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VOL. Y.
AN ANTIQUARIAN ON NEW YORK OPERA.
O
No. 21 -,
NEW YORK, JUNE 5TH TO JUNE 20TH, 1882.
N the subject of "Opera in New York," Mr.
Richard Grant White contributes a series of
articles to the March, April, May, and June num-
bers of the Century Magazine. They are hand-
somely embellished with cuts of some of the
singers, managers, and dancers, and opera houses
or theatres and halls in which they appeared.
These articles form an excellent historical and
chronological review of musical events that have
taken place in the metropolis in the last fifty to
sixty years, many of the details of which are
highly interesting, and, in many instances, entirely
new to the present generation of opera habitues.
We suppose that the material at Mr. White's
disposal is sufficiently trustworthy to enable him
to write with confidence on many of the points
covered by his articles, although we are quite sure
that he is often decidedly mistaken both in his
statements as well as his opinions.
This is natural. In fact, it is only the repeti-
tion of every-day experience to find a lover of
music, who has passed his youth in company with
artists whose fame only is known to us, descant-
ing with enthusiasm upon their remarkable abili-
ties and placing them far above living artists who
often are equally as great as the departed artists
were.
Mr. White represents the past generation, and
views musical affairs from a point of view which
necessarily obscures the great musical achieve-
ments of the present day under an imagination
which, if it continues to expand at the rate be-
trayed in the articles, will soon lead him to the
conclusion that opera will never be given as it
was in the small theatres of New York fifty years
ago, even if (as he describes an episode) ''Garcia,
as Don, rushing to the footlights with sword in
hand, stopped the band and made it begin again."
As an incontrovertible fact, we may state that
there never had been a complete operatic per-
formance in New York until Arditi had his large
and competent orchestra under his baton, which
has only been the case within the last few years.
The band that Garcia stopped represents the
kind of orchestras New York had for its operas
until a large and complete organization was se-
cured under Colonel Mapleson.
And what is opera without a competent orches-
tra, even if only such trivial works as "La Gazza
Ladra," "Cenerentola," "Jeande Paris," "L'Elisir
d'Amour," and "Daughter of the Regiment" are
performed, as they were during the days Mr. White
describes?
Mr. White never heard operas in this country
rendered with large orchestral and choral adjuncts
until within the last few years; and when grand
operas were performed here during the "occa-
sional" seasons within the past twenty years, they
were notoriously inferior to anything in the op-
eratic field to-day—that is, not the operatic field
occupied by strolling companies, but that occu-
pied by such organizations as are heard in the
large opera houses of Europe and here during the
Academy season.
We are therefore compelled to accept Mr.
White's critical judgment cum grano salts. We
take decided exceptions to the following sweep-
ing statement:
"Maria Garcia was the most accomplished vocal-
ist, the most dramatic singer—in all respects, the
most gifted musical artist of modern days."
Maria Garcia was the great Malibran, and she
was undoubtedly great, but these remarks would
destroy the musical value of some of her most
gifted successors.
"The most gifted musical artist of modern
days" signifies much more than can possibly be
accomplished by an operatic singer.
Malibran was only recognized after a struggle
similar to the struggles that many young artists
to-day are passing through while contending
against such critics as Mr. White.
He says: "Her audiences, bound up in their
admiration of the graat prima donnas of the day,
chiefly Pasta and Fodor, failed to appreciate her
at her real value."
Just like many young artists now, whose real
value is not appreciated, as their audiences are
bound up by admiration of artists that pleased
them in their younger days.
We cannot credit the accounts of those days
with great critical value. Journalistic criticism
in America and England was in incompetent
hands, because no opportunities for musical expe-
rience had been offered to journalists.
In referring to such criticism, Mr. White states:
"Nor was this sort of comment upon rmisical per-
formances peculiar then to New York. An exam-
ination of the London newspapers of that day dis-
covers that the criticism there was much on the
same level—little, if any, higher."
We therefore cannot credit, as we said before,
the accounts of musical performances of that time,
and although Mr. White may be conscientiously
impressed with the correctness of his conclusions,
we must take decided issue with him on the poists
referred to, and on other points too numerous to
mention here.
When he says that "there can hardly be a doubt
that three such artists as Malibran, Garcia, and
Angrisani have never again been heard together on
the American stage," he may be, and undoubtedly
is, sincere in his convictions; but his musical ex-
perience, which contributed to his musical educa-
tion, makes him anything but a competent critic
of modern music and modern artists.
The articles are very pleasant reading, but have
no merit beyond their historical or chronological
information.
TO MARIE ROZE.
