be almost impossible
owing to the musical and scenic difficulties which are over-
come by the superb orchestra ensemble and the enormous
stage of the Bayreuth Theater.
" 'Parsifal' to my mind is the greatest of all Wagner's
works. I was never in my life more impressed than with the
third act. It was like a dream. Parsifal's solo, the Good
RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS 171
TYiday spell, and the flower girls' chorus are masterpieces.
Such playing as that of the orchestra under the direction of
Herr Levy I never heard surpassed; but, as Alvary informed
me before the first performances of 'Parsifal,' six weeks'
rehearsal may account for that absolute perfection. Three
thousand people sat in darkness without a murmur and
listened attentively to the masterwork of that Shakespeare
of composers.
"Monday's performance of 'Tristan and Isolde' was re-
ceived enthusiastically by an international audience crowd-
ing the theater to overflowing. Frau Rosa Sucher and
Alvary were superb in the title roles. Herr Felix Mottl
conducted in a perfect manner. Among the distinguished
visitors were Prince William of Hesse, Prince Ludwig Victor
of Bavaria and the Princess of Anhalt."
MORE RECOLLECTIONS
CHAPTER XII
MORE RECOLLECTIONS
Interviews with Pieter Tschaikowsky — The First Performance
of Puccini's "Tosca" at La Scala, Milan — Meeting with
Leoncavallo in Italy, and His Tour in America — Kocian at
William C. Whitney's musicale — Mascagni and His Pupil —
A State Concert at Buckingham Palace — Of Isadora
Duncan, Maud Allan, Ruth St. Denis, and Thamara de
Swirsky — The Difficulties of a Manager.
PIETER TSCHAIKOWSKY, that prince of compos-
ers of the romantic school, with whom I had the ex-
treme pleasure of crossing the ocean in 1891, after he
had so successfully conducted a number of his compositions at
the inaugural week's festival at Carnegie Hall, New York, and
in some of the principal cities of the United States, was of an
exceedingly retiring disposition. However, I had occasion to
converse with him. He seemed to have had a great fondness
for Americans, remarking: "They are so warm, so sympathetic,
so like the Russian public, so quick to catch a point and so
eager to show their appreciation of the good things offered
them." He also complimented very highly our orchestral
performers, saying: "They are thoroughly capable and con-
scientious musicians and would quite put to blush some of our
175
176 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
players across the water in the matter of sight reading."
Presently he excused himself and hurried to his little cabin
on the upper deck, absorbed in an orchestral score on which
he was working.
It is a remarkable fact that where two noted instrumental-
ists appear at the same concert, their success is not so pro-
nounced as when appearing at concerts individually. I re-
call as a boy the joint debut in New York in the early seven-
ties of those giants of the piano and violin, Anton Rubin-
stein and Henri Wieniawski. Neither the enthusiasm of the
audience nor the receipts were over great, but when
Wieniawski appeared as the sole soloist on a Sunday night
at the old Wallack's Theater (then on the corner of Broad-
way and 13th Street), I found the house packed from pit to
dome by admirers of the great virtuoso, and he w*as given a
veritable ovation. It was precisely the same when Rubin-
stein appeared alone.
When, in the late eighties, the famous composer-pianist,
Eugene D' Albert and the equally distinguished violinist,
Pablo de Sarasate, appeared conjointly under the direction of
Abbey and Grau in the principal cities of the United States,
their success was not in any way commensurate with their
recognized talents; indeed at three matinee auditions at the
New York Casino, which was then under my management,
they appeared to extraordinarily enthusiastic but meager
audiences. Had they appeared separately, I question
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 177
whether there would have been such a tale to unfold, at least
so far as the receipts were concerned.
It was reported just after my production of Chassaigne's
"The Brazilian" at the Casino that the genial musical direc-
tor and composer, Gustave Kerker, had made ducks and drakes
of Chassaigne's score, which was absolutely false. Chas-
saigne, composer of the former Casino successes, "Falka" and
"Nadjy," stood too high as a musician to be treated in such
a manner. It was also asserted that in order to push the
prima donna in "The Brazilian" to the front, because of some
stories about her elopement that enhanced her value as a
drawing theatrical attraction, Mr. Kerker had enlarged the
part assigned to her and cut to pieces the part assigned to
another leading artist in the company.
Now, the truth was simply that the other leading artist
resigned from my company because she was told that I had
decided to dispense with her services as unsatisfactory.
Tales are always attached to clever women. You never hear
them about mediocre people. The reason you read so many
romances in the lives of light opera stars, is that people en-
joy them. The moment a woman begins to show talent on
the stage, a story is started about her.
Relative to the above episode, Monsieur Chassaigne him-
self wrote thanking me for the sumptuous staging of his
"Brazilian" and requesting me to convey to Mr. Kerker his
thanks for the scrupulous care he had bestowed upon his
178 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
score. He said further that he was sensible of the reception
his "Falka" and "Nadjy" had always met with in America,
and that that mark of sympathy so strongly attracted him to
me he hoped soon to attend the rehearsals and be present
at the production of his next work.
The work referred to by Monsieur Chassaigne was a new
opera he had in contemplation for the Casino, dealing with
the life of Louis XIV at Versailles, but to my sincere regret
this talented composer died before its completion.
In my production of "La Fille de Madame Angot" at the
Casino, the two leading parts, Mile. Lange and Clairette^
were taken respectively by Camille D'Arville and Marie Hal-
ton, who are made rivals in the opera, but were rivals in real
life also.
In the quarrel scene in the last act, they are made to say
spiteful things to each other and on one occasion Madame
D'Arville informed me that Miss Halton had used this
privilege to abuse her because of jealousy. When the cur-
tain fell there was a scene and many bitter words passed,
but the matter was amicably settled.
One morning during the Kocian engagement following his
first performances in New York, I received a telephone call
from the late Mr. William C. Whitney (former Secretary
of the Navy). He inquired if Kocian's services were avail-
able for a musicale at his residence on Fifth Avenue on the
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 179
following Sunday evening at ten o'clock. I replied that Mr.
Kocian was in Chicago and that he played there at the Audi-
torium on Saturday afternoon and I had my doubts about ar-
ranging the matter, but would wire my representative sug-
gesting that Kocian's position on the program be moved
forward, so that he could leave by the fast afternoon train,
and perhaps fill the engagement.
The terms were fixed with Mr. Whitney at fifteen hundred
dollars for the one appearance. Kocian managed to catch
the afternoon train from Chicago, which unfortunately,
through some mishap, was detained at or near Albany and
did not reach the Grand Central Station until eleven-thirty
p. M. on Sunday. In order to save time, the young violin
virtuoso had donned his dress suit en route. He hailed the
first automobile, arriving at midnight at Mr. Whitney's
residence, where he delighted the anxious guests with his ar-
tistic and brilliant interpretations.
On April 2oth, 1891, I had the pleasure of attending at
Princes' Hall, Piccadilly, London, a concert of The Royal
Amateur Orchestral Society, considered the finest body of
amateur musicians in England. The late Duke of Edin-
burgh was the leader of the first violins. The Prince of
Wales (afterwards King Edward VII) took a strong interest
in the Society, and always arranged the dates of the perform-
ances himself, besides consulting the Society's able conductor,
Mr. George Mount, as to the main feature of the program.
i8o THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
At this concert, a circle of comfortable fauteuils was re-
served for the Prince of Wales and his party. The fauteuils
were prettily decorated with flowers, and conveniently near
was a small but well stocked buffet. The Prince of Wales
and his party smoked, chatted and laughed most heartily.
In a word, they all appeared to enjoy thoroughly the absence
of restraint which is one of the chief features of these de-
lightful entertainments. The company present included the
Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Teck, the Earl of Latham,
Sir Arthur Sullivan, Sir Frederick Leighton and many other
well known faces.
I first introduced the Hungarian Band conducted by
Erdelyi Naczi in the early eighties on the Roof Garden of
the New York Casino. The success was immediate, so much
so that Mrs. Paran Stevens arranged with me for the first
appearance of this band in private at an al fresco entertain-
ment at her magnificent villa at Newport for which she paid
the sum of one thousand dollars.
The late Mr. Austin Corbin, President of the Long Island
Railroad Company, was one of my warmest friends. I was
present as one of his guests on the first tour of inspection over
his road and at the dinner in honor of the opening of the
Manhattan Beach Hotel some thirty years ago. It was Austin
Corbin who courteously presided at a stockholders' meeting of
the Casino Company in my behalf and who lent me a help-
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 181
ing hand in the battle with my enemies of that company.
A visit to Manhattan and Brighton Beach in the summer
of 1912 convinced me of the fickleness of the public, and the
changes that are brought about in a generation ! During the
Austin Corbin regime, the best orchestras and bands under
the conductorship of Theodore Thomas, Anton Seidl, Pa-
trick S. Gilmore, John Philip Sousa, Victor Herbert and
others assisted by great artists attracted the multitude to both
those then popular resorts, but now the public drifts to amuse-
ments of an entirely different nature such as is afforded at
Luna and Steeplechase Parks at Coney Island.
I recall that on a certain Saturday afternoon and evening
in the early eighties at Manhattan Beach, Jules Levy, who
was then the cornet soloist with Gilmore' s band, was the re-
cipient of a testimonial, receiving in addition to his extraordi-
nary salary, a percentage of that one day's Manhattan Beach
Railroad receipts. At the evening concert Levy performed
my "Sweet Sixteen Waltz" (which I composed for him) in
his inimitable manner and with the addition of his own
marvelous cadenzas, eliciting the thunderous applause of the
largest audience that I ever witnessed at a musical entertain-
ment.
During the season 1898 I presented at the Metropolitan
Opera House, New York, the famous Grenadier Guards
Band, with the equally famous bandmaster, Lieutenant Dan
Godfrey of London. Their success was well deserved and
i82 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
they sustained in every way the high standard they had estab-
lished in Europe and at the Boston Peace Jubilee in 1870.
Following the concerts at the Metropolitan Opera House I
arranged for a tour of the band in some of the principal cities
of the United States and Canada, followed by a series of con-
certs at the Lenox Lyceum (now the Plaza Music Hall) in
New York. Victor Herbert, who at that time was giving
concerts at Manhattan Beach, invited Dan Godfrey and his
band as his guests one afternoon, when a well chosen pro-
gram, principally made up of English and Irish selections
was performed and heartily enjoyed. The English band-
master, Godfrey, fairly embraced the Irish conductor and com-
poser, Herbert, and complimented him upon the excellence of
his band.
In the early nineties, while supping with Mr. N. Vert, the
well known concert manager, and my elder brother Joe at
the Gambrinus, a German restaurant in London, my atten-
tion was attracted to a table not far distant, at which were
seated four pianists. I went over and greeted them, saying:
"It is indeed a rare treat to have the pleasure of greeting four
so distinguished pianists." One of them replied rather
sharply: "I beg your pardon, there are only two distinguished
pianists present." I was taken back, because the quartette
comprised Moriz Rosenthal, Mark Hamburg, Leopold
Godowsky and Vladimir de Pachmann. Returning to my
seat, I informed Mr. Vert of the occurrence, who at once
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 183
said de Pachmann was the guilty offender and that his dis-
tinguished preference was Godowsky.
When, afterwards, I met de Pachmann in New York dur-
ing one of his concert tours, I said to him : "Doctor, of course
Chopin is your favorite composer" (de Pachmann being
recognized the world over as a Chopin interpreter par ex-
cellence) , but to my astonishment he replied emphatically:
"I hate, I detest Chopin! My favorites are Beethoven,
Schumann and Mendelssohn!"
During one of my first visits to Berlin in the early seventies,
I stayed at the Hotel Kaiserhof, where the great International
Congress was being held. There were present, besides Bis-
marck, Thiers, Gortschakoff and other distinguished repre-
sentatives, Benjamin Disraeli. Their conferences were held
on the first floor of the hotel, and on two or three occasions
I had the opportunity, while walking up to my room on the
second floor, of seeing the great English Prime Minister.
When at a recent performance (1912) at Wallack's Theater,
New York, I witnessed Mr. George Arliss' remarkable and
artistic performance of Louis N. Parker's delightful play
"Disraeli," I was struck too by that fine artist's wonderful
make-up and lifelike characterization; indeed the Disraeli I
saw forty years before was vividly brought before my gaze.
While in Milan in 1900, I had the good fortune to be
present at the premiere of Puccini's masterpiece "Tosca" at
184 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
the Scala, with Darclee, De March! and Giraldoni in the cast.
The house had been sold out for weeks before, but my friend,
Signer Franco Fano, editor of the Mondo Artistico^ succeeded
in procuring a seat for me.
Maestro Toscanini, that wizard of operatic conductors,
wielded the baton over his one hundred professori of the
world-famous Scala orchestra, and it so happened that
at the last orchestral rehearsal (at which Puccini was not pres-
ent), Toscanini took it upon himself to change the tempo
of the finale of the first act, one of the most important num-
bers in the opera, thereby attaining a more satisfactory effect.
At the first public performance at which Puccini was pres-
ent, he and the distinguished audience which packed the
spacious Scala, sat spellbound, and after Toscanini (always
minus the orchestra score) directed that great number pre-
viously alluded to, the tempo of which he himself had changed
unknown to the composer, Puccini rose from his seat and
rapturously applauded, as did the audience, and "Tosca" had
won a great victory, due in a measure to Toscanini.
Some years previous to the Tosca premiere, I happened to
stroll into the "Scala" one morning, for the purpose of get-
ting a view of that famous opera house, and with a guide
went minutely over the enormous stage, its lighting and
mechanical arrangements, and its auditorium, studying its
wonderful acoustic properties, and finally arriving at the en-
trance corridor where I was confronted with four marble
statues of Italy's immortals — Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini and
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 185
Verdi. I casually remarked to the guide: "How about Puc-
cini; don't you think that he is entitled to a place here1?"
The guide smiled and said simply, "Piccolo, piccolo!"
(Little, little!) That was in the early days of Puccini, how-
ever, before he had enriched the world with "Manon
Lescaut," "Tosca," "La Boheme," and "Madama Butterfly."
While I was in London in the spring of 1906, Her Grace
the Duchess of Marlborough, who was Miss Consuelo Van-
derbilt, contemplated giving a musicale for the benefit of
one of her pet charities, the West Ham and East London
Hospital Extension Fund. I suggested to Her Grace, that
it would afford me great pleasure, as an American manager
and compatriot, to assist not only in the management of her
musicale, but also in providing the artists.
My offer was graciously accepted and the following pro-
gram was offered:
1 Selections — The Blue Viennese Band
(HERR MORITZ WURM, Conductor)
2 Characteristic Portrayals —
a "Angelina Johnsing" Dunbar
b "Mighty Like a Rose"
c "At the Box Office"
Miss LILLIAN WOODWARD
3 Songs —
a "Chanson de Printemps" Gounod
b "Quand je fus pris" Reynaldo Hahn
MR. LE"ON RENNAY
4 Violin Solos
a "Legende" Wieniawski
b "Zephir" Hubay
i86 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
HERR FERENCZ HEGEDUS
5 Songs —
a "The Dewdrops" Liza Lehmann
b "To a Little Red Spider"
c "The Guardian Angel"
(By desire)
Miss ESTHER PALLISER
(Accompanied by the Composer)
6 Cornet Solos
a "Berceuse" Tschaikowsky
b "Serenade Coquette" Barthelemy
MR. PARIS CHAMBERS
7 Selections — The Blue Viennese Band
(HERR MORITZ WURM, Conductor}
GOD SAVE THE KING
The elite of London Society and many distinguished Amer-
icans attended and the musicale was a pronounced success.
The Duchess of Marlborough, in whom I recognized a most
charming, amiable, unaffected woman, one who endeared her-
self to all who had the honor of meeting her, thanked me
again and again.
In May, 1911, I was a passenger on the steamer Lapland
bound for Europe, and in order to break away from the or-
dinary monotony of a sea trip I suggested to Captain Doxrud
the giving of a concert for the benefit of the Sailors' Relief
Fund, to which he readily acquiesced. There was an un-
usually large passenger list, which included Mr. Charles P.
Taft (brother of President Taft), Count Conrad de Buisseret,
the Belgian Minister to the United States, and Senator Al-
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 187
bert J. Beveridge. Mr. Taft kindly consented to act as
chairman of the concert and the Belgian Minister and Sena-
tor Beveridge favored the passengers with a few timely re-
marks.
Previous to each number Mr. Taft made a little explana-
tory anouncement. The first number on the program
was my march, "The Man of the Hour," which was dedicated
to President Taft. Mr. Taft in perusing the program for
the first time seemed somewhat confused as to what he should
say relative to this number, but the passengers (with the
printed program in hand) came to his rescue, applauding
heartily, and the chairman smilingly retired until the next
and subsequent numbers. Several hundred dollars were added
to the sailors' fund.
In 1905 I spent a few weeks at Salsomaggiore in Italy,
where I had the pleasure of meeting the distinguished com-
poser, Ruggero Leoncavallo. It was during one of our little
promenades that I suggested to him a tour in the United
States, Mexico and Cuba. He was at first taken back, but
he reflected and after a few days fixed a meeting for the near
future at his beautiful villa at Brissago on Lake Maggiore.
I visited his home, where I was presented to his charming
wife and family, and after dinner a provisional agreement
was entered into between Leoncavallo and myself.
Shortly after, we met again at his Milan abode, the Hotel
Victoria, where he introduced me to Signor Titta Ruifo, one
i88 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
of Italy's foremost baritones, who laughingly remarked that
he might ere long undertake "a tour of inspection of the New
World."
I had heard and admired Signor Ruffo in "Hamlet,"
"Rigoletto," "The Barber of Seville," and "Pagliacci," and
said to him: "Why don't you come to the Metropolitan in
New York?" He replied that negotiations had been under
way many times, but that his terms were too high, and further-
more that with his European and South American engage-
ments it was difficult for him to find the time for New York,
much as he would like to appear there. I note with great
pleasure that the present director, Andreas Dippel, has finally
succeeded in capturing Ruffo for the season 1912-1913 in New
York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston. There is a splendid
treat in store for American lovers of the opera !
I thereupon discussed with Leoncavallo some further details
of the agreement and after a short period sailed for New York,
where in due course of time I interested an American manager,
Mr. John Cort, in the enterprise. Contracts were finally signed,
Leoncavallo with his company and orchestra arrived, and the
first operatic concert was given at Carnegie Hall, New York,
October 8th, 1906. Leoncavallo conducted, and the pro-
gram consisted of works entirely of his own composition. It
was to be regretted, however, that the orchestra was not up to
the mark, owing to the sudden retirement, the very day of em-
barkation from Genoa, of a number of excellent performers,
whose places had to be filled with inferior musicians. The
WAR DEPARTMENT.
WASHI NCTON
June 27, 1908.
My dear Mr. Aronson:
I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your favor
of the 19th of June, and thank you for remembering
me and for your kind words of congratulation.
Very sincerely yours,
Mr. Rudolph Aronson,
227 Riverside Drive,
New York, N. Y.
A LETTER FROM WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 189
public and the critics took somewhat unkindly to this, and the
result was only a moderate success for the tour, although
Leoncavallo was lionized whenever and wherever he appeared.
On October 29th, 1906, I presented to President Roosevelt
in Washington a specially prepared copy of Leoncavallo's
"Viva PAmerica March," built on the two melodies, "Yankee
Doodle" and "Dixie," which was dedicated to him by the com-
poser. The outside silk cover bore an embossed design by
Mr. John Frew, and the music was etched on heavy vellum.
The President, in accepting the work, said: "I am delighted
that a composer of the position of Leoncavallo, whose
'Pagliacci' I have enjoyed so many times, should do me
this great honor, and I shall forward him my letter of
thanks."
In 1907 I visited Havana and Mexico in the interest of
Leoncavallo and his company, and succeeded in procuring pri-
vate guarantees in the former and a governmental subsidy in
the latter, but even with these substantial financial assurances,
it was found impracticable to arrange for a second tour.
During my stay in Mexico City, the honor was accorded me
of meeting Diaz, then President, at the palace at Chapultepec,
a most genial old gentleman of decidedly military bearing. I
spoke to him of the proposed Leoncavallo tour through Mexico,
in which he was much interested, and he said : "Why would it
not be well for Leoncavallo to compose an opera on a Mexican
subject, for the inauguration of our new National Opera
House, now in course of construction?" Alas, since that
190 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
memorable interview, President Diaz has retired from Mexico
and the work on the opera house is progressing slowly.
