From Harper's Weekly Copyright, 1898, by Harper & Brothers.
FRANZ SCHALK.

Franz Schalk, who has been engaged by Mr. Grau to succeed the late Anton Seidl as conductor of the Metropolitan Opera House Orchestra, was, just like his great predecessor, before his American engagement. under the management of Angelo Neumann. He was born in Vienna in 1864 and received his musical education at the Vienna Conservatory, the same great institute which has had among its pupils such famous leaders as Hans Richter, Felix Mottl, Arthur Nikisch and others. Schalk has given proofs of his extraordinary abilities abroad in several important

subsequently with Stockhausen, of Frankfort-on-the-Main, and became in 1882 a member of the grand opera at Weimar. Shortly afterwards he came to America with Lilli Lehmann, Fischer, Behrens, Reichmann and others, and here it was that he won triumphs which placed him at once foremost in the ranks of Wagnerian tenors. His ideal Siegfried will forever be remembered by all who saw and heard him. Alvary had a most prepossessing physique, a powerful, most carefully cultivated voice, and was at the same time an intellectual, thinking artist, who will forever hold a prominent place in the gallery of the world's greatest singers.

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I read in the Publishers' Weekly that admirers of the late Anton Seidl will have an opportunity during the coming musical season of possessing themselves of a volume which will be a unique addition to musical literature. Lilli Lehmann, Lilli Lehmann, Marianne Brandt, Lillian Nordica, Albert Niemann, Jean de Reszke, and other eminent artists will contribute reminiscences of Anton Seidl as a man and musician, while his methods at rehearsals will be described by Victor Herbert, H. H. Huss, F. Kaltenborn, and other New Yorkers who knew him well. There will be critical appreciations by H. E. Krehbiel, J. Huneker, A. Steinberg, A. Spanuth, H. T. Finck, and others, and the tribute to Seidl contained in the telegram from Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, which was read at the funeral services at the Metropolitan Opera House. The biographic sketch

will be written by H. T. Finck, with the assistance of Mrs. Seidl, who has placed at his disposal the great conductor's letters from Wagner and other eminent musicians, some of which will be printed in facsimile. Several portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Seidl will be inserted, besides reprints of articles on Wagner and his art, written at various times by Seidl, who wielded an incisive pen, though he seldom wrote for publication. The book will be published for the benefit of Mrs. Seidl by Charles Scribner's Sons.

We shall not have Paderewski here this season. Instead we have as a substitute Moritz Rosenthal, to make us forget the long-haired Pole. Rosenthal gave his first concert at Carnegie Music Hall on the 26th of October. We heard him last year, but he returns riper and more accomplished. Chopin's Sonata in B flat, Weber's Sonata in A flat major, and Chopin's (posthumous) Etude he played in a manner so forceful, so characteristic and with such an astounding technique, as will be very rarely heard. The audience was spellbound, enraptured, and gave the virtuoso most enthusiastic and well-deserved applause.

Under the title of "A Polish Fantasy" Mrs. Herman Kotzschmar, in the November Ladies' Home Journal, writes most interestingly of Paderewski-in fact, she gives a biography of the early career of the famous pianist, in which tragedy, romance and pathos play conspicuous parts. She tells of Paderewski's

dence with famous men and women, which forms an important part of this interesting volume, at his disposal.

A series of six easy, bright and melodious piano pieces by F. R. Webb has been published recently by G. Schirmer under the title The Puppet Show, at 25 cents each. They are popular in style, but not trashy and consist of a waltz, a schottische, a galop, a polka mazurka, a polka and a military march.

