Weekly national intelligencer., 1850-11-02
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS, LITERATURE, AND
THE FINE ARTS IN NEW YORK.

NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. LITERATURE, AND
THE FINE ARTS IN NEW YORK.
WRITTEN FOR THE NATIONAL INTELLIGEScER.
New YoRK, OcTosER 26, 1850.
The current Of popular excitement setting very strongly
in musical direction In addition to the pre-emnent at
traction of JESsr LIND, operate novelties Of the highest
description promised for the coming season. which, in this
respect will vie with the Of London and Paris
veteran New Yorker who has wntered and summered in
Broadway for half century, and pides himself upon his
Knckebocer associations and his "reminiscences Of fifty
years ago. maintains that if will wait long enough every
thing that is worth having, and every body who worth
ing hearing the Old World will to New York.
So far the great lights Of the musical world concerned
bis prediction appears be speedily accomplishing itself
The lovers Of music have nothing to complain Of They can
listen every evening in the week to the weird melo
dies Of WEBER, the classic harmonies Of RosxI the high
wrought sounspng notes Of BEETHOVEN, the simpler
melodies to which JEsxr LIsD gives magical force and
beauty by her marvellous powers Of song, and sometimes in
opera, sometimes in concert, happens to strike their
fancy enjoy entertainments which the most partial habue
Of Continental opera houses would not to dspaage
With its present associations Tpr Hall vies with La Scaa
at Milan. or Les Haliens at Paris.
evolved from all this rore for opera and concerwith
JESSI LIND Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and
PARoDI Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays Will
the that have hitherto been deaf the charms Of
music be suddenly unsopped Win audiences grow critical
and the community acquire taste Will New Workers bs-
connoisseurs be able hiss the first false note
and applaud the last unfaultering t To my thinking
such results will follow. Mr.. BARNuM, the "gude, phi
osopher, and friend" Of Jenny Lind, and Mr.. MAX Ma
RKrzEK, the lessee Of the Opera House. not the pioneers
popular tas but simply the caterers for the public amuse-
ment They furnish refined and intellectual species Of en-
ertainmen but also fashionable Their appeal not
the cognoscen but to the novelty community The
audiences they collect do not represent the musical taste OF
the city; very little leaven Of such taste eavens the whole
lump Of listeners The people who went to the Boz
ball and the Fanny Kembe readings hear Jenny Lind
it is Macready's audience that welcomes Parodi.
do not make these remarks patron frequenter Of
the OPERA neither of which am but observer of the
characteristics of social system. is absurd to suppose
that in city like New York. where business is the rule and
pleasure the exception the part Of those who make
the controlling forces of society," the opera musical per-
formances of any kind the rank which they hold
in those Italian and other Continental capitals where people
supply the place of regular occupation and more active voca
tons by dividing themselves into cques and factions upon
the merits Of Prma Donna, and make the theatre
dezvous in lieu Of the domestic circle. There costs but
twenty thirty cents to go to the opera, and the whole
cey Of the place by ac consent and long scquesces
in making the opera the centre Of social attraction Under
these circumstances II would be strange the habit Of criticism
and appreciation not formed if long familiarity with
the best style of musical did confer the faculty Of dis
elimination And s precisely where the opera most
essentially part of the routine of life you will find the most
audion Al far lifn
society Of cultivated azzaroni, and where the feuds
and rivaes Of contendng operate parties equal small
SCALE the dssensions Of the Guephs and Ghibencs the
most fasidous of audiences to be found So astdious
that LlBLAcHr lately 1885, afraid risk his long
worn laures by appearing at San Carlo.
1t in this way that the Italians are musical and critical
beyond all other people There is pedsposion in their
climate, manners national traits which fits them for this
pre-emnence and there besides the social explanation
have given Apart from quick and ready musical per-
cepoD there is not great deal of cultivation in the art
general rule, to be found. is great mistake suppose
that Italy peoPed with Crisis and Persians that the
inhabitants generally have any thing than can ear"
as is termed, for music remember being once at party
Rome whee out Of two three proessed musicians not
could play quadre and gentleman from Philadelphia
Obliged % take their place the piano. We overate
he appreciation Of these compatio Of Rossin and Beln
L is than any thing else the appreciation Of long habit
,ombined with abundant leisure for its full development
In New York there neither be the habit nor the lei
The opera may sustain itself as pleasant place Of
esor, substitute for balls and parties as relaxation
rom the labors of the day but for the formation Of musi
al taste you must the seeds elsewhere than in the hot,
bed Of an imported opera.
Something Of the excitement occasioned by FANNY
ELssLrRs campaign in the United States, of which the
American public in general heartily ashamed will be
attempted to be revived for the benefit Of Made NArHALrx
FIrz JANEs, who is to make her appearance danseuse
and the star Of the ballet company which is to serve as an
adjunct to the opera The connexion between opera and
ballet be well settled the connexion between
tragedy and farce for the purposes Of dramatic entertain
mens dessert and dinner in the deietc economy But
there really sufficient reason why the ballet by common