The plays of Maeterlinck appeal to the sense of beauty, to the sense of mystery, not to cold, critical reason. They are to be admiredby those who have the subtle feeling of admiring such subtle poetry and mysticism-they are not to be argued. The cold reasoner, the materialist, the prosaic will not be able to see any beauty, any poetry in plays such as these; he is rightfrom his standpoint-that there is no real life in them, that they are not dramas, which picture life as it is or should be, or which tell good stories or clever anecdotes. But, like the child, who listens spellbound to old fairy tales with all their beautiful impossibilities, without understanding or attempting to understand much of the underlying truth, moral and poetry, so will the grown person, who is able to let mystical poetry or poetical mystery work its subtle charm upon him, enjoy and admire Maeterlinck's plays. One of these plays Pelléas and Mélisande has recently been performed in London as an entreacte. I must say, that I deeply regret not having been able to listen to it. This is one of the plays one can only get the chance to hear and see played at a "théatre libre" or in a private circle, but it seems as if we would have to wait a good while yet on this side of the ocean for such an opportunity. Some attempts were made in that direction last year in

New York by the Criterion; let us hope that they will be renewed and received with deserved appreciation and support.

In the meantime we

must content ourselves with reading them in book form.

We learn, by the way, that Claude Debussy, a French composer, has linck's Pelléas et Mélisande which written an opera, based on Maeterwill be given this fall at the Opéra Comique in Paris.

The very successful play Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand, which, with Coquelin in the title rôle, has had a run of 200 performances at the theatre Porte-SaintMartin in Paris, has been taken by the eminent French comedian to London for a two weeks season. The American rights have been secured by Richard Mansfield, who will acquaint us with this interesting play in October at the Garden theater.

The hero of this play, Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac, was a famous French playright, an eccentric character and a contemporary of Molière and Corneille who are said to have borrowed largely from this author's magnificiently mad plays for the spicing of their own. Bergerac, who was born in 1619 and died in 1655, was an eccentric genius, not unlike to Christopher Marlowe the great

shows bold imagination and sure and fertile dramatic instinct, not only teems with beautiful sentiment and abounds in grand situations, but it is, in one respect, unsurpassed in French literature. No single poem, nor play, nor romance exists in the French language in which so many exquisite poetic conceptions are so delicately conveyed and so tastefully expressed.

Another addition to the dramatization of successful novels, a mode of playwrighting so much en vogue at present, is Mrs. Voynich's clever book The Gadfly, (*) which in truth. offers rare opportunities for stage production.

We read in the Publishers' Weekly, that "Paul Laurence Dunbar and James Whitcomb Riley are writing a negro comic opera together; the cast, it is said, to be composed entirely of colored people. Who is to write the music has not yet been divulged."

There was a short operetta produced recently at the Casino roof garden, entitled The Cake Walk, the book of which is written by Dunbar, while the music is by William Marion. It is probably this one to which the Publishers' Weekly alluded. Mr. Marion is a pupil of Prof. Prof. Joachim of Berlin and of Dvorak of New York, and promises to become another negro celebrity. The cast of The Cake Walk included negro talent exclusively.

(*) The Gadfly. By E. L. Voynich. 12mo. cloth Price 90 cents. By mail $1.02.

Henri Marteau, the eminent violinist, has taken charge of the foreign correspondence department of that excellent musical monthly review, The Concert Goer. He is interesting himself personally in the selection and engagement of special musical correspondents for the different European countries, and has already secured Jaques Dalcroze, a young composer of pronounced talent as correspondent from Switzerland. Among other collaborators of The Concert Goer are R. de Schwendy, W. J. Shaxby, Channing Ellery and Wormser, who has an article on the piano in the August number. Henri Marteau himself has written an excellent estimate of the late Edouard Remenyi for the July Concert Goer.

Mr. André Wormser, who contributed a splendid article on the Piano-a plea in favor of the piano -to the Concert Goer for August 1, is the composer of the famous pantomime "L'Enfant Prodigue," and the almost equally successful ballet "L'Etoile." He is, however, not less well known as an author on musical topics, and a recognized authority in this field. A biographical sketch of Mr. Wormser appeared in the Song Journal of February, 1897, and a review of "L' Etoile" in the Concert Goer of August, 1897.

The New York Sun tells the following amusing story about Capt. Richard Leary of the San Francisco. When that vessel was last at the yard for repairs her band played every night for the men at quarters, and later for the officers' mess. It seems that Capt. Leary was very fond of one air called "La Paloma," and almost every evening after the band had finished its regular program the captain would send out a request

that "La Paloma" be played. Now, the crew of the San Francisco are loyal Americans to a man. By a simple process of reasoning it became evident to them that "La Paloma," from its name, must be a Spanish air. This was enough to make the tune obnoxious to the crew.

Capt. Leary, in blissful ignorance of the mental trouble he was causing his men, continued to ask for his favorite air. The men were scattered about the decks when a messenger came forward with the usual request.

