MISCELLANEOUS.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2459, 22 February 1882, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

Salisbury's Troubadours are making a successful tour through the United Sla‘ea. Alice Dunning Lingard has formed a dramatic company to proceed to Oregon. In M. Lalo’s new ballet, shortly to be produced at the Grand Opera, a great effect is expected to be produced from an episode in which at the moment two rivals are crossing swords the shadow of the woman they are fighting for bounds in between them, ond by its movements protects the favored lover. The substance of the shadow will bo Mdlle. Sangalli. The most celebrated singers of Italian opera this season in London were not Italians. Patti :a an American of Spanish extraction ; Albani is a Canadian ; Sembrick in a Polo ; Fureob, Madico and Warnofs are German ; Nilsson is a Swede ; Gueroia is Spanish; Yaileria and Minnie Hauck, American ; Do Reizke, Mario Roza and Trebclle are French. Patti—lt is said that the fair Adelina was much-disturbed in mind by the report that Bernhardt had returned to Paris with £40.000 made on her American tour. Mme Patti concluded that in the same space of time she ought to realise three times that amount—£l2o 000 ; after that she would retire. Failing this amount on her return to England, she would make an engagement for four years with Mr Qye.

It is stated that four special representations of opera and ballet are to bo given at the Q-rand Opera, in Paris, at which the entire house, including the stage, will bo illuminated by the electric light. M. Jules Oohen has composed for the occacion a cantata, commencing with the words, “Terre, ecloiretoi!” A new melodrama by M. Maurice Brack, adapted from the late Alexander Dumas’ novel, “Li San Police,” has just been brought out with unall success at the Paris Chateau d’Eau Theatre, It deals, amongst other matters, with the loves of Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton, who is called “ Emma Lyonna ” (!). At a performance of “ L’AmiPrilz,” at the Alhambra Theatre, Brussels, realism was carried to suoh an extent that real viands were provided for the dinner in the first act. M. Febvre, one of the actors, was astounded when there were successively put before him sardines and butter, followed by capital Bitque soup, stuffed jack, pate-de fois-gras, pheasant flanked by quails, one of the best brands of Bordeaux, cheese, fruit, coffee, three kinds of liqueurs, and excellent cigars. This is realism with a vengeance ! Concerning Gounod’s new oratorio, “ The Redemption,” “Oherubino ” in the London “ Pigoro ’’ thus discourses : The committee of the Birmingham Musical Festival have given the high price of £750 for the right of first performance of M. Gounod’s oratorio, “ The Redemption.” Of course the Town Hall will hold thrice as much money, and the performance will probably be given at a profit. If £750 must be paid for a solitary represt ntation of an oratorio, it is, however, to be regretted that the money was not given to an Englishman. Messrs Novello, in buying “ The Redemption,” have done rather a plucky stroke of business. The Birmingham committee purchased the oratorio of M. Gounod for the price of £4OOO, and have resold to Messrs Novello the copyrights and the performing rights all over the world, after the first performance, thereby losing £750 by the transaction. On the top of every page of the full score of “ The Redemption,” M. Gounod has written the words " Opus vTsc mt se ’’ — that is to say, “ The work of my life.” This item alone is surely worth another £IOOO. Gounod will conduct in person. H. Sutherland Edwards, in his readable work on the “ Lyrical Drama,” writes amusingly about the “ decline and fall of the tenor.” There is a touch of satirical description all opera goers will appreciate in the following: —There was a time when playgoers would no more have quitted a representation of “ Lucia ” without waiting for the dying strains of the hero than it would now take its (a lapse in grammar here) departure before the delirium of the heroine has set in. At present themoonlit cemetery hashardlj been discovered, the four horns have only just had time to prove their inability to play the few bars assigned to them, when the majority of the audience rise to depart.” Again, referring to the lowered position of the tenor, the author says that the pnma donna is assuming more and more the foremost position in opera ; “her singing, her acting, and in some measure her personal appearance, seems to be accepted as the chief end end object of operatic performances, and insensibly the delusion is gaining ground that, instead of the prima donna having been educated to sing in operas, operas havo been composed for prima donnas to sing in.” A paper has been started in Liverpool for the purpose of giving tolerably full and critical accounts of the doings of the dramatic and musical professions in the provincial towns of England, and in announcing itself it declared that " when there is a dearth of public news, the daily papers devote an occasional column to a notice of performances of some notable actor or musician, but the slightest political excitement, the arrival of intelligence of a murder, a prize fight, or any morbid matter that is likely to prove acceptable to the numerous pitiably low beings whoso taste for grovelling in all that is loathsome in humanity has been excited and fed by the Press, is sufficient to drive the cleverest artist that ever lived into the smallest of paragraphs, or out of the paper altogether.” Miss Jenny Lee, of “Jo” celebrity, and her husband are coming to the colonies after all, and are to leave 'Frisco by this month’s mail boat. To a reporter of the “New York Herald,” by whom she was intsrviewcd, she told all her troubles. “ This is my first experience of ill-luck,” she said. “All my life long I have been fortunate ond successful; this year it seems to have all changed ” —and the tears welled up into her eyes. “Mr Sergeant had three agents, and the business was to be left to them. The company was engaged here ; only one gentleman came from the other side. That was Mr Sergeant’s part of the business. Wo supplied the company and moved the organisation. He gave the performance. We intend to bring an action against him for damages. It’s bad enough to bring such a condition of affairs on a woman living here, but they have brought me 3000 miles away from my home and left mo like this. Look at the actors, too, that have been thrown out of employment at this time of the year, when they oan get nothing to do. I have’ several oHers from managers We are going home by way of Australia. Before we came away we had a farewell tour in England, and everybody wished us suoh good luck'. It has been all the other way, and this is not the extent of my troubles, I suppose the three agents were occupied with Mr Sergeant’s other attractions and neglected me. I can’t bo crushed by one cloud. I shall keep ‘ moving on,’ and emerge by and by as smiling and as sunny as ever.” The little woman has plenty of pluck, and will make no end of ) friends in these colonies. 1