January 17

RIPM’s “Illustrations of the Week”
Horse Racing on the Opera Stage
How Did They Do It?

One of the scenes in Monréal and Blondeau’s Paris port de mer, which played at the Parisian Théâtre des Variétés in 1891, involves a horse race.

L’Illustration, Vol. XCVII (14 March 1891): 236.

An engraving published in L’Illustration beautifully depicts this realistic and motion-filled horse race from the perspective of the audience. From this view, however, it is difficult to discern exactly how this event was produced. Are the horses mechanical? Are they real, but restrained in some way? How did they do it? The next image reveals the technology used to create the illusion. When you think you have it all figured out, scroll down!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ibid.

Astoundingly, the stage of the Théâtre des Variétés was rigged with three separate treadmills, upon which three living, breathing horses, ridden by three likely-professional jockeys, galloped unrestrained. To create the illusion of the horses running on a track, the pickets of the fence in the foreground were attached to a belt, which moved concurrently to the 95 yards of scenery canvas being unwound in the background. So, as the horses seemingly move in one direction, the sliding fence pickets and scenery canvas moved in the opposite direction, giving the feeling of motion . Et voilà, a horse race on stage!

Did you figure it out? Let us know on our Twitter or Facebook!

 

RIPM search tip: A combined search for “horse race” as a keyword in RIPM Retrospective Index and Preservation Series: European and North American Music Periodicals generates a list of 109 results, including a four-verse song published in an 1824 issue of the London journal The Harmonicon entitled, “The Race-Horse”.

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***

RIPM is an international non-profit organization preserving and providing access to music periodicals published in more than twenty countries between approximately 1760 and 1966, from Bach to Bernstein. Functioning under the auspices of the International Musicological Society, and the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres, RIPM produces four electronic publications: Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals, Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals with Full Text, European and North American Music Periodicals (Preservation Series), and RIPM Jazz Periodicals (forthcoming).  
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Horse Racing on the Opera Stage
How Did They Do It?
December 20

RIPM’s “Illustrations of the Week”
Holiday Ice Skating to the Strains of an Orchestra

RIPM’s “Illustrations of the Week” gets into the festive spirit by featuring two picturesque scenes of ice skating rinks in 19th-century Paris. Look carefully, for each contains an orchestra!

The skating rink at the Closerie des Lilas.
L’Illustration, Vol. LXVII (15 April 1876): 253.

The skating rink of the Saint-Honoré suburb
L’Illustration, Vol. LXVIII (5 August 1876): 96.

Happy holidays from all of us at the RIPM Center!

RIPM search tip: Want to know how some celebrated 19th-century composers and performers spent the holiday season? Read our curio from December 2015 here!

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Holiday Ice Skating to the Strains of an Orchestra
December 13

The Ophicleide

What do Hector Berlioz, Felix Mendelssohn, Giuseppe Verdi, Sir Arthur Sullivan, and Richard Wagner have in common? They all composed for the ophicleide! Patented in 1821 by French instrument maker Jean Hilaire Asté, the ophicleide was used in military bands and orchestras well into the 20th-century, though it has now been largely superseded by the tuba.  Moreover, author, composer, and organist Dr. Orlando Mansfield described this instrument as “ugly” and “curious” in a 1929 issue of The New Music Review and Church Music Review.

The New Music Review and Church Music Review, Vol. 28 No. 335 (October 1929): 407.

An early image of an ophicleide designed by instrument makers Griesling & Schott.
Berliner allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, Vol. 6 No 2 (10 January 1829): [1S] 16/17.

Hector Berlioz wrote briefly about the ophicleide in his Grand traité d’instrumentation et d’orchestration modernes.  This text was later translated and reprinted in Dwight’s Journal of Music.

Dwight’s Journal of Music, Vol. 10 No 22 (28 February 1857): 170.

An illustration of an ophicleide with a fingering chart and compass.
Cäcilia, No. 34 ([1828]): [1S] 128/29.

