June 5th, Trade
I£8I.
Music
Review -- THE
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MUSICAL
CRITIC AND TRADE
their hair is long, their garments are quaint, their attitude angular. "We
are not quite sure if all we do has the Early English ring. But as far as we
can judge it's something like this sort of thing;" and the "sort of thing"
answers its purpose by pleasing the Lady Angela and the Lady Saphir, who
WHAT THEY TALK ABOUT.
unexpectedly flop in that direction. The Lady Saphir exclaims, "How
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN S OPERA OF " PATIENCF..
SYNOPSIS OF PLOT.
Botticellian! How Fra Angelican!" while the Lady Angela admitting that
The play is in two acts, whereof the first opens in the grounds of Castle the military aesthetics are not " supremely" right, protests, " O! Saphir, are
Bunthorne, and shows us twenty young ladies in aesthetic costume, each they not quite too all but?" and Saphir, allowing a trace of latent Philistin-
having a lute, mandolin, or archaic instrument in her hand. The twenty ism to appear, answers, " They are indeed jolly utter."
"flop" and sprawl and sing, for they are all in love with Bunthorne, who
As all move away, the ground is left open for the encounter of the rival
heeds them not. The Lady Angela, the Lady Sapliir ( and the Lady Ella, flop, poets, and it is at this point that Mr. Gilbert draws most obviously upon
sprawl and sing more than the others, and their ' Ah ! miserie !"—early his ballad "The Rival Curates." It will be remembered how the Rev.
English spelling—has an acuter tone. They imagine, poor things, that Bun- Clayton Hooper, of Spiffton-extra-Sooper, was a paragon of mildness, till the
thorne is " icy insensible ;" but the Lady Jane declares that he wildly loves Rev. Hopley-Porter, of Assesmilk-cum-Worter cut him out at the game;
Patience, the village milkmaid, who immediately appears. Patience has how Mr. Hooper sent to Mr. Porter threatening him with dire vengeance
never experienced love, except love for an old aunt, and can only say that, unless he " more gayly bore him," and how, on receiving the message, Mr.
if it mean true happiness, she has observed that " the truly happy never Porter said, "For years I've longed for some excuse for this revulsion; Now
seem quite well." So, putting love airily aside, the milkmaid chatters that excuse has come—I do it on compulsion." As with the rival clergy-
about the instant arrival of the 35th Dragoon Guards, whose officers were, a men, so with the rival versifiers. Bunthorne swears to "curse" Grosvenor
year ago, the lady-killers of Castle Bunthorne. " Fleshly men of full habit," unless he at once cuts his hair, parts it behind, and becomes commonplace.
sneers the Lady Saphir ; " We care nothing for Dragoon Guards," protests Appalled by the threat, Archibald consents to transform himself into " a
the Lady Ella; and then the twenty languish away to sing a morning carol steady and stolid-y, jolly Bank Holiday, Everyday young man," and goes off
to their Reginald.
to do so, leaving Bunthorne dancing with delight, at which exercise Patience
Enter now a band of stalwart and red-coated warriors, headed by Colonel discovers him. Bunthorne amiable and happy, how can Patience, whose love
Calverly and Major Murgatroyd. Their immediate mission is to supply is "utter unselfishness," marry him? It cannot be, and the match is
" padding" of the approved Gilbertian pattern ; wherefore the Colonel sings broken off forthwith. Meanwhile, Grosvenor comes dancing back in a tweed
a patter song about " that popular mystery known to the world as a heavy suit, followed by the twenty in violent milliner's apprentice attire. The
Dragoon," and introduces Lieutenant the Duke of Dunstable, who has joined maidens have followed him out of sestheticism, but all to no matrimonial
the army in the vain hope of getting snubbed, and of seeing reason to re- purpose, for he being a commonplace young man, Patience can love him, and
nounce au idea that men are born "bent at an angle of forty-five degrees." does so. Now would Bunthorne console himself with the Lady Jane. Alas!
