The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-09-03
A Suggestion for the operas.

The coming of the fall and winter brings
with it suggestions of amusement and in
struction. The theatres promise unusual
attractions Capulet plays Hamlet at one
house and Montague at another. But we
have no fear of the Montagues and Capulets
having other than theatrical strifes in this city
of common sense and fair play. Mr.. Booth
will soon return to the scene of his triumphs
and misfortunes-of misfortunes that we
trust, will be triumphs again. We shall have
comedy and tragedy in every form, and the
result, we trust, will crafty in the highest
degree the anticipations of the managers.
AS to the musical attractions less is known.
Our impresarios are late in their announce
ments Won Bulow will come and open a
new ball. If he is worthy Of his European
fame his coming will be an event. Tietjens
promises series Of concerts. PATHS visit
Is still further postponed, and Nilsson will,
no doubt, continue her London devotions to
the German shrine of Wagner Our opera
people have not been very successful recently.
Opera is an exotic in all countries and
must be nursed- The foreign governments
endow the opera largely. The managers
find their balances in the treasury, and
when q season is bad they have only to fall
back upon the Home Office for relief. How
can we expect a plant that must be nursed
in the congenial climate of Munich, Paris
and ST. Petersburg to grow in the raw atmos-
phere of New York? We cannot subsidize
opera here, but at the same time we can
encourage it. The way to do so is not
merely to patronize artists when they do
come, but to remove tax from the manage
ment which is never more of a burden than
in successful seasons. We mean the tax in
volved in the ownership of boxes at the
Academy. Why should not the stockholders
who are owners of boxes do their part toward
the opera2 They more than any other class
are concerned in its success and more
oppressed with its failure. They could do
for opera something like what the foreign
governments do in Europe. Instead of
reserving their proprietary rights they
should regard the investment in an opera
box as they do in the shares of q railway or
mine. The share-owner pays when he rides
III Car, duu WAcu ue JdhcS bOlu lIOIn CHe
mine. His profit is in his divi-
dends An investment in the Acad-
envy Of Music should resemble this
in its character. When manager brings
great attraction to the Academy he must con-
slider that he is deprived of the revenue that
would naturally accrue from the best part of
the boxes. This burden is ever present to
him. The effect is that instead of encour-
aging opera managers we repress them. In
stead of endowments and special privileges
like what are given by the foreign govern
ments we impose tariff The fear is that in
time there will be an end of special musical
attractions. Our stockholders should do
their part toward aiding the managers We
can hardly expect stockholders to waive all
their box rights because they have paid for
them. But they might meet the managers
halfway. They might consent to a tax upon
their seats, to some system of part payment
This would be an inducement to managers
1t would be in a certain sense an endow-
ment The result would be q special advan-
tage not only to the people but to the stock
holders themselves For what they want is
a season of opera And of what value are
boxes in an empty Academy or during sea-
son when the music and the artists are not
up to the highest standards of art?