The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-01-16
CALLING FOR ENCoREs AT THE OPERA.-On

CALLING FOR ENcoREs AT THE OPERA.-On
Friday evening large portion Of the audience
at Niblos. insisted upon an encore Of the music
lesson in the opera Of THE Daughter Of the
Regiment" and though Madame Sontag re-
peatedly signifed her refusal in the most lady
like manner it was still demanded. until at
length she had to express, by her gestures. her
inability to comply with the request Now,
we think the practice OF calling for encores
in operas, but especially insisting on them
where the artistes indicate their unwilling
ness, is a great injustice, and in the case Of
a lady shows bad manners and want Of gal
lantry. An encore in the concert room and in an
opera is very different thing. In the former
it is more allowable. though even there to
encore everything good artist sings. is exact
ing too much from the artistic, who does not en-
gage to sing encores, and might as well an
nounce double the number Of songs at once, as
be compelled to sing each one twice. In
opera, to compel an artistic, by clamor. to
sing encores, is often forcing her to do
what she is utterly unable to accomplish
There is sufficient labor in getting through
\ the principal role of long opera, once, without
having to repeat the chief songs. There is ano-
Their improperly in it-there is always large
portion Of every audience that do not relish an
encore of the best songs in the world There
ought to be some respect paid to their feelings
and they ought not to be driven to the alterna-
tive Of Kissing, as they sometimes do Another
objection to encores in opera is, that it delays
the action Of the piece and takes away consider
ably from its effect as a whole.
Let the audience, therefore, applaud at the
proper places, as much as they like though
not SO as to drown the last notes of some beau
tiful cadence. But let them never force a prina
donna to sing an encore if she shows the least
reluctance to do it. 1t would be just as fair to
ask an actor to repeat great scene, in which
he had put forth all his strength. 1t would be
great injustice both to the actor and to the
audience. Every one who knows anything of
the toll and the effort of singing an opera
will come to the conclusion that the injustice
is far greater in the case Of the musical artistic
GEMS OF MUSICAL CRlrlcrsM-The following
gems appear in our contemporaries. the 1ri-
hume and Times
There was full house at the Broadway last night,
and "Sonnambula' was received with enthusiastic
applause. Signor Vett whose performance was a
marked improvement upon the previous tenor, was
very well received; in fact every role was well filed
When Alboni sung "Ah! Non Credea, " the applause
,ras reheanes,t; but mon Piu Mesta" ,cas the gem
achich bore the palm Of an encme-Iribume, JAM ii.
On Sunday evening Alboni gives sacred concert
at Metropolitan Hail. with selections from several of
the most celebrated oratorios. On Monday she APP
pears in "Norana,' as Lucresia Bogia, at the
Neutrality-suspicious., Jan Is.
OF all the musical m0rceaur we have ever
met in the columns of our contemporaries, or
elsewhere, these gems are certainly the rarest.
The musical public Of New York, and the rest
of mankind, will be most agreeably surprised to
find that the ''Non Piu Mesta,' which used to be
been transplanted into the opera Of q different
composer and the more especially as the "Non
Credea" is so magnificent a finale to Bellni's
"Somnambula." 1t will be equally eytraordi-
nary news to the music-loving public, to learn
that 'Lucrezia Borgia' is role in Norma
instead of being distinct opera itself Oh !
shades of Rossini, Bellini!
TELEGRAPHIC MIsTAKE.-There was pub
lished in the newspapers, few mornings
since. paragraph among the telegraphic cor
respondence from Washington. accusing the son
and clerk of the United States District Judge
of New York Of being involved in efforts to
smuggle through Congress special bill for the
benefit of some India rubber monopolists
The correspondent was completely in error
in every circumstance of this case. The person
alluded to is not the son of one Of the District
Judges of New York. and the charge itself is
reduced to an absurdity by the following ex-
PLANTATION Of its origin:
1t appears that for some time past. a necessity
has been felt for the passage of law under the
provisions of which persons guilty of contempt
of court-in any of the United States courts
might be arrested in whatever State they
might be found and which would empower the
United States marshals throughout the Union
to take such persons into custody All the
Judges of the Supreme Court in Washington
conceded as to the utility Of such measure.
and drew up paper stating their views in the
matter. This they entrusted to the son Of one
Of the New Jersey Judges, to be by him pre-
sented to the Judiciary Committee of the House
for their action thereon and that was all
The telegraphc correspondent must have
been egregiously deceived when out of these
materials. he was induced to construct such a
story of fraud and collision.
A DICKINSON MOvEMENT-We are privately
informed that majority Of ten of the sixteen
democratic members of our State Senate have
voted in caucus in favor Of Mr. Dickinson's
claims to seat in the cabinet. If there is no
mistake in this, it is certainly high compl-
ment to Mr.. Dickinson. We apprehend, how
ever, that he will not go into the cabinet, nor
yet upon foreign mission. If the Washington
cahinet-makers are To be believed the die l.