This over, Bunlhorne, a " fleshly poet," appears, escorted by the twenty rap- the Dragoons appear, escorting the Duke, who, resolved upon marriage,
turous ones, in graceful possession. Still he heeds them not, but in a selects the only candidate that happens to be plain. The Lady Jane promptly
frenzy of inspiration writes thoughts they long to know, while before this obeys his call, and, as the curtain drops, Bunthorne protests, "Single I
angular creature in drab plush the well set up soldiers are nowhere. All must live and die; I shall have to be contented With a tulip or lily."
talk, or rather sing, at once. "Pity those who love in vain" wail the
The strength of the composer is not put forward at the
maidens; "Pretty sort of treatment for a military man" protest the outset. His introduction, for example, would, on ordinary occasions, pass
Dragoons; B unthorne confidentially observing, "Though my book I seem unnoticed, and the numbers immediately succeeding though pretty, are not
to scan in a rapt ecstatic way, . . . I hear plainly all they say." remarkable. When, however, we come to the Colonel's song about the
Further reproached by the warriors, the Lady Jane speaks for self and Heavy Dragoons, Mr. Sullivan's humor flows in a full stream, while the
companions. Bunthorne has idealized them all. "My eyes are open; I ensemble for officers and ladies appears as a capital example of its kind.
despair droopingly ; I am soulfully intense ; I am limp and I cling."
Other noticeable pieces are Bunthorne's song, "If you're anxious for to
Meanwhile Bunthorne, the fleshly one—he looks to scale seven stones at shine," with its delicate and charming orchestration: the duet for Patience
most—has finished his poem. It is a " wild, weird, fleshly thing," entitled and Angela, "Long years ago, fourteen may be," also beautifully scored; the
" Hollow, Hollow, Hollow," and expresses doubts whether, seeing the inti- charmiug madrigalian dialogue, "Prithee, pretty maiden," for Patience and
mate connection between some of Nature's fairest things and the phamaco- Grosvenor; a well-written sestet with chorus, " I hear the soft note;" Lady
poeia, she is essentially poetic or profoundly realistic. The twenty listen in Jane's mock sentimental ditty, " Silvered is the raven hair," with its Hande-
rapture. " I t is purely fragrant," says A ngela. "How earnestly precious!" lian recitative; the spirited duet for Bunthorne and Lady Jane, "So go to
exclaims Saphir. This seals the fate of the rejected dragoons. " You are him and say to him," and its thoroughly funny companion for Bunthorne and
not Empyrean. You are not Delia Cruscan. You are not even Early Eng- Grosvenor, " When I go out of door." In all these appear the ideas and the
lish. O ! be Early English ere it be too late," The graceful possession then hand of a musician who has something to say and knows how to say it.
moves off, and, first expressing their disgusted sentiments in song and What though the work be not of an exalted kind? Excellence consists
chorus, the soldiers follow, leaving Bunthorne alone. Bunthorne here owns largely in fitness.—London Daily Telegraph.
to being an aesthetic sham. He has no love for lilies or dirty greens, not
HOW THEY TRAINED THE GOAT.
he ! but a great deal for Bunthorne ; and medievalism, including, "stained
glass attitudes," pays. To him presently comes Patience, who, puzzled,
"
Speaking
of
Meyerbeer
in London, we may state that the illustrious
hears talk of love. "What is this love ?" queries the dairymaid, after send-
was exceedingly anxious about the goat in Le Pardon de Ploermel.
ing Bunthorne discomfited away. Enter the Lady Angela to answer the master
first wanted the one from the Salle Favart to be conveyed across the
question. Love is "utter unselfishness ;" whereupon, fired by the descrip- He
of Dover, but Messrs. Gye and Aug Harris declared that there were
tion of so noble a passion, Patience will begin loving at once. Then, as she Straits
in England, and that national self-esteem must be respected. The
calls to mind a little baby boy erst while her cherished playmate, a stranger goats
and the goat must be thoroughly English. Meyerbeer
appears. He is Archibald Grosvenor, " an idyllic poet, "and what is more bridge, the torrent,
At every rehearsal, however, he asked for his goat, but, like
to the purpose, he was once the baby boy enshrined in the milkmaid's submitted.
Anne, saw nothing come. Messrs. Gye and Harris always replied,
memory. The two recognize each other, and they love. But poor Patience Sister
plegmatically: ' Make your mind easy, M. Meyerbeer, the goat will be here
—who, as a slave of duty, is the petticoated double of the apprentice in the and
know its part the first time it comes on the stage. We are practical
" Pirates of Penzance"—recollects that love is "utter unselfishness." Ar-
in England, as you will see.' In a state of disquietude difficult to be
chibald is "incomparably beautiful in mind and body," at any rate he says people
described,
not much re-assured, diplomatically requested Mme.
so, and would be selfish in her to monopolize such gifts. This " the idyllic Carvaiho to Meyerbeer,
beg
that
she
might rehearse with the goat. Mme. Carvalho
poet" admitting, the two exeunt despairingly in opposite directions.
understood his motive and did ask for the goat, who, at last, rehearsed.
