The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-04-24

SM,-I have been delighted with tho articles
which have from tino to time appeared in tho
Misunderstanding the establishment of a ma
tional opera and national opera house on grand
scale in New York = and "a an old London
opora hab,tue - who remembers Pasta in her
prime. ard Malibran in her glory, Rubin, that
Prince Of tcnors, Donzei. &C., who pre-
sent at tho first Appearances of Grisi, Castol-
Ian, Viardot, Alboni-n fact, every ono of note,
jenny Lind inoluded-up to the close of the London
season in 1861. You will, perhaps, permit me to
| offer few remarks in connection with operas and
| opera singers.
| The patronage which has boon so literally bo-
| slowed on Italian operas in New York during tho
past season, completely settles tho question to
the success of any future experiment conducted on
grand scale but need scarcely inform You that,
to produce grand opera with becoming effect, you
! require grand opera house. or salon, and that you
nrc wanting in Mt present. Niblo's as it is. will not
be large enough to accommodate n paying fifty ceat
| or even dollar audience Castle Garden will
not have at all, the building can never be fitted
to the purpose and playing grand opera on such
stage, with the audience crowded all round i,
would be very like raising storm in wash hand
basin If now, you could preserve the audience por-
ton of Metropolitan Hail. and find room for a large
| stage IN tho roar-or make Nbo's Theatre half AZ
/ "'Bc hRhln, lncn Wo VIII talk OF grand opera on
| grand scale Without such alterations and adapta-
| TORS, or the building of n opera house, | 500
little prospect OF success, and will tell you why
The rapid growth Of musical taste in this great
country, has created the demaud for something bot
| ter IN the shape Of opera than has yet been pro-
| duced in New York-whcn say something better
would imply something more complete 1t is not
| sufficient that you have one two or three good
singers, and half dozen ''nobodos" TO SUPPORT
them on the contrary, for an effective grand ope-
ratio experiment, you require two first rate prima
donnrs, and two seconds, oontralto Of equal ca
lbrc, two leading tcnors, two barones, two basses
and some half dozen good second class singers for
| tho lesser operate parts. TO the foregoing you
must add full and efficient chorus, competent
orchestra OF at least fifty pcrformcrs-nncty would
be nearer the mark for noed scarcely remind YOU
TINT tho orchestral strength of both her Majesty's
Theatre and the Royal Italian Opera London, is
something like one hundred and twenty, with nm
when tho necessities Of the opera require their aid
! Then you require small corps dc 6qiq. for Incl
dental advertisements, professions, &c, which, with
good wardrobe and mise en- scene, would rem
| der your operate staff complete. | have placed
| out OF the question the performance of grand
ballet after grand opera because New York
ard London habits arc so different. You
most wisely are content with one entertain
ment concluding at a reasonable hour, and do
not require after an eleven or twelve o'clock opera
ballet, with a Cerito, n Carlotta Grisi or Fam
NJ Ellsler-nay, perhaps, all three to dance to You,
and keep you in the housc-as | have frequently
been kept-until half past one in the morning In
this respect, your state is the more gracious" but
III London the ballet is necessity The arstocra.ic
lessecs OF private boxes, and the habif,,es of the
opera houses during a London season, have no
business calls next morning. and rarely turn out
for the morning ride drive until tho business of
inc day IS pretty well completed here hence, they
nave no objection to steal few hours from night"
| The Queen Theatre London, has ever been cec-
brated for its ballet and though itsriya tho Royal
Italian, started with and porscverod in the practice
of giving an opera only, you SEQ the management
COllnplieU hnyin
announced the engagement ofrcrlschorean as well
ms operate Gatiscs.
l. however. think the custom of giving the double
entertainment at the house, one s'more honor
| edln the breach than the observance" and long
may it be ere the people of New York attempt to
ape the fashionable olies ana late hours of aristo
| cratic London life There are, have no doubt, |
few up town people with more money than brains
who would glory in establishing an exclusive |
ana alstocratlc state of things, including all the
wees ioibles and miseries of London or Partisan
ashonabo life; but it is not for them would labor
to establish grand national OPERA but for the
people at large, who possess tho taste and nelli-
gence to appreciate the good and beautiful and the
good sense to object to exorbant prices and lnte
hours, simply because such things may be consider
| ed aiistocratic and fashionable.
hut to revert to the subject Of New York opc-
ratio corps. and its motoid, you may say have
overrated the required strength that there is no
necessity for double company of principle aylis,es;
but contend there is for you could never get any
Pima donna or tonor-such as the public expect to
long season, singing every night or even three
times week-the thing is an impossibty; then
with only single strength, the slightest indisposi-
io .ah the closing Of the house Whilst
volo, lie PropAete,o and a host of others, you
must either have double company of PRINCIPALS. be
content with mediocrty in half the characters, or
exclude such operas from your repertoire in toto-to
ynothng of the lack of interest in listening to the
same operas and the same singers night after night
Mediocrify may, for time, satisfy the public
hut with mediocrty alone, the public will
not long be content. II the lyric drama is |
to take its stand in this country, and be
remuneratively successful it must be supported by
talent OF the highest orderfresh, vigorous talent
not talent that has been bl1s6d and worn out |
elsewhere, and which is only brought here when
there is no market for it in Europe-but talent, |
which has been proved elsewhere, if you WILL and |
is Transported to the American soil ESQ congenial
oiD IN all its blooming freshness. = Now tor such |
talent you must pay, and for many Of the European
celebrities you would have to pay such sums as no |
existing house could possibly afford. If you don't
pay them they won't come, because the high priced
opera houses of London, Paris, and other European
cities can afford to, and do pay them HANDSOMELY
hence you are driven to the alternative of raising
your prices TO the European standard, and making
the opera an exclusive amusement, Of erecting
building capacious enough to hold q paying au-
dience, at a reasonable and popular price Gram
any theatre in New York from floor to ceiling, at
gagcments of Grisi, Mario, and Labache to saw |
nothing Of other o't'sies, band, chorus, sc. The
curtain of the Queens Opera, in London where the
engagements for the boNef arc heavy is never raised
under nightly cost of five thousand dollars, and
that of the Royal Italian will amount to four
thousand, for know the salaries and expenses |
at both houses Then recollect the admission to the
rarauette is two dollars, the orchestra stalls five,
ard in the six circles Of private boxes-cach box lets
Qor season of forty-seven nights only,) at prices
varying according to the location, from seven hun
bred and fifty, to fifteen hundred dollars--and yet
with all the ecio of the exhibition, London full of
strangers. and crowded houses-Lumey-the I'M
pncss0ro of her Majesty's Theatre scarcely cleared
his expenses, and the Royal Italian (managed by
commonwealth of leading a,3Stes) after paying The
salaries of subordinates, and other expenses, left
little more than half salaries for the principals and
still IT raid thcsn better than any engagement
which, under existing circumstances, you could offer
them here.
| do not mean tn saw Now Xork roop;ro, a,ot