New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-09-16
OPENING or TIE WINTER GARDEN

There is proper ,ize for everything, theater in.
e!uded The theater Of the ancients was very vast,
holding msny thousands of spectators, and was
Lit through the open roof by the sun, the perform
snces being \" matinees." But speaking in co,oquiA
style on the boards of these old colossal temples Of
the dran.s was impracticsble for the voice bad not
sufficient sonority to make itself effectively heard.
What did the actors then dol Sing-nelther more
nor les-and sing with metallic masks, increasing the
resonnsrce of the tones The Greek drama YVES given
10 recitstive like that of the Italian opera Of times,
the intervals so far as judge by the treatiseS
on Music, of Euclid aud others the subjct not ex-
tending over large compass es that used now.
But the impossbity of decphering fully the hyper
complex notation of the Greeks must leave this mat
ter in a certain amount Of obscuIity. As the
Greek Tyre had few strings at the greatest not OK
ceedng half that of the Egyptian hap, and as they
used it-such is the inference-simply to sustain
the voice by playing in single unison notes,
", NAV Judge that tn, employed fewer notes in their
singing anna than the rectstive of our day. This
Greek drama, with the great beaters, carried TO
Rome az well as to the colonies civilized by Greek
and Roman letters In the south OF France, to this
day Gro the ruins of great Roman theater. Inc
universal statement tina, the popular thea;er died out
ard was revived by the mysteries or sacred plays OF
the morks, is erroneous. The peoples theater al
Eays existed. Among the earliest accounts we have
of the Iroubsdours, who we've the chief clvlzers OF
Europe-the happy mean betwixt monklsh austenty
and military ftrocity-the bards Of love and gentle
ress-usy be found little dramatic pieces which were
PLAYED by the MINISTRIES OF jongleurs. The ancient
MSS in the Imperial Library at Paris show these
with freshness quite startling. This Ignorance re-
rpecting the true history of the drama grows out
of the fact that art is overlooked and despsed in our
colleges and literary men can only regard the drama
in a literary point of vew-a very narrow one
whereas the life and soul of the drama was music
and the great drama,st Shakespeare, in hundreds Of
places (most of all in King Lear shows US that ne
was an accomplished musician otherwise, it may be
added he could not have written his tragedies, which
are ultra lyrics above and hey ond the conception Of
nry col standard of criticisms The revival of
Greek letters gave to the Troubsdour play carried
into Eng and from France on the invasi)n breadth
and grandeur, which ended in the production of Il
Shakespeare; and the discovery of the ancient IS.
freatises on the Greek musical notation led 10 the
formation Of the modern Italian opera zone OF the
chief inventors of it being the father of the Astrcn
omer Called, while the imitation of Greek recita.
tive was the foundation Of all the dramsic music Of
our dsy-for the Italian musical defamation soon took
the form Of musical airs regular pieces, with
musco rhetorical forms.
The Italians so far led the way in the drama, that
some Of their stage dsplsys not long after Shakes
peare truly magnificent, though at that time the
largest theater in England the little Globe The
Institution of the French Academy for Music and
defamation by Louis XIV gave great extension TO
The theatrical art and contributed in common with
the Theatre Eaaeais, 10 give to Paris its ackroSl'
edged superiority in acting. When the Italian opera
was introduced it gradually led the way to increase
the sire Of dramatic houses. AS the performances,
unlike those ofthe sncients took place IN edces with
closed roofs as the ancient actors masks-perssne-
we're dispensed with women appeared on the scene
Tie supreme exsggerations Of the size OF the ancient
thea,er were not initiated, though the houses were
kYge all tire more 30 from the system OF private
boxes, which prevents the seats nom pelpg
more than two deep and hence augmens tae periphe'
~ Of the semicircle and the number Oh the
tiers. The CREST houses Of Drury Lane aud
CoveutG Garden Theater were due singy to al inits-
ton of the Italian opera houses otherwise 1t may be
&'ely said that the requirements OF good style OF
acting would have iept them within more reasonable
limits The effect Of these great houses on the stye
speaking, and to great extent on the motions ana
geteraiions Of the scors hiss been disastrous MOI
'nt~g-not suppoytel by an orches,r s-withoal the
"'usas, dramatic or modern operstic intonation 10
'"'O'e uen to prolopg their tones-for the superior
o. Tho SIM ng voice is due 10 the prolopgation
=, "p's-'he modern English actor in these houses
SDoea tone oivooe in ut,erng tie simplest phrase
Nooa msy be best characterized by saying that
N"a' unlike that Of human being Still these act,
u' were no, inhuman. TAX TO them of the stage snd
'ne! would speak simple phrase in simple manneri
So' ue instant they set foo, before the lights they
e'oPed tor. Of swollen monstrosity of talk that
~ ''uainous' They stsutted, stridsd, stamped
ING swung their arms sbou. to match.
ICE English actors, as rule who appeared at the
"a F"k ard Bowory-both large houses, and limits
"'as Of the modern Enslishwere Of this stamp; aud