The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-08-05

regard TO she oess way OF making opera Successful
Let me tell you hero frankly what my experiences
teaches me. Opera In the United States is not ne
ssssity, It rs only fashion.
-ff MANAGERIAL DIFFICULTIES
srhat is say, there are no large classes who really
desire to sustain opera tor IT'S own sake. therefore u
is always very difieult fssssos whether season
will BIO successful or Aot In other words there Is no
basis which calculate The probabiiss Of
success. The public capricious Sometimes opera
- fashionable, sometimes II 10 not whenever the
public consider 1t fasnopaote they 90 10 hear u, IL
not they STAY away, aud this without regard 10 me
merits Of The artists This Is the difficulty with which
managers have 10 contend.
WANT OF APPRECIATION
en- nosos ssa. every year i oSe or music
rnis dcveiopment Of taste tor opera is much more
neticeable among the middle classes tnan among inc
YIeb am rmly ceavinccc thattf opera y ever 10
become self sostaining ~ this country Viii De made
by the support Of the middle classes and not by that
Of Tho aristocraoy ricn people, who simply BUY
boxes the Academy 10 be abe 10 show them
on their nue dresses, and not from any very
be made sel-susLaining by The manager securing
good comb nssIon OF artists, and ant loo extensive
Try 90 a. not TO tire out tue people, may be made
successful. Tho public will stand opera Tor u snort
III is commonly supposed that the failure OF Italian
opera both hemispheres 10 mainly due TO the high
salaries exacted ny Inc artists Is that Impression
corrsct!" t .4.-..se-
"rhs failure OF opera, boln IN America and in
Europe, partly dus TO Ine nigh salaries exacted by
tnS artists, and also 10 the immense number ot
ignorant people who wish 30 bec0ms.operaiic mana
gers without Knowing sne nrs' thing about music Or
'.Ars suOvsntions an indispensable condition OF
success the Italian Opera commonly asserted!"
sUBvkNTIoxs DEsRABLE
SWELL in European countries saOventions are ne
csssary 70 every operate theatre Out lney are NOT
lndlsp snsabe. AS suDventlons were always givea
stii continued managers have come " depend
on them, but II all subventions were gradually wnh.
ain YER
them They would, believe get ON just as well with
out them"
Theatre has no suoventon. Be coed enough - ex-
plain now IL happens that OF all European Italian
opera houses u rs the only one WHICH Is sesustain-
ingT sG. U
4covent Garden Theatre has no subvention, but the
price OF ts stalls is guinea 10 g0ld wniie tor the
boxes from i've W twenty gunsas arc cuarged accord
ing 70 location. Then IL must be remembered there
Is an imm snse acknowledgements, dukes, lords,
&-who are bound by social etiquette 10 have boxes
VI opera IL is the correct hing, and box at the
opera Is as indispensable 10 fashionable people as
carriage or a Besides the city OF London 10
immensely wealthy, and has population OF four NIL
hons 70 draw rom ..,s-oc, .+,c ux,p
at Is mistake regard Mr. Gye as the director or
Covent Garden Theatre In reality ne Is only tho
manager Inc real directors number OF wealthy
London gentlemen, VINO do not care how much they
Iose in season or how much they may make
Among these gentlemen u loss OF clio, 900 or f2OO OO
IN a season IS OF tte consequence, wnlle such loss
would ruin an ordinary opcrauc Director But, Tor all
g. Is
Opera House e.t-sussaining. do not know OF my
own knowledge that II rs so. some seasons great
PROFITS reazed but In others great losses are sus
tanned" .
gsrded tho sentre OF civilization and reinemeni-
winch Until the last lew years has always enjoyed a
subvention has never been profitable and Is now
ruiu0us concernT
HANDICAPPED
''one Of the chief reasons Is the ruinous compS0von
Of the Grand Opera, which receives subvsntion OF
900 900 francs while the tacns receives only 100 900
np10
IL IS also PEELED 10 prou certain number OF
operas by French authors each veal, was once d..
during that period we were not COM eiied to give
French operas and We we're comparauvcly successful
That ~ TO say preht about equal TO the sub
veution which that ycar 100, O0J francs When
the OF our agreemsnt expired tne French govern
mont wished 10 compei us 70 give French opera as a
condition oil its renewal but We refused aud Withdrew
from the management, knowing that under the new
cOpdttons would not be able TO sustain ourselves
HAPPY HALANzIER.
