New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-10-26
,,71cTc AND MUSICAL MATTERS
- IN PARIS

r l,ot1;shwit and sentiment are mere set
eNt' Zoo the intrigues, the incontlnence OF
r1cl society. If it go out OF Paris lnits scenes
sor,c sort French The uster of conquest
'.to,nor Of arms or beauty shines out. The bi
a,,oc and the boudoir stick out Frcnchisied In
..,,t or the pieces. In the chaos Of artistic terms
n America, where our socalled great men are dis
tneuished for their pitiabc ignorance of the spin
NAL art of music and the more tangible arts OF
,aipting sculpture and architecture, and where
therefore small men must not be supposed to be
exact in the use of the technology Of these indis
pensable elements of gentleman's education, we
call every opera grand Art being under the feet
of vulgar SPECTATORS we must fam put up with
staring advertisement which calls heap OF ne'o'
dramatic platitudes and brutaltles, where humans
represented on the stage excite the applause u
Yufians of the stage, grand work w men fe'u
of the rowdy clubs in America, with their ordi-
nary amusements of murder and arson TINS IAN
guage may not be deemed too strong here now
ever a rose is called a rose; and THINGS not 30
sweet by their right names a grand opera mere
roeans an opera sung throughout, where the mo-
n,looue and dialogue are acclaimed to musical no
to,;on. accompanied by the orchestra, chiefly by
thc stringed Instruments. The opera comlque
anart from the comedy, means that the nonooGue
and dialogue are spoken as i'll ordinary conversa-
ton Hence no speaking ever takes place at the
arsnd operas whether French Italian; and
equally. no opera exclusively musical, Is ever per
formed Mt the house Of the opera oomique. Hence
100, there is no use Of theatrical hand bills which
lie A work which has cost Blk to nine months
rehearsal at the grand opera, or two or three at
the conique, is placarded with more modesty than
abe addition of a learned pig or fat baby to
trnppetry show in America. With moro modesty
is not the term it bears the simple announcement
that the opera of III. Meyerbeer or M. Auber, IN
30 many acts, will be performed. And then the
names of the principal artists, musical and scenic
are subjoined and that is all Great is the force
of truth. Paris seeing one OF these simple an
nouncements is artistically stirred. To get seat
ander such circumstances requires skill and prOvi
dence The first step in moral and intellectual
advancement is the exact use of terms. There IS
the religion of good taste IN Pans, winch is the
eonpensating principle to some extent Tor the
want of morals. This forbids exaggeration IN
apeaking of art When masterpieces are habit
uay put forth in the theaters, when Paris itself
in it's ex-regal quarters is condensation OF superb
beauties in architecture combined with decorative
gardening not to be found elsewhere IN Europe, II
would be simply folly, for any one to attempt the
rhetoric of the village fair, or the barroom For
this reason fashionable matters, talors, and haber
daSllerB 90 not VI iNCoj
in their advertisements as they do III America.
Che last murder fire, distinguished arrival, the
dialogues OF Plato, or the soloqules OF Hamlet,
are not worked into the eXordlum OF pun OF
narrow brimmed hats, tight trowsers, or ten cent
muslins. AS, however, our population becomes
condensed, and parish politicians lose their place
as great men, and artists rise ON the vacant pc
destas, precision in Technology, and dignity in
utterance, will extend theirsway. w hat is called
American wit, the crazy eXaggeraslon oil terms
the use of slang, the misrepresentation OF ortho-
graphy the French happily do not understand.
have endeayored to explain to them some OF the
monstrosities of the kind which fill the newspa-
papers in America; but they wonder simply that
any ore will write such nonsense. The ideao an
iliterate or uneducated man presumlng TO enter
the sacred profession Of q writer never enters
eheir heads. A man who had not completed his
baccalaureate, would no more dare to write pro
fessionally for newspaper, than one would at,
tempt to make pair Of fashionable shoes who dld
not know the difference between uppers and
heetap Hence literary labors IRE highly re-
warded and l may add by way OF DEPRESSION,
ready journalist would feel insulted by the offers
for high criticism which are given and taken IN
America musical critic for his weekly article,
not so long as this letter, would here receive his
six thousand francs year, and considering the
soul and body wearing labor of bellies lettres, and
art that he has to go through with, and compared
with the gains OF the rabble OF the Bourse, 1t IS
contemplate compensation Tor such work NO
man can write an instructive essay or criticism on
art without some fifteen years varied study, dur
ing which time he is spending his thousands OIL
dollars and the flower OF his existence; and were
he TO put the money out at two per cent. II would
yield him q better return for his work, than the
Change standard of intellectual labor affords him
1t may be urged that the critic can write quickly
that he can dash off his work against time.
This may may not be the case; and il it be SO
it is an immeasurably greater reason for paying
him well for his labors For there are hity Thou
sand men who, give them their own time, their
months for cram, polish and eXtro-iinal touches,
can write for the press, whore there is one, who
amid the roar and whirl of daily LIE, the heart
sinkings which each pilgrim feels, the defeats
which each human ghost jostinG his brother IN the
spiritual dark encounters, can be up to the marx
in facts rhetoric skill and effect tor the oaly or
weekly press. The editor OF TIE Ne'c- ork D@tty
Tribune i'll reply to certain attack on his con
sistency admirably replies: 1t is false state
ment that Jenny Lnds receipts for concert are
paid" for singing two or three hours. =" 1hey are
pad for gears Of preparation and acquisition as
well as hours of performance. Very true ana
the years of the higher arts OF thinking and writ,
ing on art, require to be paid too, II we would
have the standard OF writing Iii the press raised
Are they so paid! Is not the effort made by the
public in its frenzy OF cheapness, to degrade its
daily food for the soul to price much lower than
the cost OF the meanest condiment not to say eat
able ON the dinner table The mechanic, when
in health, can always work, for his work is routine
and besides while he is learning his trade he is
supported The writer besides his vast expendi-
,ure for study of time and money, cannot always
command either ideas or words and has often to
throw things painfully produced into the fire. and
this occurs to the writer for journals, who may
frequently thus have to do double days work.
/ have entered into this DEPRESSION, which is not
comic, because rightly understood it will teach
American readers that they mast not expect
world OF literature for nothing, and that publish
have hitherto pirated from foreign authors and
one editor OF a newspaper has alone contrived
himself to produce monotonous, meager, stupid
sheet, the times for the subdivision Of labor have
arrived, and it is question whether the scholars
who are now disposed to attach themselves othe
press as liberal career are to be drawn from it.
and it left in the hands of vulgar avarice, or
whether by paying the laborers properly, the
dawn Of AIT and Literature in our country shall
proceed into meridian day An author who writes