Oh, Marie! veil the radiant eyes
That melt with inner light,
Conceal the brow that o'er them lies,
The bosom warm and bright,
The dainty chin where dimples play
At merry hide and seek,
The mouth with careless laughter gay,
And either perfect cheek.
For we, enchanted by thy grace,
And lost in worshiping
The magic of thy form and face,
Forget to hear thee sing.
Or, if we listen to the strain
That, like a bubbling brook,
OVrflows thy lips in music, then
We all forget to look!
In vain to try the double spell
By which thou would'st ensnare;
Alas! thou siDgest all too well,
Or else art all too fair!
For we who listen to thy voice
Forget thy face to view,
And we who in thy face rejoice
Forget to listen too.
H. W. LONGFELLOW.
PEEKSKILL'S MUSICAL CULTURE.
lamentable condition of musical culture in
_L Peekskill is graphically outlined by The
Blade in a recent editorial on the subject. The
writer is evidently a warm admirer of the artists
he praises; but then that enables him to make his
little point all the more clearly. Here is the in-
cisive comment of The Blade, spelling and all:
"On Thursday night last, the very best musical
entertainment ever given in our village came off in
Dramatic Hall. The entertainment was given by
artists whose services are in demand at weekly
salaries of from $250 to $400 during the opera sea-
son, and the tenor, Sig. Erneste Baldanza, an
intimate friend of Campanini, and his acknowl-
edged superior, has received from Strakosch and
others $350per night; as has also the distinguished
prima donna, Signora Maria Carpita; and yet this
company played in Peekskill to a $9.50 house.
Shades of Maybeer, Donizetti, and others, look
down upon us in pity! If this company had had
with them a jackass and two beef hounds, Peek-
skill would have been tickled to death, and a full
house would have greeted the entertainment; but
bringing with them only first-class talent, it was
doubtless so far beyond the persimmon of our
citizens that they lacked appreciation. Oritorios
are what we run on. Give us a conglomeration of
in T H E MUSICAL, CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW during sounds that singers themselves can't understand
the past four months, will be interested in Pattou's and we are transported to a third heaven of sub-
work.
limity, and we imagine little angels are feeding us
In referring to the tremolo, a vocal phenomenon on poundcake and honey."
much discussed lately, Pattou attributes it to the
peculiar action of the vocal cords during an im-
proper, inefficient, and feeble expiration.
PATTI AND MAPLESON.
He says if the respiration is effected in a spas-
modic manner, earing to an incomplete air supply
N your leading article in the Times of to-day, May
in the lungs, t^^vocal cords cannot be thrown
12, you appear to hint that the "figure" to be
into normal o r ^ R h m i c vibrations.
paid to Mine. Patti for my forthcoming season in
The fluttering tone called tremolo is produced the United States is "probably imaginary." I beg
if to this are added incomplete and clavicular to inform you that Mme. Adelina Patti is engaged
breathing, too infrequent inhalations by which the to me for six months, commencing in October
chest supply of air is obtained, the elements of next, to sing at least twice a week, for which she is
nervousness and lack of confidence, which proceed to receive £917 a night. The sum of £9,170 has
from the consciousness that the chest is incom- been already placed to her credit at her bankers in
York as a guarantee for the payment of the
pletely filled, and the sense of exhaustion which New
ten nights' services. In addition to this, Mme.
must' follow the constant expulsive effort of the last
Patti will have her private Pullman traveling car,
singer.
containing drawing and dining rooms, kitchen, and
sleeping accommodation for the whole of her serv-
Alice Burville sings in "Boccaccio," at the ants, as well as two cooks who will accompany the
Royal Comedy Theatre, London, under the man- expedition.—Letter from Colonel Mapleson to th* Lon-
don Times.
agement of Mr. Alexander Henderson.
VOICE PRODUCTION.
» 6 r p H E ART OF VOICE PRODUCTION"
X. has been sent us by G. P. Putnam's Sons.
It is written by A. A. Pattou, the author of "The
Voice as an Instrument."
Vocal culture has become a most important sub-
ject of investigation within the past decade. False
methods that have been in vogue are gradually
being forced aside to make place for such methods
as have a true and positive scientific basis.
A great deal of harm has been done to naturally
fine vocal organs* by the false training of singing
teachers who were ignorant of the physiological
relations ot the various organs that combine in the
act of singing.
Some teachers are ignorant of the functions of
the vocal organs. A study of Pattou's work would
be of great benefit to them, as well as to the pupils
or amateurs, many of whom are to-day using their
voices without discretion.
Pattou relates in detail the characters of the
three forms of breathing now in vogue—the clavic-
ular, the costal, and the abdominal— and makes a
clear and concise argument in favor of the last.
Those who have read the series of articles on vocal
methods which from time to time have appeared
X