Punch: Punch (75.1878)

226 PUNCH, OE THE LONDON CHARIVARI. [November 16, 1878.

A CAUTION.

No wonder Miss Lavinia Stitchwort thought the People very rude at the Station avhen she went for her " Water-
proof" (which she had lost on the Railway some Time before). She found out when she got Home she had not removed
the Label!

OUR REPRESENTATIVE MAN.

A Visit to a Musical Festival, and a few words about Theatrical

Matters.

Sir,

I wouldn't have missed Mr. Samuel Hayes' Festival (or
the Festival of Samuel Hayes) for a considerable sum. To have
heard Sims Reeves sing " The Bay of Biscay 0 " was worth, well
worth, dining earlier than six-thirty,—was well worth coming even
an unreasonable distance. And people did come an unreasonable
distance, I '11 be sworn, on that occasion, and were marvellously
unreasonable in consequence, for they would have had Mr. Sims
Reeves encored and encored again, and then wouldn't have been
satisfied. Mr. Sims Reeves gave in, once, to their enthusiasm, and
gave in graciously, shaking his head, however, as he skipped up the
steps and bounded on to the platform, as much as to say, "This is
too badof you—I mean too good of you, Ladies and Gentlemen—but
as this is my first appearance at what is called a Promenade Concert,
why I will accept the encore, or as the Chairmen of the Music-Halls
have it, "Mr. Sims Reeves will oblige again."

But this was not to " The Bay of Biscay 0 " no. This was to
Mendelsshon's recitative and air "Ifwith all your hearts"

Madame Antoinette Sterling is a great favourite, and, being
encored in " The Song of the Shirt," sang " Pulley Haidey" and,
of course, sang it admirably.

There can be no objection to encores being taken as a demand from
the audience for an entirely new song, if it be so stipulated in the
bond. But, if I am so pleased with Madame's, or Mister's, rendering
of a particular song that I cry out " Encore " or " Bis," meaning,
in plain English, "Again! again !" surely Madame, or Mister, ought
to repeat that identical song, or else my "encore" or " bis" must
seem to imply that "I am very pleased, it is true, with the song
you've sung, Madame or Mister, but I am sure you can do better if
you only try; so please give tis another, and something totally
different too."

Consequently, my "encore " is only a qualified compliment.

But " they all do it," except Mr. Sims Reeves, who, I had always
heard, steadfastly set his face against the encore system. He is only
partly right. A delighted audience pays a singer a compliment in
re-demanding a song. A flattered singer should take the compli-
ment as intended, and, if in his power, without fatiguing himself
and so detracting subsequently from the pleasure of his audience,
he ought to " oblige again." The engagement to sing includes the
probability of an encore, and an encore is the pleasing penalty of
well-deserved popularity. To sing an entirely different song, by way
of accepting an encore, is a mistake in toto.

Talking of in toto reminds me that there was another case in Tito
—I mean in Tito Mattei. Signor Tito Mattei played admirably
his " Souvenir d'ltalie" and his " Valse de Concert." Result an
enthusiastic encore. What does Tito do ? He plays " Home, siveet
Home" with variations. Signor Tito, however, must be credited
with something of satire in his selection, as " Home, sweet Home "
becomes rather monotonous, even to the most domesticated, without
variations of some sort.

The excellent Signor was immensely applauded by the audience,
and, above all, by the members of the Orchestra, who shook hands
with him as if he were going away on a long journey, one energetic
gentleman, attached, I think, to a second violin, actually slapping
him on the back, as much as to say, " Bravo, Titus! lou're the
sort of chap I like—you are ! Bravo ! I backed you to win, and
you've done it, Titus, my boy! "

Then there was a merry Zingara (Mdlle. Mathilde Zimeri), who
ought to have appeared half-an-hour before, but had probably been
detained by being out gipsying, and having some distance to come.
She sang " Tra la la" as a merry Zingara invariably will, and told
us how her " passport was a light guitar," which would of course
have to be carefully examined at the Custom-House—and this might
have caused her some extra delay.

M. Riviere's orchestra performed in first-rate style Lumbye s
spirited " Summer Day in Norway" a descriptive fantasia, and so
brought the first part to a brilliant conclusion.

But, mind you, this " Promenade Concert " was not a promenade
concert at all. Every one was seated ; and the dis-concerted look of