Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1871-11-15
The Ballad Principle.

Inc huliau lS thc SmleSt ana eWeeteS .
iorm Of musical expression; the natural
,uihurSi nf natural melody and harmony.
The prat le aud laughter Of children. hare.
headed in the suns'iue picking daisies and
in the meadows, are beautiful
ballads. 6'ly accompanied by the hum of
bees and the tinkle OF brooks. Out there.
under the sky. the most brilliant aria by
the most accomplished caniatrice would
falI tame aud fiat in comparison. even as
the arIistically rouged or powdered lace
would look ghasiy beside the sun-kissed
cheeks aud berry stained lips Of the CHI
dren. A few people are critically pleased
when Clara Kellogg acconplishcs superb
feat in yocalism. but the many weep when
she sings Home, Sweet Home. Christina
Nilsson awskeus admiration in seens
from Halmet, bu, touches the neart with |
Way Down on the Sa nee River.
These are hOmcly comparisons enough,
hut they touch the foundation Of things
Nobody denies the pathos aud power Of the
ballad, but society is inclined to ignore it,
aud in musical circles it is rather untash-
ivnable. Like many aLother sweet and
tender aud beautiful thing il has long since
ceased TO be grand enough for our modern
civilization, aud like many anolher holy
influence which that civilization has dis
caried, its best power is lost upon us. The
modern mother sings cavariu,s and tnlls
rouladeS to her sleepess child. metaphor
ically, if not literally; the penny whistle
has no longer any charms for the babies of
the period. .....
The ballad may be grand ns well as
simple, hut its very grandeur Is simplicity
The storm that hurs massive rocks from
their places, bends the gnarled oaks like
reeds, and goes tearing, screaming moan-
ing and bowling through forests, over
mounialos aud across plains, with its dron'-
heats of rain aud hail, and its sub-bass and
t artillery of thunicr, is grand ouihurst
OF harmony in every step OF lts devastat'
ing way. How poor is the elaborate hui
: man effort to improve upon such u ballard
Visions of the stage With tawdry scenery
the queenly dressed chorus, awkaarjly
huddled on either side the soprano, con
e tralo, tenor, baritoue and basso ranged il
line, with mouths wide open, beating tn
innocent air with meaningless gestlculatiol
j all accompanied by the -urging clash ant
u clangor Of the orchestra, whose leade
d wields his paton with maniacal energy
e distoit the bare idea into ridiculous pre-
$ sumption. Let the pageant be as fine am
II the music as magnificent as may be it
i all, at the utmesi, little better than tn
: pigmy titteriug around the ankles Of tn
u giant.
The lyric stage in its distinclivepositi
. is Of great musical Importance, but ther
is about it, IN its best estate, an a;mDs
phore OF artifclality that is sickening.
" presents almost no opportunity Tor til
u natural expression of human thought, fee
II ing and emotion. People do not declail
{ at each other with lyric vehemencc an
10 contortions any more than they talk
u each other as Shakesreare's characters III
p usually made to talk before the Ectlight
y Such methods Of cxpeessou resemble Ut
y tu.e less even than the rafting Of she,
" iron does the majesty OF thunder, aud ii
u pouring of beans into Il tin pan the pei
- ing of rein. There is something inspirii
i, in in stage tragedy when it is fly pr
~ sentcd, but Robertson is more The geui
" of modern dramatic expression than Shak
:" spcare. The lyric Stage docs not advan
y 50 rapidly, but the opera of the tuiu
ns will as surely be the ballad opera. "
N 90 into ecs a les over The naturaness of
- operate singer only when that singer, m
" men,ariIy LOST in the beaaty OF his them
!" forpets all the conveniionallties Of t
stage. It is for this reason that we ii'
- in the oratorio ol the mass more that II
~ meals TO our finer sensibilties aud emotion
There may be sometimes artiticlalty a.
, straining for effect in these, but they a
- a more Legitimate development Of the b
= lad than grand opera.
- The plea ,'or the ballad is one of b
!, principle and art. The modern tenden
- is 70 carry everything to the opposite
- ireme from the simplicity Of nature. 4
- tiGcialiiy in our highest circles is rapic
!, becoming the synonym for culture, WI
!. is legitimate gives way to the sensation
>, - The assertion is generally made q
- - this is the popular current which cam
~ be turned aside, but the assertion is z
y erally male ignorantly or in salF'intert
0's At best it is thoughtless, for every d'
'a' student into tho nature Of things IN
"u- know that Is false. In any case. tn
hly LII o,o.v vtrome and