New-York daily tribune., 1858-04-09
TIE OPERA OF LEONORA.
MR.. FRY AND TIE CRITICS.
[T,n...ied f.om the Courier de. E,.t. rnl. |

mission to explain the theory which be has put in prac
tce We very willingly give him place in our col
umns, without pretending to engage in any polemlc
with those whose opinions may differ from our own.
Ny views Of treating the voice aud orchestra since
wrote Leonora,' says Mr.. Fry, "hsve undergone NJ
change though had not then been TO Europe and
lived in tho Quaker City. | considered then, aud
consider now that the Italians the singers OF the
world whatever lyrical claims other nations have IL
other respects. The composer who does not write &c
ccrdDg to the Italian the only great method aud style
and Italian continuity of versifcstion writes badly
| shall not be invidious by mentioning naRes-whch
respect just according as they coincide with my own
views and nothing more as | think for myself IN
everything
THE Courier des Etats Lns then omit, az foreign
to reply to its crtique the following contained in MIR.
Frys letter: {" found the English language without
form and void regards lyiico-dramatic poetry-al
her poets without exception being good for nothing Tor
that purpose. With the assistance of the writer oil the
English lbretto tie English language for musical pur-
poses was remodeed-recreated; so that MIR. White,
the eminent critic OF The Courier and Enquirer, hnds
the opera absolutely Italian though composed 70 En-
plisb That was my intention as regards method and
sye in writing for the voice, prefernng the Italian
tho only great one as have ssid-snd that, too,
which underies all Instrumental expression: witness
the magnificent refoimer Viotti, the violin n the
last century, and that ultra phenomenon, Pagsnin Of
this century-men who gave laws to the expression OF
the orchestras Of the world.
If you find my music Italian in its canfo-so much
the better for the Italian. II is tribute to tie iinmor
tai laws of beauty-Of circular grace, which can no
more be dispensed with in musical melody than they
can in the painters art in the eternities of the
heavens. The circle underes all beauty. The effect
of Italian melody on the with its unbroken waves
of sound-its feminine rhymes-its special syilabica
tion-capable of exact imitation in most mslleable
English tongues like the circle to the artistic eye
Take our English language as it is ordinarily written,
monosyabic erminatons, graceless as the blows OF
trip-hammer-bu good for energy specially designed
and we find Cantable impossible. In word, Ec-
gsh must be specially written if would be able to
sing like artists. What deporable stuff for music is
the Shakespearean verses, Where the bee sucks
know bank, and thousands of other examples.
introduced Cantsbile into the English language, be-
cause the bfettist of LeOnora remodeed the language
for my purpose Up to the time wrote there was no
abandon to English music, because We had no lyrco-
dramatic words capable of the great style of Cana5ie
If dwell on these things it is because they have
never been alluded to by the critics. They cost vast
labor however to the ibrettis and composers labor
which was preceded by an utter denial Of the PROPOSE
ton held to ard followed by all English composers
since the failure of Dr. Arne that glorious tongue
is unfit for the grand opera-or opera entirely CON-
posed in song and recatve without the intervention of
spoken words.
"And | may appropriately add that the compost
ton of an opera without any such special labor
in adapting English words, takes precedence over all
other kinds of music by all who have essayed it sue
cessfully. Indeed the composition of instrumental
quaitets, symphonies and concertos as well as ora
toros and cantatas is chds play alongside of the pro-
ducton of success h opera, where great effects must
constantly be produced under the enormous compress
sion incident to srophe or two, the narrow peri
paetics of the footghs, and the renchant necessi-
ties Of brevty-none of which are required for the
lesurey book-in-hapd pheoomena of other styles For
the same reason tragedy takes rank above the novel;
in the one phrase in the mouth of actor must con-
vey all that may be diluted over pages in the other.
Composers of renown have failed to write good
during operas but succeeded in the less dcat walks
of inetrume nt al and of sacred vocal musc-whch
over-vaunted by those who criticise but do not com
pose.
The Courier des Etats Unis then gives Mr. Fry's
letter in continuation thus You discover plsgarize.
the greatest of pagiarsts and none the less most
original dramatist. Mozart ct single bound plagiar-
lzed Italian melody set to Italian wordshs Don Clio
ranni lie No=<e di Figaro ETC., deriving their grace
and continuity of expression solely because they were
set to Italian versifcaon-wth soft linear termina
tons and no hiatus. Mozart was not the less the
greatest composer of his century. Had he written
those operas to German words his music like Webers
IN Dor Fre,scbvf- would have been full of hatus-as
is our Iambic-English music. ! am not dealing in
national preferences, but in laws aud all the facts
put forth, can back up by my musical library
to any extent required. Moreover greater pagiarst
than the great ROssin ever existed The very paoi-
lum of his operas, the CreScendo, was stolen bodily
from an Italian composer whose works in part have
read, and whose name at the moment escapes my
memory, who loudly denounced the robber. But Ros-
sini is great composer So, too Bellini. His first
work, II Pirata was said by the critics to be well
named, as all the ideas were pirated.' The world
thought dffereDty-they discovered in Beln better
delneator of the erande passion than any composer
who had preceded him; co. too thought that herald Of
CupiG-the divine Rubini-whose divinity was first
manifested when he found the great exponent of 1--we
music. If my ideas on the expression of love are
similar to Belnis-so much the better for Bslin and
truth. did not write to initiate Bellin; / wrote to
express the passion of love-of youth and love-and
wrote as l was prompted by my nature, aud the
training had in Italian vocalization and method.
"Andto finish this Oyer-e1tended communication by a
few closer particulars: You only find Italian style 10
Leonora Is it so What is there so in the
English snap iambics of Fill up, fl up the vine
wreathed cup; in the music set to the intensely
English King Death, the whole of the first act,