The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 17, 1901, Page 26

zZ6 - it SINCE PATTI'S TIME NO VOICE OF ALL THE LYRIC SOPRANOS HAS CHARMED LIKE SEMBRICH’S 1 By BLANCHE PARTINGTON. - o | 3 g ! * ; 4 Mavame— MARCELLA = SsmeRicH | ¢ Calve now remains to be| rd of all Mr. Grau's great| mpany at the Grand Opera- This week Eames, De Reuss-Belce, ve been add- d they are Vocally, Sembrich and all of the whole com- | g her lyric | Since Mr. even Melba, who is 1 where this seas u dower of the vocal tale of the whole world, Sembrich is pro the greatest living singer among the 1y sopranos. Since Patti's time no such | perfect vocalism has been heard here. | The singer has complete control of the whole mechanism of the voice. She sings | absolutely out effort, her intonation | fect that one never remembers that | such 2 thing as pitch while she | ingi Technically Sembrich’s work | is a marvel, but ons never dreams of | ue in the connection. Hers is the that conceals art so gloriously that | one is fooled for the nonce into believing | that it is only to open one’s mouth to do | the same t Alas and alack! | g is a constant de- and trills and the tching little roulades in which “La ata” abounds for her opportunity val debauch for ion. She has a de- drops of warm epring rain glittering in an April sun- ., clean cut as jewels every note, a issimo like the dream of a sound, a lous legato and a compass to| vl E in alt is simple fun. In fact | Scmbrich does just as she pleases with | the most wonderful voice now known to tame, a voice of which the last silken thread is purest musie. But it is as much the big, warm heart shining through her song that differcn- tiates Sembrich from other singers as her phenomenal vocal gifts. She is no mere music box, descending to musical acro- batics for their own sake, but it 5o hap- pens that b is the lyric genius, the Iyric opera her vocal metier, and we may comfortably thank God for both of them. The world is surely large enough for botn Wagner and Verdi, Mozart and Rossini, Puccini and Gounod, Sembrich and Eames, and let us therefore rejoice in their differing gifts and give thanks. o 9t Eames sings Wagner mostly, and is one of the most lavishly gifted singers that Mr. Grau has so far bestowed upon us. The quality of her voice that impresses most strongly is its lovely purity, with the freghness of May mornings and cool mountain springs about it. It has a lyric nete, is deliciously flexible, and she sings with much power and distinction. She is possessed also of the genius of grace both in her acting and singing, the gift of restraint in exquisite measure, and her Elisabeth and Bisa now rank with the most artistic things the season has yet seen, or will see. A S Mr. Grau has arranged an interesting repertoire for the second week of the grand opera season. Mme. Calve, who is rapidly recovering from her attack of bronchitis, will be heard for the first time in “Carmen” on Wednesday evening, No- vember 20. Mr. Grau has ylelded to the request of those who were unable to se- cure seats for the first performance of J “Carmen” and will repeat the opera on Friday evening, November 22. The cast will be the same on both occasions, ex- cept that Mr. Salignac will sing Don Jose at the first performance and Mr. De Mar- chi at the second. Mozart's masterpiece, “The Marriage of Figaro,” will be given for the first time with a magnificent cast on Tuesday evening, November 19, and ‘Wagner's opera, “Die Meistersinger''— another novelty—will have its first pro- &n;? on Thursday evening, Novem- | Suzanne ; Messrs, Salignac, Declery, Dufriche, Gilibert, Relss and Scottl. Con- ductor, Mr. Flon. Thursday evening, November 21, at | will sing “Voce di Primavera,”” composed for The complete casts for next week will be as follows: Monday evening, November 18, at 8 o'clock, the only performance of ““Romeo et Jullette,” with Mmes, Sybil Sanderson, Carrle Bridewell, Bauermelster; Messrs, Bdouard de Resske, Journet, Bars, Declery, Gilibert, Dufriche and | Saliznac. Conductor, Mr. Flon. Tucsday evening, November 49, at 8 o'clock, | the only joint appearance,of Mme. Eames and Mme. Sembrich in Mozart’s opera, “Le Nozze 41 Figaro” (The Marriage of Figaro), with the following unprecedented cast: Mmes. Emma Eames, Fritzi-Scheff, Bauermelster, Sembrich; Messrs, Edouard de Reszke, Tavecchia, Du- friche, Relss, Maestrl and Campanarl. Con- ductor, Mr, Seppilll. Wednesday evening, November 20, at § o'clock, the performance of ‘‘Carmen,” with | Mmes, Calve, Bauermeister, Van Cauteren and o'clock, the performance of Wagner's opera, “Die Meistersinger,”” with Mmes. Gadski and | Schumann-Heink; Mesers. Dippel, Bispham, | Blass, Muhimann, Reiss, Vanni, Engel, Maes- | tri, Bighinelli, Viviani, Dufriche, Fanelll, Cer- | nusco