The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-12-11
ADJUSTMENTS.
LUCIA ID LAMMERMOOR.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR.
Wagner claims to have written "the music OF
the future" 1t Is hard to tell what the music OF
the future is or will be, for the future Ia at the
best dim and misty thing to look into and an
sicipate, and none can tell what the developments
Of time may bring forth. Tospeak the truth, we
do not appreciate to their full value the antici-
pstive harmonies of the maestro. They are made
for those who will come after us -those who, IL
not older In years, will have their souls made
| heavy with the experiences OF time, and whose
hearts will not throb at and yearn after those
ecstatc emotions which take possession Of the
soul under the inspiration Of descriptive and
emotional music. which paints in vibrating
melodies all the noble instincts of the human
heart and the passionate dreams with which God
has gifted his chosen creatures. Let Wagner
sing Of the future, as he calls IT, In even strains
of classical harmony, to those whose pulses beat
slow, whose hearts are cold, and who reason the
divine strains by which Orpheus moved the rocks
and tanned the tawny beasts Of the forests by
mathematical calculation, and the studied theo-
ries that govern the problems Of Euclid.
Give to us the music OF the past that which
sings Of the primitive affections OF the heart and
OF all noble emotions, Of the loves that we knew
when the golden light Of twenty summers encir-
ced our brows, holy and pure as the light itself,
and when our young blood ran quick, warm and
enthusiastic in our veins. The music that speaks
of the time when we loved, OF the time when we
believed OF the time when ideal shapes made
our youthful dreams resplendant, when senti-
ment, perhaps sometimes morbid, made the
world an elyslum, and when sublime theories and
noble ambitions gave prismatic colors to the
panorama Of life as we beheld IL in our poetical
aspirations towards the true, the great the beau
tiful and the ideal!
Donizetti's beautiful opera of ''Luoia di Lamer-
moor" is spoken OF to-day by some people as an
old fashioned masterpiece, morbid in sentiment,
and at times trivial and commonplace in musical
expression, but we differ with the learned diet-
tamil because we believe in nature. We doubt
whether the average musical critic and scientist
has ever been young, but We want no discussion
with professional critics. Any one who has been
eighteen twenty years old, and 1t Is not every
body who has enjoyed that privilege, all those
who have been endowed by nature with the
few, cannot help loving and admiring, with may
haps tinge OF morbid sensibility, the delicious
melodies Of Donizettis musical poem.
Walter Scott has sung the story in language as
musical and poetical even as Donizettrs artfui
combination Of notes. There we see love, beauty,
grace and youth combining the ideal Of senti-
ment, with msyhap some faults, perchance too
much sentimentalism, but these are inherent to
human nature and are clothed by the poet and
maestro with all the feeling, all the melody. all
the charm that give life to the otherwise hum
drum and vulgar motions Of the human automs-
ton. If there is no sentiment in life
then there is no religion, no truth, no poetry,
and honor is but superstition. Under such con-
ditions, life is not worth having and would 20 q
begging among men who have any respect for
name and reputation. We have just returned
from the Varieties, where the opera OF "Lucia di
Lammermoor" has been performed by Miss Alex
andre Human as Lucia, Mr.. Ohas. Adams as Ed
gard, Mr.. Tagliapetra as Ashton and Mr.. Wiegand
as Arthur.
Taken all in all the performance was very cred
table. As we have remarked previously, the
troupe Is excellent, all Its members being fine
musicians, and we'll up to their various parts.
We have noticed, however, that as in sRobert le
Diable "a little less perhaps). they have cut up
the opera and considerably dwarfed it by elimi-
mating some important parts. For example,
among other things, the duel scene was entirely
ignored. We do not think that artists should
undertake to interpret an opera, as we'll known
ss .'Lucia," and leave out such important melo-
dies. Miss Human, as usual, sang re-
markably well in the "air de la folie."
but she sang il with admirable taste, talent and
freshness Of voice. When we permit ourselves |
to throw somewhat Of q shade over Miss Hum ans |
''vocalses. we have an excuse In saying that we |
have heard Patti la Diva) in that same role, and |
we may be perhaps prejudiced by these memories
Of by-gone times. Miss Humans voice is sweet,
pure, sympathetic and elastic; she sings Lucia |
admirably, and We really beg her pardon for hav-
ing remembered old times flown away long ago.
Her Interpretation Of the role, and particularly
Of the sair de 10 folie," was in admirable taste,
sweetly sung and perfect as to expression.
The famous septuar was sung by Miss Human,
Miss Cooney. Messrs. Chas. Adams, Tagliapietra,
Adolphe, Wiegand and the choruslas well IS We
have ever heard it sung before, and the audience
was much gratiied, when, at its uproarious bid
ding, the moroccan" was repeated. Mr.. Chas.
Adams sang well the part of Edgardo, and was
especially eloquent in his piece Of s'msladetts."
after the septuar. Signor Tagliapietra was cor
rect throughout, as he always is no better Ash
Ton in song or dramatic play could be found. The
last scene in the fourth act, when Edgardo stabs
himself, was well rendered by Ed
gardo. but the actor was evidently
tired, and we wonder why Mr.. Adams,
who had been singing all the first part Of the
opera in Italian ended by singing this last scene
n German. Lucia, in the German language,
seems, to say the least, something Of an anomaly,
To sum up, We have nothing but what is pleasant
md eulogistic to say about the performance, and
hope that this opera will be repeated with the
,ame cast before the troupe leaves us.
Tonight "Fidelio, by Beethoven.
w. w. COLES CIRCUS AND MENAG.
ERIE.
rhc People Flock to the Show I'm Such
Numbers That Money Is Refused
Mt the Gate.
Since the big show that was open near the cor.