New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-09-29
THE NEW OPERA OF RIP VAN WYNKLE.

THE NEW OfEfA OF hiI 'A-' "A-'N@S'
Niblos rhes.er. which holds more people than the
grand Opera House, Paris, was denseiy filed on
Thursday plight to hear the new American Opera,
Rim Van Wnhle the joint production OF Mr. B'isow,
conposer Of the music, and Mr.. Wainwright, writer
Of the words, both New-Yorkers, and young men.
Every di.po.tion was manifested by the audience to
give the work favor able hearing; and on the CON-
poser taking his seat in the orchestra, of which be is
the leader be was loudly cbeered The leading artists
of the City were present, but the literary men were
occuped AT the Publishers Festival held az the same
tine at the Crystal Palace.
The tile of this opera, according 10 the published
Ebrttto snd the ply bills, is
RIP VAN wnkLr ia original t~srces G'a5s ogesa -
hree .ieta Music by Gsos6E +. BHsrow. Inc LoreH0
byJH. w.NwsIeHr."
Now this is not correct, as much OF the dialogue Is
spoken. grand opera IL ore in which the words sre
set to music throughout and the rectsves aresccon-
panied by full orches Operas with spoken dialogue
are termed comic, 10 distinguish them from grand
operss
The principal characters are, Rip Van Wrinkle Mr..
Snettop) Dame Van Wrinkle Miss Pyne), Alice Van
wibkIe Miss Louisa Pynel, Edward GARDENER Mr..
Harrisoul, Frederick VilcGur Mr. Horneastel, Young
Rip Ven Wrinkle Mr.. Miller. The scene lies partly
amor the Catskill mountains and partly on Sara'oss
plains The action extends over the spsce of twenty
years Time of the first act, 1863; Of the second act,
l777 Of the third act, 1888. The ioretto stses that
p,p.,s @ % ds~ins. Tor the e.pa pupo, ha,ns
Teen TAX the spo, Phe ahesuS 10 the sct .e sif
LEY The co.tunes By Mr. T.yLoR, and prOper's by Mr.
SnvsTER are sSeo dir to the best h"t'e 'ne
perrc to which they refer"
The plot of the opera is in The main similar to Wash
inston Irvpgs famous story, the principal variation
being in the second act in which introduced some
scenes and characters not found in Irving. The plot
briefly is as e. ows: In the first act Rip Van WIokle
is engaged at merry making at the village tavero
the King George, where be is pursued by bis scod
ing wife. overwhelm wi b reproaches for his
leziness end dissipation and forced TO leave his boon
COMPANIONS and accompany her home Arrived there,
they have a quarrel and Rip, 10 be freed from her
.codipg orgue goes off with his dog and gun to hunt
in the mountain; bidding good bye 10 his two little
children aud teirg his wife he will not return. la
the mouutsin night overakes him, and he encounters
Hendrick Iudsons gbosily crew, who meet one night
every twenty years to play skittts and drink Ho-
lands Whoever joins in their orgies finds in the
liquor they quaf sleeping draugh, of twenty Yeas
durson Rip does so. and the first act closes with
his falling asleep.
In TIE seconj~act, supposed TO be fourteen years
later we are introduced to the heroine Of the opera,
Alice Van WDkle, now grown to be young woman,
and TO her brother, young Rip, country lout. Alice
is in love wi b and beloved by Captain GARDENER OF
the Ccntnel tai army. The Captain 10 at the village
recruiting. He enists young Rip and also Frederick
yiepur, the villain of the pece. Vilceur Is 10 love
with Alice, who has rejected him. and he VOWS to her
TO be revepged en- her favored lover Inc recruiting
party gone, Alice determines to 70 low, and in the
character of vivandiee TO gain access to the Amer
can camp an put her lover on his guard against the
designs of his rival She arrives a. the moment Vii
cgur who has turned traitor and surprised the Amer
ic camp with a British patty, meets Captain Gar
deuier and wounds him. At the same moment shot
from Young Rip puts an end to VilcGur's life. The
Birth patty Is repulsed and the triumphant chorus
Of The American troops closes the second act.
The third act opens with view in the mountains
and old Rips awaking from his twenty years sleep
he takes down his wormea,en gun from the tree,
which bad carried Il up with lis growth, and starts
for the vlsee. There he arrives during the festivities
attending the maniige of his daughter Alice to Capt
G>rdebier who having recovered from the wound re-
ceived nom vnc@ur and served through the war, has
returned on the declaration of peace to fulfill his mar
rage vows with Alice. The twenty years sleep have
changed Rip to an old with white locks and flow
Ing DfaTd lie mus ns mouse puleu doWu uDu Tue eBH
of King George at his avorie tavern eoaced by that
of George Washington. He asks about his old neghbors
and finds they sre nearly all dead, and his wife as
we'll He s jeered by the crowd, who imagine him
insane, and are confirmed in the belief when In an
swer to the questions TO his politics he declares
himself TOR King George. Finally he is recognized
and accepted by Alice and young Rip as their long
lost father though 10 him the absence seems 10 have
been but single hight He besses the union Of Alice
and Capt. GARDENER, and the general joy Of the vi
layers concludes the opera.
Of the words we would briefly say they are better
than English operas, saving the Cinderella" Of
Rophino Lacy. The cefect Of the piece is, however,
that the cma1 is in Act IL, and Act III is of no &C.
count in comparison, and he audience is to the same
extent unintensted at the Close OF the meters aud
syllabifcaton the same want exists in all writers
for the London stage without exceptions want of
knowledge Of the purely lyrical resources of the En-
gsh language. The iambic form suggests but little
variety Of musical melody to the composer. Other
forms must be northumberland Of the
talents Of the writer Of the words the following may
be taken as o sample:
"CHORUs OF SPIRITS.
Evening IL falling ger meadow sDd lea,
flinp ing It's sh,a ox DER rock and DER treei
Clouds TOO sre ikas TO darAsn the scene,
ysiiL the h. ayens where stars should b seem
At such time, VI ours 10 come
From the portals Of the tomb,
FROM our far OF spnit home
Wheberitbe
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