New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-04-19
MUSIC,
GouNoD,s "RoMEO AND JULIETyp

|
larity Of the kind enjoyed by this beautiful opera
is extremely Jealous Of Its object, and in this case
II has done more TO prevent GOunods subsequent
operas from winning success than any other iDfu.
enoe. Only ono of GOunod's works produced after
1860 can be said TO have maintained hold on
public appreciation in Paris this is Romeo 81
Julette," first performed at the Theatre Lyriqus
on April 81 1867. 1t would indeed have been
strange If the genius that mad6 such transporting
music in the love duets in Faust should have
failed utterly In the treatment OF
q story which makes the most powcr-
full of all appeals to that genius
which, in fact, Is one long love duet cona ming all
the accents of the sweet passion from its hrss
| whisperings to its dsspairing agonies 1t is true
that in no part of the opera has Gounod reached
the plano on which tho garden scene in Faust"
moves so easily; but there is no cause for surprise
| in this That music came to the composer 10 one OF
those blessed moments which lift even geniuses OK
| the first rank, to which Gounod does not belong
high above the ordinary level of their creativs
| work and which seldom come mora than once In
lifetime. 1t is enough that the opera Is beauti-
| full one and as far az IL Is in our power now 10
Judge the best lyrical version which Shakespeares
| tragedy has yet received. This IS saying gooo
deal for "Romso and Juliet has been worked
over by musical composers oftener than all
the other shakespearean dramas put together.
B.tyeen 1872 aud 1893 four Germans gave IL
musical setting-Benda Schwanberg, Running ana
| Steibst between 1889 and 1868 six tallans
tricked it ont with their melodles-Marsscalchi'
| Zngarelli Guglielmi, Vaccai, Bellini and Mar
| chetti three Frenchmen have composed lt-Dslay
rae. Gounod and the Marquis dlyry and ber-
| loz made it the subject Of dramatic symphony 70
which he gave the operate finale which, sinsuiary
! enough. Gounod and his lbrettists. NM. Barber
! Auoip
set Hanaers "Guo Cesare," produced at ths
| Kings Theatre while Handel was its manager In
| 1924. an "AmbletO," produced about the
same time at the same theatre, Nerors
"Macbeth,". Hal6vys Tempest" PetrellaI
Merchant of Venice Balfc's "Falstaf,"
Rossni's "Othello" Thomass " Hamlet" Nicolars
! Merry Wives OF Windsor" (which may be SEP
down as the best lyrical version oil one OK
| Shakespeares dramas yet madel, ana "oe'%s
Tanning of the Shrew," which has met wltn sreas
success in Germany, has been done into Enghsh
and given by Mr.. Rosa in London. Two years ago
| it was promised us by Mr.. Mapleson. but we arc
VET awaiting the fulflment of the promise.
The first Italian Opera Company which visited
| New-York, Garcia's in 1925, gave one OF the
| Italian versions of "Romeo and Juliet" and Bel
| linls "Montecchi Capulettr is not unfamiliar
though we believe it Is many years since IL was
| given entire. Singers have occasionally produced
its best act as an afterpiece, OF IN those musicn
hashes which arc supposed to be the proper thns
for q managers benefit. In it, as IN Llngarelhs
! and Vaccas operas Romeo Is impersonateo oy
soprano. In Charlotte Cushman's early days the
! theatre saw n similar perfOr nance. Gounods
onera has been given but seldom. A few years ago
! Miss Emma Abbott presented badly mangled
English version of it to tho commiseratiOn OF tho
| country Not only was the music sorely NAL
treated but the effect of the dOubly diluted ana
sophisticated libretto was painful III the extreme.
With a great deal Of cleverness the French operas
book makers constructed the most of their lines by
paraphrasing those Of the original tragedy. Nhap
! happened when these lines were turned back INTO
opera-boolz English to fit the rhythm of the French
music those who did not hear the performances OK
| the Abbott troupe can easilyimaglne
Romeo and Juliet accepts an operatio dress
gracefully The ball in the house of Cdpulet and
first meeting Of the lovers, the subsequent scenes OF
| love-making, the catastrophe and the hnal
reconciliation Of tho warning families, seem
as if made for music. 1t is true that when we think
of the dialogues between ROneO and Juliet no music
that has been allied to words take the place OF
Shakespeare's music but still the offence done tns
poet is much smaller in degree when TINS Tragedy
| is turned into lyric drama than when the same
| experlment is tried on Hamlet" the essence OK
which is beyond conventional operate expression.
| But the dialogues which invite composition also
give it pause and in spite OF Goun9ds me music y
| must be said THAI the passion OF the hl-starred
| lovers been
| eloquently in the Instrumental movement In
! BeIliOz's dramatic symphony than 1t can he,
or at least than it has yet been, expressed
| in O vocal duet Berlioz's instincts, not always
safe in this work, led him wisely here; yet
he apologzed for giving the duets OF love and
despair to the orchestra in work IN when ne nag
| invoked the aid of voices, and gave a series OF
reasons for his conduct. In his opinion the sub
| Unity of Romeo and DJultcfs love rendered Its
representation so hazardous for the musician that
he had to give his imagination latitude winch the
positive sense of the words sung would not nave
admitted, and to recur TO the
language which is richer, more varied less deter
inmate, and, by It's very vagueness, lnc0mparaDly
more effective for the purpose" This the best OF
the reasons advanced. was justified By the
results attained, and the only Romeo and
| Juetn love music which deserves to be Thought
of when one is reading the tragedy Is the garden
This reference. TO the Romeo and Juliet" SYM
phOny recalls point already referred to- G0unod,
like Bellini before him, ends the opera with duec
| between tho lovers in the tomb. Juliet awaking
from her trance before Ronels death ID order that
| this may be possible. Garriek. we believe, used q
similar device in his acting version and supplied
| some agonizng lines for the lovers leave-taklng
Yet in the closing lines OF the tragedy there are inc
outlines of an effective and entirely appropriate
| fnale-the reconciliation of the houses. Berlioz
was so impressed by this that he marred his SYM
phony by tacIlng an operate finale 10 IL; ana Dy
! singular coincidence il was this very finale which
fred the youth Gounod with an enthusiasm for the
older composer which has lasted all his life; Gou-
nod did not follow Berhoz in the tnaie but ne
| initiated him in q measure by prehXlng prologue
| to his opera. This prologue was omitted last
| night, 1t OelleYe, unique III operate
| tire The withdrawal of the curtain reveals o
picturesque group of Veronese, who In simple
chords recite ShakeSpeare's prologue
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From anciSnt grudge break to new mutiny etc.
The curtain then falls and after its second lifting
the opera begins. BerliOZ, also with a small cho-
rus outlines the whole action of the piece and even
gives sort of tbematic catalogue of the music.
Between the parting Of tho lovers and the c2tas-
trophe GounOd introduces new matter in the shape
of the interrupted wedding of iarfs and juliet.