The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-11-09
The Opera In tho United States.

nightly winning from immense audiences, natu-
which hive led to so rapid development of
operate taste in this community. We presume
that, with the experience Of the present season,
no one will question the accuracy Of the state
mcnt that the Opera now fills the public mind to
the comparative exclusion Of the theatres and
to some extent owing to the superior energy,
activity and liberalty of the manager, who, in
addition to the most popular singers that he can
obtain in Europe, gives us fine scenery, splendid
costumes, a ballet led by Soto, first class dan
seuse, and all other matters required to make
up perfect ensemble. Mr. Ullman has borrowed
from the theatres some of their greatest atrac-
TONS improved upon them, and made the Opera
as interesting to the mere theatre-goer as to the
musical connosseur But this is supplement
tary, rather than principal cause of the success
of the Opera. The public has been brought to
proper appreciation of this refined and refining
amusement by sure and natural process as we
shall explain.
The history of italian Opera in the United
States may be fairly commenced from the twenty
ninth day of November eighteen hundred and
twenty-five, when Maria Felicia Garcia known
subsequently rs Madame Malibran, made her
DEBUT in New York as Rosina i'm the Barber of
Seville" 1t would be idle to say that the au-
dience which greeted the young artist was capa-
bic of understanding the music Of Rossini, or of
approaching it's fair and gifted exponent. In
that day there was hardly anything like musical
criticism in the journals or IN society. The number
of connoisseurs was very limited, and included
only few gentlemen like Dominick Lynch and
others who had made the tour Of Europe, and had
there picked up some information upon art mat
tiers. The fact is however, that Madame Mali
bran was the greatest artist that has visited
us, and in many respects the finest that has ever
sung anywhere. She was u thoroughly
skilled musician, possessed Of wonderful ia
ciliiy for the acquisition of languages and could
sing in almost every modern tongue; she was
gifted with wonderful voice both in quantity
and quality, and was enabled by her great and
versatile histrionic powers to move her audience
to tears at one moment and to arouse their hilarty
at the next. Yet this great woman returned to
Europe under the pressure Of pecuniary embar-
here had it not been for her rare faculty Of sing
ing English and Irish ballads, in which speciality
she has had no rivals.
Although the pecuniary result Of Malibran's
visit was not satisfactory to the artist her Ame-
rican tour was still productive Of great good to
the public in the foundation of musical taste. In
the twenty years succeeding her visit the city
made wonderful progress in wealth and refine
ment. The musical education of young women
In fashionable circles became a speciality in the
boarding schools seminarics and converts which
sprung up in the aristocratic quarters Of the city
and in the suburbs. Ali the young ladies in
society were taught TO play or to sing, sometimes
before they had learned to spell correctly. and
many Of them at this day understand French and
Italian better than their mother tongue. Conse-
quently, when the Astor Place Opera House was
erected there was an audience already grown up
for H. and this audience has been receiving null
titudes Of recruits as the finishing schools turn
out their cohorts year by year, until now, when
we have public-at least so far rs tho feminine
part Of 1t Is concerned perfectly capable to
weigh truly the merits Of any music, however
difficult, or any artist, however great or small.
AZ the music classes IN the schools be-
came larger, soirtes were given semi-monthly
through the season, and the amateur prime aoane
who sing at these reunions would In many in
stances do honor to the boards Of any opera
house. They are, In fact, well cultivated artists,
and In more than one instance have found their
account in their musical education when re-
verses of fortune have Obliged them TO earn their
own bread. II should not be forgotten, also,
that within few years vocal music has hccn
taught in all the free schools Of the city, which
have turned out many crcd,ablc pupils.
From the so,rte at Mime. Chegary's, or the OK
hibition Of the Ward school. the step 10 the
Academy is facile enough The young lady must
hear the Opera and her father, brother, husband
or farct, though be may secretly consider il
bore, Is bound to how TO the rule Of crinolinc,
which sways dcspotically in matters Of public
amusement, IL nowhere else And this is the
whole secret Of the success Of the Opera. The
ladies Of our moneycd aristocracy, from fourteen
to forty years Of age, arc better educated mu-
sically, as q rule, than the class which makes up
the London and Paris audiences; aud our native
amateur artists go to the Opera as much to hear
the music as to show their new clothes or criti-
else those Of others, which shows devotion to
art that is wonderful in the extreme. II may be
urged that the course Of education pursued In
our fashionable schools docs not tend to devclopc
the domestic virtues, but rather exalts elegant
accomplishments over DEMONSTRATING the mu-
steal album over the cookery book--but the
ladies will, Of course, frown down all such ar
guments, and declare for the Opera over ALL
What, we should like TO know, can the men do
but SUBMIT
The TAXPAYERS PARTY AND INDIRECT TAX
rAYERs-If the responsibility and high stand
ing of the leaders of portv bc anv o-,,aronfco of