THE
ijptl Coptic
With which is incorporated THE MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL.
VOL. III.
NEW YORK, DECEMBER 5TH, 1880.
No. 9.
ences. The wisdom of the school-room has nothing to do with a comic
GOOD ADVICE.
E do not think that Col. Mapleson is stubborn enough not to heed any opera, written for the public at large, and with the intention of making
advice which he really considers good, even if he would refrain from money out of this public. Mr. Hart Jackson said, in Baltimore, that
owning it publicly. Although the manager is smart, and can rely, in case of "Deseret " wants to be heard several times iu order to be thoroughly ap-
emergency, on the mental faculties of his son Charles (treasurer of the com- preciated. That may be so, for all we know; but we could not muster
pany, husband of Mdme. Cavalazzi, and bearer of some other distinguished courage enough to listen to its performance a second time. According to our
honors), he would not repudiate advice coming from other sources. If the ideas a comic opera is still-born, if a second hearing is necessary to procure
advice given to the manager were founded on knowledge, it would surely be it success. A work of a mere entertaining character, as a light opera should
taken in consideration ; but as the stupidity of carelessly volunteered advice be, either strikes on the spot or its mission is lost. Musical works of enter-
lies on the surface, there is no need for the manager to bother his head about taining character do not exclude artistic value, but the paying audience will
it at all. The Times, for the last two years justly celebrated for its musical not stop after every bar to consider the weight of this value. " Deseret"
criticisms, bordering on nonsense so closely, that it is almost impossible to has come to grief; but to all those who listened to the performances here
draw the boundary lines, only a few weeks ago furnished its patrons with the with impartial mind, the untimely end cannot be surprising. Mr. Jackson
following delicious bit of musical information : "Mr. Mapleson, with his speaks of re-organizing the company. What would that help ? The com-
competent artists, should give the public something more important than the pany was good, Mrs. Polk aud Bella Cole even better than most singers
hackneyed repertoire. ' William Tell,' ' L'Africaine,' ' The Huguenots,' and connected with similar enterprises. Another company will not help. Let
a half-dozen other works, which ought to be in his repertoire, have not been Mr. Jackson keep the company and change the opera. "Deseret " is a dead
heard in New York for some time." Beyond doubt the man who laughed failure; let his company try for instance Johann Strauss' " The Bat," and he
the most, when reading this paragraph full of friendly advice, was old will very soon see how well his company will do. If you want to re-orga-
Mapleson himself. We can imagine him, as he read the Times over his nize, you must be exactly aware of the spot where the shoe pinches.
breakfast, and suddenly burst out laughing, saying to his treasurer, "Look
here, Charley ! What advice they give me ! They say I should have all
A BATTLE WITH LUNGS.
those big operas on the repertoire. I know I should ; but I have not. It is
HE London Figaro gives this amusing sketch of a battle between operatic
Astonishing enough that I have succeeded in bringing out Boito's opera; and
voices in that city : " Mme. Lorenzini Gianoli, who made her debut as
if it had not been for Campanini, who showed the greatest zeal and interest
•on behalf of his friend, Boito, I do not think I would have ever got so far. Norma on Tuesday, was, it is said, engaged by Mr. Mapleson for America, but
And now they tell me that I have the competent artists to do grand opera. through a slip she remained in Europe, and, in the absence of Mme. Zacchi
Either the fellow wanted to fool me, or he is a consummate ass. I know (who has since arrived), was engaged by Mr. Armit. Opera-goers will heartily
very well my business, and my principal object must be to throw dust into wish she had been shipped to America. A tall, gaunt figure, a voice unpleas
the eyes of the public." This is very likely what Col. Mapleson said to his antly harsh and a stage presence certainly not Druidical, all told against the
son Charles. And he is perfectly right. Let us leave out the half-dozen debutante. The new Norma had a powerful organ and seemed an experienced
other works, and only stick to the three operas mentioned. Everybody with actress; and, indeed, if she had but freshness of voice and any sort of method,
only a grain of common sense knows that the repertoire of the French she might be an acceptable artist. But in the result (as at the earlier repre-
school is based on choral work, and the choral department of the Italian sentations of the opera, when the Adalgisa of Grisi overshadowed the Norma
opera this winter is in a state of utter desolation. Rossini's "William Tell" of Pasta) the positions were again reversed. The star of the evening was the
depends, in most of its effects, entirely on the chorus. But we will even Adalgisa, Mme. Bauermeiater ; and the new artist, despite her powerful voice
agree to a bad chorus, and accept " William Tell" as as a possibility ; but and her histrionic gifts, had to give way before her. A few friends of both
how about " L'Africaine ? " If we can agree to have a bad chorus, we must at artists supplied, however, the chief fun of the evening. The supporters of
least have a Selica. The only two soprani of any account in Mapleson's Mme. Bauermeister applauded her, while the newly found friends of the de-
troupe are Gerster and Valleria. Mdme. Montesini was sent back to more butante did all that lusty throats and powerful palms could do to applaud
civilized countries, and Mdme. Gianoli never arrived here. A dramatic their favorite. By and by at the duet, "Mira o Norma," the two forces ap-
singer does not exist at all, and nobody can dare to propose Mdme. Mary peared nonplused. For the friends of the one to applaud the other seemed
Louise Swift as a representative of Selica. And with Meyerbeer's " Huguenots" to be absurd, and to this incident may be attributed the fact that probably
it is even worse. Not only no Valentine can be found among the members of for the first time in the history of the opera the famous duet missed its usual
the troupe, but we have no bass singer who could do the part of Marcel satis- encore."
factorily. Signor Novara has proved too inefficent an artist to come before
the New York public in well-known roles, sung here by the first artists of the
THE POWER OF MUSIC.