"Boys, this is too much," said one future Jim Hickey, springing up. "Let's queer the blame Dago tune."

Standing nearby were scrap buckets containing the remains of the evening meal. When the band struck up the offensive air each man grabbed a cold potato or anything else that came handy and let fly at the musicians. The men proved

that they could throw straight as well as shoot straight. The band kept on with true Yankee fortitude, but it was in very discordant fashion that "La Paloma" floated on the evening breeze. Capt. Leary noticed the difference and sent for the band leader, who plays a violin.

"What's the trouble?" he asked. "Well," replied the musician, "it takes both my hands to fiddle, and I can't do it well and dodge potatoes at the same time."

When the whole affair was explained Capt. Leary appreciated the joke as much as any one. He has found a new favorite air now, and "La Paloma " is discarded.

Among the new piano music received is a very clever negro march in "rag time," entitled "The Alabama Patrol" (a negro oddity), by (a negro oddity), by Albert H. Fitz; a lively two-step by Robert L. Peyton, entitled "Jockey Club March," and a catchy skirt dance in schottishe time, called "The Dance of the Rustic Maidens," by Arthur C. Kirkham. All these are easy to play, melodious and effective, and published by the Fitz Music Co. From the same publishers we have also received two very pretty juvenile songs by Albert H. Fitz, the composer of that popular song "Won't You Come to My Tea Party." One is entitled "I Love You Best, Mamma Dear," and the other one, "Mamma, Don't Be Cross With Me." The first mentioned song, "Won't You Come to My Tea Party," was one of the greatest hits of last season, and equalled, or per

PUBLIC LIBRARY

haps surpassed the success of "Two Little Girls in Blue." It was sung, DYNOX AND by over 500 professionals in theatres and DATIONS. music halls all over the country, played by orchestras and whistled on the streets, and there is every probability that these two new songs by the clever young composer will have an equal success. Mr. Fitz was born in Boston in 1863. He commenced writing songs when he was but fifteen years of age, and his compositions have been sung in public for years. It was, however, not until recently that his songs appeared in print, as Mr. Fitz had made it a practice to compose them for professional friends only. Only about a year ago he started a music publishing business, and has since brought out many compositions by himself and other popular composers. Mr. Fitz comes from a talented family, being the son of Mrs. Fanny Peak Fitz, who belonged to the Peak family, well known in the vaudeville profession for over fifty years. Mr. Fitz, who is very fond of children, and has made a close study of child nature, has made himself with his charming juvenile songs a favorite with mothers and children all over the country. The music of his songs is, without exception, sweet, plaintive and catchy, and the words, which he invariably writes himself, harmonize with it in their true childlike simplicity and touching humor. This places him easily at the head of our most popular composers of juvenile songs.

A very interesting and effective new piano piano duet, which we can

heartily recommend to advanced players, is entitled "Tanz-Novelle," opus 103 of Philip Scharwenka, the brother of "our" Xaver Scharwenka. It is a suite of five dances (Waltzes and Mazurkas), and a very characteristic Intermezzo, and stands high above the average parlor music by virtue of its noble harmonization and melodic qualities. There is certainly no superfluity of good original quatre mains compositions, while there is no lack of arrangements for piano duets, and this dance suite, though not very easy, will be welcomed and appreciated by many.

An excellent new collection of

moderately difficult instrumental

music is "The Pianist's Treasury," selected and fingered by Wm. Scharfenberg. It is not only a book which deserves to be found in every musical family, but will in particular prove a boon for piano teachers, standing in its musical quality high above our average "popular" music. For an extremely moderate price it places in their hands a collection of 29 pieces, arranged in progressive order within the grade of "moderately difficult," which present the greater variety in technique and emotional quality, and which were selected with the mature taste and judgment of a veteran pianist and instructor. It is handsome in appearance, securely sewed, and clearly printed on heavy paper.

By the death of Sir Edward BurneJones, which occurred on the 17th of June, England has lost one of her most prominent painters of this century. He was an artist often misunderstood, even ridiculed, yet he was doubtless one of great originality, whose influence on modern art was strong and lasting. As disciple and friend of Rosetti, Hunt, Millais, William Morris and Ruskin, he belongs to the new romantic school, to that class of modern artists who called themselves "Preraphaelites," whose cardinal principle was the return to the truth, sincerity and earnestness, that marked the style of the Italian painters before Raphael.

Burne-Jones was born in Birmingham in 1833. It was first intended that he should take holy orders, but while studying at Oxford, where he became intimately acquainted with his fellow-student, William Morris, both apparently predestined for art, and gifted with a deep sense and love of art, fell under the influence of Dante Gabriel Rosetti, one of the principal factors in the preraphaelite movement, which had begun in 1847, and Jones soon determined to become a painter. Rosetti took a great interest in his devoted and talented pupil, introduced and recommended him to many influential persons, among them Ruskin, and