and Edouard de Reszke. Conductor, Walter Damrosch. evening, November 22, at 8 o'clock, ¥ the performance of ‘‘Carmen,” with Mmes. Calve, Bauermelster, Van Cau- | teren and Suzanne Adams; Messrs. De Marchi, Declery, Dufriche, Gilibert, Relss and Scotti. Conductor, Mr. Flon. afternoon, November at 2 o'clock, only matinee of ‘‘Lohengrin,” with | Mmes. Emma Eames and Schumann-Heink; | Messrs. Van Dyck, Bispham, Muhlmann and | Blass. Conductor, Walter Damrosch. | Saturday evening, November 23, at § o'clock, only performance of Rossini'§ opera, “Il Bar- biere a1 Siviglia,” with Mmes. Sembrieh, Bauermeister; Messrs. Campanari, Edouard de Reszke, Tavecchia, Vanni, Vivian! and Salig- nac. Conductor,. Mr. Seppilli. Note—In the lesson scene, Mme. 2, Saturday 2, Sembrich her by Johann Strauss. Sunday evening, November 24, at 8 o'clock, second grand Sunday night performance at popular prices of Meyerbeer's opera ‘Les Huguenots,” with Mmes. Gadski, Louise Homer, Bauermeister, Van Cauteren and Sybil Sanderson; Messrs. Dippel, Muhlmann, Scotti, Jacques Bars, Reiss, Viviani, Dufriche, Vanni and Journet. Conductor, Mr. Flon. A CHANCE TO SMILE. “Yes,” safd the thoughtful tourist, “it certainly is possible to be too cautious and painstaking. Now, there was young Grubb, for instance. He knew nothing about lovemaking and he realized it, so when he fell in love he decided to prac- tice a lttle in order that everything might be done in such a way as to make success practically assured.” “Welr ““Well, the girl he selected for practice sued him for breach of promise.”—Chi- cago Post. Old Gentleman—Do you mean to say that your teachers never thrash you? Little Boy—Never. We have moral sua- slon at our school. 3 -Old Gentleman—What's that? Boy—We get kep' in, and stood up in ccrners, and locked out and locked in, and made to write one word a thousand times, and scowled at and jawed at; and that's all.—Tit-Bits. There is a man at the Pan who adver- tires artificial legs by walking about on a pair exposed to view from the knee down. rHE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1901. JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. Address Communications to W. S. LEAKE, Manager SEINDAY: L oL ST R ol s e bt Be o o g A ARSI L cesesssenssianns SRS TR +...NOVEMBER 17, 1901 oot SEEREEIB ..o Market and Thid, S, F. MUSIC AND MAULING. Publication Office................ oo ss slomis R N Friday night a much reduced audience listened at the Grand Opera-house to what Wagner regard>d as his masterpiece. The action and the music fell upon apprecia- tive ears, and also upon too many empty seats to do adequate honor to that great soul which heard the far sound of the music of the future, and wrote the score that was to appeal to generations waiting to be born. One has appeared since he wrote and passed on, and it seemed to have sent a committee to represent it at the performance of “Die Walkuere” on Friday night. Nothing can obscure the stateliness of the Wagnerian measure, and his work was ren- dered so that the master himself, if present ini the flesh, would have felt that his genius had not been spent in vain. The committee present saw once more the ruler of Walhalla, and the great chorus captured every sound that runs, from the tempest to the lark’s song, and made every tone and cadence do its duty. The committee was enthusiastic, and cheers and applause were not, lacking, and the audi- ence was as warm as any that ever sat under Wagner’s spell at Bayreuth, but the generation, part of that future for which Wagner wrote, was not there. It was at the Pavilion, where it had paid an admission averaging more than fifty cents a minute, to see two prize-fighters raise welts on each other’s brawn. That audience manifested itself at 9 o’clock in the morning, though the first blow was not to be struck until 9 o’clock at night. The queue of waiters grew until it wound clear around the Pavilion like a Chinaman’s queue around his shaven pate, and when there was a delay of fifteen minutes in opening the doors the police had to suppress ihe disorder and compel the crowd, in the language of the occasion, to “chew the rag” more quietly. When the doors opened and expectancy and eagerness burst into the shell, there was a wild scramble for the best seats from which every blow might be seen, and every cringe under punishment noted, and every flinch enjoyed, for had they not paid for these elevating pleasures? Promptly on time two men entered the ring to fight for no cause which excuses combat. Men fight to avenge honor, to repay an insult, in behalf of wife, or sweetheart, or friend, or country. But neither of these fighters had any of these motives. They