In 1906, through the kind offices of my friend, Norbert
Dunkl, I was presented to the brothers Paganini of Parma, who
are barons. They commissioned me to sell en bloc the valu-
able Paganini collection, which comprises a large number of un-
published compositions, the original manuscripts of nearly all
the works of the most famous of violinists, scores of important
letters and documents, correspondence with notables, books,
objects of vertu, personal effects, paintings, medals, decorations,
watches, statues, and musical instruments. Among the manu-
scripts is Concerto No. 3 in E, no mention of which has been
made by any of the biographers of Paganini. All these
writers, in enumerating his compositions, state that he wrote
only two concertos, both of which are familiar to the concert-
goers of to-day.
Among the unpublished music are examples in nearly every
form — overtures, tone-poems, string quartets, trios, fantasies,
etudes, songs, pieces for the guitar and mandolin, marches,
waltzes, etc. Some of these unknown works are deemed
worthy of a place among the best the violinist ever produced.
The Paganini brothers are nephews of Nicolo Paganini and
from his son and heir, Achile, they inherited this property.
Many connoisseurs have made pilgrimages to Italy to inspect
this collection, and large offers of money have been made for it.
Hitherto no propositions of this character would be considered.
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 191
Violin collectors have endeavored to buy the musical instru-
ments which constitute a part of the property, but no offers
could tempt the brothers Paganini to dispose of these. One
of the instruments, which possesses a sentimental value not to
be computed in dollars, is the miniature violin which Paganini
played when he was a mere boy. This was the first violin he
ever owned, and he used it until he could play a full-sized
violin. One of the instruments in the collection is the guitar,
which Paganini played with matchless skill.
To describe minutely everything contained in this collec-
tion would take pages of this volume. Undoubtedly it is
one of the most interesting, most valuable collections in ex-
istence, and would be a decided acquisition to the Metropoli-
tan Museum of Art in New York, the Smithsonian Institute
in Washington or some other institution of the kind, where
it could be placed on exhibition and be accessible to the pub-
lic.
In the spring of 1906 I was stopping in Paris when Oscar
Hammerstein was there, and we met a number of times. He
was then, with great difficulty, endeavoring to engage artists
for his first season at the Manhattan Opera House, New York.
On one occasion he asked: "Have you heard Melba recently?"
I said to him : "Yes, in Rigoletto with Bonci at Covent Gar-
den, London." "How was her voice?" I replied that the
diva's voice owing to the effects of a bad cold was by no
means good, at which Hammerstein answered: "Well, no
192 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
matter, I have engaged her for a number of appearances at
my Manhattan Opera House, and here is her receipt for fifty
thousand francs on account." After that diplomatic coup, on
the part of Hammerstein, artists flocked to him from every
direction, and his enterprise was definitely launched. It was
Madame Melba who during Hammerstein's first Grand
Opera season in New York (she was then in splendid voice),
helped him immeasurably in scoring his first success.
During my regime as manager of the New York Casino,
I insisted that my stage directors prepare a full line of un-
derstudies, to be ready in case of emergency the very first
night of a representation, thus avoiding in case of illness or
other unforeseen difficulty any disappointment to the public.
During the run of "The Tyrolean" at the Casino, when that
charming artist, Miss Marie Tempest, was then playing the
title role in that tuneful little operetta, she slipped while on
the stage and hurt herself so seriously that for almost a week,
it was impossible for her to appear. Her understudy, how-
ever, Miss Madge Yorke, a very pretty and talented young
lady recruited from the chorus, played the part very accept-
ably. Miss Yorke would in my judgment have attained a
very high place in the profession, had she not died shortly
after her success in "The Tyrolean" from the effects of a pistol
shot, at the hands of an insanely jealous actor.
During the successful run of "Nadjy" at the Casino, I re-
member calling on Miss Marie Jansen just previous to her
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 193
taking a short vacation. I found her in an unusually philo-
sophical mood. When she received me in her parlor she was
robed in yellow silk bound round the waist by a solid silver
girdle, exquisitely engraved. She chatted gaily about her
summer prospects.
"I am soon to quit work and really I think I have earned
my rest, don't you? First I shall go to Winthrop (near Bos-
ton), my home, of which I am so proud, and then straight to
England. I shall go to Oxford and thence down the Thames
as far as the Star and Garter and back again to the Casino in
September.
"I hope to have a delightful time in Europe. I shall be
alone, but then one meets pleasant people by the way. The
strain on my nerves since playing 'Nadjy' on so brief a notice
has been trying — worry depresses me so much — but then I
have my music, which I love, and I sit for hours, singing
quaint old melodies, and crying over them, just as a woman
does.
"My amusements'? Oh, I love swimming or yachting best.
Anything out of doors I delight in. Baseball seems silly to
me. I can imagine men running after one pretty girl, but to
chase a little ball about in such arduous fashion is incompre-
hensible.
"I think it a pity we stage women are so much talked
about. The public has its spyglass upon us perpetually; not
always in a kindly focus. Our life is hard at best, but my
hope is that the public will never tire of me. I mean to do all
194 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
the good I can, so that when I die I may be remembered ten
days instead of the traditional nine.
"Do have a glass of sherry," and as she poured it out a flood
of melody came from the decanter, which fair Nadjy
laughingly accounted for by explaining that a music box was
concealed beneath it.
Before taking leave of her she called my attention to a
most beautiful silver hand glass presented to her by Miss
Pauline Hall (another Casino favorite) with the following
inscription engraved thereon:
"Pensez a moi quelques fois. POLLIE."
While in Paris in 1888, I visited the old "Auberge des Ad-
rets" near the Porte Saint-Martin, the inn at which Robert
Macaire and Jacques Strop, or, as these characters are known
in "Erminie," Ravennes and Cadeaux, were said to have
lodged in the episode of the play.
The place has been restored to its ancient appearance, and
besides life size effigies of these two famous French rogues at
the chimney side, visitors are served with refreshments by
waiters clothed in the costumes of the period of the play.
There were many great benefit performances given at the
Casino during my regime. Besides that for the General
Sherman Statue Fund previously mentioned, — I recall one for
"The Statue of Liberty" (when a miniature fac-simile of
Bartholdi's masterpiece which now adorns New York harbor,
WHITE HOUSE.
WASHINCTO-N.
October 21, 1904.
My dear Mr. Aronson:
I want to thank you for all the interest you have
taken, and eay that I appreciate your having composed
the march for me.
With regard e,
Sincerely yours,
Mr. Rudolph Aronson,
Cercle Artistique,
124 West 34th Street
Kew York, N. Y.
A LETTER FROM THEODORE ROOSEVELT
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 195
held a conspicuous place on the stage) still another for the
French Benevolent Society when the divine Sarah Bernhardt,
the operatic Emma Eames and the piquante Marie Tempest
assisted, also those for the Actors' Fund of America. The
Maine Monument Fund and one on April 27th, 1890, for the
New York Press Club at which the following distinguished
artists appeared : Miss Lillian Russell, Miss Florence St. John,
Miss Rose Coghlan, Miss Pauline Hall, Miss Fanny Rice, Mrs.
Georgie Drew Barrymore, Mr. Francis Wilson, Mr. Robert
Mantell, Mr. Wilton Lackaye, Mr. Lewis Morrison, Mr.
James T. Powers, Mr. Richard F. Carroll, Mr. Fred Solomon,
Mr. Courtney Thorpe, Mr. Henry Hallam, Mr. Marshall P.
Wilder, and "Little Tuesday."
One of the most interesting events in my career was my
attendance at the Passion Play at Ober-Ammergau in the
summer of 1900.
I had letters of introduction to Anton Lang, who took the
part of Christ and who courteously assisted me in many ways
besides procuring comfortable abode and good seats at the
play.
The performance opens with the tableaux of Adam and
Eve driven from the garden of Eden and closes with the
ascension scene. It takes from eight o'clock in the morning
until five-thirty in the afternoon to produce the play, with
an intermission from twelve to one-thirty.
In 1633 a fearful plague raged in Southern Bavaria, and the
natives of the village of Ober-Ammergau in a moment of
196 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
despair registered a solemn vow that if the Lord caused the
pestilence to cease, they would perform the following year
in the village a play depicting the passion of Our Lord, and
would repeat it every ten years. The plague ceased, and the
Passion Play, now famous the world over, was the result.
The play which was originally written by the Benedictine
monks of Ettal at a monastery a mile and a half from Ober-
Ammergau, has been changed half a dozen times, though the
words have been taken directly from the Bible. The story
is made up of eighteen acts and twenty-three tableaux.
The stage itself is of wood and is 140 feet long by no
feet deep, the apron being much larger than that of the
ordinary stage. Up center is the proscenium arch, the open-
ing of which is 62 feet wide by 61 deep. On either side of
the opening and separating the proscenium from the palaces
of Pontius and Pilate and of the High Priest are two arches.
The two palaces are on the extreme right and left of the stage,
and are effective in a magnificent picture.
The proscenium is separated from the apron by a portiere
curtain which is drawn between each scene. There is, how-
ever, also a frame curtain, the upper half of which draws up
into the arch, while the lower half sinks into the stage.
This curtain is used at the beginning and end of the play,
and between the intermissions.
The scenery of the Passion Play is built entirely for day-
light effect. Strange to say, there is no fly gallery, the pin
rail being in the wings, and the only lines used are for the
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 197
borders. As a back set there is a panorama roll 400 feet
long, with ten scene backings, each 40 feet long. This
panorama is stretched upon two huge rollers and moves from
side to side instead of being lowered from the flies as is usually
the case.
The dressing rooms and property rooms are under the stage
and behind the panorama. In these rooms are stored two sets
of costumes for each performer, one for dry and the other
for wet weather, this being rendered necessary by the fact
that the performance is never halted even by the worst rain-
storm. Besides the costumes, there are complete arms and
armor for 360 supernumeraries.
The stage itself is without cover, and situated as it is
with a background of forest-covered hills and the blue sky
for a canopy, the effect is such as no inclosed theater ever
could produce. Often during the representation birds will
fly across the apron or perch themselves upon the uppermost
portions of the stage, and their songs and twittering add an
element of reality, which makes the illusion almost perfect.
The principals enter through the arches, and most of the
action takes place on the apron, the proscenium opening being
used exclusively for the tableaux and for the set scenes, such
as the ascension. The chorus, which is composed of thirty-
four voices, makes its entrance between the scenes from the
two palaces on either side, half from each palace.
The illusion created both by scenery and the actors is
marvelous, notwithstanding the fact that no make-up is used.
198 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
The mechanical effects, though really very simple, equal those
of the finest prestidigitators. Much has been written of the
wonderful effect produced by the Crucifixion scene, yet the ex-
planation is most simple. Just before the curtain is drawn
aside the sound of hammers is heard and then the scene is dis-
closed of the cross lying upon the ground with the Christ
stretched out upon it. As the huge structure is slowly raised
by the soldiery and set into the holes prepared for it, the
spectators are horrified to see the nails apparently piercing the
palms of the hands, and the blood flowing from the wounds.
So realistic is the effect that almost at every performance
women faint away at the sight. The explanation, however,
is that the performer who takes the part of the Christ wears
under his tunic a leather corselet which is attached to the
cross, and under his feet is an invisible support. Nails are
also placed between his fingers to support the weight of the
arms and the nails which seemingly pierce his palms being
really only heads which are attached to invisible wire brace-
lets.
Previously to 1900 the audience sat in the open air, but
the frequency of thunder showers has caused the authorities
to have an auditorium constructed, 140 feet by 232, that holds
4,200 persons. The prices range from 50 cents to $2.50.
There are no galleries, but in the rear (the same as at the
Wagner Festspielhaus in Bayreuth) are the boxes of the royal
family and the church dignitaries. In a semi-circular frame
surrounding the boxes and forming a rear to the auditorium
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 199
are two huge paintings, one of Ober-Ammergau itself and the
other the scene of the first Passion Play.
The present stage was built in 1860. During the years
when the stage is not in use it is boarded up, thus preserving
it from the effects of the weather.
Wonderful, however, as the stage devices are, they would
be useless if it were not for the marvelous acting of the per-
formers. It seems almost blasphemy to call it acting, for it
is neither theatrical knowledge nor histrionic genius, but
simply that the spirit of the Christ descends upon these rustic
villagers, and they live the scenes because they cannot help
living them.
Out of a population of only 1,400, 685 take part in the
play. All of them are lowly born, and yet the greatest actors
of the world could be no more earnest or effective.
Anton Lang is a typical illustration. Here is a poor stove
builder, with but little education, who is yet the wonder of
the world, he was the Christ, in his simplicity, his kindliness
and his humility. The beauty of his life has shone out upon
his face until he appears to be what he truly is — the symbol
of the Savior. The same holds true with the other actors.
The glory of the world has never entered into their souls.
They live beside the main current of life and watch it sweep
by, unenvious.
When a few years ago an enterprising American manager
offered to deposit $500,000 to their credit in a bank at Munich
if they would accompany him to America, they spurned it as
200 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
an insult to the Christian faith. It is this spirit that has
caused the villagers to devote the proceeds of the play to the
school and road building funds, and it is this spirit that has
caused the Passion music, written in 1802 by Rochus Dedler,
school-master of Ober-Ammergau, to be kept a secret among
the performers and the orchestra. This music has never been
published, and visitors are prohibited from taking notes during
its rendering.
Most effective in showing the spirit of the actors is the
method of conducting rehearsals. There is little conducting
and little need for any. The actors read their lines and go
through their actions almost by intuition, so deeply has the
spirit of Christ entered into their souls.
Imagine a professional rehearsal with no direction from
the stage manager! But that would be acting, and this is —
living.
No better idea of the effect produced by the play has been
given than the description by Clement Scott, the eminent Eng-
lish critic, of the procession to Golgotha :
"At last it comes, this heartrending procession, wending its
way slowly down one of the side streets, the leading of Christ
to Golgotha. I have never seen anything nearly so striking
in arrangement and design. Here is the multitude that has
exchanged hosannas for execrations, the Roman centurion on
horseback carrying the standard of the Roman cohort; here
are the cruel executioners, in scarlet, ready for action; here
are the soldiers, priests, Jews and people of Jerusalem, making
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 201
up a mass of color and variety that words fail to describe. In
the center of all is the pitiful-faced Christ, staggering under
the weight of his dreadful cross, thrust on by the executioners,
buffeted by the crowd, broken down with the burden of his
many sorrows, a picture with which we are all familiar, but
here in complete action, no one point of the story being neg-
lected. Behind him are the thieves, doomed to death, drag-
ging also the crosses on which they are to die. Again and
again the central figure drops beneath his cross upon the cruel
ground; the acting is so good and unexaggerated, the scene
is so absolutely real that I hear, half-whispered around me,
'This is too dreadful, I cannot bear it.' As the procession
moves slowly on, painfully and with trying halts, we are
shown the episode of that insult that doomed a man to wan-
der forever until Christ's time had come; we see Simon of
Cyrene forced into the procession to bear the Savior's cross,
and St. Veronica appears and presents the handkerchief which
will presently contain the features of the tortured sufferer.
Nothing is forgotten, and the procession to the place of death
is closed by the pathetic wail of the heartbroken mother who,
attended by St. John and Mary Magdalene, meets from an-
other street the mournful train of picturesque sorrow."
In addition to the composers previously mentioned, I had
the pleasure at divers periods while in Europe of meeting
Franz von Suppe, Edmond Audran, Carl Millocker and
Charles Lecocq.
202 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Franz von Suppe, one of the foremost of operetta com-
posers, I met for the first time in Vienna in the early eighties,
while he was conducting at the Carl Theater there. He oc-
cupied a modest apartment immediately over the theater and
was one of those fat, jolly, good-natured musicians that one
would easily recognize as the creator of the popular strains
that abound in his "Fatinitza," "Bocaccio," "Afrikareise,"
"Donna Juanita," and "Das Modell." Von Suppe informed
me that the famous March Trio in "Fatinitza," known and
played the world over, was injected into that most fascinating
operetta at one of the last rehearsals, with Suppe's own predic-
tion that it was so foreign to the score that it would prove
a fiasco. On the contrary, however, it made the greatest of
hits and was encored and encored at every performance. So,
like managers, composers cannot always judge correctly; it
remains for the public to decide.
Edmond Audran, the composer of "Olivette," "La Mas-
cotte," "La Cigale," "Miss Helyett" and "L'Oncle Celestin,"
I met in Paris in 1890 during one of my annual jaunts and
while he was writing the last named operetta.
Audran, who was a very short and slightly hunchbacked
man, took great pride in his charming home, with its immense
library, bric-a-brac, and particularly in the beautiful painted
ceiling of his salon, which depicted scenes from many of his
popular operettas.
Carl Millocker, the composer of "The Beggar Student,"
"The Black Hussar," "Poor Jonathan," and numerous other
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 203
popular operettas, was also, like Johann Strauss, a product
of Vienna, where I met him while he was composing, "Poor
Jonathan." It was then that I arranged with him for the
production of that most delightful work at the Casino in New
York.
Millocker was a thin, lanky, delicate looking man, just the
opposite of von Suppe, and upon the occasion before alluded
to, as I entered his workroom, he was standing at a raised
writing desk in the act of orchestrating "Poor Jonathan."
His incessant work and bad health soon brought his cares to
an end. He died in Baden near Vienna December 3ist, 1899.
During the last years of his life, his royalties exceeded fifty
thousand dollars annually, and he occupied a palatial residence
and lived in princely style.
Charles Lecocq, the prolific composer, who counts among his
works "La Fille de Madame Angot, "Les Cent Vierges,"
"Girofle-Girofla," "La Petite Mariee," "La Marjolaine," "Le
Petit Due," and "Le grand Casimir," I met in Paris in 1899
— at his little studio, which was for many years, on the third
floor of the old music publishing house of Choudens Pere et
Fils on the corner of the Boulevard and the Rue Caumartin.
Lecocq was rather stout but short in stature, and with his
glasses, resembled more a counsel lor-at-1 aw than a composer,
but he was a most genial, charming man and a musician of the
first rank. His attempt, however, at a higher class of com-
position in the production of "Plutus" at the Opera Comique
in Paris, in 1886, failed, and was withdrawn after eight per-
204 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
formances, but most of his other works became universally
popular.
It is to be regretted that Lecocq, who no doubt endeavored
to emulate Jacques Offenbach in the latter's supreme desire
to present at least one of his works at the Opera Comique in
Paris, failed, while Offenbach succeeded, when in 1881 his
"Les Contes d'Hoffman," saw the light, although finally re-
vised and partly orchestrated by the composer Guiraud. This
work now finds a place in the repertoires of first class opera
companies all over the world.
During my many visits abroad, I had occasion to witness
operetta or musical comedy performances in Paris, London,
Berlin, Vienna and other Continental cities, and I unre-
servedly assert that our American productions are in the main
decidedly superior.
Our American chorus girls surpass in every way, they are
prettier, more vivacious, always ready and willing to work
and if in Paris gowns and picture hats or in ballet costumes
and tights, they present a most charming picture. Indeed
people have come to accept a beautiful chorus properly cos-
tumed as a matter of course, just as they expect electric lights
in the theater and women with their hats off.
In many instances the management furnishes everything
that is worn by the chorus, not only are the gowns, hats and
shoes furnished, but the silk stockings that match the shoes,
the parasols, fans and the lingerie. In many companies now,
the management attends to the cleaning of the gowns, gloves
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 205
and shoes, and to replacing each article, as it is required.
Dressing the chorus is an expensive proposition and re-
quires thought and study as well as workmanship. Every-
thing except the shoes is made at the big establishment of a
regular theatrical costumer. These costume houses employ
high-priced designers who choose materials and styles to suit
the individual chorus girl, just as far as the exigencies of the
piece permit. I am referring to the average modern musical
play in which show girls and chorus girls wear artistic crea-
tions of the mode of the moment, sometimes exaggerated a
little for the picturesque effects, but never achieving the pic-
turesqueness at the expense of the very up-to-date smartness.
This same attention is displayed as regards scenery, properties
and appointments.
