National Republican., 1881-11-19
EUROPEAN OPERAS.
pLAY-HousEs ACROSS THE WATER.
How the French Government Fosters the Opera
Impressive and Beautiful Duldlngs-French
Audiences-The Theatre Of the Scala
In Milan-The Ballet.

France many compensating features OF enduring
advantage France would not be France without
its capital and Paris would not be herself without
the OPERA Although the Italian opera, as under |
stood and valued by English and American pa
irons, and as distinguished from French and Ger
man. and that minglng of both which has recently
prevailed, has no permanent and conspicuous
place either in the annals of the French stage or
in the representations Of to-day; yet opera in
Paris owes not only It's carly and gradual growth
into the public favor, but its very existence as an
institution recognized by the government to the
address and musical ability Of a member Of the
detested tribe of strangers who monopolizod the
Offices about the French court during the early
and middle parts ofthe seventeenth century.
THE MAGNIFICENT oPERA.II BEGUN IN 1861,
by Napoleon when in his imperial zenith. and
upon which the government had expended before
its opening In 1874 about ten millions Of dollars, Il
the legitimate result Of the grant TO Lnlly OF pat
cnt to open theatre under the royal patronage IN
1872 That the extreme views Of GARNER, lts arch.
tect, might want no advantage OF surroundings 10
enable him to create an impressive and bcautinl
building, that was indeed intended to eclipse all
others of its kind in the world, blocks OF buildings
surrounding the1proposed site were rnzed, and the
magnificent ones that to-day line the Place de
Popea and the avenue Of tho same name have
succeeded them. Within and without marble and
granite and onyx and porphyry constitute the ma
terials from which the heavier work is made, and
every accessible place has been filled with statuary
or painting by some master of these arts The ex-
terror, indeed, might by the hypercritical be con
sidered somewhat verloaded with ornament, but
not even Therstes could criticize the interior. The
staircase leading to the auditorium, and we'll TO
the foyer, has assumed in architecture q distinct
place, aud not even I'm Florence
CAN ITS EQUAL DE FOUND.
Impressive in appearance and exquisite In detail
1t is also easy Of ascent, and NOSE than prepares
you for the foyer, whose praise has so long and
with such earnestness been sung by critics that
every essential feature of NJ Baudrys pictures
upon the ceiling representing the union of Melody
and Harmony and on either side Comedy and
Tragedy, has become almost as well known as
Da VincPs Last Supper. That feature of all
French theatres, the foyer which by tradition and
usage has become part of all houses, and to
which both men and women resort In the inter-
walls between the acts is unknown to American
theatres, and indeed. TO those of most other Euro
pean countries. The much abused custom of
going out between the acts, as practiced in the
United States. has probably originated in the same
impulse that makes the Frenchman to resort to the
foyer OF the theatre for apromenade or for refresh
ment during the tedious process OF setting the
scenery. The waits In our theatres are much more
brief, however, owing as much to our esssumptu-
Gus and intricate stage properties to celeriy Of
action on the part of the manpuators and perfcc-
ton of machinery employed
THE AUDIENCE AT A FRENCH THEATRE
is about tho most unsympathctic possible, and in
contrasting their manner with that of Dublin
audience of the good old times when the author
was compelled to :respond in person to the de-
mands OF his admirers writer tells the story that
when Sophocle's "Antgone was produced at the
Theatre Royal It was much admired by the gods of
the gallery. who demanded "Sapherclaze," and
when the manager explained that the gentleman
had been dead some two thousand years. lone youth
Of fertile promise demanded that he should chuck
out his mummy" By characterlzlng the French
audience as unsympathetic / desire to be under
stood as applying this term only to outward
manifestations of interest and 10 ordinary oc-
casions, for first nights" are proverbaly lively.