were members of the same “profession”—that of breaking skin and hones for a money consideration. They had no quarrel, no grudge to settle, no abraded honor to Ieal with their hard fists. They came to pound each other to a finish in cold blood, and the generation for which Wagner wrote music was there to see them do it. This audience was critical, and it decided that the entertainment was a failure. It had paid for more mauling, moreblood, more flinching, falling, fainting and knocking out than it got for its money. The ruler of Walhalla was not there. Instead of Wotan and Hunding there were two per- formers who had trained to give and take punishment for a division of the gate money. One of them did not reach the mark of his high calling. He failed in the fifth act, and those who had ad- mired him, bet on him and paid their money to see him stand up reviled him when he fell down. They expressed their opinion of him in all languages, including the profane, and the more superstitious said that it came of fighting on Friday! Can it be possible that Wagner did not hear in his inner ear the future’s music? Can it be that the stately harmony that he interpreted was the song of his own soul, the voice of the tense chords of his own heart, heard as we hear voices in profound silence and a part of that silence which they seem to break? Can it be pessible that if he had heard the music of this part of that future it would have been the banging of a gong summoning two men to jump over the ropes and into a ring where they beat irregular time on each other’s ribs, until one takes a fall and the other takes the championship of the world's bruisers? = THE EXCLUSION ACT. HAT public interest in the exclusion of Chinese is but little abated in California is proved by the delegation of a large convention to meet in this city on the 21st instant to raise the voice of the State in favor of the re-enactment of the Geary law. This convention will deal with the new factors which have appeared with the change of our commercial position in China. It will devise advice by which our white labor and wages can be protected against Chinese competition, and our commerce be at the same time un- prejudiced. The Call sees no reason to change the attitude of the State upon the general question of exclusion. Since this law followed the amended treaty ten years ago the State has prospered, and labor has found its rewards increased, while it is not in evidence that any interest has pro- foundly suffered for lack of workmen. . : In that period, too, the wages of the Chinese among us have been lifted toward the white plane, and Chinese cheap labor is a thing of the past. It may sound strangely in the East, but it is probable that some of the stoutest believers in Chinese exclusion are to be found among the Chinese themselves. In some respects they are the keenest of the races and at the same time have less racial ties than any other. The Chinese here, who are getting very high wages now, are about as much opposed to the admission of more as are white wage-workers, for they know that to open the door again to their people means a fall in Chinese wages to the old standard which made their presence here so offensive. > It is an interesting illustration of the community of interest being stronger than racial ties. The Call is part and-parcel of the sentiment of this State that stands for continued exclusion. We are not aware that there is any change on the subject anywhere on the coast or in the iuter- mountain States, where the original exclusion movement was seated. It is said that the East and South have undergone some change of sentiment, but this remains to be demonstrated by the votes of their members of Congress. : Fortunately, our Government has held such an attitude ofi friendship for China in her ex- isting misfortunes that she is in no mood to resent further exclusion of her coolies. In fact, we have sacrificed much in standing for justice to her in the hour of her peril. We are not asking to invade her dominion by any class of our people, and she will no doubt recognize the need of exact reciprocity in that respect. We think that even our missionaries might be withdrawn as an offset to the withdrawal of Chinese now here, and both nations would profit by the policy. THE CHARLESTON EXPCSI’I‘ION. ESPITE the ill success. of the Buffalo Exposition from a financial point of view, the promoters of the Charleston Exposition are sanguine their enterprise will prove prof- itable as well as beneficial in other ways. It is quite probable that their. hopes may be well founded, for the outlay at Charleston has been nothing like that at Buffalo, while the attendance promises to be much larger in proportion