I insisted thirty years ago, when "The Queen's Lace Hand-
kerchief" was first presented at the Casino, that the principals
must be the best procurable, that the chorus be made up of
the prettiest girls with good voices, the scenery to be painted
by the best New York artists and the costumes be manufac-
tured by a first-class concern after most artistic designs, and
that the orchestra number thirty selected musicians; and thus
with such an ensemble was started a new school of operetta,
which has developed into the present-day more sumptuous
and costly productions, for which the managers deserve all
credit.
Most of the theater folk who sit back in their comfortable
orchestra chairs will not give a thought to the hardships and
206 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
heartaches that the selection of chorus girls for operetta and
musical comedy productions entails.
The New York Casino during its palmy days was the mecca
for chorus girls and yet desirable ones were difficult to find.
I would request my stage director to issue a general call
through the various agencies and through the newspapers for
an assembly of applicants on a specified date. A large crowd
was sure to be on hand on the day appointed. Many of them,
no doubt, had been responding to these calls regularly for years,
hoping against hope that one day the emergency would be
overlooked. More than one hundred applicants appeared and
at a glance the stage director dispensed with one half of them;
the remainder were asked to go through that awful ordeal of
having their voices tried.
At the piano sat the musical director. One after another of
the young women was ordered to stand by his side and "run
the scale." Most of them were too frightened to make the
attempt, and many of them as they stood pale and trembling
could not emit a sound. Several with voices true enough,
under favorable conditions, sang off the key and a few
bolted through the stage door when their turn for the test
arrived.
Eventually, however, the requisite number of chorus girls
was obtained. The alert stage and musical directors always
hastened to give a hearing to those possessing the physical re-
quirements. Indeed picking a chorus is one of the most
troublesome phases of operetta or musical comedy production,
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 207
but the Casino generally got its quota of pretty and shapely
girls who could sing and dance.
At the present time selections for chorus material are gener-
ally made in July and August. Managers who deal exten-
sively in musical productions such as the Shuberts, Klaw &
Erlanger, Charles Frohman, Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., Werba and
Luescher, Charles Dillingham, Cohan and Harris, A. H.
Woods, George W. Lederer, Joseph Gaites, John Cort and
Weber and Fields, require at the beginning of each season
from fifty to three hundred chorus girls each, willing to go
through an ordeal of six weeks' rehearsals in the hottest weather
gratis, for the purpose of earning from eighteen to twenty-five
dollars a week, when the production is finally launched.
To the chorus girl, the college town offers promise of at
least one good time in the dreary stretch of one night stand
life. Some college boys are rapidly becoming factors in mi-
gratory theatrical life. It is they that take on the road the
place of the city stage door Johnnies and but for their kindly
offices, the life of a chorus girl in a company playing the
provinces would lack much of its glamour.
The reason for the college youth's labors in this direction
may be set down to the fact that, being removed from all the
girls of his acquaintance in his home city and being held a com-
parative prisoner within the campus town, he must gratify his
desire for feminine company somewhere ; and that somewhere,
by the well-known and ubiquitous process of elimination, is
the chorus girl; the girl residents in a college town, be it
208 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
known being neither Maxine Elliotts nor Lillian Russells in
the matter of expected standards of beauty. Mixed with this
predilection for feminine company, there is, too, always a dis-
tinct taste for "rough house" of some form or other, but this
"rough house" is usually of an innocent order and rarely as-
sumes any more serious aspect than an overturned lunch-wagon
or an attempt to demolish the head-waiter, both of which feats
are ventured for winning the approbation of the chorus girls on
hand at the moment. "You college boys are so Sandow-like"
is the greatest chorus-girl compliment in the ears of an under-
graduate, and its sound is as sweet as attar of roses, a monthly
allowance check, or maple sugar.
In the way of big chorus girls "stunt" parties, one that tran-
spired several years ago deserves to take its place among the
leaders. The musical show containing the belles whom the
undergraduates wished to entertain was one of considerable
size. The girls' section of the chorus, numbering forty, were
sent handsomely engraved invitations by the undergraduates
who were planning the order of the festivities. The invita-
tions read like this :
"You are not invited to our party — nothing like
that ! A mere invitation would not be enough. — You
are commanded to appear after Saturday night's per-
formance.
"THE KING OF KILLTIME."
The "invitations" were of course addressed to the girls per-
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 209
sonally, the mailing list having been prepared for the college
boys by three chorus girls whom they knew and who helped
them materially in the preliminary success of the event.
Every one of the invitations was accepted and on Saturday
night after the performance, eight large automobiles decorated
with Chinese lanterns (each illuminated with a papier mache
bottle of champagne) were lined up at the stage entrance.
When the fair cargoes had been placed aboard, the gasoline
parade moved in the direction of a farm house in the far out-
skirts of the town that had been rented in to to for the occasion,
farmer husband, farmer wife, farmer sister-in-law, family dog
and all. When the motor parties arrived on the scene, the
girls found, instead of the lobster and terrapin they expected,
a typical farm dinner awaiting them. The dinner was "set"
in the four rooms on the first floor, parlor, dining-room,
sewing-room and kitchen, and was served by the farmer, his
wife and the latter's sister. Overalls were donned by the
students, and gingham aprons and sunbonnets by the girls.
Champagne was served in huge cider glasses. After the din-
ner, a barn dance was held in the big barn back of the house,
and when the party broke up, each of the girl guests was pre-
sented with a "mortgage" as a souvenir of the event. The
"mortgage" was a legal looking affair and was to be foreclosed
"the next time you play the town."
Some years ago after I had produced "Cavalleria Rusticana"
in New York, I accompanied Jaroslav Kocian, the violin vir-
tuoso, on his professional tour in California, and one afternoon
210 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
while lunching at a restaurant in San Francisco I met
Mascagni, who about that time was directing some operatic
concerts there. While I was conversing with the maestro his
attention was arrested by the strains of the famous intermezzo
from his opera "Cavalleria Rusticana" rendered upon a street
piano. As might be expected, his impulsive artistic tempera-
ment prompted him to rush to the street, brush the astonished
grinder aside, seize the crank of the piano and demonstrate the
tempo which he considered proper for his immortal intermezzo.
Mascagni then disclosed his identity. His humble countryman
was almost speechless with delight and admiration. Having
imbibed something of the Yankee spirit, the organ grinder
was not slow to profit by this experience and appeared on the
street the next day, his piano adorned with a placard bearing
the legend: "Pupil of Pietro Mascagni."
In June 1890 I had the honor of attending with Mr. N.
Vert in London, the State Concert at Buckingham Palace,
when Madame Emma Albani, Zelie de Lussan, Edouard de
Reszke and Edward Lloyd and a grand orchestra participated.
The entrance of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and
Princess of Wales (afterwards King Edward VII and Queen
Alexandra) followed by the nobility of all England, was the
most impressively beautiful scene that I ever witnessed. The
famous gold service was used for the supper that followed
the concert.
About the time that Miss Loie Fuller made her debut in
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 211
the Serpentine Dance with my company in "Uncle Celestin"
at the Casino, I called on Miss Isadora Duncan, who with her
mother occupied a little studio at Carnegie Hall in New York,
and she outlined to me her plan of presenting the classic
Grecian dances. I suggested the intermingling with them
of the Japanese and Indian, and at the same time I played
for her some characteristic numbers that I had written, but
she would not be swayed from her original idea. When in
after years I saw her performance with the accompaniment of
quaint, ancient instruments at the Theatre Sarah Bernhardt in
Paris, and later in Berlin, I felt convinced, that she had hit
upon the proper plan. The haute noblesse of Berlin took
great interest in Miss Duncan's project and her numerous
pupils included the daughters of the best families.
During a later visit in Berlin, the correspondent of the
New York Musical Courier, Mr. Arthur Abell, spoke to me
most flatteringly of a young American girl, a Miss Maud
Allan, who was devoting her time to study of classic dancing.
An audition was speedily fixed and Miss Allan with piano ac-
companiment danced Chopin's Funeral March, Mendelssohn's
Spring Song and Schumann's Reverie. I thereupon suggested,
that the introduction of color would enhance the charm of her
really artistic interpretations. Inasmuch as I was about leav-
ing for London, Miss Allan provided me with a number of
her photographs, description of her dances, etc., and suggested
that perhaps I might be able to procure her an engagement
in the English metropolis. Immediately after arriving there
212 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
I put myself in touch with the managers, who one and all
declined, for the reason that bare foot and bare legged danc-
ing would not be tolerated ! Strange to record, however, that
a year or two after — when Richard Strauss electrified the world
with his wonderful Salome — this same Maud Allan, hit upon
the idea of presenting a "Salome" dance, and so successful
was she, that London managers outbid one another for her
services and for several years she has been fairly idolized.
On my return to New York Miss Ruth St Denis submitted
to me her idea of a Hindu dance she had in contemplation,
but my engagements were such that I could not take her
management at that time. Her dance, however, was shortly
afterwards presented in Proctor's Theater on 23d Street and
the late Henry B. Harris then took it in hand and made it
an artistic and financial success.
In 1910 while in New York my attention was called to
Mile. Thamara de Swirsky, who with Mile. Anna Pavlowa,
were the favorite pupils of the famous maitre de ballet, M.
Ivan Claustine of St. Petersburg. Mile, de Swirsky comes
from a noble old Russian family. Her father is a celebrated
pianist and her sister a successful sculptor in Paris. During
her childhood Mile, de Swirsky showed great talent for danc-
ing, but on account of the high social position of the family,
her parents did not wish her to become a professional dancer.
As a child she was also very fond of music and it was in this
direction that her artistic talent was developed. She received
a medal at the Paris Conservatoire and finished her studies
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 213
with brilliant success in Munich. Afterwards Mile, de
Swirsky was invited by Herr Felix Mottl to take part in the
Symphony Concerts in Munich, where she played the Grieg
Concerto assisted by the orchestra.
Mile, de Swirsky possesses a masculine strength and light-
ness of touch that make her playing remarkable. Naturally
her dancing has the same artistic character as is marked by
great expression of sentiment and temperament, portrayed
especially in her Greek, Oriental and Slav dances. She has
appeared before the elite of Paris, including Baroness de Roths-
child, Baron de Stall, etc., and on one occasion, the celebrated
sculptor, Prince Troubetzskoy, who was present, admired her
dancing to such an extent, that he asked to make a statue of
her. A dancing pose in Oriental costume sculptured by the
Prince has been purchased by and is now exhibited in the
Chicago Museum.
I was much impressed with the talent and personality of
Mile, de Swirsky, and a contract was entered into under which
I was to act as her sole manager. Artistic draperies and cur-
tains of a greenish hue were selected, together with appropriate
furnishings and a grand piano; the Berkeley Lyceum in New
York was engaged for rehearsals, and one morning when all
was in readiness I invited a number of managers, with a view
to placing her Musical Ballet Sketch entitled "Tanagra" in
the principal vaudeville theaters and to my astonishment and
regret I learned from them that the very same act had been
improperly presented some weeks before and was declined!
214 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
I reasoned with the managers, to reconsider, but with no suc-
cess. Mile, de Swirsky afterwards went on tour in this coun-
try and then to Europe, where her unusually artistic accom-
plishments should meet the approval of the public.
Since 1900 I have endeavored to arrange for the appear-
ance of Herr Siegfried Wagner in the United States and
Canada, and only recently has he consented to make the
journey provided certain conditions are complied with.
I attended the first Siegfried Wagner Concert at the Theatre
du Chatelet in Paris in 1900, when the young conductor
faced a most critical audience. The program began with
the overture to his own opera "Barenhauter," which was nerv-
ously conducted, but in the succeeding numbers "The Flying
Dutchman" and "Meistersinger" Overtures and Siegfried's
Death March from "Die Gotterdammerung," he fairly outdid
himself and elicited well merited applause. At that time I
made him an offer for the season 1902-1903, but previous en-
gagements prevented his acceptance. In 1904 I again sug-
gested an American tour and met him in Bayreuth, where he
was busy with rehearsals at the Festspielhaus. He invited
me to call on him at eight o'clock the following morning at
Wahnfried, his residence. I was on hand at that early hour
and Herr Wagner then expressed himself as thoroughly dis-
pleased with the action of Mr. Conried in having presented
"Parsifal" at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York. I
explained to him that the sympathy of the whole musical
MORE RECOLLECTIONS 215
world was with the Wagners in that unfortunate affair, despite
all the exaggerations they might have read, but he again de-
clined, saying: "Perhaps at some future time I shall visit
America."
A few years later I again visited Bayreuth only to learn
that Siegfried Wagner had journeyed with the family to
Lucerne. I took the first train for that city and called at
the Wagner villa, where I was informed by the daughter of
Madame Cosima Wagner (Madame Cosima was ill at the
time) that Siegfried had left for Italy en route to Munich,
where he ought to turn up within a few days. I went to
Munich and finally met Herr Wagner there, and again, be-
cause he was absorbed in his own operatic work, he declined
my proposal, so I waited until 1911. While in Paris, I
chanced to meet him at the Hotel Scribe just as he was pre-
paring to attend a special performance at the grand opera
of Richard Wagner's "Die Walkiire" (in French) in his
(Siegfried's) honor, and he requested me to call on him the
following morning at eight o'clock to talk over matters (eight
o'clock in the morning seemed to be Wagner's most convenient
hour). I called at the appointed time and it was not long
before we fixed upon a provisional contract. This story il-
lustrates somewhat the difficulties a manager has to contend
with at times in procuring a celebrity.
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY
CHAPTER XIII
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY
The Evolution of Musical and Dramatic Enterprises — Moving
Picture Shows — Overproduction and Superfluous The-
aters— The "Star" System and Present-day Productions as
Compared with Those of the Past — Various "Schools" of
Operetta — The Press Agent and His Ingenuity.
THE evolution of musical and dramatic enterprises in
the past forty years is, to my mind, as distinct as the
evolution in commercial and other pursuits.
The advent of Lydia Thompson and her bevy of English
beauties including Pauline Markham, Eliza Weathersby, Ada
Harland, Rose Massey and that sterling comedian, Harry
Beckett, in their presentation of a burlesque entitled "Ixion"
at Wood's Museum (present site of Daly's Theater, Broadway
and 3oth Street) in the early seventies made the jeunesse dore
of theater-goers sit up and was the forerunner of a number of
burlesque shows that followed suit. Then came the opera-
bouffe period with the diminutive Tostee at the little French
Theater on 14th Street near Sixth Avenue, where she presented
"The Grand Duchess" and other Offenbach pieces; and almost
immediately after Montaland and Aujac in a season compris-
ing the works of that same composer at the Grand Opera
219
220 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
House, New York, followed by the fascinating Marie Aimee,,
who captivated for many years her audiences in the works of
not only Offenbach but those of Lecocq, Vasseur, Herve and
Audran. Almost at the same period Maurice Grau presented
his excellent company of opera-bouffers including Paola Marie
(sister of Galli Marie, original creatrice of Carmen in Paris)
Tauffenberger, Vauthier, Mezieres and later on Theo, Angele,
Nixau and Capoul, who performed in New York and toured
the country with much success.
About the period of the opera-bouffe invasion in New York,
Dion Boucicault was presenting at the old Wallack's Theater
(then at 13th Street and Broadway) "The Shaughran," one
of his most popular plays, with Harry Montague, a fine look-
ing young fellow, who became a veritable "Matinee idol."
It was Boucicault who christened 14th Street and Broadway
the original "Rialto," which became such a feature of Metro-
politan life that the belles of the then smart Fifth Avenue
residence section began to include the Rialto in their daily
promenades.
But one manager in New York was ever known to object
to the Rialto as a rendezvous for the members of his com-
pany. All the others regarded it in the sense of a paying ad-
vertisement for their houses and their people. Seeing the
actors and actresses on the street only whetted the appetite of
the paying public to see them in favorite roles on the stage.
Augustin Daly took an opposite view of the matter. He
claimed that the promenade on the Rialto cheapened the value
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 221
of his people, reducing the fascination of the stage by bring-
ing them face to face in a prosy manner with the public who
paid its money to see them surrounded by all the allurements
of the stage.
The famous old Rialto is a thing of the past. There is
now what is called the "New Rialto," which extends up
Broadway from the Casino at 39th Street to the Columbia
Theater at 47th Street. The glories of the old "Rialto" have
gone forever. They will be remembered with pleasure by the
old players and old playgoers, but to the present generation
they are simply ancient history interesting only as a character-
istic of the old-time Metropolitan stage.
Reverting back to the opera-bouffe attractions previously
mentioned I recall that the casts were generally good but the
choruses, the scenery, the costumes, other accoutrements and
orchestra were decidedly the reverse.
In the early eighties, with the inauguration of the Casino I
insisted upon a production that should combine a first-class
cast, a good looking and vivacious chorus, a complete orchestra,
appropriate scenery, costumes and properties resultant in the
presentation of Johann Strauss' "The Queen's Lace Handker-
chief" and thus establishing the popularity and vogue for
many years in America of operetta by Austrian composers and
the performances of not only the works of Strauss, but those
of Suppe, Millocker, Czibulka, presented by the McCaull, the
J. C. Duff, the Henry W. Savage, the F. C. Whitney, the Am-
berg and the Conried Opera Companies. At this same period
222 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
the Gilbert and Sullivan creations were also the rage and they
continued the rage, although the public had somewhat tired
of Viennese operetta.
In 1886 with my presentation of "Erminie" by Edward
Jakobowski, who although Austrian by birth had lived in Eng-
land during most of his career, there was instituted a period of
a lighter class of works, which took the fancy of the American
public and for the following ten years the operettas of Chas-
saigne, Solomon, Lacome, Jones, De Koven, Herbert, Eng-
lander, Luders and Kerker held the boards ; then with the ad-
vent of Leslie Stuart's "Florodora" the era of musical comedy
set in and continued for many years. It was no doubt on that
account that during my presentation in 1900 of Johann
Strauss' posthumous operetta, entitled "Vienna Life"
("Wiener Blut"), at the Broadway Theater, New York — al-
though the production was magnificent and the cast included
Raymond Hitchcock, Ethel Jackson and Amelia Stone —
the theater-going public kept steadily away, having been
inoculated with musical comedy and rag-time and prefer-
ring that class of entertainment to the old-time Viennese
operetta.
A short time after my "Vienna Life" experience I visited
Berlin, heard Lehar's "Die Lustige Wittwe" ("The Merry
Widow") and wrote to a prominent New York manager,
praising that opera and stating that with some slight changes
it ought to make a hit in America, when to my surprise the
aforesaid manager informed me that he didn't want any more
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 223
Dutch operas ! This "Dutch" opera was later produced by
George Edwardes in London and then was captured by Henry
W. Savage for America and proved not only one of the great-
est successes in modern times, but was again the forerunner
of the wants of the public and this line of Austro-German
operetta is still in vogue, as is evidenced by the success of
Oscar Strauss' "A Waltz Dream" and the "Chocolate Soldier,"
Dr. Leo Fall's "Dollar Princess" and "The Siren" and Lehafs
"Gypsy Love" and the "Count of Luxembourg."
I have no hesitation in asserting that the casts selected for
operetta presentations in the eighties and nineties were de-
cidedly superior to those in the years following, for the reason
perhaps, of the marked invasion of vaudeville by the better
class of operetta artists, where the duties are not quite so ardu-
ous and the salaries higher. Another reason, too, was because
there were many managers in the field, all striving for the best
material to fill the various parts and the competition was keen,
but it all redounded to the advantage of the public. On the
other hand the present-day operetta productions surpass in
every way, so far as sumptuousness of costumes and scenery
are concerned, the old-timers; and yet when the Messrs. Shu-
bert recently revived "The Mikado," "Pinafore," and "Die
Fledermaus" (the latter under a new title "The Merry Coun-
tess") at the Casino, those popular operettas have played and
the last is playing to more than double its original receipts of
twenty-five years ago at the same old stand, the Casino; evi-
dencing that the revivals of a dozen of the most successful of
224 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
old-time Casino productions would now be received with open
arms by light opera lovers.
The cost of the present-day first class operetta production
will average from $15,000 to $40,000, entirely out of propor-
tion to the cost in former times, hence I consider the present
two-dollar orchestra seat as more reasonable than the one and
one-half dollar seat, fixed as the price during my long regime
at the Casino.
