New-York tribune., 1884-02-18
MITSIC AND THE DRAMA.
THE NEW OPERETTA.

S,,.aar ,,oors oco Il was styled by the author a
respectful parody Of Mr.. lennySons e
poem"; in its operate form he now cans IL ~
spectfnl peryersion of Tennysons rrihoeSS' Io
+aininp the adjective but changing the houn' VIC
who have only read the book OF the comeuy' ouV
have witnessed the operetta. feel tempted 10 eA-
tend the definition so as TO make it "a perversion
of a respectful parody of The Princess" 1t IS
certain that in revamping the old work TO fit it for
;ts new pnrpose good deal Of the element which
made the parody pleasant reading has been sacrl-
fccd Whether or not the added musical portion
makes good the loss is a question which those OF
Mr.. Gilbert's friends who are familiar with his
comedy will feel called upon to answer
after hearing the opercta at the fltth
Avenue Theatre. Another question lies at the
gate of the inquiry: Is ii respectful perversonT
for obviously good taste would not tolerate any
other kind. The answers to this will be various
according TO the feelings of the listeners toward
The poem whose refined beauty has laid lasting
spell on all minds, and according to the different
understandings of the province and privilege OF
parody. For ourselves we cannot see why anything
IN social OF political life or in art to which Mr.
Gilbert chooses 10 turn, should rot be far game
for him. His sense is delicate. his touch
90 mastery his purposes so innocent OF malice 'hat
there is never q fear that what is good, true ana
beautiful viii suffer harm in his hands. The truth
of this is exempfed in this operetta; for while he
has broadcned the fun of his comedy in parts and
pruned out some of the quddities which made the
old book Intellectually divorting, he has left Mr.
Tennyson's heroine unscathed except so far as he
was Obliged to leave off her crownng grace which
wonld not come within the scope of his purpose
that sweet womanliness which triumphed when
All
Herfalscr sci: spt from her like robe,
And left her woman, lOvehHr in her lnOou
Thsn In her mould that other when she came
From barren dceps to conquer all with love-
Mr.. Tennyson made his poem to serve the best
prrnose of comedy-to "chastise manners with a
smile" But there was liquid tenderness IN the
evos which Illuminated the smile and this II was
that touchcd our hearts Mr. Gilbert has chosen to
replsce that tenderness with the sparkle of
rogush glance in order that the comedy may be all
diversion 1t parodiSts privilege; he used II,
he did not abuse it.
Peoplo have come to recognize a semeness
in the physiognOmy of the books and music
!, tbe operettas of Messrs Gilbert and
Sullivan. and this was made the basis of good
deal OF criticism of their " lolanthe.' That the
sameness exists no one who has examined the
works even cursorily will deny. In fact "The
SorccIer.n n"H NJ S. Pinafore," The Pirates Of
PeDzance" Patience" and "Iolauthe' were all
eyolrtions from fccund germs thar appeared first
in the "Bab Ballads" That their evolution
should have been accompanied by phases
of treatment strongly like each other is not to be
wondered at least Of all after In, astounding meas
ure of success won by "Pinafoe.' Every success OF
such a magnitude fixes "a style, and 10 one is more
likely to continue that style than the fortunate
creator 1t Is the same phenomenon that we have
seen in the French historical opera, which enabled
The late Herr Raft (who welded literary pen with
with almost the same facility that he did
q muscaD, to point ont that Robert
lie Diable" and lies HuguenOts" are
made on the same last even down 10 the "scenes
OF tenderness, and fainting fits III miuor, with
conclusions in + major, in which a sofa is lrdls-
pensable," in the fourth act. The washer
woman who is married from sense o. duty by
Captain Reace commander of The Mantelpiece, is
the lew-opener III "The Sorcere1," the bum-boat
woman in "Plnalore," the handmaiden with a
tortured conscience in the Pirates" the massive
Jadv Jaae in Patience and the Fairy Queen IN
"Iolanine" That she has even come over INTO
"Prince Ida will be believed by some who will
not remember that suffc ent motive for Mr.
Gilberts Lady Blanche lay in the Laureate's char
acter,
Offadcd form and hauehticst uneamcnts,
With all her autumn tfesses falsely hrown
"soi-O"'
"a character, we wouh say in passing, that is
admirably realized in the impersonatlon of Miss
ReynOld,).
1t is true that Sir Arthur Sullivan could no more
DENY the music of &" Princess Ida than Mr.. Gilbert
could the rhymes, bnt in the general cast of the
play there Is a marked divergence from the
"Bab Ballad" operas, fact which is explained
b. Mr.. Gilberts fidelity to the poem he was parody
ing. We have already mentioned the case OF The
Princes and of Ldiy Bldnche; nearly all the other
chayact patterned closely after their proto-
types in the medley. To Melissa,
rosy blonde, and in college gown
That clad her like an April daiiodily
(Hcr mothers colOrl with her lips apart,
Aud all her thoughts as fair within her eyes
As bottom agates seen 10 wave and float
III crystal currents Of clear morning seas
such words as these are natural enough in bur
lesque:
Is this indeed man
I've often heard Of them. bu, till to-day,
Never set eyes on one. They told ne men
Were hid .Ous, ,idiotc and deformedi
They're quite as beautiful a women are!
Asbeautiful! They're infinitely more ,,,
Their cheeks have not that pulpy softness which
One gets weary OF in woman kind. ,,.,
How curious!
When hing HildeJr0Rd who
Held his scepter Ike pedant's wand
To lash offence, and with long arms and hands
Reached out, and pick'd offenders from the llass
ForJudgment
should wish. in burlesque to emphasize the fact
that he was a man of action and not of words lie
could hardly make it palmer than by coupling a
threat to raze the walls of Castle Adamant with
the explanation:
WHO'S little Inclined his clam to bate
70 III the wit of bit OF q chit;
And that's the long and the short OF IT,
And so with cyril, "a gentleman with broken
means (hs fathers fault, but given to starts and
bursts, of revel." who would become fuddled
and betray himself aud his cOmpan-
ions by trollinga careless, careless taveIn-catch
Of Moil and Meg, and strange experiences unmeet
for ladies"-Such one might easily drop into a
song like tins which is the best specimen of song
poetry III Mr.. Giibert's book:
Would you know the kind Of maid
sets my heart afd.neaf
Tet4s ttl.f he doy .sf sftdl "a