MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1013, 31 December 1910, Page 9

MUSIC.

(Br Treble Clef.)

An Empire Musician. Dr. Charles Harriss, whoso project of taking- tho Sheffield Choir with Dr. Coward round the Empire next year has been so prominently before'the public lately, left England rc-ceritly ' for Canada. "Havo I anything to say before leaving England?", said Dr. Harriss to an "Express" representative. "Well, your question puts me in mind of tho refrain of a one-time popular song, 'Say "an reyoir" but not "good-bye." ' _ "It is always 'an revoir' with me, either hero or in. any other part of the Empire, as long as I am on tho track of musical reciprocity. 'V ■I do not expeot any ono - to" seo as far as I do into the future of this affair of mine. If I wero to tell you what I see, you would call me.all sorts of names —a.madman, a dreamer, as they called me —my friends, most persistently— years ago, for I was planning ten years ago a tour round tho Empire witfi tho most famous chorus in tho Empire, aud working out tho idea of binding, together tho choral and industrial elements ot the Empire through the power of music. "Time and'tenacity havo brought about the 'impossible,' and, moreover, within the_ ten years I allowed myself to aecomplish. it and to circle tlio globe with it. This will give you somo idea of how far one must think-ahead .when one begins playing- a game of chess on tlu> Empire-board.'/' - "Do I not think the Empire, or parts of it, will fail to respond to so many .calls upon its enthusiasm and support? I say ,emphatically, 'No!' For peoplo of the overseas Dominions are 110 longer mere spectators, . but workers, co-op-erators, factors in the game; "As musical reciprocity has taken English music round tho Empire,! it can just as readily bring that' of South Africa, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to us."—London "Express."

An Unlucky Opera. Signor Caruso, who was recently injured while playing: the part 'of Don Jose, has joined tho ranks of those who' regard '.'Carmen" as an unlucky opera. Over and over again Occidents have happened during the of Bizet's masterpiece. It is generally believed that tho ill-fortune .that overtakes the singers of the naino part is due to the vengeance of the original tribe of gipsies,, who consider their race maligned .by the opera. One performer, herself of gipsy blood —Mile. Nadushka — after a hard struggle against her destiny, at last gayo up tho part altogether, and no power on earth will induco .her to sing it again. A dozen Don Joses and Escamillas have been injured in the duel scono of the third act—Mr. .Edward Farley, an Australian, among tho number. Warwick Gaynor, who sang for several years in Australiawas fatally stabbed in one of the cities of the United States after ho had played tho part'of the toreador. Who can explain the fato of the lovely French actress ' and risger; Lorette Focquet, who was found dead in her apartments in Vienna. Her assailant was not a robber—motive there was none. It is a singular fact that she was found strangled after making her debut as ''Carmen" tho same night. A year ago in Now York Madame Bress-ler-Gianoli was injured by Don Jose's dagger. Tho tenor found afterwards, to his amazement, that the blunt dagger he was supposed to use in the. final scene had been carefully sharpened. The-same i«i,-j!it Maria Gay, tho great Spanish Carmen, was singing the part at tho San Paulo Opera Houso when tho floor of tho auditorium gavo way. In the panic that followed at .least three people met their deaths. Agaiu, tho opera was being performed at the Florence Opera Houso when the prima donna tripped and broke two of her ribs.

Visitors to tho Metropolitan "Opera House in Ncw'Xork olie Saturday evening in 1905 were thrown into a state of panic in tho first act. Tlie sotting represents a square in Seville.'Oil' tlio left the principals enter tho* st-ago across a bridge 18ft. high. This structure gavo way when some fourteen persons were upon it. Luckily, there wero 110 casualties, although duo singer narrowly escaped injuries. "Carmen" liorsolf (Jlmo. Ackte) was badly hurt by a falling rock, but ennaged to continue the part with a slight limp. Madame Calve, who sang scenes from "Carmen" during her Australian tour, has not been altogether immune from the Fates that dog tho opera. One night, in the scene where the cigarette girl tries to separate Don Jose and Escamilla, who aro fighting, tho latter in somo way dealt tho prima donna a blow over the heart .that delayed the lvrformance for a quarter of an hour.' This happened several years ago. Another operatic artist who was fond of appearing in "Carmen" lost her sight in lflOS). Her friends blamed tho unlucky opera. * In-Decatur, Illinois, they arc above the mere commonplaces of musical criticism. Road this, for example! "The timbre of Mrs-. Funk's voico is of that vibrant, fragant, effervescent quality that dips and rises with charming grace of execution. Her style invests her singing with tho suggestivo abandon of the true artist, expressing the amiable qualities of an amiable song with the ease : and enchantment with which she accompanied an'encounter with tho most difficult touc-Titans conceived by modern pen." (Decatur "Herald.") iiappy tlio artist whose voire is both fragrant and effervescent, and who. can face without flinching nil encounter with a difficult tone-Titan!