New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-27
ACADEMY OF MUSIC.

AHADEMY OF MCo4Ss
The urosuc.ioa Of Der Freischuts more tlan ~u.y
yeSrs ago formed an epoch u muSoo arsuA'lo Mt !"
was received with the EXTREMIST iaVor III "vt@Sny,
and whse the composer can'o 10 LoDuoh 70 orng
ont in Enelish with the great tenor brahsm ana the
80, -,,rsuo Lxiy Benuox Miss Patonl, there was
rsnrslea excitement in British operate circles. The
s,s Of the sthor and the loneliness Of his strains had
already preceded him and the Overture, the Hunters
Chorus TIE Waltz, Tie Prayer, the Brides and the
bridesmaids strains were familiar in the English cap
issl. The Life Of Weber, including his charming
letters 10 bis wife, to whom be was devOtedy attached
IL interesting, not simply as the biography of man Of
geDfss but OF laTgehearted, high-souled character
Weber established several points in his overture to
this work While il is evident that he studied closely
tho accentuaons and above all the elan Of such over
tues az that Of Rossips Semramide, he Produeed All
overture equally melodic with that, and with pro
found sentiment and dramatic characterization 10 "io
even Rossini at that period was 10 great extent
stranger in his instrumental essays GNen' tne Vuv
of AN overture Weber was the first who made II zen
the sosy of the opera inteigiby. Inc io'e-"h' '''
lo,. ~ q bnntsmsn-is adequately portrayed III the
ado 80 % cd ON four horns. The allegro is equally
,-soa,5,t and presents the 6iabolism and celestial
h,.;rsss ~ the work. AT the time ii was written,
tho Der Freschut= was the greatest overture
IN record: it so remains to this day. IL
embraced technically the preferences OF accentua-
tiop. and introduced the largest scope of Climax 1t Is
made up-as it ought to beef selections hom The
oper but without trace Of patchiness. II Is com
plete whole. Previous to the composition OF this over
ture we are not able point out any ntrumental music
that rose TO the level Of the romantic, or was sudsed
with the maser-passion. Aozarts overures are clean
and elegant in the alegrOssnd the slow movement 70
the Don Giovanni overture is dark and solemn wlthon
however being supernatural In It's technics or spirit
R.etboveus three overtures TO Fidelo wanting in
melody-iust like that opera, but they are earnest
vehement and elaborate rs WELL All that these over
,ures show and new creation Of thought besides, the
Der Freischutz overture exhibits 1t is 50 complete
that j: loses nothing by comparison with any compost
zion made for improved instruments Of this day
The supreme merit Of the vocal part Of Der Frei-
hutz is the unerrug accuracy of the Characterization
The hunting music not only the chase all over, but
no,e beautiful strains than fox-hunt!ng or boar
Killing were entitled to before The demoniac drinking
.,De of Casnar was new world Of temper and In
s.rnrnentaon es we'll The orchestral color1pg OF the
tenor (tbe lovers aTiawhere Zamiel appears behind
him-has no antedate: and the aria OF It's KIND Is the
finest ever written The and csva'ina OF Aga'ha
ia altogether more impassioned than any previously
conceived The orchestral music to the VOLTS Gleo
iueapaiion is the first ghasly submundane, effort Of
The Lind lyricaly achieved The music in the closing
scene of Don Giovanni is solemn, and the louo uIer-
anee On particular chord when the statue speaks ID
what it ought to be- but all the composer procedures
are regular. His chords have grammatical pro-
0rsssion and simply offer the effect of dark, the state
Nv and the possibly terrible according 10 things OF the
'emth earthly" But Weber invades laws aud his
ovcl-s erspch tho cpu.
catenaon Of harmonic wise
the keleoy buntsmer-andths various otherresPoussf
n TO the bullet moulding details are musical marvels
The moor alleero which Winds up this general pande
uoniuyn business ia fierce as ten iures the harmonic
progressions Of portion of il taken bodily from
Mozart's RsQneIn-but the spirit is changed. htel
lectRa)ly speaking the music Of the VOLTS Glen seen
is ss great as the work Of Shakespeare in his Witch
scene. No musical genius before Weber, rose I
the weird height of a Shakespeare-our ilastra
ton being comparison Of the Sister Arts o
dramatic music and dramatic poetry. Consider
ing how superlsgiye this music is it is a pity
that the stage representation of the Academy th'
other night Incidentally bad. Coarse obectivity
appeared 10 detail every point. All the horrors Of
the lost foul, desntly exhibited by the composer,
but Che stage engagements Were beneath crltl 1sm.
The proper way to exhibit this scene-we do not ask
WheAer AZ has Deth 20 rePreseH'e"-iS " Pi90o 'n9
eyccaons from the neither world goTgons and chime
Ias dire in the back ground, aud viewed through a
coDeeries Of gauzes. They should be reduced in size
also so 20 add 10 the dreamy ideal effect. Unless
this be done Der Frescbuz had better never played
for it is simply ridiculous. 1t was effectively sung by
Msd. Colscn, Mad. Strakosch Stegelh, and Jmca.
So amended the manager should present this opera
again.
The other late performances at the Academy offer
netting new, being simply repetitions of Miss Patti
and Mad Gazzanigas characters To this is the single
exception of three new compositions by Mr. MuziO-a
dazzling tbree-eight movement, sung by Misc Patti-a
very sprited overture, and "Gsribaldi Rataplan,
sung By the principals and chorus but not metOrous
as The two others.