New-York daily tribune., 1859-01-08
ACADEMY OF MUSIC.

p,h.coar Girl (trauslstsi into Itslisnl was not
-..s,rr,.a at the Academy, according tn announce
hr, owing TO rhe iofspo.ilion OF Mr. Brignoh,
-. ,,.toeped ubtll Monday ev'ning next ln plsce
" "a. sdvertised piece, Don Giovanni WAS pre-
s.,,.d the cast being the came as before, except
.h,, Mile. Poin,ot dii Dom. Aons. Oi this iadys
-.,a,es a. a singer, ~e shall better be ensbied 70
:rAre when we hear her in more modern and os'ter
.,nal mu,ic, where the voice is not tue sccoHP""'-
-.,t bot The superior Of the orchestra. The gfea'
.nsers detes. the pan, not that the music nor sym
,Aopc. wise, coed aud full Of ingenu't es, Out !"
Lsc;ept ia us,ained prsdomiDsnt vocs cao'aoo'
-.,tne. too in intensified accent and only hiltiog
:. that climax which the largest experience ol 'nou7fn
-,mno.ers has achieved. The plot OF D'n U'oVahni
80 . ms.n and dirty one-what can b, worse than
N,tx ,oblsman aud drtler pimp, lying to, seducing
"A ,..k;no the besr.s OF many conhding girs as
,o.s;be ,-and there being 10 skill even in the con-
i,c.iop of the details Of the d'ssolu,sness OF tue
.i.oe Donna Anna excites no sympathy IN
a.. audience Men wbo know nothing oil
a,.,oac construction write long, fervid blanderlng
says on the plot Of this piece. The quantity Of rub
.b in tbi, regard is beyoud belief, sod Only proves
.b.t dearth of critical acumen there Is eveo with
N. I;ybtx which ShakesGesIe Scott aud Scribe have
bsd ON the subiert So too eqial error 10 expended
nv the hbr.ry-p op the sop-ror vocal treainsnt oi
,tces in this opera, which the public never like ana
aver applsud and rever will oppiaod. DO the gen
ssmep Who write sucb citicsu5 by the l7agne, cup
,,.e that modern composers have no. ansIyzed the
.,v. and cans Of opera wntog Of the last century,
Do they suppose ttat the composer who is always
,,dsayoripg to advance, does MT see wherein even
Mozart failed to make an ef-ct-and hence avoid the
-. fha
With but effectl Aud 80, too all the moi.
ern.antque effusions abont Hsntels solos, with
.bs;r inevitable d0 caro- and t6oir ong-drawn,
uLinpassoned, odItelan, measured rouade passages
leading to nothing-co they suppose that modern co
oose,s could not initiate such stuff if they wanted to,
md If they did not choose TO write in preference ac-
cordipg TO the rules Of high art really undersood-
which requires dsticct meody-ineaured accordogto to
yesifcaton, with iuersgable laws of progress, and
climax veritably formed by the ascending economies
and resonapce Of the seale Tue great majority OF
criticisms on music are compared TO material science
what arguments would be, written upon old turGpkes
and sickles in preference to new railways and reapng
mschres.
OF the performance Of Don Giovanni we need not
my anything very particular, as It is an old subject
Mile. piccolomini ia an e1cell-nt acting Zerns-the
best probably on the stage Her voice, however, is
Of too small csber to ente her to rank as an artist
ID the true sensc ard her vocal execution is extremely
limited. Sehor Forenza is not satisfactory Don
Giovanni. The singing Of the part b-ing next to
nothing the acting should be supere1celeDt and it Is
not. by any ueaus. Herr Formes ha, msgo,icsnt
voice and is superior actor and always interests his
sudier ce for man with these qusi'ies has the mu-
seal game in his hands. OF the other artists we need
not add To our previous remarks.
The piece was decienty put on the stage as regards
chorus but, as it really requires no chords worth
speaking Of we think the manager night In not rum
ming to needless expense. But, as hitherto the chorus
has been adverted as colossaly strong, as though
this was really "the greatest of choral operas, when
Il has no clsus wbatevn in that particular, bat is
smipently dc ficen, without single dramatic ch rus
and with but one of an Incidental eacuatoy character
we mention this fact. Oar business is to keep the
musical public advised of the whole truth.
The Academy was not half fall, bat it must be re-
marked that in addition 10 the change Of the piece at
lie last momept. the Walking was sd. Tue opera OK
the Bohemian Gi'l. Monday, will probably draw q
full house. Mr.. Balie has easy and graceful flow
Of nelooy-not precisely dramatc-aud with pstchy
yuigsriiy ocu, which is inevitable in the sttempt to
act such metres as thCse which written for Eogsa
music The art Of writing the words for an opera Is
in our opinion, about tho most difficult Of verbal IN
genuit.es in the Ergsh language, aud one Of which
",he ptets," inclu ing the Poet Bum, as tina ma
Hc,ous MIR. Punch calls Lin, kuow nothing. The
Italian translation of this work must, Of course, OBJ
serve the English Tres, the musical text be mutt
lated.
This afternoon, at / o'clock Don Giovanni will be
repeated.