New-York tribune., 1878-10-16
A DISPUTE OYER IN OPERA.
THE PAEIsIAN PROPEIEToRs AND MR. MAPLEso!
SAY THAT MAX sTRAKosCH's "CARMEN" Is NO
THE ORIGINAL WORK.

THE PARIsTAN PRoPmEToRs AND MR. MAPLEsoN
SAY THAT MAX sTRAKosCH's "CARMEN' Is NOR
TIE ORIGINAL WORK.
There was rehearsal yesterday morning at
the Academy OF Music OF the opera OF Carmen" which
will be given to the American public for the first time
some evening next week by the Mapleson Opera Com
pany The same opera Is annohnced 10 be given in Phil
adephia soon by the company OF which Miss Kellogg
Ia the principal attraction and Max strakoscn Is the
manager The announce tnat Carm II" was In the
repertoire OF the strakosch Company has Occasioncd
the publication Of the following:
Messrs Cnoudens publishers In Paris have the honor
10 INFORM tue ers Of theatres ia the United states
that the opera uf Carmen" about To be pr'duccd Is
the original work Of tue author George BlzsL The
publishers nd prOpIctOrs OF Carmen" Lope the press
au1 public VIII protest against this imitation taa Mr.
NIX stakosch desires TO bring out rs being tae rea
"Ciman" represented IN PARIS, Brussels Vienna, 81
Peter. burg, London, ETC., etc, Aessrs. CHOUDESs.
Paris, October, 1873.
In reply TO tns, Max strakosch has publisheda card
In which he says that he bought the orchestra parts OF
Carmen where he could get them Oh terms better
suited TO him than submit to the eNactions OF the
Messrs. CEoudcns. He proposes to wager 100000 with
tho Mcssts CuOudcus that his orchestra parts will not
deyatc from those Of the opera given IN at least one
Of the theatres mentioned the money 10 DC sent TO the
yellow fever sufferers 10y the loser, and says tndt he
considers the entire proceeding as mean and @Hgent.e
manly atIompt Of a rival establishment 20 injare Ills
legitimate business.
As The rival estib ishment referred to evidently
:he No spcsou Opcra Company Mr. Mapleson. the mann-
ger, was visited. Ho was found Ia tie Academy OF
Music his arrangements FOR the season which
opens to-ught. lie said:
"The whole thing is In nutshell. There is no
operate udH been represented these are the
facts: Carmen - an opera which was produced IN
PARIS about yeats ago and which thought would
bo a great IN England. 81 introduced IL INTO
gland dd Faust which had been hckiug about
Tor long Gmc, aud II wa. "A sueccss-h very
great success Tuen everybody wanted To give
IT, The property DOtu In " Faust" aud Carmen" be
longs 10 Lne MessIs. ChOudeus; they say that ouj
tue hrre hundred works they have purchased, tn
above tuc only ones winch have proved good III
yestmcnts They were, therefore, Obliged 20 dispose OF
the right produce these at sufficiently high rate 10
repay for their losses uthers. In June as..
ia nv repertoire tir Mcssrs ChOudens gave me nOuoe
that, although had r1gut to perform II IN England.
had 10 rguI IL IN America, "a Mr.. StrakOsch mad
agreed 20 take Il, and II was not until August 20 mat
the puJhshfrs Informed me that IA M SrdA3sch had
failed pay tho amount agreed upon, ! Inigut
have II the terms. THIS at once agreed 10,
ana the signed on August -, IN London"
Mr.. Mapeson produced the contract from his port
folio In the publishers agree TO hand over TO him the
score and the orch, stra voice. band aud chorus parts
OF ,he opera known a. "Carmcn," in consideration Of
the yearly payment OF 5000 while the opera shall he
produced In United states. This sum Is TO be di-
yided In equal parts between NJ Mehac and NJ Haleyy,
the authors, Madame Bzct tue widow OF the musical
composer aud the Mcssrs Choudcn, who bear all the
cost OF the engraving, etc. Mr. Mapleson also pro-
duced the address Of the Pasan publishers. printed
as poster In French yellow paper. This he said
has been posted on the walls Of Paris, and ransatons
would doubtless posted in the cities where Mr. stra-
kosch should announce his version Of " Carmen
lie was asked whether II was not possible that Mr.
strkoscn might nave procurcd correct version OF the
opera. "It II impossible" he replied Every copy Is
carefully projected lock mine ia tue saIe eCNcS hsh
In Brussels WLen II produced was III lhe custody
OF the Mayor 81 Petersburg 1t Vas m the care Oh the
Government An engraved copy cOu,d not De ROt' ahO
IL would be very difficult 20 make pen ana INK copy
even IL plenty OF tune Ov ved-thcTo are 20 many
lats ana sharps passages. III mas Deeh pre-
pared he piano music, wuICn can De procured at
any music store The airs will Ue tbs same, perhaps,
but II will not be the music The saue thbg mas
done before, rght here III ihis opera mouse me
TaiisInan,' by Battle, was pttt 10 De
gwen ~ the New-YOrk pubic, aud II was
very unpopular no wonder, Tor was not
Ialfe's opera ut all but something made up from the
Diapo- book Madame Bale was IN despair Wheu one
ieutd OF IL, anu exclaimed, On, my dear huhbahds
u,usIcl The Amrrc.n .ns have not heard nm AT All II
Mr StrakOsch mas "a true copy Of the opera, ct hih
tel where he gOtl IL he came by II larry, why NOT
say 80 lie VIII play false version, ana tne ltuPl5
will become dis. lslcd and when announce carmen
the c.tes the people VIII say On nave heafu
that, ami dOu't Ike n -, 49,, ~, ,,, ha
would . or that a correct yelsiOn Of Carmen ShoUid
be gwen by Mr. S,rakOscu II would thus render inc
opera more pupuar lie had no personal ot iiOessloud'
quarrel with Mr. S,fak1sch. and the Atssrs ChOuuehS
UGd take all necessary measures 10 project lh III MS
rights under hrs contract VITA them. 49, ,
lhe opera season Drgins tO-uight, ana MISS Miunle
Hank viii opeu it as VtOicitd In la TraVla'a."
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