Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-06-18
CARL ROSA IN NEW YORK.
Some Opinions Of His Concerning the
Success Of PinafOre.

NcM lolk cuHsl
" l came back to New York entirely
for pleasure" Mr.. Rosa said, speaking
with just a shade of accent, "and have
no plans to tell you of. This is too
great a country to neglect, and | have
so many pleasant associations and re-
membranes here that | could keep
away no longer. 1t is now seven
years since | was here, aud then my
poor wife was with me, and well. /
find great changes here great i'm
prOyements. You have more theaters,
new music gardens, elevated railroads;
and then you have Pinafore. Here
Nh. Rosa shrugged his shoulders sug.
gestiyely.l | am surprised at the
success of its production here. 1t is
a mystery TO me. To be sure it has
been running steadily in London for
three hundred nights at a small thea
ter, but there have not been six thea
tiers at one time producing it as | UNI
derstand has been the case here. Why,
they tell me that you have had church
choirs, children, actors aud ever e
groes giving Pinafore. How do you
account for it. The music is bright
and the dialogue witty, | grant, but if
that kind of opera is what America
wants | do not know how the grand
English opera is to succeed. Its sue.
cess illustrates the chief charaeteris-
tic of the American people-they do
nothing by halves; butieither ignore a
production or are crazy over it. The
English do not do things that way.
Now it would be simply impossible IN
London to collect a company of young
people, as in the case of the Church
Choir Company, young men in bust
ness, young women from the schools.
and the like to 60 on the stage night
after night in an opera or a play. 1t
couldn't be done there.
81 don't want you to put me down
as opposed TO Pinafore. | have the
highest regard for its authors. Mr..
Sullivan is a great musician, capable
of the best work. His oratorio, The
Light of the World, written for the
Birmingham festival, proves that. 1t
is a magnificent thing. Mr.. Gilbert is
one of our best living dramatic wri-
tiers, and the two can and ought to
produce something worthy Of their
powers. [ understand they are now
writing another burlesque similar to
Pinafore, save that it treats of the
army instead of the navy. OF course
Mr.. Sullivan is well pleased with the
success of Pinafore; he naturally
would be, aud. besides, it was quite
unexpected. Do you really think it
will last; will the people listen to it
for another year? It is a problem
that interests me. My aim now is to
establish English opera, and to pro-
duce in English the best works of the
best composers. |, as | said, have no
immediate plans for America. My
company opens the season in Dublin
on the 10th Of August, and. after the
regular provincial tour, appears in
London at Her Majesty's Theater on
the 10th of January. But | want to
come back to New York, and produce
English opera on a grand scale. The
question with NE is, do the people
want it, or do they want Pinafore e?
You had no English opera last
winter; Mr.. Hess did not bring his
company here at all. why? | see
no reason why you should not havo
your national opera, They have it 10
France aud in Germany, aud England
is making rapid progress in that direc.
tiOn. You know one hundred years
ago there wa nothing but Italian
opera in France and Germany. Now
in France it takes a secondary place.
In the new Grand Opera. French
opera alone is given, and Italian opera
has been banished to a small theater.
In Germany there is no longer Italian
opera. In England it still retains a
firm fOOthold but English opera has
the same foOthold. | feel very much
gratihed at my success there. |
opened at the Princess Thcater. a very
small and unsuitable place. Then |
moved to a larger theater, and now
have been having great success in Her
Maiestys Theater, the best in London.
| see no reason why New York should
not have its national theater or opera
house for English opera. 1t is folly
to say that the English language is not
suitable for singing. 1t is certainly
as good as the German or French. AS
well saythat all dramatic works sh1uld
be in Italian, because it is a soft,
smooth language.
Now, | dare say continued Mr..
Rosa, that | could make more
money out Of such productions as
Pinafore. The cost of producing
them is comparatively small, and they
can be sung night after night. Com
pare with that the production of such
operas as Rienzi, Carmen, and The
Huguenots, where hundreds of people
are on the stage, and which no tenor
or soprano can sing more than three
times in one week. | do not aspire tC
be a rich man. want, Of course, Il
make a good living, and | want to sec
English operas firmly established in
/, all English-speakiug countries. ..Thii
may sound strange as coming from
German, blt it is a fact. This Pima
t fore rage | do not imagine will last
Ii is like the rage for the Qfenbacl
school Of music that started whoI
Bateman introduced the Gran,
{ Duchess here. 1t did not last"
I. Results Of American Climate.
n Our habits aud institutions, SO IA
as they are distinetiyelv American