to expenditure. The managers of the great railway lines running through the South have for many, years been pursuing a liberal policy in the matter of making rates for the purpose of promioting immi- gration to the South and building up that section of the country. In accord with that policy it is stated they have fixed rates to the Charleston Exposition 30 per cent lower than the rates given for Buffalo. The exposition managers are doing their best to make the city attractive to tourists, and to that end it is’announced they have arranged with private families and boarding-houses for more than 10,000 lodgings, at which the charges will be as moderate as at ordinary times. The chief object of the enterprisg is to provide an exposition of the products which make up the bulk of the trade between the United States and the West Indies. How far that object will be attained remains to be seen. The exposition at Buffalo was intended to be Pan-American, but The other day a curious and sympathetic old lady investigated this phenomenon. “Did you cut off your legs, s0 as to ex- hibit them things?” she asked. The poor fellow assured her that his job wasn't worth so much to him as his own legs would be. Then, after further critical ex- amination, she said: “Wa'al, I s'pose the feet are natural. They look so.”—Buffalg Commericial. It was morning, and as he glanced out of the window he was surprised. “Why, it rained last night,” marked, There was a flash of indignation in his wife's eyes as she turned on him. “Rain!” she exclaimed. *“‘Well, I gtess it did rain. And I had to pull up the awn. ing and put down the windows.” “But you needn’t have done that,” he protested. “Why didn't you wake me?" “I tried to,” she answered coldly, “and ;:::nd the other an easler job.”—Chicago he re- very few South American countries took any considerable part in it. There may be a similar fall- ing off in the West Indian features of the Charleston Exposition. Under any circumstances, how- ever, the exposition will be the best of its kind ever held in the South, and will doubtless do much to advance the welfare of the city whose enterprise has made it possible. It is announced that the Agricultural Department will extend the free seed distribution to the Philippines, and we will thus begin to encourage the shiftless natives to expect something for nothing, and in the end they may imitate the Indians and clamor for rations. PR e The fact that 180 Cape Colony troops of the Dutch race surrendered to the Boers after a poor pretense of fighting contains a warning to the British of what may yet happen in Cape Col- ony if the war be not brought to a speedy conclusion. 5 . ' { It seems to be the opinion of most of the sports who attended the pri ‘haye got a better show for their money if they had gone to the opera. fight that they would By GUISARD. | HERE is no use in caviling at the fact that where football and art are concerned the score is going to be 2—0 every time with the tri- umphant young athletes who have just succeeded in kicking their friendly rivals’ score into the middle of next week. | Suill, it is a pity that the Berkeley boys should not have been able to restrain their very natural enthusiasm on the night of the game 2 little longer, to per- mit of the excellent rendering of “The Fantasticks,” the college play of the year, being heard to its close, for it was quite one of the best things that has been done Ly the university. But, indeed, Rostand's enchanting fantasy was listened to with remarkable respect under the exciting circumstances, and but for incidental di- vertisements by a few irrepressibles was accorded unusual attention, both by the university and lay audience. The comedy was evidently enjoyed on its own merits, and disclosed an unex- pected fitness for use on such oceasions. The interpretation was notably good, and | in at least one instance in the cast Pro- | fessor Louis, DuPont Syle, under whose direction the play was given, appears to have discovered histrionic talent of no mean order. The version of “The Fantas- ticks” used was the translation by George Fleming, and Professor Syle was assisted in its direction by Vere W. Hunter. The play was well staged, appropriately cos- tumed and deft in its stage management. Of the' players for whom it is not difficult to prophesy histrionic distinction it they should turn their attention that way, E. B. Harris, who essayed very suc- cessfully the delicately ridiculous role of the hero, Percinet. is easily first. He play- ed the part of the sugar-candy Prince Charming with exactly the right loftily absurd accent, and spoke his lines with a full measure of appreciation of their poetry.. Mr. Harris' voice is not so full as it might be, but