Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-04-27

,s uI,erancc. But through these 1t Ia able U
% cxpicss the spiritual nature with "ondcr-
iul variety aud power. Wha, music lakes
from the range of the drama, it adds 10 the c
Of the opera. Its function Is 10 I'M
press what would otherwise br only express
ed. Some critics condemn the uperaic art
as false and unnatural. The lovcsand hates,
the ioys and soiroHs Of men aud women,
they sny. are ,ravestied and read red unreal
by being sung. Instead of making the sen
,iment deeper, they claim that music gives II
shallow at,iciality, which react supoh
the mind, and conveys very different I'M
preston from what is intended This Is but
too true of imperfect Opera, OF which we
have great deal upon the American stage
but i, is far from true Of that higher opera,
in which the musical and drameltc elements
are well blended There true emotion Is IN
tcnsfed by hcing welded to the deeply emo
,iopal art of music. Who can listen to TIC
pa,bos of IL Patti, or the stirring passion OF
Parcpa, without feeling that their emotion Is
trebly intensified by the glorious song
through which it flows. The very tones oil
the singers voice draw tears or fire involun-
,arily to the eyes. Music naturally Hits
the soul away from earth, away from the
present and actual, and is thus best fitted TO
express the deeper unG purer emotions. Ut
atoncs." says David Swing, "for its narrow
ness by its power. IL CAP not say much -
that is, it has not n wide range Of expression
l-"but what is says it says better than any
other art could utter the same sentiment"
Music has two forms of expire ssion, and
lbe,.c. Il. function is doube one. II eX-
presses joyoHsnes- a..d --lduess. Every opera
should. as it were, he woven ci.he. {. hGinor
or of pathos. Joyousness, in music, is cS-
pre-. sed by light, cheerful movement, that
ve,s itself most readily to comedy, or dram
a,ic hun,o,. I,esGe We have the two forms
of opera corresponding 10 dr.msiG comedy
and tragedy The function OF music III opera
bouI,. AS in the higher form OF opera is to
ci We more intensity aud variety 10 the ex-
pt,c,;cf,Sthe sentiment. We see this func-
ton moe, admirably realized in the light
operate productions Of l:ilh"it and Su!ilvan'
all of which nave now been Presented in
our own city. The changciul humor OF
the thought is nicely welded t. the tacile
iplaJ f the music, and both now
so naturally, 41 IRON the same mlnd
equal in both arts, th,t the most crit cal taste
can not but be satisfied, AID the uncIiticai is
sure to be delighted. The secret OF the Top'
, ularits Of auch REDUCTIONS as "flnafore,
Patience aud "io,tnthc' is no. their
Ughtness, or sceaic display, OF rapid move
men, bu. it is the admirable way in which
, the Joyous seuani Of music is welded to the
, humorous of the drama. The popular ans
running through these musical plays seem 10
sprinr OH, of the ords rs plants spring out
, of the living Garth. 1t seems almost impos-
s,rle ;ha. the words and the music could
, have been vrilrgu u different persons.
There arc some popular airs whisn can DE
readily welded to different sets o. words,
without losing their force or attraciivenssS'
and the same, vice versa, with many
i songs; but the airs and rhymes OF Giioerl
+ end Sullivan's operas can not be divorccd'-
and, WHIT Is mora tf the point, no one has
ever so much as felt the suggestion 70 At
g tempt separation Of them.
, There is just ohs particular in which mp'
r. sic fails to meet the demands Of dramatic
9 art, and that is partly the fault OF our super
=, fetal way of treating it. 1t obscures the
, sense. often, by needless display what
= would be called ve.bisge, if the subject mat
;, ter of the criticism were word. mis- fault
:, is partly that of the composer and partly the
fault of the audience. The audience de-
n ponds toe much upon merely superhcia
acquaintance VIII tic g"neIal theme OF Tho
= play-seldom having any tamlEn-iy VIII
the plot or the wDrdS-so tlAt the patuIa
!, diversity of the liusir prevents close toi
. lowing of the words, aud renders The SEMI
:, ment of the play vague an. incomplete. I'M
>, comroser's fault in this direction is most OF
, ten &c. u il grand opera, where the embel
lishment Of tn. .Eclqc, besides being entirely
y unnecessary, tends 10 o,sc4-Ic tle though
:, and divert the attention. Music IN oper'
;, should attempt the pyrottchnic only .whel
q tie theme naturally leads to display. Purcl.
musical diversions Of the kind are no part
:, the true opera, aHi tend to qetrart from III
unity.