Opera By Wire

Por the last few opera nights at the Acadeiny, occupants of the lower proscenium boxes have noticed what appeared to be a block of wood on the stago to the kft of the hood of the prouipter's box. It bore a general resemblanoe to the transmitter of a telephone, but when tho academy peopl. were iuquired of, they knew notliing about a telephone. Mr. Charles Mapleaon said to a reporter yesterday that he had found a man walking behind the stage one day with a box under his arm, and asked his business. The man rejlitd that he hal already erected a pi i vate teluphone wire and only wanted to put the transiuitter in place. He showed Mr. Maoleson a carel countersigned by the Guv'nor, and the man was passed as all right and allowed to go about liis business. Mr. Mapleson didn't know whathe had done with tlie transmitter. Colonel Mapleson told the World reporter later that he had giveo permission to an oíd patrón of the opera to put up the telephone and try and attend the opera by wire. He had allowed the experiment to be tried siinply out of courtesy, since the appiicant was conflned to his bed by paralysis. He had made no charge accordingly, but he wanted it understood that lie could not accord the privilege to everybotly, lor fear that in this age of advancement, he rnigbt be obliged to play some day to eiupty bencb.es. Tlio reporter made a tour of the stage and found the little box as described to the left of the prompter's box. it is nnthing more than an ordinary "Blake Transmitter," with a series of four wires running under the stage. This was apparently all the mechanism in sight. The transmitter is set at a slight backward slant, on a level with the top of the footlights, so that it can not be seen from the parquette. It was learned that the telephone is the property of Mr. Edward Fry, of No. 38 Union Square. A boy in buttons answered the bell at that number, and when asked if Mr. Fry was in replied, "he is aiways in and never engaged, íor he has not been ab'e to leaye liis bed these many years." In the main room on the top floor the reporter found Mr. Fry, who is sixty three years oíd, and has been a sufferer from paralysia for twentythree years. In the luiiher corner of the room beside i sniall window hung the ebony receiver. About twenty feetof insulated wireii attaclied to it, so that the receiver can be taken over to Mr. Fry 's bed. "llow caroe you to think of putting up a telephone?" asked the reporter. "It was a new thing to me," saitl Mr. Fry, "for I have not been able to leave my room for twenty-three years, but when I heard of the transmission by telephone of the notes of a cornet, I inquired if the instrument had ever been used to transmit opera. I was told that Londou had never heard of u, and the electricians here said it was a novelty. I resolved to make the attempt, and Mr. Mapleson- I can never thank him enongh - grranted me the authority which was contirmed by Mr. .Leroy, on behalf of the board of directors. The applicaiion was made early in November, and the telephone has been in operation for two weeks. I made a simple contract witli the telephone company for the erection of a private line between the Academy of Music and No. 38 Union Square (two stations), to eonsist of a Hlake transmitterand a Bell telephone. I agreed to pay the ordinary annual rental forthe instrument, and any repairs that may be required." " IIow does the telephone wt-tik?" "Well, after some of the first trials of the instrument I recoided the following as the result of some of my expenences: "Placing the instrument against my ear and closlng my eyes, 1 am instantly and without effort of imagination transformed into a blind auditor upon or very near to the stage of the Academy, and I hear the operatic performance alinost or quite as wll as any of the audience bodily present. In the transmission of the vocal music, except that which is at once very loud and very high, this telephone works with a lidelity which is simply marvelous. Tha exact quantüy, quality of every voice - soprano, contralto, tenor, baricone and bass; the notes, whether in solo or concerted music, froin pianissimo up to the forte, acd from andante upto the presto; the words enunciated by the singers. and the ment, whether of placía joy, ecstacy, sorrow, grief, despair,' animating the singers and coloring their utterances - all this is as distinctly, as perfectly, as truthfully conveyed by the telephone wire to me as by the atmosphere in the Academy from the singors to their nearest autitor there. "The drawbacks in the perfect working of this telephone are few and sli(i)t and possibly remediable. The chief one is a confused jangling, blurred sound, like the rattliug of a largo sheet of brass, which accompanies and envelopes the very loud and very high tones in the chorus and finales. The other defect is the non-conversance of the f uil quantity and exact quality of tone of certain instruments, notably the violoncellos, doublé basses, trombones, tubas, kettle-drums, side-drums. bass-drum and cyrabals, oboes and bassoons. The tones of the violins, violas and flutes, whether played forte or piano, are conveyed with absolute perfection as to the quantity, pitch and luality. The tones of clarinets, tr urn pets and horns are generally well transmitted, but not perfectly. The position in the oichestra of seme of the instruments, behind and far removed from the telephone, may be the cause of its somewhat defective receipt and transtüission of their tones, as just described, but the defects of tho instrument, as evinced in the first attempt to convey by it an operatic pertoriuance, are few and very small as contrasted with its very many and transcendent merits. Before the experiment was made I had not dared to hope of such a splendid success - a success which stamps the telephone as one of the highest achievements in BCientiflc invention and discovery of the century." "Cannot these defects be remedied ?" asked the reporter. "Only tboroughly by a change of tlie position of the instrumente. For instance, Gilmore's Hand, at some recent theatricaj entertainment, played on the stage, and I could discrimínate the particular instrumente, even to the saxophones with their peculiar tone. The electricians inform me that in the regulalion of the diaphragm of the transmitter it is impossible to convey all sounds. An average has to be made by regulating the diaghragm with a screw; and soa certain part of the softer notes is lost to convey the stronger vibrations. In the high and loud notes there continúes to be a rattle. It has been suggested to me to have auother telephone regulated to receive these yibrations, which are lost by the one in use, but I am af raid to impose upon Mr. Mapleson's good nature any f urther, and want to keep my present happiness intact." "Do you find any difflculty in following the music in such operas as 'Aida,' where strong concerted music is so prominent '{" "Not at all, for the instrument lies til the liarmony, wlietlier soft or loñd. In rMefl8tofele' I could hear Campaiiini's voice strike every note in tbe upper register. Xow Ravelli sings charmiugly through the te 1 e ph on e, and witli amaziog distinctness and strength notably as Edgardo m 'Lucia,1 and yet I aiu told Lliat liis voict! is íiot very puweilul. Then when Galassi was singing Rigoletto the other night 1 could readijy deteet all the passionate earueatnesa that he gave to his part. Last night I heard 'Iinda di Chaniouni' note for note and word for word, holding u libretto in nrij hand." "Do you ever hear any of the asides on tlie stage?" "llave any oí your friends tried yoiir telepbone?" "Some of them.but I tell them that so long as they have strength to walk to the academy whichlcannot do.Ican not consent to share my pleasure, if Ionio other reason thañ not to abuse Mr. Mapleson's kindness. For twenty-thiee years 1 had heard no music except that of a piano in my room I rom time to tinee, and I dread to run the i isk of ever being deprived of this great boon. Mr. Leroy has heard half oí ;ui opera through my telephone, and I llave extended a similar invitation to Mr. Mapleson." - .