Berlioz selected this “monstrous” “bull” of an instrument to feature prominently in the fifth movement of his Symphonie fantastique.  When paired with its bass wind instrument cousin, the serpent, the duo creates an ominous atmosphere when performing the Medieval Latin hymn, “Dies Irae”. Let’s listen to it.

Nevertheless, the ophicleide’s “growl, grunt, or roar” led it to be the subject of humorous caricatures and some pointed comments in the press.

The Musical World, Vol. 9 No. 208 (23 December 1841): 404.

This caricature depicts, in a refreshing manner, the ophicleide as brazen and powerful.
L’Illustration, Vol. LXXXII (28 July 1883): 61.

In fact, the effort required to produce a sound on the instrument even led some to speculate that it could cause health problems.

The Musical World, Vol. 9 No. 196 (30 September 1841): 215. 

Caricatures also depicted the large size of the instrument itself.
L’Illustration, Vol. XXV (4 February 1860): 77.

While the ophicleide may have developed a reputation for being unwieldy and odd, a small community of musicians continues to perform on this unusual instrument. Some, like the Sydney Ophicleide Quartet, achieve an admirable level of tonal beauty and virtuosity.

RIPM search tip: To read more anecdotes and reviews of the ophicleide, search “ophicleide” as a keyboard in RIPM’s Retrospective Index and e-Library of Music Periodicals.

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December 6

RIPM’s “Illustrations of the Week”
The Covers of Ars et labor

Today, we feature five sumptuous covers from the Italian journal, Ars et labor: Musica e musicisti (1906-1912), issued by the famed Milan publishing house, Ricordi.

Vol. 63 No. 12 (15 December 1908)

 

Vol. 61 No. 3 (15 March 1906)

 


Vol. 61 No. 7 (15 July 1906)

 


Vol. 67 No. 12 (15 November 1912)

 


Vol. 63 No. 6 (15 June 1908)

 

RIPM search tip: Ars et labor: Musica e musicisti (Milan, 1906-1912) can be found in full text in RIPM’s e-Library of Music Periodicals. To view this journal specifically, select the periodical in Browse Mode!

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The Covers of Ars et labor
December 1

Some Tidbits and Anecdotes from RIPM:
Jenny Lind

Proposed By Marten Noorduin

Here are a few entertaining anecdotes from the musical press about Jenny Lind. As today is Friday, perhaps they will set the right tone for your weekend.

 

Strenna Teatrale Europea, Vol. 11 No. 1 (1848): [II pc].

 

In the 1850s American showman P.T. Barnum arranged a tour of the United States for the Swedish Nightingale, the celebrated soprano Jenny Lind. These three anecdotes and two illustrations reflect the immense success of the tour.

 

The sale of tickets for a Jenny Lind concert in America
L’Illustration, Vol. XVI (23 November 1850): 325.

 

Saroni’s Musical Times, Vol. 1 No. 51 (14 September 1850): 601.

 

The Musical World, Vol. XXVI [XXIX] No. 38 (20 September 1851): 605.

 

The Message Bird, Vol. 2 No. 36 (15 January 1851): 590.

 

Punch; Or, London Charivari, Vol. 19 (1850): 146.

 

Throughout her career, musical tributes for the Swedish Nightingale abounded. In fact, the collection of The National Museum of American History holds the sheet music of an 1846 piece written in honor of Jenny Lind composed by Anton Wallerstein and entitled, “Jenny Lind’s Favorite Polka”. If one believes that the popularity of her name was limited to the 19th-century, here is a surprising 1956 example reflecting its presence in the 20th.

RIPM search tip: Searching “Jenny Lind” as a keyword in both RIPM’s Retrospective Index and e-Library of Music Periodicals generates a list of 4,554 results!

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Jenny Lind
November 29

RIPM’s “Illustration of the Week”
Making Waves at the Opera

This week’s illustrations feature three 19th-century images offering a unique operatic vision from the depths of the ocean and from above its surface. For an 1843 production of the now obscure three-act opera, Le naufrage héroïque du vaisseau, Le Vengeur (The Heroic Sinking of the Ship, The Avenger), this is how extras at the Cirque-Olympique created the illusion of a calm sea …

The calm of the sea
L’Illustration, Vol. II (23 December 1843): 261.

