The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-02-14

health Of the Students. Such g policy has Just
been put into execution by the Bible Society, in
Nassau street. This society has sold its property |
down town, hss removed to the upper part Of The
city, and will mako money by tho operation.
TIE ITALIAN OrRRA IN New YORK NrHLo's |
MovEMENrs.-The history Of the Opera in New |
York is 6 history Of repeated experiments and |
repeated failures. II would be sorry history, il |
it were nothing else Blu, experience te,chss wis
dom, and repeated disasters are sure to disclose,
byandby, the cause which has produced them.
The opera in New York appears to have arrived
AZ that points and the secrets of practical success
beginning to be developed. 1t is now in a t,an-
stion state. It will be time, indeed it s time
60 have large opera house; and Mr.. Niblo, it is
said, intends to rebuild and enlarge his present
theatre, SO as to hold six or seven thousand
persons. II SO, he should be quick In his move
nenss.
About twenty-five years age, at the old Fa,h
| Theatre, Madame NJ ,litran, and her father,
Garcia, gave The frs. impulse to operaMo music
in New YorE, and laid the foundations of a
musical taste which has been gradually Develop
ms itself 10 the present day. After Mallbrsn,
hoSever, our musical stars like visiting angels
'icw and far between" The M ontresor troupe was
one of those transient visits But the introduction Of
steamships brought US into direct contact with
Europe, and stars OF all magnitEdes-operstjc and
dramatic-came fockipg to our shores, some
spgly, and some attended by their satellites, mae
and female, and some in cancellations, whole
groups at time. The Italian Opera was iptrodu-
ced with Italian performers; and from the apparent
enthusiasm with which it was received, It was
determined that the time had arrived for the
establishment Of an opera house in New York upon
the European plan. his brings us to g brief srd
instructive recapitulation.
Some eight years ago, accordingly, Palmo n ado an
experiment with the Italian Opera on email scale.
II made some noise and some fourish but it failed.
The brilliant discovery was then made that the
Italian Oaeta was an exclusive thing, intended
only for exclusive enjoyment, and only to be sup.
ported by exclusive joint stock association.
Aud so, a number Of on; wealthy capitalists and
up town aristocracy. such as it 10, with the
laudable motives OF erecting monument 10 Their
enterprise, and Of placing themselves in the front
circle OF upper tendon, resolved to build opera
house. The Astor Place Opera House, on an ele-
CANT bat small scale, was dinghy erected, and
list of two hundred and fifty subscribers procured
for five years, SIS the basis Of success and action
Under this re- inc, the Italian Opera il New
York has lei pre- ,arious existence Of ups and
downs But it has beer hampered With the Gus picion
Of caste and pretensions and the public have ker.
aloof. Many Of our wealthy citizens net included
in the favored list, would not put up With its as
sumptions, or imagined assumptions, Of superiority
The regular subscribers were respectable people
highly respectable, il they desire itfor come Of
them figure p, ominenty in the Book Of Home
Beauty; but, notwithstanding all thai, there were,
and are, bundreis and Thousands OF persons il this
city, and out Of this city, ust good and Just as
respectable, who would not and will net consent TO
be governed by q seli.appointed fashionable olgar-
chy. The community cannot admit the prece-
dence of any clique in society. whether they are
tabooei in Wal street. or emigrate to California,
or continue to flourish up town, On small scale,
or on large scale. Consequently. the frat essay
at the Astor Place Opera House broke down, and
the second, snd the third, and each succeeding
effort down to the late reduction Of prices to the do
nocraticleve Of fifty cents Sanqurioo broke down;
Fry broke down; Maretzek broke Down; not SO much
because Of bad mana gemens on their pars-not
for want Of 60 ST or, and choice music-not be.
csuse the Opera has been unpopular-hut because
Of the suspicion that and ruled
the roast, and, lii, packed jury, sat in judgment
upon TIL performances and upon the audience.
Now new system has been adopted. Il Ia
been decreed that ex,uiveism fhaL be turned out,
and tha; the public shall come in. II lss been
found out that the FIVE years subscriptions OF the
European plan vii! not do. And the Astor place
establishment, submitting to tho pressure of the
times has come down to the pop 1lar level Of fifty
cents, open to al alike. But the struggle with the
Niblo house, upon this plan, cannot last long One
or the other must be defeated, o, there must
be compromise. the contest between the rival
houses must, Of necessity, be temporary. We
doubt, In fact, whether either house Will save
anything, however successful, through tie season.
The time has come for the establishment Of q
new opera house, on . scale commemorate with
cur population, and the astonishing growth Of the
city, and its suburbs, and the equally astonishing
prosperity Of the whele country. We want sn
opera house that will hold from Ave to six
thousand people, equally open to the whole pubic,
at fifty cents ticket. There must be no ex-
elusive sets-no little clusters of would be superior
people, rich upon the profits Of salt fish, sitting in
judgment over the perform ances, and lording it in
supreme disgust over their less inflated, but
equally respectable, members Of the audience.
Nothing Of that sort will do. An opera house,
holding from FIVE to eight thousand people, and con-
Quoted upon the popular platform Of republican
equality, at fifty cents ticket, would pay. We
have the musical taste, we have the population,
and the means and the success OF Jenny Lind,
and even Of the present opera troes, viii bring to
US, in succession, Ell the best singers from
Europe. Grisi, Sontag, Mario, and Alboni, may
be expected in year or two; as well as the most
distinguished leaders of the ballet There will be
no want Of singers or ballet dancers-the great
want is now an opera house, equal to our populs-
ton, our means as a community, and the increasing
popularity Of Italian music
We want large opera house. It will pay. But
It's success will depend upon price of admission
corresponding with, not exceeding the estabisn-
ed standard Of dramatic entertainments. The in.
created cost Of musical over a dramatic fronje,
can best be met by an increased capacity of the