The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-09
THE OPERATE UNDERTOW.
now A RASH TENOR WAS WHELMED IN
A SEA or TROUBLES.
The Inside Workings OF the Pappe nheim-
Adams Combination Curious aud Amusing
Phases of Recent Operate Experience.


les given by THE Sun the other morning
started the ntcrvicwcrs. For while Four
tcenth street swarmcd with the gcntec and
eager young euissarcs Of the press. The sunny
space between the Fourth and the Third ave-
MUGS on Fourteenth street. H. known the
Lyric lounge" ON any bright day there are
/ groups scattered along its broad pavemcnts.
/ which grOups may be- recognized by the trained
/ eye as including all the operate matcrial lying
/ between macstri and chorus masters just be-
/ low the Third avenue on this same street. there
/ are several small boarding and lodging houses,
/ whore stop the second tcnors. the baritpnes and
even the primo donna who make their dcbuts
/ on off nights On the corner is MOrctts. where
/ maccaroni is cooked. and. what is more is
eaten without being cut. On the other side is
| the stage entrance 10 tho Academy. always
| distingushahle during nm opera season
/ by determined lot Of fellows with
| green bags and music boxes hanging round the
I door Opposite this there Is a German restau-
rant. where they put garlic in without spelling
/ tho food. Further up Is the box office entrance
| Of the Academy. flaming with posters and besct
by country editors who desire free boxes. II
| you stop round the corner into Irving place you
| will find the Bcvidcrc. long noted ms the
| house where the prma donna herself
always stops Then there Is Thics's hohe-
mian resort in the ncighhorhood. whore men
| and women drink beer and eat raw ham. and
| discuss the quarres % the artists. and where
| you are pretty sure TO catch an imprcssario or
an artist If you wait long enough.
Into this operate quarter the cntcrprising In
reviewers threw Themselves. An intelligent
young gentleman from the 7iimnie had been
told to find End fnstnn Mr.. Fred Huffman. II
| WIS not DIM ult tn do that. for he gives au-
di"ncr in a large chair in one or another Of tho
| resorts every morning.
The reporter from the 7ri'1Oe was shown
runlous and plcthorir genilemnn smokips
| cigar With the directn' ss and hrnvty char
| a., ristic II Il good reporter lie came TO the
| point at one.
Would YOU mind stating he n4ked. what
your come. ton with the opera IL =
MIR Fred. Rullman's checks did not grow any
| reddrr. for that would ho an impossihilty; hut
there was n Irlly-likctr.mor in thrm.ns II sOmc-
thing funny had moved inside OF him.
Nv relation To the opera" says he " IL pre-
| ciscv the same aS JAY Goulds relation TO the
A. the reporter did not take this answer
| down. II would have been lost TO the world but
THE columns Of the Tribune lend us to sus.
| pet that he did NOT take anything down.
Later on. another equally bright scarrher
| after bottom facts came from another journal.
Mr.. Huffman h"umrd on him lax" an August
| sun. They drank great many beers together.
AMI ih9 reporter was melted. y won't away
| parable WITH tn" Academy inr p"nr" AMI good
! will On the night Of the first prriormau 'e II
hien@., H9am r,p9rter in nn Ulster lSSrX
Mariz'k IN the foyer Of the Academy. twas
| oclocN and the kiddod hands inside were al
ready calllns for the conductor.
It's no use -aid the reporter; I'm not let
YOU 40 ~ you tell me what the row H.. Hurry
NJ they re- calling Tor IN" rnrinin 10 ris' now
There is no row. said Man. in his best
Florrntnc style. and the curtain VIII not 10
NJ for an hour
TINS was pretty accurate for Max. There
wasn't any row. because the or'n"stra w're
notified ut fifteen minutes a. a. lie was only
fifteen minutes out Of the WAY.
1t viii pr seen hy th..-e "a, Is that it i ahso-
lutcly necessary ioi THE SuS H. come ~ the
it a. ftfi tif
ton OF affairs again.