… and one turned violent.

The rough sea
Ibid.

Though there were many technological advances on the stage during the 19th-century, by 1866, charting the seas was not one of them.

L’Illustration, Vol. XLVIII (29 September 1866): 205.

 

RIPM search tip: To browse numerous images of opera scenes in RIPM’s Retrospective Index and Online Archive, fill in the following fields: Keyword = Opera; Type = Illustration. Those records labeled “ROA” are available in full-text.

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Making Waves at the Opera
November 22

RIPM’s “Illustrations of the Week”
Arthur Sullivan in The Musical World

An amusing feature of the London journal The Musical World is a series of illustrations by the English tenor Charles Lyall.  One of his many subjects was English composer Sir Arthur Sullivan.  Though he also composed serious choral, ballet, and orchestral works, Sullivan is best known for his fourteen “comic operas” created with librettist W.S. Gilbert.  They are often referred to as “Savoy operas,” named after the Savoy Theatre, a London venue built specifically to showcase Gilbert and Sullivan operas.  Many of these works, like the Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado, continue to have broad international success.
On the 117th anniversary of his passing, we present these four illustrations.

This depicts Arthur Sullivan after receiving an honorary doctorate from Cambridge University in 1876.

The Musical World, Vol. 54 No. 28 (8 July 1876): 467.

After traveling to Egypt in 1882, there was much speculation that Sullivan was composing a symphony on Egyptian themes.  The symphony never materialized, but Lyall fueled the rumor with this illustration.

The Musical World, Vol. 60 No. 14 (8 April 1882): 212.

Sullivan’s conducting was often criticized as being unenergetic and restrained.

The Musical World, Vol. 56 No. 39 (28 September 1878): 626.

He invariably sat in the usual high chair and seemed to keep his eyes always on the score in front of him.  His beat was restrained and rather cramped, his baton moving across the top or up and down the sides of the score.

David Bispham, A Quaker Singer’s Recollections (New York, 1920): 174-175.

An illustration entitled, “In Purgatory,” depicts Sullivan tormented by Anton Rubinstein at the piano (left), Richard Wagner (upper right), and a variety of devilish gremlins.

The Musical World, Vol. 56 No. 33 (17 August 1878): 530.

A common, humorous trademark of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operas is the patter song, featuring a rapid paced, tongue-twisting text sung by a comic bass or baritone.  Here is a famous example: “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General,” from Act I of the Pirates of Penzance.

Remarkably, Arthur Sullivan’s voice was captured on a very early recording by George Gouraud, Thomas Edison’s representative in England. At a dinner party on 5 October 1888, Sullivan remarks on the newly invented phonogram.

 

RIPM search tip: To view Charles Lyall’s illustrations, select the Advanced Search option of the Retrospective Index and fill in the following fields: Keyword = Charles Lyall; Periodical = Musical World, The [1836-1891]; Type = Illustration.

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Arthur Sullivan in The Musical World
November 17

RIPM’s “Illustrations of the Week”
Scenes from a Parisian Café Chantant

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk the streets of Paris in the 19th-century? You are strolling along the cobblestone streets, taking in the sights and sounds, when suddenly a song by Aristide Bruant catches your ear. Enticed, you follow the sounds into a dimly-lit room and hear this:

There, in one of Paris’s famous cafés chantants, you cast your eyes around and see a host of eccentric characters—performing, serving, listening, and, of course, drinking.

 

 

                     The bouquet seller                                                Le garçon de café                                                                                              The waiter

 

Les habitués
The regulars

 

Les consommateurs
The customers

Perhaps you would like to hear to another song by Aristide Bruant, and while listening, view these images again.

Musica, Vol. 7 No. 74 (November 1908): 167.

The seven images depicting scenes in cafés chantants were published on 6 December 1851 in L’Illustration, the first illustrated newsweekly in France. Between 1843 and 1899, the journal published over 3,350 engravings of musical interest, offering an expansive visual account of musical activities in 19th-century Europe.  We will continue to feature a number of illustrations from this journal in the weeks ahead.