Once more enters the graceful procession, to the sound of pipe and Meyerbeer, very feverish, was in front. Armed with his opera-glass, he di-
tabor, the Ladies Angela and Saphir leading Bunthorne in flowery chains. rected his glances towards the end of the bridge, where the goat had to ap-
The fleshly poet, annoyed with Patience, has put himself up to be raffled for pear. At the given signal he beheld the nimble creature start forward and,
in aid of a deserving charity, and the Dragoons are in despair. One of the amid the applause of orchestra and chorus, clear, at one leap, the bridge
twenty will win, one of the soldiers definitely rise a loser from the game of thrown across the torrent. He immediately got up and asked Harris to tell
love. They sigh, they kneel, they weep ; but the maidens are indifferent, him the secret of his extempore training. 'In Paris,' he observed, 'the
and the lot is about to be drawn when Patience steps in. Love is "utter un- goat rehearsed three months.' ' I dare say,' replied Harris, 'but, as we
selfishness;" she detests Bunthorne, therefore she will marry him. " A have already told you, we English are eminently practical. With the goat I
maiden who devotes herself to loving you is prompted by no selfish view." have engaged its owner and a bunch of carrots for each performance. The
" Exactly so," responds the chorus, and the rejected twenty pair off with man and the vegetables are stationed on the other side of the torrent,
the dragoons, vowing never more to leave them. At that unlucky moment tempting the goat. I hold the animal fast and menace it with a whip, which
irresistable Archibald enters, drawing the rapturous maidens around him, as it knows is not productive of pleasure; then I simply slip the rope, at a sign
a candle attracts moths. "He is aesthetic," they cry, and upon the renewed from our illustrious conductor, Mr. Costa. The poor beast does not require
flopping, sprawling and singing of the twenty, the jealous fury of Bunthorne telling twice. It runs from the whip and rushes on the appetising carrot,
and. the unutterable disgust of the Dragoons, the curtain descends.
and,' added the humorous stage-manager, ' This is the way we do it.' "—Le
We are next shown a rural glade, what time Grosvenor and the raptnr- Me'nestrel, Paris.
ous ones enact the scene previously played with Bunthorne in the leading
part. Archibald is also in the frenzy of composition, but being an idyllic
The third concert of its current season by the Arlington Club took place
poet, his theme is not colocynth and calomel. He sings rather of a very bad in Tremont Temple, Boston, on Monday evening, May 16th. The following
boy, who went from bad to worse till " he was lost totally, and married a works were sung by the club: Unison chorus, organ accompaniment, from
girl in the corps de bally.'" The maidens adore the poem. " Marked you," "Fest Gesang," Mendelssohn;" Breathe my Harp," Bishop; " Reiterlied
says one, "how the damning catalogue of crime stole on till Retribution, and Margarita," G. W. Chadwick; "What Ho!" Beale; "Rhine Waltzes,"
like a poised hawk, came swooping down upon the Wrong-Doer?" At this piano accompaniment, Brisner; "The Lovers," Koschat; "Beware!" and
point Archibald reminds his worshippers that they have followed him about " King Witlaf's Drinking-horn," Hatton; and the pilgrim's chorus from
since Monday, and, as it is Saturday, he would be glad to enjoy " the usual
" Tannhaeuser," with piano accompaniment. Mr. W. J. Winch
half-holiday." They see the force of this consent to " close early," and go Wagner's
directed
the
performances and Mr. W. I. Howell played the accompani-
away in low spirits.
ments.
Now comes Patience, the affianced of Bunthorne, tearfully hoping that
The second concert of this season of the Englewood Choral Club was
Grosvenor loves her as much as ever. He does, but discreetly retires on
Reginald's approach, attended by the Lady Jane—"among the faithless given on Thursday evening, May 19th, at the Athenaeum, Englewood, N. J.
faithful only she." Bunthorne is in bad case. The Lady Jane pesters him, This club, which has existed under various names for fourteen years, is now
he is suspicious of Patience, and irritated by his rival's success. At length under the instruction of Mr. A. D. Woodruff of this city, to whose zeal and
he determines to encounter Archibald boldly, and, backed by the Lady Jane, efficiency its present excellence is largely due. The concert of Thursday
beat him on his own ground. Bent upon this he goes off; the Colonel, the evening was listened to by a large and appreciative audience, including many
Major and the Duke coming on. They have for love's sake turned aesthetic; persons from New York and neighboring cities.
OUR EXCHANGES.