The New York herald., 1872-11-10

10, .asms. @ssns iaysslns Ssssms Lucia ,s n
Stey lost The thread Of 9s first scene she aosS
rupy but the audience Sg and stNaRea asn ao or
French lailed to notice the slip S 20
was was an absence 20 Of dramatic earnestness
from the beginning to the end OF the
opera The prima donpas gre greatest % ss concern ress
clothes in the presence Of an audience. In the
which an actress can % carry everything before her
what did Madame Lucca dor She entered, knelt
SSsn ss in esSss saa as sh'sss
any erect whatever until the fnal duet
with the tenor when she reused herself sung with
great energy. but equally great effort and for the
1rst time during the performance excited enthu.
siasm. Iremember very dinerent rendering OF
this same roles rendering such as Is rarely seen seen
years ago, an era within the recollection
az tine Ss sams Aoaaemg Or Mnc createa
Leonora that made a genuine sensation. She sung
the music as it can only be sung BY pure con-
trato voice she acted as no one else but Viardot-
Garcia could act IL. Her pantomime in the last act
was study; applause greeted every movement;
ment OF passion; her rendering OF the
duet was SO electric as to inspire even Brig
6o who acted for the st 81 se %e n ms e and ner
audience more impressed. And this was the work
Of an American artist, who to-day is singing In
concerts when the only opera troupe In the coun-
try is without q competent contraltO.
Again, take Madame Lucca In the role OF Cheru-
bino. She rushes upon the stage and renders
been knocked down and intended to return the
blow at the earliest opportunity The M audience
snoaa display sensare energy Know ~nsys what n
don't sass ssew What as boy q Sd Sh Sseny eso Woman an
makes me tremble," &C., &C. "What do
ySI suppose Lucca Is 81 saiying asked St listener snm
thing and ready to tear somebody's eyes out"
What criticism do you think Mozart and Beaumar.
che sapeter is less offensive muscaly. but It is in
artistic. The beauty Of this exquisite air Ir
notes IS az times no ess than
brutal. She takes them by assault
%eSh ana u ss Ss ps%Sns ss pssssss
may answer, alute de mtear. in declamatory music,
butit cannot be successfully employed In Mozart's
render her incapable Of treating Mozart any
of Goth, accenting wrong vowels, as, for exam
pie, nto instead Of mao. She sets all rules at de-
lance and the only copsoaton to be found
word for another. He, with sublime indifference
to text, would substitute naangtaye for naenttre,
Then Madame Lucca's acting Of Cherubino is not
comparable with what have seen. She is too
e che
be sung to the Countess. Madame Lucca ignores
her completely stands ss before Iss the foot;
little OF the cap scene with Susannah; nothing at
all OF the scene wherein she appears dressed as a
peasant girl and In defiance OF the fact that Cheru
bino has been sent of to his regiment she marches
at the close OF the third act. Is this done with
view to call before the curtainf
The real artistic SUCCESS OF Friday night was
made by Miss Kellogg In the duet OF 'n Capira"
and In the charming aria OF "Deh Vieni." The lat
encored, although few OF the gods showed their
appreciation OF pure method by Kissing. II Miss
Kellogg would cultivate better stage walk, learn
IN md ond Mi OF a pnf h0 n
an angular action OF the arms she would overcome
some OF her most glaring deficiencies an actress
Certainly no member OF the present opera troupe
can give her any lessons in the art OF singing
TO discuss SignOr Abruguedo's Sparapani and
Conlon would be to waste both time and words.
Like horses distanced, they are ruled out OF the
Operatc race, and once more ask, Are we to have
Italian opera in New York, or must we sit through
performances where the scores have been pre-
viously mutiiated that they may be the more
readily murdered by so-called artists 1t Is not
too late to engage talent; VIII it be ,d donei o
NEW YORK, Nov. 0, 1871. FREE LANCE.
NIr. Maretzek's Company and It's Critics.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
Any person who does not visit the opera regu-
larly would be at a loss to form anything like a
positive idea the merits Of performances spoken
Of In the various journals Of New York in so con-
ncting terms that even those who are regular SUBJ
scribers stand amazed at the monstrous assertions
which they find 1t impossible to reconcile with what
indeed, with any theory Of musical art.
Surely one should expect that as the artistic
taste of our public rises the tone Of public cr
cism should rise also; but such is not the Our
dlettdfNt seem, on the contrary, to be in advance
Of those who should be their instructors.
What shall Isay, for instance, when composers
OF the greatest eminence, like Auber, the director
OF the famous Conservatoire de France, one OF the
most important artistic institu tions In the whole
world; the favorite pupil of Cherubini the man
whom no less an authority than Beethoven hailed
as the greatest dramatic composer of his time, a
man acknowledged by all Europe as one Of the
| greatest musical geniuses-when, Of the work OF
such man. critic dares to write, "Fra Diavolo' is
not worthy even the passing attention OF an edu.
Gated musician |" What knowledge ofmusic can such
critic have, what can he be expected to teach the
| public, or what can the dilettdntt OF New York
think OF the same critic when he says, "Gounod has
| written in the church music of Faust four bars
| worthy of the 'Grande DuchesscS Can these four
! bars be pointed out to any musician Where are
they2 And what an absurd means OF abuse to
| quote what does not EXIST Another critic dares
| to make his opposition to the only specimen O.
high musical comedy the very standard work of this
kind-Mozart's 'Nozze di Figaro'-and just by the
way to "Don Giovanni" one OF the few works
which stood their ground for half century with
such immense popularity. This critic has at differ
| ent occasions shown how well worthy OF attention
his articles are by inserting in the same musical
| terms the meaning OF which is evidently quite un-
known to himself For instance, speaking of Rubin
| stein, he ys:-"He has added to the piano an
| arpeggio." We should like any professional or
| amateur literary or musical, to come forward and
| tell us what possible sense can be found in this
phrase, or whatit can mean for any one who knows
| what an arpeggio Is could never have written
| down such q sentence.
| Every amateur, every public organ showing the
laudable desire TO see musical taste make progress
In this country 1t has done In other lands, must
protest against the great public being msled by
unwarrantabe critics, by untenable opinions
| launched into the papers with the boldness of
scribes who prove themselves ignorant in the first
ements Of the art which they profess to teach the
| public.
| 1t is perfectly clear that the reader who finds