73.—THE ENCORE FIEND.
An English writer speaks as follows of the people who insist upon encore numbers being given at all times and places. We might remark, parenthetically, that this genus is not confined to Great Britain. We have some of him—and her—on this side of the water. But to quote his pertinent remarks:—
"There are two, if not more, ways of showing regard for those we admire and esteem, one which is agreeable and another which is disagreeable. Unfortunately, of these two the latter has by far the most patrons. In their zeal to show respect, three out of every four persons are obtrusive, not to say offensive.
"Thus the British public have a weakness for encores which at times almost approaches lunacy. They insist upon a concert singer giving three or four songs when he is paid for two—apart from the questions of the singer's own feelings in the matter and the state of his voice.
"Then again the prima donna of the opera is vociferously applauded in the most touching and thrilling scenes. She must acknowledge it all; so that not unfrequently we see such absurd sights as a mad lady suddenly becoming herself again for a few bouquets and some applause, only as quickly to be transformed back to her distracted state.
"Instrumentalists, too, suffer the same fate. After a magnificent performance of some finale, dashed off at a surprising speed and at the cost of much mental and nervous force to the performer, three-fourths of every audience have the 'nerve' to demand a repetition of it!
"If the popular enthusiasm does not take this form in the acknowledgment of an artist's merit, there are others equally unpleasant."
Few artists have the nerve to quell a superabundance of applause in the method used by Hans von Bülow.
