The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-05-14

anything Improper 10 ITS course mas been endeavOr
ing to do that in a variety of ways. Without
calling 20 recollection number Of little
things, we might instance the great fuss which
the Tribune has made about artificial me-
mory," and a certain professor" and also about
the "hatching of eggs by steam" If theatrical
pufs of Fanny Elsser were SO absurd, and SO ridi-
culous, and so uncaedfor, certainly we do not see
that they possess the monopoly of absurdity and
rdcule in newspaper putting; and we rather think
that ''egg matching" and "Phreno- mnen chny'
and Fourerism, and even coonlsm have their
spasms of absurdity and development of ridicule
equal to any other department of the fine arts Of
human philosophy However, we do not wish TO
offend our contemporary by these illusions, but make
them merely by way OF set-of to what he calls
the absurdity OF putting, in which, in great mea
sure, we quite agree with him.
Then to the general morale Of the career of
Fanny Elssler in this country, and the excitement
produced, and the conclusions drawn by our cotem-
porary, we are not disposed TO differ very much
from him in opinion in that respect 1t certainly
was singular spectacle, that career, from begin
ming to end. But we We're no more culpable in
that matter than some of the highest and most
pectable, and most moral persons in society. In
fact, we were much less culpabe. Werequlred a
great deal of importantly, and teazing, and per-
picking intercessOn TO get us to say much as we
did for Fanny Elssler. In fact, our good nature
was invaded, and when the miserable creature
Wkof, by his recent conduct, attempted to turn
that very good nature much to our disadvan-
tage, we could not refrain from embracing the OPP
portunity of crushing the wretch to the earth,
which we shall effectuay do before we have done
with him, tor we are by no means done yet.
Thus much on these points. The Tribune has
made the amende honorable in very manly and We
ry frank manner, and we now give an opportunity
the other journals of this city, that have publish
ed, either gratuitously or for pay, the same libes
against us, under the signature Of this same WI
koh, to pursue the same honorable line of conduct.
We allude particularly to the Courier and Engui-
rer, the New York american, the Evening Post, the
Sun, the Commercial advertiser, and the Journal
Of Commerce, in all of which, we believe, his libel
lous communications appeared We shall give
them chance to do us justice voluntarily, as the
Tribune has done; and if they do not, we again
assure them that we shall commence prosecutions
against them and compel them to do justice before
an honest jury and competent Court of Justice
In the meantime, in reference to another misera-
bic falsehood of Wikoff, in which the name of Mr..
Macready. the actor, was introduced, we expect,
and shall call upon Mr. Macready to state publicly
in the slight intercourse we had with him
in London, in all that ever took place between us,
there ever was the slightest manifestation on our
part that could give the least possible shadow OF
excuse for this miserable Wikoff to impute to US
an attempt to levy black mail on Mr.. Macready,
or that we wanted to be invited TO dinner al
his house-of which we never knew anything-or
unless we were invited, We should attack him in
the Herald? Mr.. Macready-as mana gentle
an actor, can have no hesitation III
coming out and responding to this call to do justice
between man and man. To his evidence we al-
peal for the triumphant refutation and whitening
rebuke of that foul calumny with which his name
was assocatedby the miserable creature Wikof.
ITALIAN OPERA --FrRsr NIGHr OF LA SoNNAM-
BuLA-There are operas which have created great
sensation at their first production, which took the
dilettanti by storm, to which vogms d Ia barbiere
had heen prognosticated. but which have COM
pletely disappeared fromsthe stage, if they had
got sound ducking in Lethe's stream. This was
not the case with the Sonnambula, one of Bellinis
first operas-athough performed after Norma
written in the much lamented composers happes,
time-when the crepuscle of his first love had dis
appeared to make room tor the sun, which shone
down from the moist eyes ofhis Amina with sweet
brlliancy-or with brilliant sweetness, as Polonius
would have said-upou the chidlke Bellini, and
whose rays reflected themselves in the poetcal
strains of his bridal song, full of all that pastoral in
nocence which is one of the most captivating fea-
lures of Tasso's pastor Gdo. La Sonnambula was
.,,c g. xvoII a1 in Cf
his inferior operas--Stranie,a IL Pirata or Mon
only traced TO the epoch when it fell in the hands,
or rather the throats, of Malbran and Tadolini till
it reached the apogse of its popularity through the
wOndrous masership OF PerslaDis genius, who
il is generally admitted surpasses even Malibran in
this role, at least in Its musical part This popu
larity is immense translated in all languages,
the Sonnanlbula Is always and everywhere sung,
and although a work OF art considerably inferior
to Norma and much more to II Puritani, it is not
by few preferred to either of them Considering
the state Of Italian music at the time of its appear.
ance, and attentively examining it as whole, and
in its particulars, we find IN the character Of the
work itself the reason OF this quasi-anomay, which
strictly taken, lie no anomaly, from Its very FREQUENT
recurrency in the annals Of operate music. The
Sonnambula was the first opera, in which the sen.
timent was not only preponderatlng, but where i,
entirely excluded all the other effects which have
been generally seized upon by composers. The
style Of all its airs, duets and concerted pieces is
purely elegiatic and pastoral it simply appeals to
the heart and to nothing more, where on the con.
trary nova days, some notice must be taken OF the
understanding oI-the heels; but fortunately, or
fortunately, as you like, there could not be found
any motifs for quadres by Musard, who did not
hesitate desecrahng RosinPs Stdb Mater, and
even Mozart's Requiem. Its Instrumentation and
orchestral effects, entirely null, being nothing
more throughout than mere harp accompaniment;
its extreme and continuous sentimentality, which
is sometimes not little monotonous, impars a
kind of cnnui at the first hearingthe greatest mis-
take modern composer can possibly make. since
the public will be amused and nothing but amused
in the theatre. Here we have the principal reason
of the Indifferent reception III the beginning; and
the facility with which the ear accustoms itself
to the monotony OF the melodies,-each OF
which, separately taken, is full of sweetness
and pleasing meanchoiy--tbe great field which
is opened to the three leading characters for
the display of brilliant vocalzation, explains us
subsequent popularty-a popularity which will
never wear off, because the test of music must be
general, not pecemea. and supported by few iso-
lated fine points as in DonIzetti's opera.