•world. All we have said here will show that the operas mentioned in the
Times cannot be performed without showing the weakness of the troupe, and ^ 6 /-^ ALIGNANI" tells a good story of the tenor Duchesne, who was the
\JC hero of an interesting incident during the fighting at Chateaudun,
•even inferior performances are not feasible without a dramatic prima donna,
& bass, and chorus—three very important items for the operas of the French the anniversary of the defense of which place has just been celebrated. It
school. If the alleged critics were able to think what they are writing about, was 10 at night; the Paris Franc-tireurs, who had been fighting all day
they might come to the conclusion that it was very dangerous to give ad- against odds of twenty to one, were retreating. The Prussiaus were masters
vice to any opera-manager. It is not sufficient to mention the operas which of the town, which was lighted up by the burning houses. Eleven wounded
should be performed, but it would be wise to add the cast at the same time, Franc-tireurs, abandoned in the Hotel de Ville, had fallen into the hands
were it only for the enjoyment of those who like to have a good hearty laugh. of the enemy, and were in danger of being executed. Among them was
It is not often that our views coincide with those of Mr. Mapleson. In re- Duchesne, the lyric artist. They were all searched and their papers exam-
ined carefully by a Prussian captain, who, in looking through Duchesne's
gard to the adviser in the Times, we have no reason to differ with him.
portfolio, came across a paper containing the names of a number of operas.
"What is this ?" he asked. " I t is the list of operas I sing." Among
others
was the name of Weber's great work. " Ah," returned the captain,
AN UNTIMELY END.
who was a musician, "you are an opera singer, and have sung in ' Der
E company which went on the road with the good intention of pro- Freischiitz.' Where was that?" " I n Paris, at the Theatre Lyrique."
JL ducing Dudley Buck's comic opera, '' Deseret," in all the large and " Then I must have heard you ; you sang with one of our countrywomen,
email cities, towns, villages, and hamlets, of this Union, has been disbanded Mile. Schroeder, did you not?" "That is so." The captain appeared to
in Cincinnati, and both manager and members of the troupe, have returned reflect; he drew Duchesne aside, and then while passing through a dark
to New York. Good intentions are never sufficient to create success. It street said, " Run for you life." Duchesne did not wait to be told a second
takes a good deal more than that—before all and everything the good inten- time ; although wounded, he was not disabled, and succeeded in escaping
tions of the public—which is to patronize the performances—and pays its frotn the town during the night, and was thus able to create the pa^t of
money in order to keep the enterprise alive. Mr. Hart Jackson, formerly RomeQ to Mme. Carvalho's Juliet in Gounod's work at the Paris Opera
with J. H. Haverly, left his employer and became the manager of the Dudley Comique.
Buck Opera Company. By acting in this manner Mr. Jackson proved that
he does not understand his business. We suppose that he does not know
PATH TROUPE.—Mdme. Patti's Paris troupe will include Mdlle. Tremelli,
anything about music; but as a man conversant with theatrical matters for MM. Nicolini, Cotogni, and Ciampi.
many years, he should have read the libretto; and if he really after its careful
MASSENET.—A new opera, " Werther," by M. Massenet, is to be produced
perusal, thought that such stuff could take with the American people, he
had better give up business entirely. When we heard " Deseret," we could at the Paris Grand Opera in 1881-2.
not understand how a composer could accept a plot, void of all interest.
PERGOLESE SCHOOL.—A "Pergolese School" has been inaugurated at
The work was a failure from the very first night, in spite of the friendly re- Naples.
ception it found here through the instrumentality of Brooklyn friends of the
BECKER, JR.—Hugo Becker, so a of Jean Becker, made his debut at the
composer. Mr. Buck wants to write a comic opera, and is about the most
serious man we can imagine. His music is very learned, and shows musical Gewandhaus concert in a violoncello concerto by Griitzmacher.
BERLIOZ.—A German version of Berlioz' "Damnation de] Faust " was
studies; but who cares for those things in a comic opera in the first place?—
and then we must not forget that Sullivan, Strauss, Genee, and Lecocq, produced, November 8, by the Gesangverein of Frankfort.
are composers who have studied a great deal, and each of their works gives
JEAN BECKER.—At the third Gewandhaus concert, October 21, Jean
signs of study. But they do not bring theoretical wisdom continually Becker played a new violin concerto by Gernsheim, said to be a feeble work.
in front; their aim is to be funny, to show humor, and amuse their audi-
THURSBY.—Miss Thursby sang, Oct. 23, at the Singakademie of Berlin.
W
T