An excellent companion album of piano music to The Pianist's Treas ury which I mentioned in our September number, is The Pianist's Anthology, a collection of 28 favorite pieces, selected and edited by Louis Oesterle, and published, like house of G. Schirmer, New York, at the former, by the well-known musicive compositions of moderate diffi$1.00. They are pleasing and effectculty and are admirably suited for study as well as for the parlor. The last mentioned collection embraces Godard's Berceuse from Jocelyn; Grieg's Papillon and Berceuse (op. 8, No. 1); Massenet's Dernier Sommeil de la Vierge; meil de la Vierge; Paderewski's Mélodie (op. 8, No. 3) and Au Soir (op. 10, No. 1); Saint-Saëns' Reve du Soir and Romance sans paroles; Schubert's Scherzos No. 1 and 2; and other favorites. Both of these albums will primarily be of excellent service to the teacher and a valuable and welcome addition to his material for pupils.

A charming new ballad has just been published, which has all the qualities to repeat or even outdo the success of that popular song "Oh, Promise Me." The title is Home Thoughts, words by Frank P. Murtha, music by Charles Jerome Wilson. While the clever and pathetic text alone describing the feelings and thoughts of home of a soldier, far away in the enemy's land, is sure to appeal to the public especially at the present time, the music is most characteristically adapted to the words. The melody, which is the same in the first two verses, changes in the third verse, and brings the ballad to a most ef fective climax. The accompaniment with its picturesque variations expresses most cleverly the sentiments of the text. It is beyond doubt one of the best vocal compositions published in a long time, and stands by virtue of its truly musical quality and characteristic pathos, far above the average songs. It was first sung It was first sung in public a few weeks ago in Boston by Truly Shattuck, and scored an

instantaneous success, receiving five encores. The song is published by the Eagle Publishing Co.

Among the new popular music re ceived is a new "rag time" two step, entitled "Ma Rag Time Baby," by Fred. S. Stone; a two step and march by James H. Davis, entitled "A Lady of Quality Two-Step," and an exceedingly attractive and melodious waltz by Fred. S. Stone, entitled" A Lady of Quality Waltzes." The three pieces are published by the Whitney Warner Publishing Co., of Detroit, and the latter two are dedicated to Miss Julia Arthur, the favorite actress who scored such a success in the interesting play, A Lady of Quality. Lady of Quality. The prettiest of these new piano pieces is undoubtedly the last mentioned, Fred. S. Stone's "A Lady of Quality Waltzes," which is sure to make a hit everywhere and to become one of the popular favorites as a fit companion to Witmark's popular "Zenda" Waltzes.

(BEATRICE HANSCOM, in the November Ladies'

MARGARET MAYO.

Margaret Mayo, the promising young actress, has an important rôle in Chas. Frohman's Because She Loved Him So company, and will be seen at the Garrick theatre early in December. The Washington Times under date of Nov. 13, says: "Margaret Mayo came back to us on Monday in Because She Loved Him So, and more than duplicated the good impression she had made here during the summer. Miss Mayo is one of the brightest, daintiest, most artistic little women who ever trod across the stage in ankle skirts and said respectful things to the leading woman. She has a brilliant future, and if she progresses as she has lately it may be a present within a very few months."

Viola Allen, who has scored such an enormous success as "Glory Quayle" in The Christian, made the following remarks about this interesting play in an interview with Philip McKay, which appeared, before its stage production, in the Illustrated American:

"When I first read the book it impressed me as most powerfully written, most wonderfully original in its conception, construction and characterization, and possessed of many unusual dramatic possibilities. Mr. Caine undoubtedly had some very strong motive in writing it. The story shows this most clearly. He is a man actuated by a definite purpose in all he does. Many people undoubtedly regard the views expressed by the author as extreme, but no one will deny the great underlying power of the story. The contrasting character drawing is most forceful and graphic, especially that of Glory Quayle and John Storm. Only a man of great intensity and earnestness could conceive a character like John Storm, who, while his ideals may be considered chimerical and unattainable, is a thoroughly manly and strong personality.

"Those who have read the manuscript of the new piece are of the opinion that Mr. Caine has so cleverly retained all the vitality of the story in the play, and so splendidly preserved the integrity of the