Precisely the same difference as recorded above relative to
musical productions, I find in the dramatic performances of the
past compared with those of the present, owing perhaps to a
very great extent to the introduction of the "star" system. To
those who remember the excellence, the completeness of the
Wallack, the Daly, the Palmer, and the Frohman companies
of the past, the difference is at once discernible.
Managers are obliged to follow the trend of the theater-
going public, however, who seem to idolize an actor or actress
who has achieved popularity, the playwright is then swayed
by the situation and writes accordingly, resultant is a cast of
characters not as strong as that required in plays of former
generations. On the other hand, a play is so original and great
that it will "go over" without more than an ordinary company,
and again the master hand of a David Belasco will take plays,
even of mediocre construction and not only mould them, but
the leading artists into phenomenal success.
Another reason why the principals in casts of present oper-
etta and musical comedy performances are not equal to those
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 225
in performances of former years is because of the rapid in-
crease of grand opera.
Besides the Metropolitan in New York, the Chicago,
Philadelphia and the Boston companies offer opportunities for
young, fresh voices, and Germany, France, Italy and England,
too, have found places for worthy American singers. To-
day American singers have triumphed in grand opera. Their
natural voices are excelled by none, their musical intelligence,
artistic capacity, dramatic talent and personalities are of the
very highest quality.
This triumph has come within the last few years. Little
more than a decade ago its beginning was represented in the
demonstrated capacities of one or two gifted vocalists. At the
present time every first-class operatic organization, either here
or abroad, included among its leading singers men and women
from various states of the Union— of which the following is
a partial list:
Lillian Nordica, Emma Eames, Mary Garden, Olive Frem-
stad, Geraldine Farrar, Bessie Abbot, Alice Neilsen, Edyth
Walker, Marie Rappold, D'Alma Chandler, Bernice de Pas-
quali, Felice Lyne, Rita Fornia, Alma Gluck, Jane Osborn
Hannah, Caroline White, Marie Cavan, May Scheider, Min-
nie Saltzman Stevens, Agnes Berry, Charlotte Guernsey,
Rachel Frease-Green, Louise Homer, Florence Wickham, Jose-
phine Jacoby, Madame Jomelli, Kathleen Howard, Mariska
Aldrich, Henrietta Wakefield, Lillia Snelling, Lucy Gates,
Eleanor de Cisneros, Bessie Ingram, Jeska Swartz, Bernice
226 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
Fisher, Lucille Marcel, Anna Case, Florence Decourcey, Min-
nie Tracey, Emma Juch, Mabel Riegelman, Florence Rose,
Helen Allyn, Jeanette Allen, Helen Wetmore, Alice Souver-
eign, Mme. Charles Cahier, Ada Saverni, Isabella Trasker,
Marcella Craft, Kate Rolla, Marcia Van Dresser, Maud Fay,
Yvonne de Treville, Marguerite Lemon, Bella Applegate,
Gertrude Rennyson, Loretta Tannert, Giulia Strakosch, Alys
Lorraine, Emma Hoffmann, Norma Romana, Mignon Nevada;
Ricardo Martin, Orville Harold, Herbert Witherspoon, Put-
nam Griswold, Lambert Murphy, Clarence Whitehill, Allan
Hinckley, Henri Scott, William Hinshaw, Basil Ruysdael,
Ellison Van Hoose, George Hamlin, Frank Preisch, Rafaelo
Diaz, Edward Lankow, Robert Blass, Robert Kent Parder,
Arthur Philips, Sydney Segal, William Picaver, Harry Wei-
don.
In former years when serious opera opportunities were
not available, aspirants after completing their studies would
seek out the best comic opera or operetta companies and
therefore the casts were of a better calibre than those -at
present.
It is remarkable, too, that once an artist becomes aligned to
grand opera, he or she is not (except in very rare cases) fitted
for comic opera, operetta or musical comedy. The artist
seems to be imbued with the broadness, the grandeur of the
former, contrasted with the lightness and vivacity of the latter.
An exception to this rule is the case of Miss Fritzi Scheff, who
sang at the Metropolitan Opera House before entering the
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 227
field of operetta and making a success in "Babette," "Mile.
Modiste," and other light musical plays.
Away back in the late sixties I remember as a boy I at-
tended two or three performances of the widely heralded
"Black Crook" at Niblo's Garden (at Broadway and Prince
Street, New York). It was the most spectacular show of the
period, and its magnificent ballets with Bonfanti, Sangali,
Betty Rigl and its Amazonian march, transformation scene,
with playing fountains and illuminated palace, will never be
eradicated from my memory. A certain portion of the clergy
of New York took exception to the "Black Crook" and en-
deavored to invoke the law, looking towards its suppression.
They did not succeed, however, and only helped to stimulate
public interest, so much so, that that show ran on for hundreds
upon hundreds of nights, filling the coffers of Messrs. J^rrett
and Palmer, its managers.
The exception taken by the clergy in former years to ctrtain
performances did much to cleanse burlesque and other cheaper
forms of entertainment and to cut out vulgar and indecent
dialogue and situations. Although some of the present day
productions are not of the most refined, the clergy evince a
much more liberal view now than they did in the past.
The nearest approach to the "Black Crook" entertainment
is that now given at the New York Hipprodrome, with the
difference that the enormous size of its stage, added to the
modern mechanical and electrical effects and its hundreds of
supernumeraries, make it a more grandiose spectacle, a large
228 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
share of the credit of which is due to the masterly conception
of its chief scenic director, Mr. Arthur Voegtlin.
The development of the moving picture shows has undoubt-
edly reduced the receipts in the gallery and balcony of legiti-
mate theaters and yet there is no cessation of theater building
in New York, accountable perhaps to the steadily increasing
population and the likewise steadily increasing number of
transient visitors who are principally counted upon to fill the
more than sixty New York theaters night after night. With
a successful production the receipts of any first-class theater
will reach from $10,000 to $18,000 per week, far in excess
of the fixed charges and running expenses, but in many cases,
plays are kept on the boards in New York even with very
meager returns, in order to help their road business. What
effect the contemplated improved moving picture shows, to
combine spoken dialogue and musical accompaniment, will
have on the regular theater business remains to be seen.
The fact remains, also, that on account of the many theaters
in New York, managers are obliged to "try on" inferior plays,
in order to avoid closing their houses.
At the present time musical and dramatic performances suf-
fer materially from an economic condition which is unsound
from a business point of view, owing to over-production.
Some years ago, when the so-called "Theatrical Syndicate"
was organized its directors decided that the surest way to win
a monopoly of the theater business was to lease or purchase
the leading theater buildings in the United States and then
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 229
refuse to "give any time" to managers who opposed them. On
that account the comparatively few independent managers
were obliged to build theaters in cities when they wished their
attractions to appear. When a few years later a second syn-
dicate was organized, it necessitated the building of a new
chain of theaters to house its productions. As a result of this
warfare between the two syndicates nearly all the principal
cities of the country are now saddled with more theater build-
ings than they can support.
In New York, this condition is even more pronounced.
Nearly every season some of the minor producing managers
change from one syndicate to the other, so that they seldom
seem to know far enough in advance just where they will
make their next production in New York, and thus in order to
assure themselves of a Broadway booking, they are obliged to
build a theater of their own, resulting in the last few years in
a veritable epidemic of theater building in New York.
A theater building is a great expense to its owners, especially
if located in one of the most costly sections of a city, more
particularly in New York. It is hazardous for the owners to
permit the building to stand idle for any lengthy period.
They must keep it open as many weeks as possible throughout
the year; and if play after play fails upon its stage, they must
still seek other entertainments to attract sufficient money to
cover the otherwise dead loss of the rent. Hence there exists
in America a false demand for plays, a demand which is occa-
sioned not by the natural need of the theater-going public,
230 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
but by the frantic need on the part of the warring managers to
keep their theaters open. It is, of course, impossible to find
enough first-class plays, operettas or musical comedies to meet
the fictitious demand, and the managers are therefore obliged
to secure second-class material, which they hardly expect the
public to approve, because it will cost them less to present
second-class attractions to small audiences — particularly regu-
lar plays, because they are devoid of expensive costume and
scenic equipment — than it would cost them to close some of
their superfluous theaters.
No very deep knowledge of economics is necessary to per-
ceive that this must become eventually a ruinous business
policy. Too many theaters showing too many plays too many
months in the year cannot finally make money ; and this reacts
against art itself and against the public's appreciation, and yet
there are managers who are continually willing to take chances,
figuring that one "great big hit" will overshadow in profit the
loss incurred on eight failures. Thus good work suffers by
the constant accompaniment of bad work which is advertised
in precisely the same way; and the public which is forced to
see eight bad productions in order to find one good one, be-
comes weary and is apt to lose faith.
I repeat that since the old days of "The Black Crook" in the
sixties, followed by the Lydia Thompson British burlesquers,
and the French opera bouffe, the Austro-German operetta, and
the Gilbert and Sullivan works, there has been a decided back-
ward movement as regards the adequate portrayals of the vari-
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 231
ous parts in those classes of entertainment. The very best
artists procurable were secured to fill adequately all the various
parts, and managers vied one with the other in their procure-
ment, and hence the performances met public approval and
resulted in exceedingly long runs as a general rule.
To-day, with the "star" system in vogue it is not possible
with generally inferior casts, to expect the same all around
artistic presentation as in former years. I refer not only to
musical plays, but to dramatic performances as well. Indeed,
"the star" is put forward so strongly, that in a great many
cases even the title of the play becomes of secondary consider-
ation. It may be that a popular "star" becomes a box office
magnet, but that is no reason why the artistic completeness of
a production, and the theater-going public should thus be
made the loser.
There is no doubt that an adequate, all-round cast is the
most important factor and no expenditure of large sums of
money for scenery, costumes and accessories can suffice without
the right players.
A few of the present time composers and librettists of
operettas or musical plays, who seek to emulate a Johann
Strauss, a Franz von Suppe, a Carl Millocker, a Jacques
Offenbach, a Charles Lecocq or an Arthur Sullivan should bear
in mind that something more than clever musicianship and
skill in writing humorous verse is necessary. Old observers
know this and even the careless listener realizes it, though un-
interested in the technical elements of stagecraft: Vulgar
232 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
humor and musical commonplace have brought in many in-
stances the entertainment which is called operetta and musical
comedy to a low plane, but the more thought and purpose have
been degraded, the more have craftsmanship and attention to
external elements been advanced. Roistering fun-makers,
gorgeous scenery, pretty chorus girls in picturesque gowns and
ingenuous stage management have unhappily become of
greater moment than comedy with a purpose and music which
does not offend good taste. The more sincere the attempt to
give artistic aim to musical comedy, however, the greater the
demand upon technical skill in creation and production.
Time changes nothing else in us so much as our sense of
humor. This development notable in the individual who
grows up, is more notable still in the growing community, so
that always the oldest nation has the finest and keenest instinct
of fun. Our own progress was apparent in nothing more than
in our altered taste for musical comedy.
We began by appreciating only the broadest burlesques and
spectacular melo-dramatic representations, then the Austro-
, German operettas, and finally Gilbert and Sullivan lifted us
suddenly from the lowest to the highest plane. These two
last-mentioned men were a phenomenon, almost unique in
theatrical history, because they were as peerless, as inimitable,
as supreme in their own field as Shakespeare or Wagner.
There never has been another Shakespeare nor a Wagner; there
probably never will be another Gilbert and Sullivan. At the
height of their vogue, Charles Hoyt began producing rapid-
EUGENE SANDOW
MASCAGNI
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 233
fire farces in which the songs were incidental and this kind
of entertainment, redeemed by the wit, the constructive skill
and the genius for characterization of a master, speedily de-
generated to the musical comedy of the early nineties, in which
in some of them the plot was silly or non-existent, the dialogue
a selection from the comic weeklies, the music elemental and
the predominant purpose of the whole nothing more nor less
than the exhibition of the largest possible number of women
in the smallest possible number of garments. These pieces
were built rather than written. Of what use was a clever
librettist when good lines were desirable chiefly when they
could be revealed by abbreviated attire, and when half a dozen
unusually pretty girls atoned for any possible vapidity of
play?
"The Merry Widow" turned the tide, the Austro-German
operettas previously named and "The Spring Maid," "The
Pink Lady," "The Quaker Girl," "The Enchantress," "The
Red Widow," and "The Rose Maid" followed. Long before
then the public had sickened of its feed, but the managers
had been somewhat slow to see it. A single success did the
trick. The one-fingered would-be musicians went out of
fashion, and they were replaced by talented composers.
It is possible no longer to introduce into any sort of a scene
any sort of a song. Stage directors nowadays do not consider
it entirely apropos to lower a motor boat into a drawing room
set in order that some basso-profundo recruit from vaudeville
may warble "Nancy Lee."
234 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
One of the most delightful of recent revivals in New York
was "Robin Hood" at the New Amsterdam Theater. "Oh,
Promise Me" of course brought tender recollections of Jessie
Bartlett Davis and one was agreeably reminded of Henry Clay
Barnabee, Eugene Cowles and Tom Karl, and those other
Bostonians who first presented that admirable De Koven and
Smith work, more than twenty years ago at the Standard
Theater. Walter Hyde and Bella Alten, both recruits from
grand opera, sang delightfully the music allotted to them.
Vocally the entire production was perfect. Basil Ruysdael,
Carl Gantvoorst and Sidney Bracy brought out the fullest
beauties of the score, while it is safe to say that Annabel's one
solo, "I'll Love Tho' All the World Say Nay," was never bet-
ter sung than by Ann Swinburne, so suddenly and deservedly
elevated to the prima-donna role in Lehar's charming operetta
"The Count of Luxembourg."
Florence Wickham's most sensational success was her ap-
pearance in the tights of Alan-a-Dale, and this is not under-
estimating the richness of Miss Wickham's contralto voice.
Edwin Stevens was very amusing as the Sheriff of Nottingham
and Pauline Hall was warmly welcomed in the role of Dame
Durden, and George Frothingham's Friar Tuck, which was
the original, continues to be an example of how much an artist
can do with very little. The production was sumptuous, both
as regards costumes and scenery. The second act, a forest
scene with its lovely greens and browns, its running stream
and its patch of verdant grass realistically lighted, made one
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 235
think of the landscapes of a Diaz or a Troyon. The chorus
looked and sang remarkably well.
As previously mentioned "The Queen's Lace Handkerchief"
at the Casino, was the forerunner in the early eighties of the
Austro-German operetta craze, followed by the "Erminie"
craze in 1886 and by the "Florodora" musical comedy craze
in 1900. Upon every hand you heard nothing but stories
about the piece, of how the members of the cast were like one
big family, how delighted they were at their ultimate success,
how the cast continued no less than three leading women who
dwelt in the greatest harmony, of the enormous fortunes made
by the different chorus girls in Wall Street speculations, of
their various matrimonial affairs, and as for the famous sex-
tette, their names and reputed exploits were to be found in the
public prints at least seven days a week.
Then there was the music. Why, you simply could not
escape it, no matter how hard you might try.
First thing when you arose in the morning someone in your
neighborhood would be playing "The Shade of the Palm."
Later when being served with your eggs at the breakfast, your
otherwise irreproachable and irreplaceable maid would be
quietly humming "I've an Inkling." Then all day long, in
either business or residential section of New York, the good
old hurdy-gurdies would grind out one tune after another, the
favorite in this repertoire being "Tell Me, Pretty Maiden."
Indeed, one had to have patience and fortitude during the
"Florodora" fad. Yet it represented an enthusiastic era; and
236 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
with the one possible exception of "Erminie" there had never
been anything quite like it before, nor has there been since.
The original cast of "Florodora" included Robert E. Gra-
ham, Cyril Scott, Willie Edouin, Fannie Johnston, Mabel
Barrison, Edna Wallace Hopper. The six girls who com-
prised the original sextette were Margaret Walker, Vaughn
Texsmith, Marie L. Wilson, Marjorie Relyea, Agnes Way-
burn and Daisy Greene. These were the original bona fide
"big six," as they were called.
For five years after the first night of "Floradora," at least
nine-tenths of the chorus damsels in the world, young and old,
fat and slender, blond and brunette, each and every one made
the claim "Oh, I was in the original Florodora sextette."
In a literal compilation of names of various girls identified
with the sextette at one time or another, the number is some
seventy odd, and of these only three achieved anything like
lasting success, one of whom soon gave up her stage position
for the greater security of matrimony. These three were Edna
Goodrich, Julia Frary and Frances Belmont.
Miss Goodrich joined the cast not long after the opening,
and aided by remarkable personal charms, she went steadily
ahead, first in musical plays and then in legitimate comedy,
eventually finding herself leading woman with Nat Goodwin.
Miss Frary was apparently made of the stuff that counts,
having advanced herself soon after her advent as a "sextetter"
to the position of prima donna with Frank Daniel's Company,
while recently during two seasons she has been leading femi-
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 237
nine support with Elsie Janis in "The Slim Princess." Had
Miss Frances Belmont remained on the stage there is no telling
what she might have achieved, for she seemed well started
upon a most promising career. At this time, however, she did
not display any notable histrionic talent as she nightly warbled
"There are a few, kind sir." Nevertheless, she passed im-
mediately from the show girl ranks to the position of leading
woman with Charles Hawtrey in two of his plays, "A Messen-
ger from Mars" and "Saucy Sally." She seemed thoroughly
in earnest and in a fair way to maintain a stage position of im-
portance.
Then somewhat abruptly she gave up the stage and went to
Paris to live. The next thing heard of her was the informa-
tion that she had married into one of England's most exclusive
titled families. On February igth, 1906, she became the
wife of Francis Denzil Edward Baring, the fifth Baron Ash-
burton and holder of the oldest of the four peerages held by
the Baring family, the ceremony being performed at the
English Church at Passy, France.
It speaks volumes for the former Casino girl that the mar-
riage has been a happy one and, being the second Lady Ash-
burton, the first having died in 1904, she has successfully filled
the generally trying position of stepmother to four daughters
and a son. She and her husband have visited this country
several times since their marriage, but there is not the slight-
est possibility of her ever returning to the stage.
It is a fact worth chronicling that of the few American
238 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
actresses who have married into the British peerage, Miss Bel-
mont has been the only one to make a success of it. Nor was
the marriage influenced on the part of her husband, either by
callowness or senility, for at the time he was forty years old
and she was twenty-two.
An actor who has attained a high position in the profession
informed me not very long ago, that he was first engaged as
a super at the old Boston Museum, for the munificent salary
of two dollars per week. Connected in even so humble a capac-
ity with a company which occupied a theater so full of tra-
ditions, handed down by Booth, Barrett, McCullough and the
other makers of American theatrical history, he was contented
with his lot, even though it cost his father ten times more than
his salary.
His schooling in the Boston Museum Stock Company,
wherein he was gradually advanced to utility and eventually
more important parts, only served to increase his appetite for
histrionic honors. The disadvantages of being an actor did not
protrude themselves on his horizon until long after he had left
his native heath.
When engagements with various companies throughout the
country began to attract him, by reason of the opportunity for
travel, he was soon initiated into the vagaries of the vaga-
bond life, and from that time until he was selected for the prin-
cipal role in a certain play, there were enough disappointments
to make him cry time and time again, "The actor's life is not
altogether a happy one."
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 239
Small road companies are not the only organizations which
have cause to complain of their lot. They have been the
target at which humorists have darted their shafts of wit, but
many an important company having outlived its usefulness in
the larger cities, is compelled to experience much discomfort
at the hands of the unsophisticated natives in the rural dis-
tricts. That, however, is not the worst feature of being an
actor. Seriously, a player who spends three-fourths of his
time away from home, has less advantage than the alien who
enters the country as an immigrant and in a year has naturali-
zation papers. The immigrant then has a voice in the selec-
tion of office holders; he is licensed to conduct a business; in
time if he is thrifty he owns his home and becomes a tax-payer,
and eventually, in many instances, he is heard from as a
public-spirited citizen.
The actor, in all likelihood born in this country, educated in
its schools, begins his fiscal year by spending two or three
months in the spring and summer in New York City, waiting
for some producing manager to select him as a type for a
character in a new production. Failing in this, he takes the
best road job which offers itself and begins to work, sometimes
in August, more often in September and not infrequently in
October.
