The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-11-11
ne OPERA IN NEW YORK AND THE UNITED STATES.
aAx MARETzEK on MUSIC.
NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

A.
retxek s. French, Nassau street.
Tho epoch in which we live Is one of startling
phenomena and surprises. Its events battle all con-
eepcn and calculation; its celebrities astonsh us
BY the audiences of their elevation and the poverty
Of their antecedents its lessons fast uprooting all
our old convictions and fondy cherished beliefs; and
its progress is drifting on an ocean Of sceptcism
and vague speculation. From the commencement
Of the Russo-Turkish difficulty down to the recent
astounding victories of the Know Nothings in our
own State, the nerves Of trembling humanity have
been subjected to succession of the most awful
galvanic shocks. In fact, we want but few earth
quakes to give consistency to the Millerite belief
that the world is near its end.
The two most surprising men of this most sur
prsing epoch are nnquestionably Louis Napoleon
and Max Maretzek. The former dissipated his time
in frivolous pursuits until he had attained an age
when the destiny OF most men is accomplished, and
mp to that period had consequently acquired only
the reputation OF being senseless brainless, and
very ordinary sort of person How he has since sue
ceeded in reversing this estimate of his character
we leave it to history and the Gear to say. We have
to do only with the fact that he Is now universally
regarded as one of the ablest and most sagacious
rulers that France has ever had In an almost
equally improbable way did our Napoleon of the
Opera fiddle away some of the most precious years
of his existence. In the hope of gaining an empire
like the prisoner Of Ham, he invaded our shores
with even less means of conquest than the live
eagle and dozen Of champagne of that successful
adventurer for we believe that he could not boast
Of even solitary symbclcal eigy of that respecta.
BILE bird when he landed here After q career of
strange vicissitudes, and of an equiyocal sort of
fame acquired much by its failures as its successes
it is only now when he is descending into the vale
Of years, when his Hyperion curls are losing their
bright auburn tiDts, and his Adonis like face and
agure are assuming the obesity Of middle age, that
he bursts upon us in a new and more intellectual
light, dazzles us by the corruscations of genius
which was enormously supposed to have limited its
horizon to the foot lights, and takes at bound
position which it costs other men years of
patient toll and study to attain. Who
woud have believed that in the incessant occupation
OF his harrassing professional avocations, in the
multitude Of his pecuniary anxeties and cares, in
the social demands made upon his spare time by his
convivial popularity and devotion to the shrine Of
beauty he could have found leisure to WOO the muses.
and cultivate literary taste and style of no ordinary
pretension And yet we have the evidence of the
epigrammatic terseness and even elegance of which
would do credit to the pens of some of our most es
teemed modern satirists
It will be iLnatnredly said by Maretzek's enemies
that he owes much of its literary smartness and
merit to the gentleman who was called in to assist
him in its preparation. This may be in degree
true as to its form but regards its main elements,
its pungent spirit, and its rafting ohand veliness
nIaf~ - --.lt Al
vocational powers will not hesitate to identify him
with them 1t is written very much as he talks, ba
ting certain Teutonic peculiarities Of expression
which his amanuenss has very successfully toned
down. It is a great mistake to suppose that the
handsome chef d'orchsstre is entirely without the
qualifications essential to literary success. He was
originally destined for Of the learned professions
and like but too many other German students,
had his vocation spoiled by his enthusiasm for music
As but little is known of the earlier portion of his
history here, we will give in his words, in let
ter to Professor Fschof, Of Vienna the history of
this revolution in his tastes rather in the plans
formed for him by his family:
Through your interference in my behalf was allowed
10 embrace musical To your kindness do
IT, that my parents permitted to become artist.
my part, and unwise benevolence upon your own,
which enabled me to do But not being Of those
siscostented individuals who happy when
quArreling with their destiny, chide neither mt you
my determination. Sufficient is II for
to know that have embraced the most arduous Of
professions, and that am pefprce Obliged to pur
the career Of an artist.
Then, than beardess soy Of some seventeen
years at College had swallowed the Greek and Roman
classics without doing any harm to the digestive faculties
of my brain. As proof Of this, it may be mentioned
that they almost completely forgotten by If
nay memory tells me that there such historian
Thucydides such romanticis Hesiod such poets
Catui!us Juvenal Terence believe me that is all
IL can do. The lectures on philosophy, metaphysics
geometry Logic and the common law, were attended BY
These have served me bat little although they
destined By my father to direct me in my course of life
He had already mapped it out for me. The truth Is,
was to be either doctor medicine or should chance to
prefer it, dodor jnris
In the meantime, had imbibed strong dislike TO
lighting out the quArres Of other people in black gown,
and had invincibe repugnance to scapes
Living only for music, my youthful fancies reverenced
Already in the last two years of my collegiate OK
perisace, the works Of Mozart, Weber, Rossni, and
the older masters, had charms for me than the
nashematical problem Hrst worked by Pythagoras
siosl enshusi.sm vsnessted Mendelssohn and Meyer
bser, TAR more than my studous nature respected the
sfsur professors. Indeed often when admirable in
structo endeAvored 70 make comprehend her tables
q iesSrthns, or logically argued the necessity for an
God With assbrac figures (which argument and proof
said much, Imay Dc permitted to Observes as
ideas had strayed far from the lecture ROOM and
occupied IN the composon Of andante rosioso in
modelling the concluding bars of some allegro furioSo
Nevertheless always managed to squeeze myself through
the diMcutes Of examination, until, at length, tho
critical moment arrived.
Il va determined that should be surgeon Conse
auently had to enter the dissection
At this moment in my life, my feelings at the
thoughts ofhat which must be undergone, were by no
means soothed on my Introduction to the locality hal
loved my professor had told me- by the first blush of
science.
On catering the ws ventilated han the beadle Of the
nveuty had Just put up auction the mortal remains
of sospe poor fellow who had hung himself thereby
placing his body within the legal reach Of dissecting
knife.
II vas the arst dead body had ever seen. Such
frghtful impression did 1t make upon upon me that for
wsska Afterwards my waking thoughts and sleeping
dreams haunted BY that blue and lvid face with Its
CHASTITY and open eyes.
Two old Students who, during the auction had been
eating their breakfast consisting of cold sausages and
bread and cheese were fortunate enough TO be some its
they had finished their meal and rushed up to their
prize They turned and hand cd IT, playing with