The Press.
London, England, 1857-11-07 00:00:00

THE NEW OPERA.

BAISE'S Rose of Casalle is attracting large audiences
to the Lyceum Theatre. The popularity of the
composer, and the brilliant vocalisation of Miss
Louisa Pyne, the general excetlence of the execu-
tion, and the strong disposition on the part of amateurs
to support an English opera-house, will account for
a triumph, the origin of which is not to b 3 found in
the work itself. The opera, on the whole, is one of
Balfe's feeblest productions ; but there are two or
three redeeming pieces quite worthy of his high
reputation. The principal defects are a want of
form anti coherency. There are all the signs of ex-
cessive haste in the setting, as if the composer ha,'
drawn promiscuously from his stock on hand, and

had trusted more to his memory than his imagina-
tion. Here and the:e there are indications of a
Spanish nationality in treatment ; but the school is
essentially a mixture of the French and Italian
masters, Auber, Donizetti and Rossini having been
evidently uppermost in Balfe's mind. In fact, This
Rose of Cestille is infinitely less Balfeish than any
other of his well-known operas, and Balfeish is a
term that will be well comprehended by his
admirers. It was a racy, graceful, and vivacious
mode of composition, in which the Irish idiosyncrasy
was always in the ascerdant over the Italian educa-
tion and experience. This is why the Balfeish
works had their great success on the Continent, as
well as here. Perhaps the composer may have been
puzzled by the complicated incidents in the libretto
—certainly be could not have been inspired by the
lyrics. Of the mawkish insipidity and yawn-
provoking twaddle of the dialogue and poetry a most
amusing analysis might be made; but the published
book is already a nonentity to the artists—they alter
and " gag " ad libitum, and Mr. G. Honey, the low
comedian, who plays a Spanish grandee in a com-
pound style based on that of the William Farren and
Compton, has been obliged to improvise a saying,
the joke of which consists in his asking when a
disagreeable thing is uttered, " Why did you not say
so before?" The other characters are a Spanish
villain, conspiring to obtain a throne, allotted to the
basso, Weiss; his confidant, a second tenor, Mr. St.
Albyn ; a muleteer, who is a monarch in disguise,
assigned to the " tender" tenor, Mr. Harrison ; the
" Rose," wbo is the Queen of Spain, Miss Louisa
Fyne; ber maid of honour, a lively soubrette, Miss
Susan l'yne ; and a dismal duenna of a duchess,
enacted by Miss Prescott. Pablo, master of the
posada in the first act, Mr. Walworth, completes the
dramatis persona.
It will be at once guessed that the King
and Queen, who are betrothed, assume dif-
ferent characters to ascertain if they can like each
other, and that their disguises are turned to account
by the conspirator, Don Pedro, to force the Queen to
abdicate. The epoch is passed before the union of
the crowns of Leon and Cestille. Now the complica-
tions, if ingeniously contrived, snperadded to a
sparkling dialogue, might have rendered the book a
good one for selling. As it is as bad as bad can he,
Balfe is entitled to the benefit of the consideration
in the estimate of his music, esvcially as his task
was undertaken and completed, according to rumour,
in about a month. The score may be rapidly fol-
lowed. The overture has a bolero which is not