As the amusement business is the first to feel the effects of
any unusual condition which might happen to develop com-
mercially, the season for the actor has been variously averaged
at from twenty-five to thirty-five weeks. During this time he
240 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
is on the road, paying more for his living than if he had his
own home, thus contributing, in the various cities which he
visits, a part of the great amount of money expended annually
by transients. It is a well-known fact that the commerce of
any city depends in a great measure on the itinerant public.
Through all of this expense, inconvenient existence, and in
many unsatisfactory hotels, the actor does not even get a
chance to vote. If he leaves his company for the purpose of
casting a ballot in his home town he will probably lose his
engagement.
When the actor herein referred to had been provided with
his first "star" part, he had had all and more of these disagree-
able experiences that fall to the lot of any one player. The
advance of civilization has not penetrated the nooks and
corners of this country sufficiently to eradicate from the narrow
minds of some natives the idea that the actor is no longer a
vagabond. He believes there is still extant in England a law
which defined the actor as a vagabond and he thinks that it
has been very widely interpreted in many towns which he has
visited.
The hotel clerk is usually the first important personage the
actor meets on his arrival. As soon as he realizes you are
with the show, he seems to dig up all of the garret rooms which
have not been dusted since the last troupe played in the town,
and that may mean two weeks, or two months, according to
the ability of the local theater manager to get a contract.
The bell boy no sooner plants your luggage in a musty room
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 241
before he asks you for a pass. Just about the time you are
ready to rest after your journey, the maid will repeat the re-
quest, by the time you reach the dining-room the colored waiter
has already spotted you and expressed a desire to see the show
that night. Before you reach the door, the porter, the clerk
and all of the other attaches who, for some unknown reason,
believe that their services are indispensable, feel that the only
possible reciprocity is an order on the box office for two seats.
If you happen to be the star of a play, this request is made by
the messenger boy, the cab driver, the newsboy who takes your
money for a paper, and, in fact, from every considerable angle
someone will find some excuse to ask for a pass.
The pass fiend, however, is not the only one who besieges a
successful player. As soon as the critics approve of a play, and
their judgment is corroborated by the paying public, there will
come a stream of playwrights, confident, sanguine and insistent
that they have the play, the great American play long awaited,
which needs only the personality, talent and popularity of the
star. If he takes the trouble to read a few of these manu-
scripts, he will find that in most cases the subject is identical
with that in the play in which he happened to be appearing.
Most people seem to think that the actor has nothing to do
but enjoy himself. This statement has probably been made
so often that it might be classed among the "bromides" of
modern journalism. But it is nevertheless a fact, in spite of
the columns and columns of press matter, which have been and
are being written daily about actors and the personal side of
242 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
their lives, and which should by this time have been sufficient
to show the public just how the actor spends his time.
If he begins his day at noon, provided he is not compelled
to travel, he has as many if not more, appointments made for
him than most notable captains of industry. He does not dare
turn down an interview from a paper; he has clubs, societies
and leagues whose invitations must not be neglected, and by
the time his performance is over in the evening, there are
usually two or three friends whom he has not seen for months
or years, who drop in unannounced. So there is very little
time left for himself.
This routine, of course, is applicable only to those players
who are sufficiently interested in their business to observe an
attitude of tact and diplomacy. For, after all, the profession
is a business and it must be conducted as such.
There are not many angles of the profession which have
not been discussed in clubs and in the public press, so that the
play-goer who reads is by this time, most likely, quite familiar
with the inside facts of the profession. While it is a profes-
sion from its artistic side, there is that system and method of
conducting a theatrical enterprise which is rigid and precise.
If the actor, or an executive in any other department of a
theater, were to devote as much time to a commercial enter-
prise, as is expected of him in his own profession, he feels con-
fident that his energy would put to shame some of the results
attained by our men of affairs.
From the time a manuscript is put into rehearsal the actor
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 243
becomes the victim of circumstances. It is needless to relate
here the hours, the days, the weeks of tedious work consumed
in the preparation of a production. Neither is the author
going to dwell upon the excitement and nervousness of a first
night after these weeks of rehearsal, waiting for the verdict
of the proverbial "death watch" who sit like undertakers at
every premiere; nor will he attempt to describe the feelings of
the players, some of whom sit up all night waiting for the first
edition of the morning papers, wherein will be reported their
success or failure.
But when you reconsider all of these experiences through
which an actor must pass, when you realize how long he has
to fight for recognition and when you understand that his per-
sonal popularity is measured by the whim of the public, you
will not blame him for repeating, "The actor's life is not al-
together a happy one."
It is not generally known that the so-called "press agent"
plays a very important part, if he is clever, in the ultimate
success of a play or musical production. Frequently adverse
newspaper criticisms create in the minds of some of the
theater-going public a lukewarmness towards certain new pro-
ductions and lessen the box office receipts for a week or two.
The excision of bad and the introduction of good material
added to quick action on the part of the press agent, will in
many instances turn a failure into a success.
I remember when "Florodora" was produced at the Casino
— that musical comedy having already enjoyed a great meas-
244 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
tire of popularity in England — its business for the first few
weeks was very mediocre, but the quick and persistent work
of the press agent, the heralding of the tuneful, original and
catchy sextette, helped "Florodora" to develop into one of the
greatest artistic and financial successes of a decade and such
was the case in a number of previous Casino productions.
It is a remarkable fact that the press agent is of more im-
portance in America than he is in Europe, where the public is
not so eager for sensation and for continuous newspaper stories
about the popular artists.
In the case of Caruso, for example, months previous to the
return of that idolized tenor to fill his accustomed season's en-
gagement at the Metropolitan Opera House through the press
agent's manoeuvring the newspapers all over the country de-
voted columns upon columns to narratives — whether true or
untrue — regarding that artists' doings abroad, his domestic
affairs, the presentation to him of decorations from potentates,
the scramble for tickets at fabulous prices whenever he ap-
peared in Berlin and other cities in Germany, at Ostend, etc.,
stories that have been repeatedly told, and yet the opera-
loving public delight to read them and they help in filling the
coffers of the Metropolitan Opera House on "Caruso" nights.
The same method is pursued by the press agent regarding
artists in other lines, for example, Eva Tanguay, now one of
the highest-priced woman performers on the vaudeville stage.
Many stories have been written of her eccentricities, of her
physical prowess, of her belligerent disposition, of her love
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 245
affairs, and few of them accurate. Once at Bostock's animal
exhibition in Dreamland, Coney Island, so the press agent re-
lated, she posed before the camera with a cub lion in her arms.
Upon her arrival the trainer proposed that she pose also in a
den of ferocious tigers. Impulsively she agreed. Five min-
utes later when she looked into the cage of roaring beasts, she
regretted her promise, but she did not flinch. Into the den she
sprang, and there she stood motionless, while a less brave
photographer from a place of safety "took" her again and
again. This exhibition was not altogether bravery on Miss
Tanguay's part, for she was frightened almost to collapse; it
was the will power and determination that have brought her
to her present eminence in her chosen and "I don't care"
calling.
More than any of her colleagues Miss Tanguay believes
in the efficacy of advertising. Her advertisements frequently
are quite as puzzling as her other products. At least they are
novel enough to arouse comment and to induce her readers to
look for them, which is, after all, the acid test of advertising.
During one of my recent visits to Paris I investigated the
theater status there quite thoroughly, and as the conditions
are somewhat different from those in America I thought that
it might interest my readers.
As is well known, many Paris theaters are subsidized by the
Government, which exercises a certain supervision over them.
They either receive a certain sum of money annually from the
French treasury or their taxes are in part or as a whole re-
246 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
mitted. The theaters receiving aid from the Government are
required to conform to certain laws as regards and governs
safety, sanitary and other conditions, and they are not per-
mitted to ask exorbitant prices for seats, or raise the prices,
except with the permission of the Government, and then only
when the expense of the production is so great as to warrant a
rise in the prices of seats. Yet even then there is no extor-
tionate rate demanded, as is so often the case in London and
New York, when a play is to be produced or a grand opera
to be sung with an all-star cast.
The prices of admission to the average Paris theater range
from ten cents (50 centimes) in the gallery to four dollars
for a box seating six persons. A balcony seat is from forty
to sixty cents, the parterre seats bring from sixty cents to a
dollar. These prices are for such theaters as the Gymnase,
the Antoine and several others. The higher priced playhouses
are the Varieties, the Vaudeville, the Sarah Bernhardt, the
Odeon, the Francois and a few others. Their prices ranging
from twenty cents in the gallery to three dollars in the
orchestra, and boxes from five to eight dollars.
The Paris theaters have the usual matinees, but they are
not so well attended as the matinees on this side of the water,
although the prices are slightly reduced. Most of the Paris
playhouses give performances seven evenings a week the year
round, except the Grand Opera, whose doors are closed during
certain parts of the year, and whose stage is in darkness three
nights out of every week, there being no performance Tuesday,
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 247
Thursday and Sunday, except on special occasions. The
Theatre Frangais is the favorite with the Parisian public and
it is there that the best in the distinctively French play may be
seen. This theater receives annually from the Government,
enough to cover all taxes, approximately $25,000, and the
remitting of all dues to the city of Paris for the care of streets
upon which it is located ; the Government caring for the insur-
ing of buildings and properties. The Odeon receives a like
sum of money, and several other playhouses are sufficiently
subsidized by the Government to cover much of the actual ex-
penses of caring for the buildings. On the other hand, the
theaters, the Grand Opera and the Opera Comique in Paris are
obliged to pay a large percentage of their receipts, half of
which is devoted toward a fund for the poor of Paris and the
other for royalties to authors and composers.
All Paris theaters are obliged to support two firemen of the
regular municipal fire department, who stand guard at the
stage door during all performances, their hand grenades and
other first call appliances at hand. Paris has, too, a theater
fire department, an engine, hook and ladder and hose cart, in
several of her engine houses, that are used for no other pur-
pose than first alarm at a theater. This outfit has appliances
especially adapted to the extinguishing of fires in theater build-
ings, very long steel ladders, small hose reels and extension
grappling hooks, to be used in small passageways behind the
stage and among the scenes, where most fires in theaters orig-
inate. All Paris playhouses are required to have fire curtains
248 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
or drops and the buildings are usually constructed of stone and
the interior work, balconies and galleries of steel, the danger
of fire is remote, and the thing most to be dreaded is panic, the
aisles, passage-ways, exits and stairways being narrow and
hence dangerous in the event of fire.
The method of theater vendors in Paris is also different
from ours. Quite a number of Paris playhouses have their
ticket vendors at the principal street corners and even in front
of or adjacent to the box office. These men receive a commis-
sion and the commission varies with the number of tickets dis-
posed of. An interesting character in Paris is the ticket
broker who sells his wares upon the street curb. He will offer
you a ticket at six o'clock at a less price than you would have
to pay for it at the box office ; at seven o'clock at still less, at
seven thirty o'clock he will make it to you at possibly a third
off; at eight o'clock there is another drop in the price; at the
rise of the curtain he has vanished, whether he has disposed of
his tickets or not. It seems that he buys a certain number of
tickets at reduced prices, allowing him to make a good profit
if he sells them early in the evening; he offers them at a slightly
lower figure from the box office rate, then failing, as the hour
for curtain approaches, in disposing of the requisite number, he
is obliged to turn in the unsold tickets at half price. Yet in
the long run the broker comes out ahead.
The theaters in the French capital are quite well policed, the
entrances and aisles are kept clear, the women ushers well in-
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 249
structed in their duties, polite and courteous, yet overbearing
in their demands for tips. The theater programs are neat and
artistic and not quite so voluminous as those in American
theaters and for which a small charge is exacted. (To my
mind both the tips and the charges should be eliminated.)
The Paris theaters are in general well managed, but they lack
the comfort, cleanliness, and the otherwise spacious seating
arrangements of the average American houses.
It is an astonishing fact that in England, Germany, France
and Italy the old actors and actresses retain their popularity
and are revered by the public until they are hardly able to
trod the boards and in this country, with rare exception, as
soon as an actor or actress reaches a certain age he or she is
relegated to private life. In this age of progressiveness, the
public often is wrongly accused of forgetting and neglecting
its old favorites and of paying court to younger people. The
old actor and actress forget, however, that unless they happen
to be extraordinary artists, they cannot create the illusion of
youth. They are not all gifted with the genius of a Sarah
Bernhardt or a Coquelin.
In dramatic and musical productions the manager always
seeks for novelty. It is the new meritorious play or operetta
which draws and so in large measure it is the new personality.
Only where the lack of youth and charm is supplemented by
great artistic worth is the actor or actress able to overcome this
desire for something new.
A story was once told of a certain actress, at one time well
250 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
known and decidedly popular, who had been for several sea-
sons without employment, or when employed had been prac-
tically unnoticed by both the press and the public; and as she
was no longer young, she found herself engaged finally for the
character role of the mother in a certain production. Years
before, she would have been eagerly accepted as the heroine —
the daughter — as the characters fell in the cast in question.
Now a younger, fresher, more immediately successful lead-
ing woman was engaged for that role, but the night of the
first performance, the older actress in the role of the mother
carried off all the honors. She gave a wonderfully sympa-
thetic, mellow, finished portrayal, at least so the critics said
next day, and judging from the applause and curtain calls,
there was no doubt that she had made the hit of the play.
When, however, some friends went into her dressing room
after the last curtain fall, instead of the happy woman they
expected to find, they saw her lying on a couch sobbing as if
her heart would break. "Why, you've made the biggest hit
of the season," some one said. "You'll be the talk of New
York to-morrow." But she only went on sobbing and nothing
could console her.
"Yes," she said finally, "the hit of the piece as an old
woman, only the beginning of the end for me and my work."
Now that woman would have been in a position to retire
comfortably years before. How much happier she might have
been with her old memories to warm her in her old age, instead
of remaining in a position where even success meant merely the
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 251
raking over of dead ashes! And the same might be said of
innumerable prima donnas of the past who persist in continu-
ous farewell performances.
The adulation in both the dramatic and musical profession
is so direct, so personal, so immediate that it gets to be second
nature with most artists to expect it. After all, the artist
cannot appeal to posterity, cannot wait till next year, next
month, next week to learn that he has succeeded. He cannot
sit back complacently in the face of failure and hope that a
future verdict will reverse the present judgment. With the
artist it must be now or never, and the older an actor is, the
more impatient he will be to hear the verdict of success regis-
tered in applause.
For one thing, the opportunities then are fewer. As a re-
sult, when the time comes that the younger favorite takes the
applause, it hits hard, wounds deeply. And it must be an ex-
ceptionally well-balanced mind that can be philosophical
about it.
Many years ago when the entrancing "lullaby" and the
catchy "Dickey Bird" song from "Erminie" were sung, hum-
med and whistled the country over a young man of eighteen,
after studying for a short period in his little home town, was
prevailed upon to play the tenor role Eugene in "Erminie"
at an amateur performance of that operetta by local talent.
He wore tights that evening, his legs were neither bowed nor
knocked at the knees, but fortunately he had other physical
qualifications, the most conspicuous being a barrel-like chest —
252 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
useful to the singer — and plenty of shoulder. He was barely
under man's coveted six feet, and he had a man's countenance
and a man's sweep of jaw. For some time he lived in his
"Erminie" triumph. He practiced vocal exercises about the
house, built a few air castles and waited for a knock on the
front door that he felt must come to summon him to singing
fame and fortune. A knock did come, though different from
the one expected. It was a peremptory command to sally
forth and hustle to keep the family going. He accepted a
position as salesman on the road. Whenever he made a stop
he always hunted up a singing teacher for a lesson or two.
Almost every small town has some sort of a vocal instructor
who gives lessons, at from fifty cents to a dollar.
Promiscuous tutoring brought confusion to such technical
methods as he employed, for singing instructors, though aim-
ing at one perfect result, have a marvelous difference of
opinion as to how it may be attained. He would sing his high
tones in a certain fashion for a little while, change teachers and
be informed that everything he did was bad. Then he began
all over again.
In his third year of travel, he chanced to hear a first-class
opera company in a performance of "II Trovatore." The
impression left upon him fired his cherished ambition anew,
and it blazed to hitherto untouched heights as he read, in the
reviews printed the next day of the big salaries paid some of
the principals. Near the close of summer he resigned his
position as salesman.
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 253
Most people hold an erroneous opinion that an exceptional
voice alone is required to win distinction and commensurate
financial rewards. "He has a great voice" asserts the average
American. "Why doesn't he go into grand opera*? Caruso
and Titta Ruffo each make their two thousand dollars a
night."
They do, and they earn it, but with the help of other factors
besides their glorious voices.
The average singer counted as successful and the celebrated
prima donna alike, call business sagacity to their aid, for with-
out it they never go the distance possible otherwise.
Right here, I recall, that when Adelina Patti, then in the
zenith of her powers, attempted to give some concerts in the
early eighties in Steinway Hall, New York, under the manage-
ment of her secretary, who was not conversant with the Ameri-
can method of management or publicity, and who simply
counted upon her tremendous reputation, the attendance was
pitiable, so much so, that Henry E. Abbey was speedily called
into requisition and after a lapse of three weeks during which
period proper advertising and direction was resorted to, the
diva again appeared at Steinway Hall to literally "sold out"
houses !
If the truth were known about some singers who win high
financial recognition, it would appear that their musical worth
was considerably below par. With such competition to meet,
the meritorious artist must be up and doing early in the morn-
ing, most particularly in a business way.
254 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
But to return to the "Erminie" tenor. After retiring from
his position as salesman, he decided to take up singing as a
life work. New York, as now, offered the broadest oppor-
tunities to the student. Straightway the metropolis became the
object of fascination and he prepared carefully for the journey.
He had three hundred dollars saved, which he judged sufficient
for the first plunge into real musical waters. He first at-
tended one of the many conservatories, but left it, after a
certain period chastened, though not discouraged; sought a
church choir position and procured it; and shortly thereafter
by advice of some student friends he found the teacher he was
looking for, who combined that rare quality in any profession
or business — able to unite theory and practice — and in
whose private studio, he felt he would meet singers further
advanced than those at the conservatory, and also gather use-
ful information by rubbing shoulders with professionals who
showed a preference for "coaching" with independent rather
than conservatory instructors.
His new voice master — for he was a master — followed the
practice of many teachers regarding reduced rates. There
were two other young singers besides himself, who paid two
dollars and a half for a lesson supposed to bring twice that
amount. This concession was never made to singers unless
they had very good voices. The voice master was a fair
minded man who believed in the "square deal" policy and at
his suggestion the three youngsters pocketed their pride and
hunted up restaurants that were willing to engage soloists for
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 255
occasional evenings at small fees. The benefits to the "trio"
were many because they were able to apply in public the prin-
ciples taught them in the studio, and to acquire composure
while under scrutiny of many eyes.
Singing in a studio, with nothing at stake, and in the pres-
ence of an assemblage, are quite different affairs.
Even a singer who feels at home in a solo sung in a choir-
loft, may find his knees sagging, once he steps upon the con-
cert platform. Many careers never materialize for singers
solely because they "go to pieces" in public; and though some
people do not have it in them ever to conquer stage fright, most
of them by frequently appearing before large and small audi-
ences, manage to acquire the necessary self-control.
Considering the apparent wealth of partially developed
singing material contained in New York and other cities in
America it seems odd that comparatively little was afterward
heard from. Hardly a day passed that did not bring some
splendid soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone or basso to the at-
tention of the musical colony, thus adding to the large list
expected to contribute a goodly portion of artists to those
who had "arrived."
There were plenty of reasons, however, for the failure of
most of these promising young singers to fulfill expectations,
though one after another heard such remarks as: "She has a
beautiful voice and sings with so much dash that, with her
delightful personality, nothing should be impossible !" Again,
"Just wait until that young man is heard publicly once or
256 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
twice ; he has a baritone with Amatos quality, and a physique
as well!"
Remarks like these, however, seldom mean much, for they
are purely superficial. And it is due to just such indiscrimi-
nate praise that thousands of young men and women are now
battling for moderate and big musical opportunities which can
never be wori because of the singer's shortcomings, shortcom-
ings that are overlooked in an appraisal that does not weigh
every essential a successful vocalist must have.