otherwise he seems gen- erously equipped for the stage. His ges- | tures are easy and graceful, his personal gifts considerable and his Percinet of the other night shamed the work of many professionals. J. W. S. Butler, who portrayed the | father of Percinet, also did some very good acting; Miss E. C. Howard was a charming Sylvette, and-the parts of Pas- quin, Sylvette’s fathér, and Straforel, captain of the bravos, were well taken by A. J. Todd and J. R. Carter re- spectively. Altogether, the performance was on a much higher level than the usual college play, and every credit is due to Professor Syle and his clever young people for adventuring into the higher comedy realms and with such marked success. It leaves one with a strong desire to see ‘“The Fantasticks™ with the best the stage has to bring to its interpretation. . s To-night at the Columbia begins the.| engagement of Willie Collier, possibly the cleverest comedian in his class now on the boards. Willle brings with him this time Augustus Thomas' new farce com- edy, “On the Quiet,” that enjoyed last season an uninterrupted run of six months at the Madison Square Theater, New York. Nat Goodwin had the first refusal of the piece, and it lay for a twelvemonth in Goodwin’'s pocket un- used. Then Willie Collier saw it and made it his own immediately, with the above happy result. Goodwin afterward saw Collier in the play in New York and sald to him after it was over, “You're a cleverer fellow than I am, Willie! If I had seen in the farce anything like you have made of it you would not have been playing it now. Not much!” But Mr. Collier has the farce and it s said to fit him like his skin, as well as to afford his excellent supporting company no end of good opportunities, “On the Quiet” is clean, legitimate fan throughout say those who have seen it, and a lavish rellef to the noisome Palais Royal farces with which the lat- tes-day stage has been celuged, the breed even lately invading the dramatic sancti- tics of our little Alcazar Theater. But “On the Quiet” is the other story. Its plot is simple but meaty. Collier has the part of Ridgway, a Yale student who falls in love With an heiress. The heiress has a stern brother who must be concili- ated before she can marry or on her marriage she loses a large fortune. But the lovers cannot walt and there is a THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL [—— 1 LA s e BB WHEN FOOTBALL AND ART MEET IN THE LIME LIGHT'S GLARE THE ATHLETES ALWAYS TRlUMPH POPULAR COMEDIAN AS ROB- ’ ERT RIDGWAY IN QUIET.” L - acccrding. He probably gets more effect with less apparent effort than any other comedian on the stage, not the quiver of eyelash being wasted. His is the fine art of farce, almost one of the lost arts, and on3 of its chief gleries is his glittering vocabulary. His knowledge of up-to-da argot is simply dazzling. Mr. Coliler's company includes Louise Collier, a great favorite here, and George Robinson, a native of San Francisco, who is steadily earning faver as an aetor. “ON THE A New Application. A Sunday school teacher im Carthage, I, has a class of little girls, and it is her custom ‘to tell them each Sunday of some little incident that has hapdened in the week and request the children to quote a verse of Scripture to iilustrate the story. In this way she hopes to im- press the usefulness of biblical knowledge upon_the little ones. Last Sunday she told her class of a cruel boy who would catch cats and cut their tails off. “Now, can any little girl tell me of an appro- priate verse?’ she asked. There was a pause for a few moments, when one little girl arose and in a solemn voice sa : “Whatsoever God has joined together, letl no man put asunder.”—Chicago Jour- nal. B e — ‘Walnut and Pecan Panoche. Townsend. * i Lt o e Cholce candies. Townsend's, Palace Hotel* — Cal. Glace Fruit 50c per 1b at Townsend’s.* —_——— Special information supplied daily to business houses and public men by the Press Clipping Bureau (Allen’s), 510 Mont- gomery street. Telephone Main 1042 = —_———— The man who never made a success of anything in his life is always telling other men how their affairs should be run. Guillet's Thanksgiving extra minee pies, ico cream and cake. 305 Larkin st., phone East 198¢ What CALVE Says of WEBER PIANOS “Among all the instruments of the re- nowned makers, here and abroad, I to-day prefer the Weber, because of its sympathetic tone quality.” EMMA CALVE. ‘Weber pianos cied exclusively by the Grau Opera Company. The increased dcmand. for Weber Pianos has compelled us to add anoth- er wareroom to our large floor space for Weber Pianos exclusively. Three ::::.m just arrived. Inspection In- CLARK WISE & CO. Cor. GBARY ST. and Grant Ave,, - €OLE AGENTS. A