--
coherently worked out; the opening solo is a
Navarrese melody well known to travellers in the
Basque provinces ; the opening duo between the
Misses Pyne forcibly recalls Meyerbeer's charming
romance a aeux voix in Le Propliete ; the scherzo
sang so brilliantly by Miss Louisa Pyne is from
Belle's Etoile de Seville, produced somo years since
at the Grand Opera in Paris. The Muleteer's song,
with accompaniment of bells and whip, is full of cha-
racter, and is well scored. This is a nightly encore
for Mr. Harrison. There is a very weak and dull
duo between Miss Louisa Pyne and Mr. Harrison,
with an Auberish ending. rho bacchanalian trio
for tenor and two bassos (spiritedly sung by
Mr. St. Albyn, Mr. Honey, and Mr. Weiss)
opens like an old English glee, and has merit.
The quartet next in succession, in which the
conspirators are mystified at the likeness of the
peasant girl to the Queen, is followed by a bravura
rondo of Miss Louisa Pyne. The finale of the first
act contains nothing remarkable. A chorus of con-
spiring noblemen opens the second act. The theme
is a familiar one, and will be found in one of Beet-
hoven's symphonies. Weiss has next a lugubrious
ballad of the " Heart bowed down" school.
The concerted piece with the Queen on the throne
excites no emotions, but it leads to a melody, " The con-
vent bell,"•quite a gem in its way—a truly Balfeish in-
spiration. Louisa Pyne, who does not excel in canta-
bile, sings it deliciously. The orchestration is ex-
ceedingly elegant. Nothing, however, can exceed in
absurdity the manner in which this ballad is intro-
duced. The Queen is first on her throne in great
state; her Majesty dismisses her court, and then
tells her maids of honour to enjoy full liberty, down
with Spanish etiquette, and all hands for the
"spree." The Duenna remonstrates, "What would
Spain say if she knew" that they were going to have
some fun. " Had I the choice," rejoins her Majesty,
" I would trot change the humble couch of my con-
vent cell for yonder gilded throne." Then comes the
pathos of the air of the said convent cell ; but after
singing of its superior attractions, it is only shortly
afterwards the Queen is menaced to be returned to
her " angelic" cell a threat which she calls
" horrible." To get out of this contradiction the
authors made her Majesty explain that the cell is
only " delightful " when the heart is disengaged.
The buffo duo, trio, and chorus, in which the sup-
posed Muleteer recognises in the Queen and maid of
honour the disguised peasants, is an admirable com-
position, decidedly the best concerted piece in the
opera. The composer is in his hagpiest vein, and
the artists—the Misses Pyne and Mr. Harrison—sing
it with the raciness and relish which its piquancy
demands. This is another nightly encore. It
weakens, however, the effect of a subsequent buffo
duet, given by Honey and Weiss. There is clever-
ness in the treatment of the scena, in which Miss
Louisa Pyne sings alternately as Queen and rustic.
The second finale is Auberish, but is not a very
effective one. In the last act there are three
commonplace ballads, " Oh, Love's a naughty boy,"
archly sung by Miss Susan Pyne, a boisterous martial
air by Mr. Weiss, and the " Remember me" style of
ballad in the melody "'Twas rank and fame that
tempted thee," in which Harrison's sustaining power
throws the gods into ectacies ; on the redemand
he indulges his friends with a prolonged shake.
A comic courtship duo between Miss S. Pyne
and Mr. Honey, another bravura from Miss
Louisa Fyne, with a clarinet obligate cleverly
played by Mr. Owen, and a third finale of
no moment, terminate The Rose of Castille.
On the prima donna Mr. Balfe has imposed the
herculean task of a series of florid rondos in each
act of superlative difficulties. How magnificently
Miss Louisa Pyne overcomes the vocal intricacies
with which her part in the vocal score has been
studded, has been universally acknowledged. But
the " Rose "as it now blooms, must die with her.
We have no other singer who could attempt the
music. the vitality of the opera may not perhaps
concern the present management, for it is a question
which interests the public, who interest themselves
in the works of our best native composer. It is there-
fore to be regretted that he has so overloaded the
opera with bravura displays. To the chorus, prin-
cipals, and orchestra, be is deeply indebted for the
present reception of his work, and Mr. Mellon, the
conductor, has earned for himself additional fame by
his masterly management of the resources placed at
his command.

OPERA BITTA, Sr. JAMES'S THEATRE.—On Tues-
day next a short season of Italian Comic Opera,
intrcducing a decided novelty in this country, in the
person of the veritable Neapolitan Pulcinella in his
mask, will commence. The artistes are also new to
us, and the repertoire for the most part unknown to
the English musical public. Report speaks highly
for the character of the music of the opera to be per-
formed on the opening night, La Columella, and of
the powers of the young and fresh artistes engaged.
The theatre has been entirely renovated for these
performances,

UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.
OXFORD.

The first election at All Souls' College under the
new act took place on Wednesday evening, when
Mr. Charles Henry Alderson, M.A. (son of Baron
Alderson), late Scholar of Trinity College, was
elected to the vacant fellowship. There were seven
candidates. Mr. Alderson obtained a first class in
the first public classical examinations, 1t452, and a
second in the final classical examinations, Michael-
mas term, 1853.
A supplement to the Gazette of Tuesday night
contains copies of nine new statutes recently framed
by the University of Oxford for the application of
certain gifts or endowments belonging to the uni-
versity, under the 30th section of the Act of the
17th and 18th Vic. cap. 81; and notice is given that
it is lawful for the bodies or persons mentioned in
the 35th section of that act, within one month after
this publication, to petition her Majesty in council
against the approbation of any of the statutes, or of
any part thereof.

-
CAMBRIDGE.
The Rev. Dr. Philpott, Principal of St. Catherine's
College, has been re-elected Vice• Chancellor for the
ensuing year.
At a Congregation held on the sth inst., the new
statutes were discussed. Ten graces appeared on
the paper; five were rejected and the rest passed.
The grace fixing Michaelmas on the Ist instead of
10th Oct., that fixing Easter on the 7th April, and
that for uniting the two houses, and that for repeal-
ing the provision for a Court of Heresy, were re-
jected.