The aforementioned "trio" on off restaurant engagement
nights, made it a point to attend the Metropolitan Opera
House, where perched in the uppermost gallery they heard
such artists as Jean and Edouard de Reszke, Melba, Eames,
Nordica, Scalchi and Plangon.
One afternoon the voice master received a mesage from one
of the leading musical agencies seeking a tenor who could
sing that night at a private musicale; for agencies are some-
times compelled to ask assistance of teachers when their
"listed" artists are otherwise engaged. The "Erminie" tenor
was given the appearance and the agency manager, who was
in the fashionable audience present, asked him to call at his
office the next day.
Though it turned out to be one of those fortunate "starts"
there were other young singers given similar opportunities who
did not prove so lucky ; for luck does seem sometimes to be an
element in singing success. In this instance the head of the
musical bureau happened to be a guest of the hostess giving
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 257
the function, and he also happened to have need for another
young tenor. Directly he had other local musicale appear-
ances, then was sent to neighboring cities to sing in concerts
of modest pretensions; and at length an oratorio engagement
came.
The adage "nothing succeeds like success" was applicable in
his case. It was only tiny for a time but it soon began to
grow.
A society woman, belonging to the class known as "tenor
worshippers" recommended him for numerous private musi-
cales. Her patronage proved profitable, until he incurred her
enmity by declining luncheon, dinner and other invitations so
numerous that, had they been accepted, they would have seri-
ously interfered with his work.
At the end of his fourth year in New York he decided that
before opera house doors would be open to him, further expe-
rience in Europe would be necessary. So he sailed. His
equipment when he reached his foreign destination was better
than eight out of ten Americans who go to the other side. He
spoke Italian almost fluently, French fairly well and had some
knowledge of German. Not only was his tone production
proper and secure, but he had memorized nine first tenor roles
in standard grand operas and had been coached in the dramatic
action of all. A further security was furnished by a substan-
tial balance he had in his New York bank.
In the next six months he learned something about singers
studying in Milan, Florence and Rome, singers from all
258 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
countries. Americans, the strongest numerically, were flound-
ering about in ignorance of every sort. Only a small percent-
age of them knew the Italian language, an opera repertoire and
had a proper method of tone production and through poor ad-
vice and lack of intelligent procedure fell into the hands of
ordinary or incompetent teachers. Americans who were lucky
enough to select or have selected for them efficient singing
teachers got on — some splendidly, and all knew that when
they were ready for debuts, money could procure them.
During those six months he studied assiduously with one of
Italy's most distinguished and capable maestros whose influ-
ence was far-reaching, and in another month found him pre-
paring calmly for his operatic debut as Rodolfo in Puccini's
"La Boheme."
The favorable reception accorded him by an Italian audience
in a small theater in one of the unimportant towns occasioned
no surprise. He was well equipped for his career, at that
point of it surely; and though he was not satisfied with his
efforts, it seemed that the people present, who knew their
opera, were. His action was stiff, but he experienced a nerv-
ous exhilaration but no sense of consuming fear.
He had nearly twenty appearances with that mediocre com-
pany, then came a rest due to the ending of the season. His
salary was ridiculously small, the theater was dingy and most
of the principals of second-rate ability, but he didn't mind;
he was acquiring experience. One role he appeared in twelve
times with a few chances at three others. Thus he gathered
THE THEATRICAL SITUATION OF TO-DAY 259
confidence, vocal and dramatic freedom, and learned tricks
of the trade that come only under professional conditions.
One night as the engagement was approaching a conclusion
the manager of an opera house in a good sized Italian city
visited his dressing room. He had heard of him and after
sitting through a performance, expressed his willingness to
place him in his company for the ensuing season. • He accepted
the offer carrying a small monthly salary.
A similar experience came to him ten months afterward
during an operatic presentation in a more pretentious opera
house, but this time the engagement laid before him was for
the United States and by an American impresario. The tour
was to begin in November and last until the middle of the
following March, and he was to be the first tenor, have forty
appearances guaranteed, with an assurance of being heard in
ten roles, and certain publicity featuring; the salary was a
fair one. He accepted the terms, signed the contract and
fulfilled his part of it in the winter that followed. And it all
goes to illustrate that in many instances patience, push and
energy win out.
THE AMERICAN PALACE OF ART
CHAPTER XIV
THE AMERICAN PALACE OF ART
Proposed Plan for a Palace of Art for Washington, D. C, to
Comprise a Conservatory of Music and School of Dramatic
Art — The Scope and Details of This Suggested National
Institution.
AS far back as 1905, in Paris, I proposed the organiza-
tion of a society for the management of European
debuts for worthy American students gratis. My
proposal in a letter to the Paris Herald, was cabled over to
the New York Herald, and read as follows :
Herald Bureau,
No. 49 Avenue de 1'Opera,
Paris, Oct. I7th, 1905.
To the Editor of the Herald:—
After many years of discussion, without action, there has at last
been developed a plan for advancing American musical talent that
is promised the warm support and active co-operation of music
lovers, concert and opera goers in the principal cities of Europe and
the United States.
This is not a project to educate American students, but it begins
where education leaves off and at a point where so many talented
musicians are compelled to drop back and sink out of sight with
the goal in reach ; for it is well known that the success of a musi-
cian depends upon the debut at some European center, and this
debut costs money.
263
264 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
It is ofttimes the barrier between failure and a successful career.
Without the eclat of such debut, to say nothing of the recognition
it brings, no manager of repute will undertake the direction of an
artist.
It is then at this point that the great number of American students
in Europe and the United States, the majority well equipped for
public careers, fail. They lack the financial means to take the
next essential step.
With this idea is formed the Agence Musicale Internationale, a
semi-philanthropy.
From funds subscribed a number of concerts are to be given
annually in Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna and Milan, where those
students judged worthy and sufficiently talented will be given, with-
out any charge whatsoever, an opportunity to make their debut
under the most favorable auspices.
It is for this laudable project that I ask the New York Herald
to receive subscriptions, recognizing the interest that it has stead-
fastly evinced in the elevation of American art and artists.
My long experience in musical enterprises in the United States
and Europe, convince me that with the Herald's aid, its success
is assured, and I shall be pleased to take charge of the preliminary
arrangements and management of the concerts.
Cordially yours,
RUDOLPH ARONSON.
M. Jean de Reszke, among many other prominent artists
in Paris heartily endorsed my plans, as signified by him in the
following letter:
Paris, November 2Oth, 1905.
Dear Mr. Aronson: —
Your suggestion to create a fund for the purpose of giving one
or two concerts with orchestra and famous artists, annually, in the
principal music centers of Europe for the purpose of "bringing
THE AMERICAN PALACE OF ART 265
out" worthy American students free of any cost to them whatso-
ever, is a capital one, and should have the hearty co-operation of the
thousands of American music lovers at home and abroad.
Very truly yours,
JEAN DE RESZKE.
This matter lagged along for years, and from it was
evolved the idea of constructing in Washington, D. C., the
American Palace of Art which now (1912) has my most
serious consideration.
The American Palace of Art will aim to combine a Na-
tional Conservatory of Music for all branches of study, vocal
and instrumental, under the tutorship of the best professors
procurable in America and Europe, free of charge, and thus
avoid the difficulties, the expense, the danger, which beset our
would-be students abroad, far away from their relatives and
friends, and on the completion of their studies at this Con-
servatory, opportunities would be offered them to "go on" at
the opera-houses in New York, Chicago, Boston and Phila-
delphia and eventually in Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna and
Milan. There is also planned a School of Dramatic Art and
Theater for operatic and dramatic performances, its large
stage and tier of boxes to permit the giving of a short season
of grand opera from the Metropolitan Opera House, New
York. There, too, meritorious works of American composers,
with adequate casts of American artists and American chorus
would be first presented, and also many first performances of
the better class of plays, musical comedies, operettas, etc.
266 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
(before presentations in the larger cities of the United States),
during the fall and winter, before discriminating and highly
cultivated audiences, such as Washington then affords. The
large foyer of the theater would be used for exposition of
paintings by talented American artists. A concert hall is
planned with a stage sufficiently large to accommodate the
Boston Symphony Orchestra in its entirety and other famous
organizations, and where orchestral and band concerts, vocal
and instrumental recitals can take place. Both theater and
concert hall are to have an adequate number of seats at pop-
ular prices in balconies and galleries, a long-felt want in
Washington.
These buildings are to be surmounted by a roof garden
sufficient in area to accommodate 5,000 persons. Here, in ad-
dition to the regular concerts, great meetings, and musical
festivals could be given.
Washington, as the capital of the United States, and as
one of the most beautiful of cities, is the ideal and only place
for this project, which is national in scope, and it is expected
that the returns from the theater, opera, concert hall and
roof garden will be more than sufficient to make the National
Conservatory of Music and School of Dramatic Art self-sup-
porting.
I have procured an option, for this vast enterprise, on a
piece of property in the most central residence locality of
Washington, one-third again larger than Madison Square
Garden in New York.
THE AMERICAN PALACE OF ART 267
Any number of distinguished persons have endorsed this
project most heartily and they include Monsignor Thomas J.
Shahan, rector of the Catholic University of America at
Washington, the famous bandmaster and composer, Mr. John
Philip Sousa, and Mr. Heinrich Hammer, director of the
Washington Symphony Society.
On Sunday, October 8th, 1911, the Washington Evening
Star published the following editorial :
THE NATIONAL ART CENTER
Mr. Rudolph Aronson's appreciation of Washington as the ideal
American artistic center may not immediately lead to the creation
here of an institution or a structure or any other tangible token,
but it must nevertheless advance the day of the capital's recogni-
tion as the truly national intellectual focus. For many years con-
ditions have been tending toward the development of the District
in this respect. The Government's own establishments have given
to Washington a scientific equipment second to none in the world.
Educators have recognized its exceptional advantages as a field
of work. A marked influx of people of wealth and leisure and
taste has been in progress for two decades, until Washington is
now for fully half of each year a place of residence of many of
the country's leaders in all lines of thought. The local population
grows rapidly and lacks many of the elements that in other cities
tend to affect unfortunately the quiet and comfort and artistic at-
mosphere. There is no such inordinate rush as to prevent a ra-
tional enjoyment of wholesome pleasures, and the average of culture
among the population is exceptionally high.
In these circumstances it is not remarkable that from various
sources should come at different times suggestions of institutional
developments here utilizing the national spirit and the high grade
of intellectual life which finds in Washington an ideal field.
Artists, singers, musicians, writers, scientists, all who are active in
268 THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL MEMOIRS
the realm of mind are here, eminent members of their professions
and specialties. There is a growing local encouragement of their
efforts. Here is a public that could undoubtedly support any first-
class artistic institution properly founded and maintained. Mr.
Aronson's specific idea is of building a great building modeled on
Grecian lines where could be given the most attractive and sig-
nificant musical performances this country enjoys. His ideal is
inspiring, and it is to be hoped that it is to be realized. Such an
institution as he conceived would add immeasurably to the cap-
ital's equipment and virtually establish it beyond cavil as the Amer-
ican center of art.
INDEX OF NAMES
INDEX OF NAMES
(Note. — For reference to illustrations see list in the front of the book.)
Abbey & Grau, 176.
Abbey, Henry K, 81, 82, 83, 253.
Abbey, Maurice, 109.
Abell, Arthur M., 211.
Abbot, Bessie, 225.
Abbott Opera Co., Emma, 98.
Academy of Music, N. Y., 4, 149,
ISO, 151-
Actors' Fund of America, 195.
Adams, Fanny, 107.
Adams, Hamilton, 107.
"Adonis," 158.
Aeolian Company, 126.
Aiken, E. H., 105.
Aimee, Marie, 220.
Ainsworth, Edith, 108.
Albani, Emma, 7, 210.
Alcazar in Paris, 30.
Aldrich, Mariska, 225.
Allan, Maud, 211, 212.
Allen, Jeannette, 226.
Allen, Rudolph, 126.
Allyn, Helen, 226.
Alten, Bella, 234.
Alvary, Max, 171.
Ambassadeurs in Paris, 30, 31, 57.
Amberg Opera Company, 221.
American Palace of Art, 264, 265
266, 267.
American Register of Paris, n.
"Amenta," 66, 86, 106, no.
Andrews, Carrie, 106.
Angele, Mile., 220.
Au Menestrel in Paris, 41.
"Apajune," 105, no.
Apel, Lillian, 122.
Appleby, George, 105.
Applegate, Bella, 226.
Appleton, Daniel S., 32.
Appleton, William H., 27.
"Apollo," 69, 109, in.
Arcadian Club, New York, 8.
Archer, Belle, 105.
Archer, Herbert, 105.
Arliss, George, 183.
Armoux, Wm. H., 160.
Arnold, Sir Edwin, 48, 133.
Aronson, Albert, 29.
Aronson, Edward, 6, 29.
Aronson, Joseph, 4.
Aronson, Norman, 147.
Astor Place Opera House, 31.
Astor, Mrs., 163.
Astor, Mrs. John Jacob, 163.
Astor, Waldorf, 167.
Auchincloss, E. S., 34.
Auditorium, Chicago, 178.
Audran, Edmond, 109, 201, 202, 220.
Aujac, M., 210.
Austro-German Operettas, 223, 230,
233, 235.
"Babette," 227.
Baker, F., 34.
Baker, George F., 33, 53.
Baldwin, C. C, 33-
Ballou, George W., 33-
Banner, Michael, 84, 159.
Baring, Francis, D. E., 237.
Barker, Richard, 71, 72, 93, 99, Hi-
Barlow, Billie, 104, 106.
Barnabee, Henry Clay, 126, 234.
Barnett, Alice, 105, 106.
Barney, Charles T., 33.
Barnum's Circus, 26.
Baron Bezecny, 122.
Baron Von Hegenmuller, 163.
Barrison, Mabel, 236.
Barry, Florence, 107.
Barrymore, Georgie Drew, 195-
Bartlett, Homer N., 128.
Bartlett's Washington Hotel, 147-
Bassett, Charles, 87, 109, no, 126.
Bates, L. M., 34-
Bauer, A. B. 126.
Beaudet, Louise, 109.
Beaudet, Rose, 68, 104, 106.
Beckett, Harry, 219.
Beckwith, Carroll, 113-
271
272
INDEX
Beckwith, N. M., 34.
Beebe, George L., 126.
Beebe, Mary, 105.
Beecher, Rosalba, 105.
Beeth, Lola, 121.
Beggar Student, 61, 86, 104, no.
Belasco, David, 224.
Bell, Digby, 52, 104, 105.
Bell, Florence, 105, 106, 108, 160.
Bell, Isaac, 32.
Bellini, 7, 184.
Bellini, Laura, 87, 109.
Belmont, Frances, 236, 237, 238.
Bemister, Florence, 105.
Bensande, David de, 96.
Bergmann, Carl, 4, 5.
Bernhardt, Sarah, 156, 157, 193, 246.
Bernheimer, L. S., 126.
Bernstein, Sigmund, 126.
Berry, Agnes, 225.
Betz, Franz, 12.
Beveridge, Albert J., 187.
Bibby, Henry W., 33-
Bibeyran, M. de, 94.
Biedermann, Frau, 120.
Bijou Theater, 49, 80, 160, 161.
Billie Taylor, 64, 66, 105, no.
Bishop, Heber R., 34.
Bismarck, Count von, 183.
Bizet, Georges, 21.
Bizet's Carmen, 21.
Black Crook, 227, 230.
Blacque, V. A., 33.
Blaisdell, Wm'., 165.
Blakely, David, 126.
Blass, Robert, 226.
Blenner, Carl, 113.
Bliss, Cornelius N., 32.
Blumenberg, Louis, 52, 83.
Boelen, Carrie, 109.
Bomeisler, C. M., 126.
Bonawitz, J. H., 5.
Bonci, Signor, 191.
Boucicault, Dion, 220.
Bonfanti, Madame, 227.
Booth (The Elder), 149.
Bosendorfer, Herr, 122.
Bostonians, The, 234.
Boston Museum, 238.
Boston Peace Jubilee, 4, 182.
Boston Symphony Orchestra, 266.
Bouhy, Jacques, 18.
Bracy, Sidney, 234.
Braham, John, in.
Brahms, Johannes, 121, 122, 162.
Brand, John E., 107, 108.
Brazilian, The, 69, 108, in, 177.
Breese, Miss Aloise, 128.
Breese, James L., 53.
Brenner, Dr. Ludwig von, 9.
Brigands, The, 69, 93, 107, in.
Brighton Beach, 181.
Brignoli, 7.
Brill, Herr, 122.
Bristow, B. H., 34.
Broadway Theater, 30, 165, 222.
Broderick, Geo., 107.
Bronze Figure Group, 113.
Brown, G. J., 34.
Brown, H. C, 33.
Brown, J. G., 113, 114.
Brown, Jos. H., 34.
Brown, M. B., 33.
Buisseret, Count de, 186, 187.
Biilow, Hans von, 95.
Burdett, Jno. L., 129.
Burnham, N. S., 107, 108.
Burnham, Gordon, 149.
Burton, Carrie, 104.
Butler, Charles Henry, 126.
Cady. Harriet, 122.
Cahier, Mme. Charles, 226.
Calef, A. H., 34.
Calvin, D. C, 27.
Cambridge, Duke of, 179.
Cameron, Edw., 105.
Cameron, Violet, 95, 96.
Campanini, Italo, 7, 152.
Campbell, Charles, 52, 104, 107, 108,
109.
Capoul, Victor, 7, 18, 52, 220.
Cardinal!, Signor, 151.
Carl, Rosa, 149.
Carl, Wm. C., 128.
Carleton, Wra T., 104, 106.
Carmencita. 169.
Carnegie Hall, New York, 168, 175,
Carnochan, Dr., 148.
Carreno, Teresa, 52, 161.
Carroll, Richard F., 108, 126, 195.
Carson, Emma, 104.
Carte, R. D'Oyley, 47, 48, 99.
Caruso, Enrico, 244, 253.
Cary, Anna Louise, 7.
Case, Anna, 226.
INDEX
273
Casino, New York, 29, 34, 35, 37, 38,
39, 93, 151, 176, 177, 178, IQ2, 203,
221.
Casino Comic Opera Co., 92.
Casino Roof Garden, 30, 57, 180.
Castle Garden (N. Y.), 29.
Castle, William, 106.
Catenhusen, Ernst, 50, in, 126.
Catholic University of America, 267.
Cavalleria Rusticana, 69, 86, 87, 109,
in.
Cavan, Marie, 225.
Celli, Frank, 106.
Celli, A. Murio, 126.
Central Park Garden, 8, 127.
Chambers, Paris, 41.
Champney, J. Wells, 113.
Chandler, D'Alma, 225.
Charlick, G. B., 34.
Chase, William M., 113, 114.
Chassaigne, F., 69, 71, 94, 104, 107,
177, 178, 222.
Cheatham, Kitty, 106.
Cheeseman, James, 148.
dickering & Sons, 155.
Child of Fortune, 69, no, in.
"Chocolate Soldier," 223.
Choudens, Pere et Fils, 203.
Church, F. S., 113.
Church Company, John, 126.
Cisneros, Eleanor de, 225.
Clare, Ethel, 105.
Clark, George C, 33.
Claustine, Ivan, 212.
Clews, Henry, 53.
Closson, J. T., 33.
Coghlan, Rose, 195.
Cohan & Harris, 207.
Cohen, Meyer, 152, 153.
Cole, William A., 27.
Collins, Laura F., 126.
Columbia College Dramatic Club,
169.
Columbia Theater, N. Y., 221.
Coudray, Clara, 107, no.
Connor, Washington E., 33.
Conried, Heinrich, 66, 87, 94, in, 214.
Conried Opera Company, 221.
Conried, Richard, 66.
Constable, James M., 32.
Conterno, Luciano, 126.
Cooper, Edward, 27, 34.
Corbin, Austin, 34, 180, 181.
Cort, John, 188, 207.
Cirque dfHiver (Paris), 8, 17.
Cortelyou, George B., 189.
Cotterill, Geo. W., 27.
Cottrelly, Mathilde, 50, 104, 105, 126.
"Count of Luxembourg," 223, 234.
Covent Garden, London, 191.
Cowles, Eugene, 234.
Craft, Marcella, 226.
Crane, Albert, 126.