.sYhe difference an the OF the subventions
paid to the two theatres makes II very plain why the
Italian house loses money while the Grand Opera
makes profit In addaIion TO the large adherence in
tho supvent,on Haanzier, the director OF tins Grand
Opera gets ATS theatre rent res while the director OF
the ll.iisus compelled 70 pay heavy rent Under
these circumstances tho Itaens Theatre is heavily
..psrnsps you can also explain how II is that the
opera houses OF Itay-thc very cradle OF art-ars re-
duccd unsatisfactory c0ndtionf"
oPERATIC BRlGANDs.
rhere arc IN Ilay lot OIL cevalters dindustrie who
Try to be protected or become the protectors oil artists
Those persons MI tho heads OF The artists absurd
IDEAS aud urge them 10 make ridiculous demands on
the managers. when the artists ind they
ducc the pay the absurd saiari they
poet or the Impression they ought To re-
cs,ve, thcy form companies with the aid
agemcut Of these chevdtters dindustrte Dexiu
awe opsrn OH their own account In nearly all cases
these turn out disastrous failures but
the system kept up by the folly Of the artists tns
seveA
rLUcKIxG YOUNG ARTISTS.
"For this OF persons TO whom allude con-
stansiy ind new victims among Inc young artists
who have never boon beioro the pubic LII preat
many Instances these aeoutantes pay considerable
sums tor the privilege ei making = first appearance
anu are viclimzed a very great extent. The i'm
mediate consequence OF this system - that the pub
tic get dsg listed with Inferior performances can
n OF DO 10 20 TO theatre unless the Of
great celebrity s on the bill as guarantee VI
the excellence OF Inc performance. In iact, unless
artists the very nrst rank are announced IL - next
10 Impossible TO gsI an audience.
BIRDS TAKEN ~.
''Ths result OF That with great and re-
spousibls Names who arc iavorites with The public,
knowing that their names on tho bill will draw au-
trsordinary salaries for ther appearance. Re-
sponsbie managers cannot venture TO engage
them under the ruinous conditions thcy IMPOSE
the hands OF Spectators Without capital or respon-
sbiiy. These mon agree TO give the artists almost
any terms they ask, and the speculation turns out
profitable they pay, and II not a general smash up
lakes place. This system OF course drives Responsible
managers out OF the field, and Is the chief cause oil
the OF success In operate nan agenent in Italy"
s'How does u happen that while Italian opera 10,
with the single exception Indicated, everywhere
profitable ia pscuuary sense, national opera is
merely se-susIaining, but otcu remunerative TO the
dirsctiony"
rHE OPERA SUCCEEDS.
III you aliuds to The success OF Tue Paris Grand
Opera have Already pointcd out some reasons why II
more successful tnnn Its rival, the ltaicns, but
there are good many other causes which contributed
to comparative success which u has obtained.
There already nsntjoned an Immebsy difference In
the suDventiou paid thetwo houses there Is the
thcr difference the rent charge and, In addition 10
these important advan tagcs tho Grand Opera Is
mdsd by the Conservatory TIE manager OF the Grand
Opsrs the right Of taking tire bsst puphs Inc
Paris Conservatory OF Music aud compelling them 10
! rcmuneration--in Tact, Tor "a merely nominal sum.
CHEAP CHORES.
HE has the further priv lego OF using tho pupils IN
his chorus without any puy ment whatever The IN
srumentaiists the orchestra also receive only very
small pay. Uuder those circumstances ~ is not TO
be wondered at that the Grand Opera succeeds. The
manager has theuest theatre Ia the world rent Tree
he has cheap company, cheap orchestra and "a
large chorus which costs him nothing anu TO cap all
I'm immense subvent,on. Indeed, II Is dicult TO see
| how he could avoid king success.