Prince, Basso & Fiddlers

Quivering with excitement such as he scarcely ever reveals on the concert platform, bald-headed Violinist Mischa Elman wrote a letter last month from St. Jean-de-Luz, France, to his father in Manhattan. Made public last week, the letter told how Violinist Elman had given a party for Cinemactor Charles Spencer Chaplin ''which will long linger in the memory of those who were there." Cinemactor Chaplin told Edward Prince of Wales "what a wonderful time he had at my house . . . The Prince, who came here for a vacation, and being evidently tired to be constantly with the same group of people, told Chaplin that he would like to spend such an evening with us." Cinemactor Chaplin scuttled off to have tea with large, booming Basso Feodor Chaliapin. who agreed to give a party at his house. Violinists Jacques Thibaud and Elman were "invited, of course, and altogether we were 22 people. "It was the most informal affair I've ever been to. Everybody did and behaved just as they felt. Thibaud and I played the Double Concerto of Bach again. I'm sure that it was above the Prince's head as he is not at all musical, but he was very enthusiastic. Chaliapin, I must say, made a wonderful host, drinking a toast to each one of his guests, be ginning of course with the Prince. The toast was in Russian . . . ended with the two meaningless words, in which every body joined -- 'Za-Za!' I talked a good deal to the Prince that evening, telling him all sorts of jokes, which he enjoyed very much. ... To think that there was the future King of England, sitting in the midst of people who have come from humble origin, even though they have attained the highest in their profession!" Next day, wrote Violinist Elman, he met the Prince in a cafe, was asked to join him. "The Prince was very amusing . . . trying very hard to persuade me to drink. . . . Finally he said, 'It is very stupid for people to drink a lot; look at me, I drink very little.' ... He told me to be sure to call him up when I am in London."

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