Creelman, James, 86.
Cripps, E., 104.
Cromwell, Fredk., 128.
_Cruikshank, Wm., 33.
Count Kinsky, 122.
Curtis, Geo. Wm., 130.
Curtis, Dr. H. Holbrook, 129.
Cushman, Mrs., 149.
Cutting, A., 53.
Cutting, Robt. L. Jr., 33.
Czibulka, Alfons, 66, 106, 221.
Daboll, Wm. S., 68, 71, 106.
Dachauer, Louis, 10.
D'Albert, Eugene, 162, 176.
Daly, Lizzie D., no.
Damon, G. F., 34.
Damrosch, Dr. Leopold, 10.
Damrosch, Walter, 95, 126, 128, 168.
D'Angelis, Jeff., 109, no, 126.
Daniels, Frank, 236.
Darclee, Madame, 184.
D'Arville, Camille, 108, 178.
Davenport, Eva, 106, 108, 109.
Davenport, Harry, 160.
Davies, W. G., 33.
Davis, D. A., 34.
Davis, Jessie Bartlett, 234.
Davis, Kate, 160.
Dayton, A. H'., 34.
Dean, Frederick, 128.
Decourcey, Florence, 226.
De Forest, Mrs. Geo. B., 163.
De Forest, W. H., 33-
De Koven, Reginald, 126, 222.
De Koven & Smith, 115, 234.
Delaro, Elma, 107.
De Marchi, Signer, 184.
Dennin, Georgie, 106, 108.
De Novellis, A., in, 126.
Depew, Chauncey M., 32.
Del Puente, Signor, 7.
De Rivera, H. C, 34-
Derivis, Mme., 52.
De Ruyfher, Julia, 52, 104.
274
INDEX
Diaz, Rafaelo, 226.
Dickson, Georgie, 106.
Dillaway, George W.} 28.
Dillingham, Chas., 207.
Dippel, Andreas, 188.
Disraeli, Benjamin, 183.
Ditrichstein, Leo, 126.
Ditson, Charles H'., 126, 128.
Dixey, Henry E., 158.
Doenhoff, Mme. von, 87, 109.
"Dollar Princess," 223.
Donaldson, Drew, 108, 109.
Donaldson, Jennie, 108.
Donizetti, 7, 184.
Dowd, Wm., 34.
Downing, A. C. Jr., 34.
Doxrud, Captain, 186.
Draper, John H., 33.
Draper, Mrs. Henry, 128.
Drew, Chas. H., 108, 165.
Drexel, Jos. W., 34, 53.
Drum, Major, 69, 108, HI.
Dubois, Theodore, 159.
Duchess of Marlborough, 185.
Duff, James C., 126.
Duff Opera Company, J. C., 221.
Duff, W. H., 34.
Duke of Cambridge, 180.
Duke of Edinburgh, 179.
Duke de Tarnames, 158.
Duke of Teck, 180.
Dungan, Charles, 105.
Duncan, Isadora, 211.
Dunkl, Norbert, 165, 166, 167, 190.
Durand, Emile, 8, 17, 25.
Durkee, H., 34.
Duvernoy, M., 20.
Dyer, Mrs. Elisha, Jr., 163.
Dyett, Arthur, 34.
Eames, Emma, 154, 195, 225, 256.
Earl of Latham, 180.
Edouin, Willie, 67, 236.
Edwardes, George, 223.
Edwards, Lewis, 34.
Ehret, Frank, 33.
Ehret, George, 126.
Eilers, Albert, 12.
Elliot, G. Emil, 126.
Elliott, Maxine, 208.
El Menebbi, 137, 139, 140, 142, 143.
Emperor of Germany, II, 12.
"Enchantress, The," 233.
Engalli, Madame, 18.
Englaender, Ludwig, 126, 222.
Epstein, M. I., 126.
Erdelyi Naczi's Hungarian Band,
169, 180.
"Erminie," 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 91,
92, 93, 95, 101, 102, 106, no, 169,
194, 235, 251, 256.
Espinosa, M., 113.
Ethel, Kate, 105.
Fahnestock, H. C, 33.
"Falka," 104, no, 177, 178.
Fall, Dr. Leo, 223.
Fano, Franco, 184.
Farnham, Paulding, 124.
Farrar, Geraldine, 225.
Farrington, Nina, 160.
Fay, Maud, 226.
Fearing, Chas. F., 33.
Feinniger, Karl, 129.
Felix, Herr, 120.
Fencing Master, 115.
Ferrers, Rene, 107.
Fessenden, W. H., 105.
Field, Cyrus W., 32.
Figman, Max, 109, 126.
Fish, Mrs. Stuyvesant, 163.
Fisher, Bernice, 226.
Fiske, Josiah, M., 27.
Fitch, Dr., 148.
Fitch, Letitia, 106.
Fitzgerald, W. H., 106.
"Fledermaus, Die," 105, no, 223.
"Florodora," 222, 235, 236, 244.
Fogg, Wm. H., 32.
Folsom, Agnes, 68, 105, 106.
Foote, Arthur, 128.
Foote, C. B., 33.
Formes, Carl, 149.
Fornia, Rita, 225.
Forrest, Edwin, 149.
Fosdick, C. B., 33.
Franko, Nahan, 126.
Frary, Julia, 236.
Frascati's (in Paris), 30.
Freeman, Max, 68, 93, 106, 107, in,
126.
Fremstad, Olive, 225.
French, F. O., 27.
French, T. Henry, 70, 95.
Frew, John, 189.
Froehlich, L., 126.
Frohman, Charles, 93, 207.
Frothingham, B. T., 128.
INDEX
275
Frothingham, George, 234.
Fuchs, Robert, 121, 122.
Fuenkenstein, L., 126.
Fuller, Loie, 79, 80, 81, 109, 210.
Furey, J. A.. 104, 105, 106, 107, 108,
160.
Gaites, Jos. M., 207.
Gambrinus (in London), 182.
Gantwoorst, Carl, 234.
Garcia, Madame, 149.
Garden, Mary, 225.
Gardner, Mrs. John L., 128.
Garland, James A., 33.
Garrick, 149.
Garrison, Wm, R., 27.
Gaston, George, 50, 52, 104.
Gates, Lucy, 225.
Gerardi, Herr, 120.
Gericke, Herr, 122.
Gerson, Edmond, 67.
Gerster, Etelka, 7.
Gerrish, Sylvia, 106, 107, 108, 109.
Geyer, Steffi, 167.
Gilbert, W. S., 100.
Gilbert & Sullivan, 48, 52, 69, 98, 99,
ioo, 104, 105, 107, 222, 230, 232.
Gilmore, Edward G., 26.
Gilmore, Patrick S., 4, 26, 181.
Gilmore's Band 84.
Gilmore's Garden, 26.
Gilroy, Thomas F., 158.
Giraldoni, Signer, 184.
Girpux, Marion, 105.
Gisicko, Alexis, 106.
Glentworth, Mr., 122.
Globe Theater (Boston), 169.
Glosz, Rosemary, 165.
Gluck, Alma, 225.
Goatcher, Philip, ill.
Goddard, C, 33.
Godfrey, Lieut. Dan., 181, 182.
Godowsky, Leopold, 83, 159, 182, 183.
Goelet, Robert, 53.
Golden, Grace, 87, 108.
Goldmark, Herr, 122.
Goldmark, Leo, 126.
Goldschmidt, Herr, 122".
Gondoliers, The, 99. ioo.
Goodrich, Edna, 236.
Goodrich, Eva, 106.
Goodwin, James J.. 27.
Goodwin, Nat C. 80, 169, 236.
Gordon, H. S., 126.
Gordon, Louise, 105.
Gorlitz, Hugo, 166, 167.
Gortschakoff, 183.
Gould, George J., 34.
Gould, Mrs. George J., 163.
Gounod, Charles, 7, 20, 38, 39, 153.
Graham, Robt. E., 236.
Graninger, C. A., 126.
"Grand Duchess," 69, 93, 95, 108, in,
219.
Grand Duke Alexis, 7.
Grant, Jesse R., 33.
Grant, General U. S., 97.
Grant, U. S., Jr., 33.
Grau, Maurice, 47, 48, 49, 51, 220.
Grau, Samuel, 49.
Gray, Bryce, 34.
Green, Rachel Frease, 225.
Greene, Daisy, 236.
Greensfelder, Jos. S., 50, 104.
Gregory, Charles, 33.
Grenad'ier Guards Band, 181.
Grisi, Madame, 149.
Griswold, Chester, 33.
Griswold, J. N. A., 28.
Griswold, Putnam, 226.
Gross, Theodore C., 126.
Grossmith, George, 99.
Grosvenor, May, 108.
Grubb, Lillian, 75, 107.
Griihl, Dr., 122.
Grun, Friderike. 12.
Grunfeld, Alfred, 121, 122.
Guernsey, Charlotte, 225.
Guiraud, Mr., 20.
Gung'l, Josef, 31, 32.
Gunther, Wm. H'., 27.
Gypsy Baron, 66, 86, 106, no.
"Gypsy Love," 223.
Haas. M. F. H. de, 113-
Haggin, R. A., 33.
Hall, Annette, 105.
Hall, Fred, 108.
Hall, Josie, 106.
Hall, Pauline, 68, 102. 103, 106, 108,
112, 194, 195, 234.
Hall, Wm. Frank, 126.
Hallam, Henry, 106, 107, 108, igS-
H'allgarten, Adolph, 27.
Hallgarten, Julius, 27.
Halm, George R., 113-
Halton, Marie, 108, 178.
Hamburg, Mark, 182.
276
INDEX
Hamilton, W. N., 33-
Hamilton, Wm., 105.
Hamlin, George, 226.
Hamlin, Harry, 104.
Hammer, Heinrich, 267.
Hammerstein, Oscar, 87, 126, 191, 192.
Hanley, Emma, 106, no.
Hannah, Jane Osborn, 225.
Hanslick, Eduard, 121, 122.
Harding, Phil. E., 34.
Harland, Ada, 219.
Harms & Co., T. B., 126.
Harold, Orville, 226.
Harriman, J. Low, 33.
Harriman, Wm., 33.
Harris, Henry B., 212.
Harris, William, 160.
Harrison, Hindie, 105.
Hartley, J. S., 113.
Hassler, Simon, 126.
Hauk, Minnie, 7.
Haupt, Marie, 12.
Havemeyer, H. O., 34.
Havemeyer, Henry, 27.
Havemeyer, Theodore, 27, 33.
Haven, George G., 53.
Hawtrey, Charles, 237.
Hayman, Al., 93. .^
Hellmesberger, Jos., 69, 109.
Hegediis, Ferensz, 185.
Heugel et Cie, 41.
Herald (New York), 10, 57, 263, 264.
Herald (Paris), 86, 263, 264.
Herbert, J. W., 126.
Herbert, Wm., 106.
Herbert, Victor, 126, 128, 181, 182, 222.
Herrman, A., 126.
Herve, M., 220.
Hill, J. M., 115.
Hill, Karl, 12.
Hilliard, Harry S., 105, 106.
Hinckley, Allan, 226.
Hinshaw, William, 226.
Hippodrome, N". Y., 227.
Hirschfeld, M., 126.
Hitchcock, Raymond, 165, 222.
Hitchcock, Mrs. Thomas, 163.
Hobart, N., 34.
Hoffmann, Emma, 226.
Hofmann, Josef, 81, 82.
Holt, Sophie, 160.
Home of Comic Opera, 104, 115.
Homer, Louise, 225.
Honore, N. K., 33.
Hopper, Charles, 160.
Hopper, De Wolf, 105, 126.
Hopper, Edna Wallace, 236.
Horton, H. L., 33.
Hotel Mayran in Paris, 30.
Hotel Victoria in Milan, 187.
Houston, T., 33.
Howard, Kathleen, 225.
Howson, John, 52, 104.
Hoyt, Charles, 232.
Hoyt, Henry E., 71, 85, in.
Hoyt, Jesse, 32.
Hughes, J. M., 33-
Hummel, Theo. A., 33.
Hunt, H. W., 126.
Hunter, Dr. Thomas, 3.
Hyde, Walter, 234.
Imperial Japanese Troupe, 169.
"Indigo," 69, 109, in.
Infanta Eulalie, 157, 158.
Ingram, Bessie, 225.
Intermezzo, Orientate, 141.
Irving, Carl, 68, 106.
Irwin, May, 160, 161.
Iselin, Adrian, 53.
Iselin, Adrian Jr., 34.
"Ixion," 219.
Jackson, Ethel, 165, 222.
ackson, John P., 10.
acoby, Josephine, 225.
acauin, G., 126.
affray, Robert, Jr., 129.
ahn, H'err, 122.
aide, Louise, 12.
Jakobowski, Edward, 67, 106, 222.
Jam's, Elsie, 237.
Jansen, Marie, 68, 72, 73, 84, 94, 106,
107, 112, 192, 193.
Jarbeau, Verona, 106.
Jarrett & Palmer, 227.
Jay, Col. and Mrs. William, 158.
Jesup, Morris K., 27.
Joachim, Joseph, 155, 159.
Johes, Francis S.. 113.
John, Theo., 126.
Johnes, Chas. A., 33.
Johns, Eva. 108.
Johnston, Fannie, 236.
Johnston, R. E., 126.
Jomelli, Madame, 225.
Jones, Sidney, 222.
Joncieres, Victorin, 20.
INDEX
277
Jordan, C. N., 33.
Joseffy, Rafael, 126, 128.
Josephi, Herr, 120.
Joslyn, B. F., 107.
Jovar, Secretary, 158.
Joyce, Laura, 52, 104, 105.
Jullien, Paul, 29, 52.
Juch, Emma, 52, 128, 226.
Kaiserhof Hotel in Berlin, 183.
Kane, E. Nicholson, 158.
Karl, Tom, 234.
Kean, Edmund, 149.
Kellogg, Clara Louise, 7.
Kemeys, Edw., 33.
Kerby, Sadie, 106.
Kerker, Gustave, 87, in, 126, 128,
160, 177, 222.
Kernochan, Fred, 33.
Kimball & Wisedell, 34-
Kirkland, B. B., 33.
Klaw & Erlanger, 93, 207.
Klein, Alfred, 104, 106.
Klein, Bruno Oscar, 128.
Knabe & Co., Wm., 126.
Knickerbocker, H., 33.
Knight, E. B., 107.
Knox, Villa, 109, no.
Kocian, Jaroslav, 167, 168, 178, 179,
209.
Koegel, Joseph, 12.
Koenig, Marie, 106.
Kohlsaat, Chas. W., 33.
Kontski, Chevalier de, 26.
Korbay, Francis. 10.
Koster & Bial, 81.
Krehbiel, Henry E., 155.
Kremser, Eduard, 122.
Kroll's Garden in Berlin, 30.
Kubelik, Jan, 166, 167.
Lablache, Signor, 149.
Lackaye, Wilton, 195.
Lacome, P., 69, 107, 222.
La Grange, Madame, 7, 149.
L'Allemand. Pauline, 109.
Lambert, Alexander, 52, 83, 126, 159.
Lammert, Mina, 12.
Lancaster. J. J., 33.
Lander, John M., 129.
Lang, Anton, 199.
Lang, B. J., 129.
Langdon, Adele, 106.
Langdon, Walter, 34.
Lanier, Charles, 27, 32.
Lankow, Edward, 226.
Lapland Steamer, 186.
Lapsley, C, 33.
Latham, John C., 33.
Lawrence, Judge Abram R., 158.
Lawrence, Emma, 107.
Lecocq, Charles, 69, 105, 107, 201, 203,
204, 220, 231.
Lederer, George W., 207.
Lehar, Franz, 61, 222, 223, 234.
Lehmann, Lillie, 12.
Lehmann, Marie, 12.
Leighton, Sir Frederick, 180.
Leighton, Rose, 104, 105.
Lemon, Marguerite, 226.
Lenox Lyceum, 87, 182.
Leoncavallo, Ruggero, 187, 188, 189.
Leoni, Henry, 107, 108, 109, no.
Leoni, Lizzie, 108.
LeRoy, J. R.. 34-
Leslie. Fred. 86, 104.
Letchetisky, Professor, 122.
Leventritt, David, 92, 160.
Levick, Gustavus, 106.
Levy. Tules. 29, 52, 126. 149, 181.
Libby, J. M., 33.
Lillie, T. W., 33-
Lind, Jenny, 149.
Lindley, D. A., 33.
Ling. Richie, 109.
Liszt. Franz. 5, 13, 14.
Litolff, Henry, 26.
Little, Duke. 105. no.
Little Tuesday, 195.
Littlefield, C, 33-
Lloyd, Edward, 210.
Lockwood. L. G., 34.
Lombard, Louis, 126.
Lord Londsdale, 96.
Lorillard, Pierre, 34.
Lorillard. L. L., 32.
Lorillard, Peter, 148.
Lorraine, Alys, 226.
Lounsbery, R. P., 33-
Lovett. George, 148.
Lowery, James P., 27.
Lowrey, Grosvenor P., 27.
Lube. Max, 108.
Lucca, Pauline, 7, 122, 149.
Lucca. Signora, 14, 121.
Lucette, Madeline, 52, 104, 106.
Luders. G., 222.
Luna Park, 181.
278
INDEX
Lussan, Zelie de, 210.
"Lustige Wittwe," 222.
Lyne, Felice, 225.
Lyons, Julius J., 126.
Maas, James, 109.
McAllister, Ward, 158.
McAlpin, C. W., 129.
McCaull, John A., 49, 50.
McCaull Opera Company, 221.
MacDonough, Harry, 104, 105, 109,
1 10.
McGinnis, J., Jr., 33.
MacKenzie, George, 109.
McKim, Charles F., 128.
Macready, 149.
McWade, John T., 105, 106.
"Madame Angot," 52, 69, 108, in,
178.
Madame Theo, 47, 48, 49, 52, 220.
"Mile. Modiste," 227.
"Madelon," 69, 107, in.
Madison Square Concert Hall, 158.
Madison Square Garden, 26, 266.
Maflin, A. W., 52, 68, 104, 105, 106,
107, 1 08, 109.
Mai, Edith, 107.
Maine Monument Fund, 195.
Mali, Charles, 27.
Malibran, Madame, 149.
Manhattan Beach, 180, 181, 182.
Manhattan Opera House, 191, 192".
Manola, Marion, 68, 1 06.
Mantell, Anna, 109.
Mantell, Robert, 195.
Manuscript Society, 128, 154.
Mapleson, J. H., 151.
Marcel, Lucille, 226.
Maretzek, Max, 7, 126, 150.
Marie Galli, 21, 220.
Marie Paola, 220.
Mario, Signor, 149.
Marion, Rose, 105.
Markham, Pauline, 219.
"Marquis, The," 69, 75, 102, 107, HO.
Marston, Richard, in.
Marteau, Henri, 159.
Martin, Ricardo, 226.
Martinez, Y., 33.
Martinet, Sadie, 71, 72, 73, 74, 106.
Mascagni, Pietro, 69, 86, 109, 210.
Mason, Addie, 107.
Mason, William, 128.
Masse, Victor, 18, 20.
Massenet, J., 20, 40, 41, 42, 43, 159.
Massey, Rose, 219.
Materna, Madame, 121.
Maurel, Victor, 7.
Maynard, Eugenie, 106.
Maynard, Geo. W., 113.
Mazzonivich, John, 112.
Melba, Madame, 153, 191, 192, 256.
Melin, Florence, 107.
Mees, Arthur, 126, 129.
Melnotte, Miss Violet, 67.
"Merry Countess," 223.
Merry, Harley, 112.
"Merry War," 61, 104, no.
"Merry Widow," 61, 222, 333.
Metra, Olivier, 19.
Metropolitan Concert Hall, 27, 29, 30,
163. .
Metropolitan Opera House, 53, 66,
112, 155, 164, 181, 182, 188, 214,
226, 244, 256, 265.
Meyerbeer, 5.
Meyer, Leopold, 3, 4.
Meyers, A. G., 33.
Meyers, Annie, 109, no.
Mezieres, M., 220.
"Mikado," 91, 98, 99, 223.
Millocker, Carl, OX, 69, 94, 104, 105,
108, 201, 202, 203, 221, 231.
Mills, D. O., 53.
