New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-02
THE OPER1TIC Problem

THE UHEHIIlC 4 ~ 'DH'%'N'
Onera lovers in London are confronted with n
state of affairs 50 anomalous and startling that
they are cudgellng their brains i'll vain efforts
to find an explanation of it. For the 1rst time
in one hundred and ffty-eight years they are
this spring without Italian opera. For the frst
time in thirty nine years (save IN lSo6 wheh
fire made it impOssible) the Royal Italian
Onera at Covent Garden failed to open its doors
ON Easter tuesday. The house has by this
time. we suppose, been purged of the odors left
by the circus that occupied 1t during inc
winter. but Mr.. Gye and his hackers seem to be
unwilling to assume the risk OF season OF
opera. their financial gOOd-nature having been
strained too severely last year. Meanwhile the
lease of Her Maiesty's has been hawked about
fruitlessly. and the latest reports from the
doughty Mlpleson confirm the suspicion,
awakened by the singular character OF mis- fare
well attentions to Madame Patti and Miss
Nevada here, that he will not be at the head OF
an operate enterprise until he returns to this
patient and amiable country next fall. 1t seems
even possible, therefore, that the melancholy
reflection of the musical philosopher of The
Times (L0ndon) made some time ago may De
verified and that Madame Patti and Madame
Nilsson, if they should dcign to visit London
again, may be reduced to singing popular
ballads at the Albert Hall. In Paris and ST.
Petersburg Italian opera is also in condition
of suspended animation, aud IN Germany and
Austria the swelling tide of Magnetism has
caused the scores of Bcllini, DOnizetti and
their melhhuous confrerrs to be relcgatcd to
the lumber-room.
There can be no question that at no time in
the history of music have the enemies OF Italian
opera had a better reason than now To rejoice
at what they are pleased to call its death.
But Italian opera has more lives than cat. 1t
has frequently been mOribund, but just as fire.
quently has shown most admirable perverseness
in clboving the doctors and nurses whose
attentions were killing it out of the way and
staggering TO its feet with an exclamation sim
liar to that attributed by John PhUnix" to
the diving Webster" amt doad yitw 1t has
lived while It's nurses have died physically or
financially; and we fancy that it will be resus-
citated again In London, though we do not
believe that its hold upon the mnsic-loying
public is as strong rs it was half century ago
The life of Italian opera il dependent upon
two factors, and both of them are passing
away The first is singers trained in its tradl-
tons or, if not that, OF such charm of voice and
method that they can make one forget the
absurdity of the art-form and the incongrulty
of the representation the second Is fashion.
We have been taught to believe that nothing is
more unstable than fashion, yet it has remained
true to Italian opera with scarcely a relapse
ever since it WAS first introduced in London
The people have only acted i'll sclf-deience IN
demanding that the Italian language should be
used in operate entertainments; 1t spares
them the humiliation of understanding the
words, and they lose little If any OF the
emotional element whenever such happens To
bs in the work Even Wagner, who has in
sisted upon the equal rights of all the factors
employed in the lyric drama has said that
"when music is heard, with singing added
thereto, it is not the pOetcal thought which,
especially in choral pieces, can hardly be ar
ticulated inteligiDly, that is grasped by the
@auditor but at best only that element of 1t
which to the musician seemed suitable for
music, and which his mind Transmitted into
"musicn We have met diligent opera goers
who persistently decline the aid of the trans
lated book of words because they prefer to
fancy words and sentiments to fit the music
rather than have their Imagination fettered by
the silly trash which the composers have used rs
skeleton on which to hang their beautiful in
SEPARATIONS. Until popular taste has been lifted
completely out of the rut which 1t has occupied
so long, we can understand that Italian should
be preferred to the vernacular for operatic en-
tertainments. And this leads us to observe
that English opera, or opera in English, in
which we are expected to take n patriotic in
terest must come in form that will command
the admiration or respect of people of intcli-
gence and musical taste before it can hope 70
succeed here.