The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-02-14

The history of Italian opera in New York ID
web of many threads, and yet, where intellI-
gently defined, Is an interesting and improving
story. The throes and agonies through which
It has passed are innumerable the number Of
times that managerial Sisyphus has rolled the
stone to the summit Of success only to see e
roll back again is almost beyond counting.
Weakness In the management jealousies
among artists, rivalry between managers,
everything except Interpretation on the part
Of the public, initiated against 1t twenty years
ago and yet we see to-day that il Is from
rivalry and competition we must expect the
best results from the opera, as far as the pub
lie are concerned. There are many who re-
member the early efforts Of Palmo In the
Chambers Street Opera House to plant a love
Of Italian opera in the hearts Of New York
people, his partial successes, his final failure
and his quiet departure from the scene Of life
a few years ago. The Astor Place Opera
House was to follow, with Trufh, Benedict
and Rossi in an engagement which ended in .
quarrel between manager and artists that
brought it to o concluslon-a denouement
Europe could not stave off, This was In 1848.
The celebrated Astor place riots, which made
the locality and the time memorable fol-
lowed soon upon this opera season.
In November, 1849, Maretzek undcr.
took o season at this house, brief and
not very glorious. AT Castle Garden opera
doomed up again in 1850, with StenAnone.
Bosio, Tedesco, Salvi, Badiali and Marini, at
the cheap rate of fifty cents admissions prin-
ciple in the management Of opera which exps-
rience has from that day 10 this established
as mistake. Here, too, In the present emf
grant depot, sang 0rid and Mario. Niblos
Garden was for . time the scene of Italian
opera, and had TO run the gauntlet from
rival company at the Assor Place, where Ssef.
fanone and Salvi were offering their notes for
exchange. IL T..
This is not the place to recount . detailed
story Of the ups ap1 downs OF opera In tho
Academy. in the old Winter Garden, in various
places and at various times, when ocoasionsl
success and utter failure alternately marked
its career but this moral we draw from Tie
whole story-that opposition between managers
has always resulted Ia benefit TO the public.
Good artists we have had, and very bad ones,
too judcious management sometimes, and
sometimes management intolerable TO the
public and rulnous to the managers. The
riyalries and mutations at present in operation
ought to be source Of pleasure to the PEG
ple. II It is strange that strakosch should
have departed from Pixies Opera House
and taken his household gods to the Academy,
and that Maretzek, the old standby OF the
Academy, should have cast his fortunes with
the one stockholder Pike, after his sad expc-
Renee OF one hundred and ninety-n'ne, tho
lovers of opera need not grumble; for oppos-
ton Is the life OF opera as we'll as Of trade, and
we are apt to get some value out Of the rivalry.
Opera was gradually advancing from Its in
fsntile moments at the Aston Place Opera
House and Castle Garden until the Academy
was built, and here one naturally hoped that
its reputation would increase but unhappily
Il fell into the hands oil very small people aud
all but persisted by a plague of stockhoidi1g
locusts. 1t Is good, then, and encouraging, to
see another Ono opera house built, and better