New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-23
a nsrformanoe Of work of the high degree of merit


the highest skill and most delicate in
genuitv seemed combined in constructing scenes
of fascinating beauty and almost perfect illusions
Among the few regrets that the evening caused
was this that in spite of the magnificent apparatus
which Mr. Abbey and his musical director
have at their disposal they did not
90 beyond the conventions in the manner of
the production in anything except the stage set
tings II would have been pleasure, for instance,
after so many years of the incOngruOus
in the presentation Of "Faust" to have
seen the proper order maintained between
the church scene and the murder OF Valentine.
II is the same spirit that cuts up the drama of to-
dav into acts one scono long and calls down tn o
curtain upon studiously arranged tabeau
that has changed the order of the two
scenes in Faust" Originally the fourth
act closed with the scene in the church
the scene is almost frequently universally placed
before the death of Vdleaine in order that the
more sensational finale may be gained. GOunod
has himself sanctioned the change. Apptd
TO q few years ago for his views on the
question, he said to the director of French
theatre, 81 have no choice in the matter-both
readings are possible and good. AS n musician /
prefer the death Of Valentine a finale; yOu make
il to precede the church scene you will be more In
harmony with Goethe-choose." This has always
seemed to us a mistaken Judgment on the part of
Gounod. If q dramatic climax is the need, there is
surely more power in GretchenS agOnizing " Mach
BARN euer Flaschchen ~ and her swoOn amidst the
pomp of the holy Office than in the vulgar killing of
a brutal soldier But tho composers embarrassment
grew, perhaps out of the fact that the lbrettists
had already robbed the episode of all its purpose,
character and sentiment by exchanging the "evil
spirit" in which the poet personifed GTechen'S tor
menting conscience, with MephlstOpheIes, who
DISCUSSES himself as q monk to upbraid
the maiden, and then appears in all his ridiculous
scarlet like bug-a-boO TO frighten the child into
faint. After such travesty of the original it is no
wonder that Gounod was willing that it should be
put anywhere in the performance.
So far as a single performance under such circum-
stances could demonstrate the fact. the new house
was shown to be not only satisfactory hut really
admirable in its acoustic properties. The fear of
failure in this respect Is one which weighs like
nightmare on conscientious architects for nothing
is more generally and frankly admitted nowadays
than that in this province the &chtect is wholly
the slave of chance All the authorities on acous-
ties from Pythagoras down to Tyndall, have failed
to lay down rule which might insure to designers
of theatres even an average or moderate degree OF
success This was most ingenuously conceded by
NJ GARNER after he had made the discovery that his
masterpiece, the Grand Opera in Paris, was III the
van of all the theatres of Europe in respect of
acoustics In his book on the subject he disclaims
all credit for the accomplishment. He confesses
that he trusted entirely to luck like the acrobat
who closes his eyes and clings to the
ropes of an ascending balloon Eh
bien ~ he concludes, "Je suis arrive
The audience-room of the Grand Opera has good
coustcs the best probably, of all theatres; the
.1t- fIa ma ks
of honor" But not recklessness or igno-
rance led the French architect to this it was
simply the out come of world of study which he
had given to the subject i'll all the years OF his
career that preceded his great work.
at is not my fault" he remarks, that acoustics
and can never come TO an understanding. L gave
myself great pains TO master this bizarre science,
but after fifteen years of labor | found myself
hardly in advance of where stood on the rTst day:
True, ont of books and from my colleagues !
learned that sound il prOpagated thus ana 80, ana
that strings vbrnte in such and such manner /
saw that grains of sand strewn on glass plate
formed themselves into certain figures when the
plate was rubbed with iddlc-bow, and knew that
the air is the ordinary medium through which the
sound is conveyed. ] was as well posted IN these
things most masters OF science and thought that
when later | should want 70 put my acoustic1l
book learning into practice few simple
formulas would do the business easily enough. j
had read diligently in my books. and conferred in
dustriOusy with lilosOpheTs-nOwhcre did find
positive rule OF action TO guide me; on tho con
long months | studied tested, questioned every
thing, and after all this travail made finally this
discovery: A room to have good acoustics must
either be long or broad. high or low, of wood or
stone, round OF square, and 50 iorth.'
Thus deserted by his teachers GARNER abandoned
theory for practice, and made An inquiStoral pill
grimagc to all the European theatres, bat only to
find that best results were obtained in one place
from wood construction and in another from
masonry and that rooms built after ia" same model
were widely different acOustically. Chance seemed
as supreme in the theatre world as it was in the
dream world into which lIaGd entered in the story
printed in the reading book Of childhood
Whether Mr. Cady mortified his flesh with
much Of this study into the nature Of this
elusive something do not know. Prob
ably with tho example and confession Of
GARNER before him he was content 10 follow
in the MAN. the conventional lines of theatre in
teriOrs and trust to chance for happy result If
so he can echo his colleagues " En- ben 10 suis
anivfW
1t is TO be hoped that Signor Vanesi will speedily
give an adequate test to Mr.. Cady's innovation in
tho matter of the orchestra. With the earnestness
which was shown last night in the scenic depart
ment there should be cOnsOrted equal eaTnostness In
the musical. There are a great many things tradi-
tiona TO the opera HOUSES of Italy which American
audiences are willing to forego. In all matters of
art this country has shown itself decidedly pro-
grcssive because little hampered by conventions
and traditions, and 50 important an event as the
opening of the Metropolitan Opera House ought TO
he sgnalizcd by the adoption of such devices will
ennoblc aud dignity the art to which the house is
dedicated. No aesthetic want is supplied by the
exhibition of the band. As a rule, musicians,
whether Italians or Germans. not beautiful TO
look upon and if they were, such view of them
one gets during performance would hardly satisfy
an aesthetic desire Miss Maud Morgan, in Gre
clan robe aud ilet, plucking the strings of her
harp is picture to delight the soul of classical
lover but not 50 Heir Bassgeigc engaged in des-
pcrato wreste catch-as-Catch-can with his double
bass And it is questionable whether even the fca-
t,r.s of nj, unIIo yOuld he attractive ,yhen 1ia-