Minford, Thomas, 33.
Minturn, Robert B., 32.
Montague, Harry, 220.
Montaland, Cecile, 219.
Montant, A. P., 158.
Moore, E. C, 34-
Morgan, Henry, 27.
Morgan, J. Pierpont, 27, 32, 1 12.
Morris, Estelle. 107.
Morrison, Lewis, 195.
Mortimer, N. Y., 33.
Moseworthy, F., 148.
Mottl, Felix, 171, 213.
Mount, George, 179.
Moving Picture Shows, 228.
Mulai Abdul Aziz, 134, 135, 137, 139,
140, 142.
Murphy, Lambert, 226.
Murray, L. C, 34.
Musin, Ovide, 126.
Myers, Theodore W., 158.
"Nadjy," 69, 71, 72, 73, 93, 107, in,
177, 178, 192.
INDEX
279
"Nancy Lee," 233.
"Nanon," 69, 73, 74, 91, 106, 109, no.
Naumann, Madame, 31.
Naumburg, Elkan, 128.
Navarro, Jose F., 27.
Naya, Mile., 159.
Neilsen, Alice, 225.
"Nell Gwynne," 105, no.
Neuendorff, Adolph, 128.
Nevada, Emma, 7.
Nevada, Mignon, 226.
New York Casino Company, 32, 51.
New York Press Club, 195.
Newman, A., 126.
Newport Casino, 34, 36.
Neyer, Ernest, 126, 129.
Niblo's Garden, N. Y.f 227.
Nilsson, Christine, 7.
Nixau, Mile., 220.
Nixon & Zimmerman, 92.
Norcross, J. W. Jr., 126.
Nordica, Lillian, 84, 225, 256.
Novak, Adolf, in.
Oakley, H. Cruger, 33.
Ober-Ammergau, 195.
O'Donohue, Chamberlain, 158.
Odell, Grant, 128.
Oelrichs, Mrs. Herman, 163.
Offenbach, Jacques, 52, 69, 93, 95, 96-
104, 107, 108, 204, 220, 231.
O'Keefe, Anna, 107, 108.
Old Wallaces Theater, 176, 220.
Oliver Ditson Company, 126.
Olmi, George, 52, 104, 107, 108.
Opdyke, George F., 33.
Opera Comique, Paris, 112.
Original Flbrodora Sextette, 236.
Orme, Gertrude, 104.
Ottomeyer, J. L., 126.
Pachmann, Vladimir de, 182, 183.
Paderewski, I., 79.
Paganini Brothers, 190, 191.
Paganini Collection, 190, 191.
Paganini, Nicolo, too, 191.
Paine, John K., 128.
Paladilhe, M., 20.
Palais des Costumes, 154-
Palliser, Esther, 185.
Palmer, G. H., 34.
Parder, Robert Kent, 226.
Parepa Rosa, 7, 149.
Paris Conservatoire, 8, 84, 159-
Paris Grand Opera, 18.
Paris Theaters, 245, 246, 247, 248.
Parker, Louis N., 183.
Parker, R. H., 33.
Parsifal, 170, 171, 214.
Parsons, A. R., 126.
Parsons, Albert Ross, 128.
Pasdeloup, J., 17, 18.
Pasquali, Bernice de, 225.
Passion Play, 195.
"Patience," 98, 105, no.
Patti, Adelina, 7, 149, 150, 253.
Paul et Virginie, 18.
Paullin, Louise, 50, 52, 104.
Paulton, Harry, 66, 67.
Pavlowa, Anna, 212.
Peabody, George Foster, 128.
Pearl, W. E., 33.
Penfield, Smith N., 128.
Pepper, Harry, 68, 106.
Perkins, Benjamin, 33.
Perlet, Hermann, ill, 126.
Perugini, J., 50, 61, 104.
Perry, Alexander, 97.
Perry, Irene, 105.
Persse, Thomas, 165.
Phelps, E. C, 128.
Philharmonic Society, N. Y., 159.
Phillips, Arthur, 226.
Plummer, John F., 34.
Picaver, William, 226.
Picollomini, Signora, 149.
"Pinafore," 98, oq, 223.
"Pink Lady," 233.
Plaister, T. S., in.
Platt, Thomas C., 33-
Plancon, M., 256.
Planquette, A., 105.
Plunkett, Charles, 105, 107.
Pohlner, Frau, 120.
"Polly," 64, 105, no.
Pomeroy, Wm. L., 34.
Pond, Warren, 128.
"Poor Jonathan," 69, 94, 108, ill,
169.
Porter, General Horace, 34, 158.
Post, George B., 28.
Post, Lilly, 50, 104, 105, no.
Potter, Mabel, no.
Pounds, Courtice, 107.
Powell, Maude, 128. '
Powers, James T., 102, 107, 108, 109,
195-
President Diaz, 189.
280
INDEX
Preisch, Frank, 226.
Priaulx, J. M. (in foreword).
Priest, Charles, 108.
"Prince Methusalem," 60, 104, no.
Prince Troubetzskoy, 213.
Prince Antonio, 158.
Prince, J. D., 33.
Prince Ludwig Victor, 171.
Prince of Wales, 179, 180.
Prince William of Hesse, 171.
Princes' Hall in London, 179.
Princess of Anhalt, 171.
"Princess of Trebizond," 52, 104, no.
Pruette, William, 87, 109, no, 126.
Puccini, 183, 184, 258.
Puerner, Charles, 126.
Pupil of Mascagni, 210.
Purdy, George, 126.
"Quaker Girl," 233.
"Queen's Lace Handkerchief," 31, 49,
50, 51, 52, 57, 58, 60, 104, 1 10, 221,
235-
Rachel, Madame, 149.
"Rainmaker of Syria," 69, 160.
Randall, Clara, 108.
Rappold, Marie, 225.
Rathbone, R. C, 33.
Rawlston, Zelma, 107.
Raymond, Louis, 105.
"Red Widow," 233.
Reichenberg, F. von, 12.
Reiff, A. Jr., 127.
Reiffarth, Jennie, 50, 104, 109, no.
Reitlinger, Wm,, 33.
Relyea, Marjorie, 236.
Remsen, Robt. G., 34.
Renard, 122.
Renauld, Charles, 27.
Rennay, Leon, 185.
Rennyson, Gertrude, 226.
Reno, Morris, 127, 129.
Renwick, Charles, 107, 108, 109.
Reszke, Edouard de, Zio, 256.
Reszke, Jean de, 152, 153, 256, 264.
Reszke, Madame de, 152.
Reyer, Ernest, 20.
Reynolds, Genevieve, 105.
Rhinelander, Wm'., 34.
"Rialto" Old and New, 220, 221.
Ricci, Bertha, 75, 99, 104, 107, 160.
Ricci, Rose, 107. -
Rice, Fanny, 84, 85, 106, 107, 108, 109,
195-
Richardson, Hattie, 104.
Richeter, Hans, 12, 13, 122.
Ridsdale, Frank, 107.
Rigl, Betty, 227.
Riegelman, Mabel, 226.
Rising, Wm. S., 104, 105.
Ristori, Madame, 149.
Ritter, Mile., 18.
Ritter, Theodore, 18.
Ritzmann, Charles L. (in foreword).
"Robin Hood," 234.
Robyn, Alfred G., 127.
Rogers, W. B., 127.
Rolla, Kate, 226.
Romana, Norma, 226.
Roof Garden of the Casino, 30, 57,
180.
Roosevelt, James A., 53.
Roosevelt, Miss Alice, 154, 155.
Roosevelt, Robt. B., 34.
Roosevelt, S. H., 34.
Roosevelt, Theodore, 189.
Rose, Florence, 226.
"Rose Maid," 233.
Roseman, George, 105.
Rosenberg, Gabriel M., 10, 127.
Roseborn, Harry W., 160.
Rosenfeld, Sydney, 69, 160.
Rosenthal, Moriz, 182.
Rosey, George, 10.
Rossini, 5, 7, 184.
Rostetter, W. J., 127.
Rothschild, Baroness de, 213.
Royal Amateur Orchestral Society,
179.
Rozsavolgyi & Company, 165.
Ruben, L. M., 126.
Rubini, Signor, 149.
Rubinstein, Anton, 20, 176.
"Ruddygore," 100. '
Ruffo, Titta, 187, 188, 253.
Russell, Laura, 107, 108.
Russell, Lillian, 52, 64, 69, 70, 93, 95,
104, 105, 107, 108, 109, 112, 169,
195-
Ruysdael, Basil, 226, 234.
Ryley, J. H'., 104, 105, 106, 107, 127.
Ryse, Ellis, 107.
Sadler, Josie, 106.
Sailors' Relief Fund, 186.
St. Denis, Ruth, 212.
INDEX
281
St. Gaudens, Augustus, 113.
St. James Hall, London, 166, 167.
St. John, Florence, 195.
St. John, Mae, 106.
Saint Saens, Camille, 20.
Salvator, Ernest, ill.
Salvini, Tomaso, 149.
Sandow, Eugene, 82, 83.
Sangali, Madame, 227.
Sanger, Frank W., 67.
Sapio, Clementine de Vere, 129.
Sarasate, Pablo de, 176.
Saro, Herr, 9, 10.
Savage, Henry W., 221, 223.
Saverni, Ada, 226.
Savoy Theater, London, 47, I oo.
Scala in Milan, 184.
Scalchi, Madame, 256.
Schack, Rud W., 33.
Scharwenka, Xaver, 128.
Scheff, Fritzi, 226.
Scheider, May, 225.
Schilling, Ernest 86.
Schilling, Victoria, 85, 106.
Schlosser, Karl, 12.
Schmidt, Edmund P., 34.
Schneider, Hortense, 95.
Schuetz, Ferdinand, 109.
Schratt, Herr, 121.
Schuberth, H. E., 126.
Schuyler, Montgomery, 129.
Schwab, Fred, 10.
Scott, Clement, 200.
Scott, Cyril, 236.
Scott, Henri, 226.
Scott, James, 34.
Scott, Wm. H., 27.
Scribner, John H., 34.
Seabrooke, Thos. Q., 126.
Searles, Wm. D., 33.
Segal, Sydney, 226.
Seguin, Zelda, 52.
Seidl, Anton, 127, 159, 181.
Seligman, Henry, 126, 128, 163.
Seligman, Jesse, 27, 32, 163.
Serpentine Dance, 80, 81.
Sevcik, Professor, 167.
Shahan, Mons. T. J., 267.
Shaughran, The, 220.
Sheldon, Henry K., 128.
Sheriff of Nottingham', 234.
Sherman, Genl. Wm. T., 97, 169, 19*.
Shook, Sheridan, 26.
Shubert, Sam and Lee, 207, 223.
Sibley, S. W., 34.
Sickles, Genl. D. E., 34, 169.
Simonson, Selli, in.
Simpkins, N. S. Jr., 33.
Sire, Henry B., 160.
"Siren, The," 223.
Sistare, W. H. M., 33.
Smilie, J. D, 113.
Smith, Charles S., 34.
Smith, Edgar, 107, 109.
Smith, Gerrit, 128, 129.
Smith, M. V. B., 33.
Smith, Mark, 105, 106, i6a
Snelling, Lillia, 225.
Solomon, Edward, 64, 105, 222.
Solomon, Fred, 107, 108, 109, 195.
Sonnenthal, Herr, 121, 122.
Sontag, Henrietta, 149.
Sorcerer, The, 52, 104, no.
Sousa, John Philip, 127, 181, 267.
Souvereign, Alice, 226.
"Spring Maid," 233.
Stacey, Delia, 108.
Standish, Harry, 50, 104, 106.
Stall, Baron de, 213.
Starbuck, Wm. H., 33.
State Concert, London, 210.
Steeple Chase Park, 181.
Steindorff, Paul, in, 126.
Steinway Hall, 253.
Steinway, William, 126, 128.
Steinway & Sons, 128.
Stephenson, Mabel, 109.
Stetson, Francis Lynde, 158.
Stetson, John, 98, 169, 170.
Stevens, Edwin, 107, 108, 109, 234.
Stevens, Minnie Saltzman, 225.
Stevens, Mrs. Paran, 180.
Stockwell, Chas. B., 34-
Stone, A. B., 27.
Stone, Amelia, 165, 222.
Stewart, Wm. Rhinelander, 34.
Stoughton, E. W., 34.
Stout, Jos. S., 33.
Stow, J. A., 33.
Strakosch, Ginlia, 226.
Strang, S. A., 33-
Strauss, Eduard, 31, 94, 121, 125, 162,
163, 164, 165.
Strauss, Frank V., 126.
Strauss Golden Jubilee, 119.
Strauss, Johann, 4, 5, 19, 31, 32, 3°,
47, 49, 66, 69, 94, 104, 105, 106,
119, 120, 231.
282
INDEX
Strauss Monster Concert, 8, 9.
Strauss, Oscar, 223.
Strauss, Richard, 212.
Streitmann, Herr, 120.
Strong, Charles E., 33.
Strong, William E., 27.
Strudelli, Professor, 147.
Stuart, Leslie, 222.
Stuart, Mary, 106.
Sucher, Rosa, 171.
Sullivan, Algernon S., 27.
Sullivan, Sir Arthur, 91, 180, 231.
Sultan of Morocco, 134, 135, 137, 139,
140, 142.
Sunday Concerts, 51.
Superintendent Byrnes, 101.
Suppe, Franz Von, 201, 202, 221, 231.
Swartz, Jeska, 225.
Sweet, George, 126.
Sweet Sixteen Waltz, 29, 181.
Swinburne, Ann, 234.
Swirsky, Thamara de, 212, 213, 214.
Sylvester, Louise, 92, 106.
Taft, Charles P., 186, 187.
Taft, William Howard, 186, 187.
Tamberlik, Signor, 149.
Tarns, Arthur W., 107, 108, 109, 126.
Tannehill, Frank, Jr., 104.
Tannert, Loretta, 226.
Tanguay, Eva, 244, 245.
Tappen, C. J.. 33.
Tappen, F. D.. 33-
Tauffenberger, M., 220.
Taylor, Jay, 50, 104, 105.
Tempest, Marie, 87, 109, 192, 195.
Temple, Edward. 106.
Terry, Antonio E., 33.
Terry, Juan P., 33.
Texsmith, Vaughn, 236.
Thallon, R., 126.
"The Man of the Hour" March, 187.
"The Widow Jones," 160.
Theband, Paul L., 34.
Theater an der Wien, 120.
Theater Sarah Bernhardt, 211.
Theatrical Syndicate, 228.
Thiers, Adolphe, 183.
Thomas, Ambroise, 7, 20, 159.
Thomas, M. J., 108.
Thomas, Maude, 165.
Thomas, Theodore, 8, 29, 40, 125,
126, 127, 128, 130, 181.
Thompson, Lydia, 219, 230.
Thomsen, Baron C. de, 33.
Thorne, Sylvia, 108.
Thorpe, Courtney, 195.
Thursby, Emma, 52.
Tietiens, Teresa, 149.
Tiffany, Charles L., 33.
Tiffany & Co., 124.
Tileston, J. D., 33.
Tilgner, Herr, 122.
Toedt, Mrs. Ella A., 128.
Tomaso, A., 126.
Tooker, George M., 33.
Toscanini, Maestro, 184.
Tostee, Mile., 219.
Townsend, Miss Amy C., 128.
Townsend, Percv, 50.?
Tows, Francis H., 27.
Tracey, Minnie, 226.
Trasker, Isabella, 226.
Treat, E. A., 34.
Treville, Yvonne de, 226.
Tristan and Isolde, 170, 171.
Trobriand, Genl. de, 148.
Tschaikowski, Pieter, 175.
Tucker, Gideon, 148.
Twombly, H. McK., 32, 53.
Tyrolean, The, 69, 87, 109, in, 192.
Uart, Kate, 107.
"Uncle Celestin," 79, 109, Hi.
Unger, George, 12.
Untermyer, Samuel, 126, 160.
Urquhart, Isabelle, 75, 105, 106, 107,
108.
Valerga, Ida, 105.
Van Dyck, Herr, 121.
VanDresser, Marcia, 226.
Van Hoose, Ellison, 226.
Van Janaschowsky, Georgine, 105.
Vanderbilt, William H., 32.
Vanderbilt, William K., 53.
Vauthier, M.. 220.
Varnum, General, 158.
Varry, Alma, 106.
Vasseur, Leon, 220.
Verdi, G., 7, 150, 185.
Vert, N., 182, 210.
"Vice Admiral," 69, no, in.
"Vienna Life," 165, 222.
Villard, Henry, 33.
Vincent, Alice, 106.
Vivienne, Miss, 152, 153.
INDEX
283
Voegtlin, Arthur, 228.
Voegtlin, William, in.
Vogel, Heinrich, 12.
Yogel, Henry, 108.
Vogrich, Max, 152.
Volksgarten in Vienna, 30.
Von der Heide, J. F., 129.
Wachtel, Theodor, 149.
Waetjin, Louis, 27.
Wagner, Cosima, 170, 215.
Wagner Festival at Bayreuth, 10, II,
12, 13, 14, 170.
Wagner, Richard, 5, 13, 14, 19, 120,
170, 215, 232.
Wagner, Siegfried, 214, 215.
Wakefield, Henrietta, 225.
Waldauer, A., 127.
Waldorf-Astoria Ball Room, 163.
Waldteufel, Emile, 38, 47.
Walker, Edyth, 225.
Walker, Margaret, 236.
Wall, Frank T., 33-
Wallack's Theater, 8r, 183.
"Waltz Dream," 223.
Walton, H. E., 108.
Ward, Fannie, 160.
Ward, James E., 27.
Ward, Samuel, 33.
Warren, G. Henry, 53.
Warren, George W., 128.
Warren, Richard H., 128.
Washington Evening Star, 267.
Washineton Symphony Society, 267.
Wayburn, Agnes, 236.
Weathersby, Jennie, 68, 106, 107, 109.
Webb, Mrs. H. Walter, 128.
Weber, Albert, Sr., 8.
Weber and Fields, 207.
Weddell, Ina, 107.
Weed, H. F., 34.
Weeks, C. L.. 106.
Weldon, Harry, 226.
Wells, Sadie, '106.
Welsh, Osgood, 33.
Werba and Luescher, 207.
Wernig, C. F., 127.
West Point Cadets, 97, 169.
Wetmore, Helen, 226.
Wetmore. Gep. Peabody 32, 53, 158.
White, Carolina, 225.
White, George R., 108.
White, Horace, 33.
White, Stanford, 128.
White, William, 106.
Whitehill, Clarence, 226.
Whitely, J., 33
Whitney, Edwin, 105.
Whitney, Fred C, 126, 221.
Whitney, S. B., 129.
Whitney, William C., 53, 178, 179.
Wickham, Florence, 225, 234.
Wieniawski, Henri, 176.
Wilder, Marshall P., 195.
Wilhelmj, August, 12, 13.
Wilke, Hubert, 104, 105.
Willard, E. K., 33.
Williams, Jesse, 69, in, 127.
Wilson, Florence, 108.
Wilson, Francis, 51, 60, 68, 69, 92,
101, 104, 105, 106, 112, 126, 195.
Wilson, H. S., 33.
Wilson, Marie L., 236.
Wilson, R. T., 53.
Wilson, Rose, 107.
Winant, Emily. 52.
Winslow, E. F, 33.
Winslow, Edward, 27, 33.
Winston, G. S., 27.
"Wiener Blut," 165, 222.
Wisedell, Thomas, 48.
Witherspoon, Herbert, 226.
Woereschoeffer, C. F., 27.
Wolf, Christopher. 148.
Wolfe, John D., 148.
Woodruff, M., 33-
Woods, Al., 207.
Woods, Murry,. 68. 106.
Wood's Museum. N. Y., 219.
Woodward, Lillian, 185.
World, New York, 58.
Wurm, Moritz, 185.
"Yeomen of the Guard," 69, 98, 99,
100, 107, in.
Yorke, Madge, 192.
Young. John, 112.
Youngs, Alfred, 33.
Yradier, M., 21.
Zeisler, Fanny Bloomfield, 129.
Zell and Genee, 66, 73, 106.
Zeller, Carl, 69, 87, 109-.
Zerrahn, Carl, 127.
Ziegfeld, Flo. Jr., 82, 207.
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