The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-27
An USEMENTS.
Negro MinureI.y Undeveioped Capaci-
ues-An unoccr pied Field.

The California Miustrels are giving en-
tertanments every evening, and on the after
moons Of Tuesday aud Thursday, at the TWEEN
ty-thirl Street Opera House, lately known as
Dan Bryant'e. This company OF performers Is
uncommonly good OF the kind. Some OF the
members sing solos very sweetiy, and together
they make upa chorus Of twelve male voices
well harmonzed, but not go well balanced as
thew should he. The BASES are not strong
enough for the tsnors. At least one more pow
erful second blss Is needed to give the parts
suitable foundation, and the choruses effective
proportion. Except in so far as marred by this
defect, the singing Is excellent, Of a kind also
which must always be popular. Some Of these
singers have commendable skill Ms players on
instruments, especially the violin and banjo.
Two or three OF them manifest high degree OF
comic talent. Their entertainment has some
qualities Of freshness, Is In many respects novel,
and az whole II Is very amusing. II appears.
however, from an announcement, that the man
agement are about 60 introduce number OF
what are called variety performers. Whether
they will turn this house into something very
Ike variety theatre, as II there were not al
ready in the city places enough where the
dreadful monotony. the aqunizing Iteration Of
such variety may be suffered. remains to be
seen.
1t seems never TO have struck the MINISTRIES
OF I Ieir managers that W de and unoccupied
Geld for the exhlnition Of very attractive art
before them. The negro performer as Initiated
bv Ministries II the natural and Involuntary car
feature Of the white. The tyre Of negro coun-
teffeited on the stage Is a Rro.esque hure que Of
the Caucasian In All respects, or would be IL the
fundamental idea OF these performances were
artistcallv developed and tremendously carried
out, which II Is not. Bv this time negro min.
sttelsN should nave established for us a native
opera boune, Tree from III the indellcacies of
the French entertainment Of that class, a. BELTS
the seNerer taste of the people, but furnishing
caficatures as finely Drawn and grotesqueness
as artistic. a. amusing, and IA little offensive to
I established @
thing ike definite kind Of art, should nave
produced something ike artistic works, ALWAYS
81 the humorous kind, with beginning, middle
and end. fairly shaped and finely colored. II
these initators would hut closely observe the
negro, ~hom they profess to copy or to carica-
tufe they would perceive that his sense OF har-
mony quite as strong as their own. Music
sets him In motion, but his movements, how
ever exaggerated and erotesque. preserve GER
tain harmony Of which he Is unconscious, but
which Is none the less true because simply the
expression Of natural instinct Most OF those
who counterfeit tue negro IN these respects lose
sight Of this tact.
Many OF them, especially dancers, nav Incl
dentally manifest grace and EN- er upon a series
OF harmonious movements, which. however ex-
aggsraied, are vet In accord with the music. But
suddenly some insane Impulse seems to possess
them, the artistic action Ia abruptly broken by
an utterly incongruous leap or tumble or STUPID
To good taste, s yet To lie reprobated without
conjunction as destructive Of VIII 1t might have
been bit OF artistic performance. These alb
s,rd changes, these meannele's, rude, tnd
Of en- repulsiye vagaries, are as shocking to any
nne instincts as would be the conduct OF an
orchestra which should Interrupt its music a.
soon ~ the melody was fiiry BEGUN. by a gen
eral discordsnt scrape AMI scream OF all the In
sttn nents together. putting an end alike to
rhythmic now and artictic progression.
Ihese gentlemen seem To be entirely Ignorant
OF, or Indifferent to. tue fact that they have what
with taste and little constructive Talent could
be formed into "A unique department Of theatre
art. cminently suited u the most efeciva tre-
sent uton OF humOf Gus satire, for which subjects
are Just now SO plenty. And they Rener lis make
the mistake OF attempting to buriesque negro
perfornsnce-that IL. Of {. ricaturina a rica-
ture. In this WAY they get So far from the thing
To- be erotesqurly parodsd that any 81 ,ge-ti1n
OF car catnre Is lost. and the performers antics
are too likely to be nothing more than the i'm
less con. Ortlons Of a man who Ii diving to ne
funny. out does not know how. Many Of the
persone engaged In this business have a certain
broad humnr, some OF them talents, for low
comedy, and they 90 many things which are
luCicrous IS well as vulgar. Sucn talents prop
erly directed would become eminent In an non
orabe way atlstically. LIT them cultivate some
notion OF form, w1ich ~ the fundamental idea
OF all art. Let them gradually raise their ~ oies-
sion Into the rank which II might hold. Let
them not remain stationary while emulation IN
all other branches OF art 10 fast raising the stand
ard II tas,e among US.