RIPM search tip: To access 356 related records to cafés chantants, search “café chantant” as a keyboard in both RIPM’s Retrospective Index and e-Library of Music Periodicals.

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Scenes from a Parisian Café Chantant
November 13

The Musical Press Laments the Death of Rossini

L’Illustration, Vol. L (5 October 1867): 212, published in Les Gravures Musicales dans L’Illustration, Vol. 1  (Quebec: Presses del’Université Laval, 1982): 603. 

A portrait by Adolphe Mouilleron of Rossini, one year before his passing

 

On today’s date in 1868, 149 years ago, Gioachino Rossini—composer of more than three dozen operas, including the ever-popular opera buffa, The Barber of Seville—died in Paris at the age of seventy-six.  Though retiring from opera composition in 1829, nearly four decades before his passing, the success of Rossini’s prolific early years made him a widely renowned public figure.  This popularity is reflected in the attention given to his death in the musical press, with many journals reporting the news on their front pages. Here are some examples.

L’Art musical, Vol. 8 No. 51 (19 November 1868): 401.
The Musical Standard, Vol. 9 No. 225 (21 November 1868): 197.
Gazzetta musicale di Milano, Vol. 23 No. 47 (22 November 1868): 377.
Neue Berliner Musikzeitung, Vol. 22 No. 47 (18 November 1868): 373.

 

As eulogies of the composer appeared in the press, the Parisian illustrated newsweekly, L’Illustration, visually documented Rossini’s funeral proceedings.  As indicative of his widespread adoration, much of Paris attended.

L’Illustration, Vol. LII (28 November 1868): 340, published in Les Gravures Musicales dans L’Illustration, Vol. 1 (Quebec: Presses de l’Université Laval, 1982): 619.

The sprinkling of holy water in the Church of the Holy Trinity

 

L’Illustration, Vol. LII (28 November 1868): 341, published in Les Gravures Musicales dans L’Illustration, Vol. 1 (Quebec: Presses de l’Université Laval, 1982): 620.

The funeral procession leaving Church of the Holy Trinity

 

L’Illustration, Vol. LII (28 November 1868): 344, published in Les Gravures Musicales dans L’Illustration, Vol. 1 (Quebec: Presses de l’Université Laval, 1982): 620.

Lowering of the coffin into  the vault of the city, in Père-Lachaise Cemetery

 

Rossini was sought out and courted, not merely on account of his fame as a composer, but for his wit, his humour, his amiability, and general goodness. With him has departed one of the most remarkable geniuses and one of the kindliest spirits of the nineteenth century.

The Musical World, Vol. 46 No. 47 (21 November 1868): 789.

 

RIPM search tip: For more on Rossini’s death, first, in both RIPM’s Retrospective Index and e-Library of Music Periodicals, set the span of years in the “Date” field from “1868 to 1869”.  This limits one’s search to the year of his death and one year following.  Then, search “Rossini” as a keyword.

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November 8

RIPM’s Illustration of the Week
Clara Wieck–A Child Prodigy

On today’s date in 1830, eleven-year-old Clara Wieck (later, Clara Schumann) gave her debut solo piano concert at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, sparking a career lasting more than sixty-years as both a distinguished performer and gifted composer.

We celebrate Wieck’s remarkable achievements with a portrait from her younger years published in the Parisian journal, Musica, and two enthusiastic reviews of her debut.  The first was published by the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung [AMZ] and the second was a translated and condensed version of the original AMZ report, published in the London journal The Harmonicon. 

Musica, Vol. 6 No. 59 (August 1907): 126.

A Young Clara Wieck (later, Clara Schumann)

 

Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, Vol. 32 No. 46 (17 November 1830): 752-753.
The Harmonicon, Vol. 9 No. 2 (February 1831): 47.

 

RIPM search tip:  A search for “Clara Wieck” in both RIPM’s Retrospective Index and e-Library of Music Periodicals reveals that her name appears in 800 records. A search for “Clara Schumann” … 6,600 records!

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Clara Wieck–A Child Prodigy