, 1881-02-13

nnplected any means that would coax tno
dollars out of patrons pockets. FROM an
economical point Of view, or rather from luo
no,itico-economica point Of view, the result
Is mt 4 benefit to Chicago, as the money Is
taken out Of the city and nothing is lett 10 !
show for it. Looking Mt it FROM the stand
noint Of social economy, it has been severe
snmntuary tax, which will cause pangs to
many who gaze upon their collapsed pocAeT
books and reflect upon the dollars that ha'o
gone for tickets, carriages, opera-elasses'
ties, kid-goves, perfumery, knlckkhacks'
and general nonsense that are neces-
sary to the appreciation of opera a1'o
the enjoyment Of music when it is to %
patronized from the fashionable STANDPOINT
There may lie those who have enjoyed the
music, for there we're many things to pe eh~
ioyed, but 1t Is much more likely tha1 u'ey
were the cheap fellows i'll the upper gallery
who hissed in "Lohengrin " than those III
the choice seats who followed the lead OIL tne
ushers' claoue. For certainly 1t was much
easier to enjoy the performances at 81 GEMS
in the swinging gallery than at S. IN Inc
norouet circle. because the relations between
the purchaser and the goods "e1e HILL
more nicely adjusted in the former case.
p MusicaIly the season has yielded outllttle
for several reasons. First, the chorus, upon
which so much depends, has been one OF 1he
worsteyer brought here, and there nave peen
some pretty bad ones here. oecond' 1"o ..
the best artists In the troupe, Miss Gary anu
Galassi. have been indisposed, the former
seriously and the latter sufficiently. SO 10
! cause his absence at times when he was
needed, Third, Campauini, who unQaes-
tionably is the greatest OF 1lalah
| lyric teuors, with the single exception
Of "Lohengrin,'' hes been cast on the oh
NIGHTS. and has evidently been somewhat
disgruntled, although he has sung "lth
| yaIlerla, who is in oil respects superior
artist to Gerster {musical tricks OF 'oea1lza-
ton not being essential to art and as SUPER
tluous as train and furbcloWs woulo oe on
| the Medicean Venus)- Fourth, the repertoire
| has becu a shabby one. With the exception
of "Aleistofelc," "Don Giovanni" anu
"J,oheng1in u the operas were old, hght'
and hackneyed works in the Italian SCHOOL,
moi that the Italian operas are to be us
cardcd by any means, but has not Her Maj
estv,s manager ever heard of other operas
in the Italian school that he must give US the
| same little handful OF threadbare WORKS
every time he comes here? # he is going 10
retain this troupe for next season, wonlo IL
not he well for them this summer to study
IN such works as "Lucrezla Bore1a,
"Norma," "Il Poliuto,'' "Barber ot Sc
Vile" "Ernani," "Dinoraf." NORTH
Starr "Robcrt tho Deyll,' "Huguenoss''
..,lasaniello,'' "Semiramide," La1fi-
| ~ r+h that hp|01H &c
tho Italian stage, not to mention IL" uei
man works that seem to have made soule
noise in the world outside Of her Majesty:
dnminions? The dose of "Lucia," Mar
tia. "Sonuambula" ''Faust,' ETC., ETC., !:
getting trile monotorfous aud tasteless.
8. Though tho public is not disposed Il
complain of anything so long as Col. Maple
son permits it to go to the opera, there ar'
some things of which it might complain II l
we're SO disposed. For instance, II it "el
not so long-suffertng and patient 1t "onl'
complain of the mounting OF operas IN suel
I a manner that large tracts OF landscape q
, the back will manifest a disposition to tra'e
+ back and forth across the stage; that soli
columns in Egyptian temples will vigoFousl
; wave in the stage drafts; that cathedra
| uQDTS nuu pllACt A4OAL- "AAA A@SANA@0 80
= fatieued manner at angles Of forty-dve dc
grees; that vigorous trees will appear gro"
l ing in drawingrooms; that New Ene1an
barnyards will furnish rendezvous 10
Italian bandits and lovers; and that larg
areas of real estate and sections Of architec
= ure will persist In running OFT the track
a roostlne in the flies. It would complain
;. bad management in getting to and from ii
n theatre. It would complain OF dscourteslt
n from ushers. It would complain Of the gan
Y Of spec ulators who follow the troupe, an
r. forage upon the public pocket, Without III
"a traint 1t would complain Of being cor
ia pelled to pay real prices for an article that
10 not royal BY any means, but quite plebe'a
ID But the public does not complain. NOW al
|e then a groW1er appears who has an outrage
sense Of the eternal untitness Of things; b
10 the great public pays its money, and weu
NJ manifest much indignation it Col. Maplest
z did not take it.
tv There is remedy for all these trouble
It. We are to-day in a savage condition, opert
8, ically, rs compared with the advantages
III enjoyed from, 1866 to 1870. What is want
to is an opcra-house. There never was bett
i, time to build it. There never was til
Sc I when money was cheaper or more plen'
ys There never was time when people we
Id | more ready for it, There never was til
III when there were more meHswith means hc
I'll who could build it without feeling it. 7
r. Crosby Opera-IIouse was built BY one m
It. OF courage and faith, when the erection
lis such building was an experiment. NJ
Of an opera-house would be certainty, fin:
M cially, if erected on business principles.
IS. have capitalists here witt! so much NOR
I'M | that they don't know what to do with it, a
on with so much leisure that they don't kn
he what to do with it. Have not some of tn
,1e the public spirit to move in this matter, s
as give Chicago Al opera-house Of which it {
of be proud?
we ~==---"@-@