The stage OF the Opera, in Its size and In It's per-
fection of arrangement for all requirements, is
considered unequaled. With a seating capacity
only $50 chairs greater than the New York
academy of Music and $50 less than the great
house of La Scala at Milan, its stage is nearly US
large as are those OF both. Back of the stage is
THE GREEN ROOM or THE BALLET,
which Is arranged as to be available II greater
stage room should bo required. To this green
room regular subscribers admitted. and here 1t
is that many scandals originate to later starte
the polite world by their developments. Second
in the estimation Of musical Europe aside from the
opera house at Baireuth, which can scarcely now
be considered q successful public house of amuse-
ment, La Scala ranks before all Others. Aside from
its great size, the Theatre of tho Scala has the
fame Of gathering within its walls during the car
nival the most fastidious audience of Europe. 1t
was from Milan that Pasta first essayed into Eu-
rope to achieve for time but Indifferent success; ;
IL was TO Milan that Pasta returned to command
triumph and upon the stage of La Scala TO first
render to the world the divine melodies of Norma
and La Sonnambula that will prolong Belllnis
praise until the awakening to judgment. At Ia
10. a-..a..
Donizetti composed for Pasta and the great tenor
Rubini.
THROUGHOUT THE CENTURY OF ITS EXISTENCE
this house has maintained the position 1t now
holds rs the one In which the most successful
operas have been introduced to the public Most
OF Verdps operate successes have been composed
for La Scala. Many Of the most distinguished
ballet dancers Of the past have been taught their
art In the school for dancing connected with this
theatre The ballet 1t Is not necessary TO say as
sumes in the eyes of European audiences on i'm
portance unknown and inconceivable to Ameri-
cans. So strong is the passion for this diversion
in Paris especially that when Wagner attempted
to impress his views of the fitness of things oper-
attic upon the opera patrons, by the production Of
Tanhauser with no irrelevant fantasies Of the
ballet the opera was by the concerted action Of
the members OF the Jockey Club, killed so dead
that II has never been rcsurrected before a Par
isian audience. Inthe atrium of la Scala is
placed a statue of Donzetti by the Milanese
sculptor Strazza, and at short distance from the
theatre in the Piazza della Scala, Is erected the
Lofty
STATUE OF DA vIsCI.
finished in 1872 by Magnl, another native of the
capital Of Lombardy. / mentioned incidentally
the theatre at Baireuth whose merit entitled
1t to place among the foremost of the day. That
liberal patronage OF the arts which has character
toad ha rai1 mo- ia lv nf ha IA In
Kingdom of Bavaria, by which weimar
has been robbed OF its prestige in intel
lectual matters, has been most appropriately
the scene of Wagners determined efforts to
free operate composition from the thrall
of hlting the melody to the pet singer who was 10
assume the principal role. Not little of the pres
ent high artistic standing of Bavaria is owing to
the restless and energetic character of the noto-
rlous Lola Montes. This brilliant and cratic
daughter of Limerick not only dominated affairs
OF state during her residence in Munich, but TO an
even greater extent affected that Bohemianlsm In
letters which she aflerward developed before
THE pAzzLED VISION OF THE PEOPLE
Of the New World when she came among us 10 die
The elimination of Wagnefs process Of musical
regeneration was the erection in 1876 at Baireuth
of the opera house whose every architectural de.
tail he originated and supervised, aud whose or.
chestra gathered from the best musical talent OF
the German Empire, he trained In his own meth.
DDS. At the time of the production OF the "Nbe.
lungen Ring" which inaugurated the performances
in this unique temple OF art all disciples OF Mel.
pomene assumed an air of respectful questioning
Us to the of the attempt to reform in aradi
cal degree the customs and usages OF the lyrical
stage, The opinions were as various as their au.
thors and while List, who Is Wagner's father-in-
law, proclaimed their entire success, practical I'M
pressdri sneered at the ldeaistlc and unnecessary
perfection Of detail. The reader will not confuse
this house with the old BaiTenth opera house
erected while tho Brandenburgs reigned in Fran.
conia. Should favorable opportunity occur
may at another time and with more particular at
tenuon return to the exteriorly shabby and inter-
iorally peculiar home Of Wagner's later produe.