The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-12
Is Opera Possible I'm New York !-Mr.
strakosch and Mile. TItiens.


certainly labored long and faithfully to pro-
mote its interests in New York. The letter
we print from him to-day is that of an
earnest man, who suffers from real or
fancied wrong but who is candid enough to
admit that he is not wronged by any inten-
tional injustice.
Mr.. Strakosch declares that ''each man has
some sort of right to choose his own bust
ness and to conduct it in accordance with
his means and prospects," all Of which we
most potently and powerfully believe.
Upon this principle Mr.. Strakosch holds that
when he engaged Mile. Titiens for concerts,
and not for opera, in this city, he merely ex-
ercised personal right But when he init
mates, as he certainly does, Notwithstanding
his disclaimer, that it is not within the
sphere of legitimate criticism to regret that
this eminent singer appears in so limited
Nfield we are very much afraid that he abjures
his own logic and denies to US the same right
which he so properly claims for himself 1t is
| his natural, legal and moral right to engage
Mile Titiens, or any one, for any worthy
purpose which they may mutually agree
to serve. But nothing that he does as
manager is exempt from the kind and candid
criticism of the press.
This point is too plain to need further ex-
PLANTATION. The question is not of the exist
ence of Mr.. Strakosch's abstract rights as
human being and manager, but of
the wisdom with which he has exercised
them and the value of his enterprise to
the public. Mr.. Strakosch must permit
US to differ with him altogether as to
the basis of Mile. Titiens' reputation We
contend that her fame is not founded on
her concert successes that it has been only
broadened by oratorios, and that it rests
almost entirely on her triumphs in opera
When she appeared on the stage at the age
of fifteen it was in opera, and for twenty-five
years she has been great in the greatest roles
of opera. If she has achieved in Europe
reputation in concert singing equal to that
of her operate performances, that reputa-
ton has not crossed the Atlantic.
The American people know her only as
famous dramatic vocalist, and it is in that
capacity above all that they desire to hear
her. This being the fact why should we
seek to conceal it? Indeed, it could not be
hidden, for who does not know that the
Titiens who sings few beautiful melodies
in Steinway Hall is not the Titiens who, we
are told, swept the stage in the pomp of
tragedy and poured from ''the deep throat of
sad Melpomene" Fidelios constant love or
Norma's passionate wrath?
When Mr.. Strakosch says that he produces
Mile. Titiens in concert because he would
fail if he attempted to produce her in opera
he takes a stronger stand. Here we approach
the domain of the manager. The picture
he draws of the failures of Italian opera in
New York for the past quarter of CEN
fury is q painful one indeed. We adj
NIT that his complaint is just, excepting
so far as it reproaches the New York public
with giving Indifferent support to opera.
New York has done more for music, when we
consider how young it is in the art, than any
other city in the world. Managers have
been ruined in London as well as here, as
Balfe was when he endeavored to establish
national English opera, and in Paris many
an operate season has only been saved by
eminent. Our people love music and are
liberal in their support of it, and if Mr..
Strakosch would assign the true reason
of failure let him not blame the
public, but the system which surrenders the
best portion of the Academy of Music to the
stockholders and thus deprives the public of
hundreds of seats and the lessee of thousands
~ nj
kosch may be correct in his statement of facts,
even if wrong in his explanation of their
causes. We would not urge him to under
take enterprises in which he believes he
would fail. We simply regret that this
should be the condition of affairs and that
the most enterprising of our operate man
ayers should declare opera to be impossible.
In regard to the suggestion that a subscrip-
ton list for an operate season should
be opened in the HERALD Office we
can only acquit MIR. Strakosch of
incredible innocence by complimenting him
for unequalled irony. He argues his right
to conduct his own business and then in
vites US to manage it for him. We decline
the honor, which it would be presumption
to accept. That is not the way to insure
success. But we can and do promise that if
Mr.. Strakosch ever sees his way clear to an
operate season, especially with Mile. Tit
ems this winter, he can depend upon our
support to the fullest extent and that of the
whole press and the entire musical public Of
New York.
''WHATEvER MAY HAVE BEEN THE Political