Perhaps the simplest way ~ illuminate the
whole matter would hc To- say that the manage
ment OF the pr'sC nj operate troupe l. made up
of n prima donna and a tenor.
Still. MS that. 10 the ordinarily dun mind. may
not be- "a -us. eIcnt reason for internal commo-
ton. 1t may be said IN addition that Mr.. Fred
I rms. il is Believed. viii explain WHY tho tenor
hall OF the manascment should tremnle. for Mr..
s-ner. He never appears on tho surface 81
SONS 10 stir the depths most cfIsfualy.
Why the tenor hnlf 81 the irm should quarrel
T Withheld dr. But au nppf be Ill., " Every 9' roS
SIP on Fourteenth street knows that no
manager ever did this and survived Mr..
s,uon in The Academy H. draws his fran,
librotto man. And when we come 10 examine
the history. OF the Academy. will It not be found
that opcra has. as rule. been given 10 elrct the
sale OF lihrctti. and not, rs superb lal OhScrv-
crs believe. that lbrelti are sold 10 effect the
giving Of opera
Mr.. Adams the eminent. but we cannot help
SAYING ne somewhat ,pdsSrGMGi. hm apssins
itrc,ii Il Eenzi" ont oi,hc house. ''''-''''
TINS was simply maniaca; ThG very pshers
begged him IN heaven name to pause. Throw
the stockholders out. If you please trfe with
yoIr chorus , US ~ wrop l R9iino: put II y2d
II was particularly interesting To observe Mr.,
Fred. Huffman reception OF this threat. seated
in saloon not one hundred feet distant from
the hoNoiiice OF the Academy. one OF his courlers
found him.
Ne, liz will He'll chuck NE out OF the
Academy; Ne. out Of thc Academy OF Music
Oh. no. guess not. Not much. No. sir; not
ne. Not ior IA cent amt being chqckcd out.
1t amt in me-. Oh. no.; Perhaps amt the
andordl Perhaps notl Perhaps ! am May be
all. Maybe somebody didn't have to BE- rcspon-
sihle for the rent No. guess not Not u bit
Ii should be stated that the basis of all dinl-
Guilty in opera nana.srment nj the Academy :
the want - capital. The Pappenhcim- Adams
combination have probably done more and
harder work without II than any company that
tuns in its organization dangerous eOmmu-
MIST element in the shape OF chorus. Probably
II all things known 10 men, m operate
chorus is the most cOwardy Whether tn
Is owing TO its proiessi9nai ,d WANING
state; hut every one who has studied it on the
stage knows how u PUSHES in "A body on the dis
ahcd villain. and how II howls down debu-
Cnoruses are either harmless. complaisant
howlcrs or hungry and defiant mos, ready nj
a preconcrrted signal TO throw their claims
and their bodies in the pathway 0f lyric art.
II is "A known fact that they do thus throw
themselves. lust before the curtain rises. on "a
new opera that has been well advertised to
come oil positively
The elder Grau used Ia say that the only way
: to give opera successfully WAS To Kill a chorus
singer whenever YOU saw two or three VI them
IN n group converslnE.
Otherwise" he would remark. you will
have a. pay 'em and Nil yourself"
Now this chorus knew perfectly well tho con-
dlton Of AHA rs in the box Office Ii knew that
the management WIS sHilng very close 10 the
wind, that there was always somebody repre-
senting MIR. huffman, or some other MacFnns,
standing beside the money taker at night 10 lit
out his due first that in spite VI all the Imam
, cial difficulties the mnuhgr ncni was making n
pucky fight and doing lis work reasonably
we'll And yet this inhuman chorus waited
p quietly until the Rlcnzl crisis, and then II
/ sang the awful chorus of Plank down
! Max Maret2ek than whom there Is no moro
> | experienced man. has well remarked IN one Of
his conversations On the progress of lyric art in
| America, that there IL always one impeachment
[ | to the development Of musical taste in ths
country. for there always comes a time. even in
: the best regulated troupes, when you have got
4 | 10 pay the chorus.