New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-06
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.
porTo,s MEFIsToFELE."

fion
q, the treatment which it received at the hands OF the
compaser Nothing more fascinating has ever been
mt into the literature OF people than Goethe's Faust
The original legend presented the rudments OF the feat
ures which developed to so high potency D.
Goethe and it noteworthy that IL had already been
utilized in before the poet published his
first part. A German musician named Walter produced
an operetta entitled Do&tor Faust in 1871 eleven
years before Goethe tragedy appeared Since then the
of the musicians who have gone 10 the great poem
for lines TO music for programmes 10 place
at the base OF instrumental compositions has peeh
legion II an enumeration were TO be attempted hardly
the great OF the century would De ot''u
Beethoven Schubert, Schumann, Bero2 wagner ISA''
Rubinstein. LinIpaintner, Kreutzer keiaharut 'uuS
Rietz IitOn Grecoire Adophe Adam. spohr' la'seh-
these are some, ALL OF the musicians VINO went 10
Faust for tnspation Their productions cover near
ly ali the departments OF OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES s!In
phOnies cantatas balets edcteS overres 40 hRs anu
dramatic legend" Beethoven oherisheo Tue pan VI
writing incidental music for this tragedy as nc had done
for the same poets "EgmOnt" but he never carried
ont Perhaps the immensely Of task overawed him.
He contented himself with setting some Of the songs
royal amateur less timid; Prince Anton Radziwli
wrote music and heard 1t frequently performed
Within two years after Goethe death Belgian noble
man. the Baron A Phi. Pillaert, brought out Faust
opera at Brussels-diletante music concerning which
the world knows only that II written and played
Few persons are how large is the list Of operas
which preceded Boitos ambitious attempt We have not
complete record hand, but recall 1t in part III
1915 Joseph Leckl produced an opera Fausts Leben
Thaten und H0lenahrt" SpOhr's opera had preceded
by two years II is said that Faustus" by Sir Henry
Bishop was produced Coven Garden in 1923 but we
have looked in vain for confirmation OF the sta'eMen'
Madame Anna Bishop still with us, might throw ngn' Oh
the question. GOunOds Faust" brought out III Mioh'
1889. preceded by two French attemptsi IL 4o-'
fbe co,nposition of a NJ Beaucourt and In 1881 OF a
woman, Nile Louise Angelique Berlin. were periorheu
in Paris Sgnor BOtO had at least one preueces III
his native land SgnOr q. b. GOrdigani, whose Fhusto
was prueed in Florence about 1887 In respect all
of these composers were alike and all differed from Boo
they drew their texua material from the first part OF
Goethes tragedy exclusively Except the writers OF In
cidenta the tragedy as 1t was performed on
the German stage Schumann the first to go beyond
the conventional and popular clements embraced in the
Gretchen episode. 1t the marvellous beauty OF tue
final scene OF GOches pOem with its strong tncture OF
the medieval miracle plays that fired Sehumanhs deeply
poetical with determination to set scenes from
the tragedy to music He began at the end and worked
In an amless sort of way. and a result produced
series Of detached fragments which have no more than
spirita unity But il was honest effort; the music
marks the highest flight of its composers genius ana
ii is welded in closest with the lines Of the poet
signor Boito like Schumann, thought that the love
story Faust and Gretchen was only one episode III inc
tragedy and with ambition that tells palmer than any
thing else of his youth and unresraned enthusiasm Lo
tried to compass the whole in his opera much smaller
task gave Beethoven pause yet the fact that the young
italian approached literary work that has exercised
90 many minds with serious purpose won him
friends in Germany. who were not rendered lusewaIm
either by the circumstance that the opera had been
Kissed on its first presentation In Italy as German
music" II hardly be denied at the present time
however he novelty Of BoitOs conception having worn
off, that tone Of undue extravaganza was adopted by
his admirers. After Is done admrng his pblosoph-
cal ideal and approaches the work in which lie sought
to realize there is much that is simply BIZARRE so
much that aectaton of pOetica virtue, so much
that is name insipd, when it Is not positively v gar Id
STYLE that the admiration gives way to growing feel
ing that it is difficult keep this side Of indignation
Instead of comprising the tragedy. which it Is OF
course impossible TO do outside OF Goethes book
and studyroom, he has merely torn into fragments
and despoed less character In 1t OF the
very things that made it dear to the hearts OF the world
One great source of disappointment in the work is
the fact that with of intentions to in its
full significance the they presented do little
else bewder BOtO has preserved an atom GOehes
philosophy he has put most Of IN the preface not
In the opera And 1t sorry opera that is inconpre
hensibc TO audience except through preface, which
cannot be read at a performance. Unnsructed In the
composers purpose, hearing the opera Ike any other
opera, taking up those scenes with greatest
satisfaction which handle elements that appeal
most directly the eye the and the heart an audi
ence can hardly nep being cked and startled by the
abrupt transitions that mark the unfolding scenes Of
Mensofee" The OF the classical saDbath, beau
only the readers of BOto's preface know that
Helen and Faust represent Classic s.,a',, ana
Cermanic beauty cleaning under the same aurioe glor
ned b9% Sne sSS nh o he e
means simply that in some mysterious way tat1 only
few moments away from the death scene OF GTee, has
o new with beautiful woman In Greek rObes, who
lives landscape OF serenes beauty has chOreds Tor
followers and bestows herself upon stranger because
he sings rhyme. 1t would be service 10 the opera
Statement OF the scope opera could be put In the
hands of the audience whenever 1t is performed.
Of the opera at the Metropolitan Opera House
Overs : ePsciay Nine Missions admirers had looked
forward TO with unusual Interest Mine. Nilsson
with GOunods Marguerite. She has fixed III Europe the
ideal especially Aele Of Troy and it was she, we bo-
one performer mpen onate both Gretchen and Hste
BOo has left so httle Of Goehes village maiden that IL
does not make much difference how the part
That IL a late moment TO develop Character.
But Helen is character is the very of
Mime NissOn-regh III beauty aud carriage. sOul-mOvng
farest picture that Greek lover cOujure up in his
fancy Of the shore OF PenenS Plnaus Clear streams
at it, zenith--To the left Dorc temple
to 5he ,nrd night nj, ayt Of h na op. last night
Ike a yertable Hellenic queen The beauty, the
classic tpe-an hers. In her performance, like IN
that of Campanni there Were evidences Oh an unusual
n,a1d they had it, All their went win
were shortcomings they were due to factors
to tS' reach SaS 'H0 fell shorter Of than usual:
lDefhciency In the choral department was
really the only cause OF disappointment and 1t affected
only the prologue which, while has place IN opera at
nevertheless the most original ana STRIKING part OF
Sig D0tO's creation. Sig. Canpanih was the
Faust whom We have seen In the opera before
but fred degree OF enthusiasm Than ever
Not only he singing the opera which he was chiefly
Instrumental in giving TO the English and American Peo-
pie but he was singing II under the direction OF brother
In whom he has proud and aiiecuohate Interest
This brother acquitted himself Win MAJ ked viodlt
eyincug perfect familiarity with the score ana
holding all the factors In absolute command Inc e1-
oeence the orchestrus work almost atOned Tor the
poor ehOrlIs-singng in the prologue sgnoT MliaDela