New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-01-04
A sHhKESpEAREAN OPERA.

the rSt work to be performed by the American Opara
which begins it's public career at the Academy OF Mus,
tonight. TIE ten loncy of tbs times IL toward
national The countries OF Europe arc all enan
clpatns from the sliken Italian honges that
have held them enthalled for lOlg an ta
production o. operas la tho language Of their peope
lhe promoters OF the local enterprise bslove ihi tia
tmc to put aside Old aaectatiol ana houo,
the yernacGar In America, ana their be et found
expression In the creation OF Institution which viii
strive drst to habiitae the English language on thu
operate stage, aod II successful IN this 10 accomplish
for tho United States the national work that all the oths
great OF the world engaged In tor the,-
selves These purposes being conceded TO he laadas
nothing could BE- m0re appropriate aud dig:ioi than
tue choice OF shakcspearean opera to begin With saas
this insnres n knowledge OF the book aud sympathetic
interest in tho opera tie par OF performers aud
public provided OF course that the music Is Oand to b,
worthy OF the play.
The present generation Of opora-coers IS suIlrar
from bearing with many operas OF tHis character.
! R0,sinfs Othello and ycrdrs "8acbstb" Sotho,
which enjoyed considerable popularity in their time
have disappeared from the stage fow years As,
Adelaide Phillips used occasions I'd revive scese
| from Bellinfs Montecchi Cgpnetti," bu. 10 tia
majority the present patrons OF opera hoases even
! this once admired opera IL only name. GJna0rs
Romeo and Juliet" lives indeed, and Mcsdaue,
Nilsson Gerster and sembrich In turn within the past
fifteen eighteen years Occasioned representations Of
Tomass Hamlet In the OF both Of these operas
the contrast between artistic :cthOis
the composers and the Ideal Of artistic proprey created
by popular familiarity with the tragedies prevented Tie
operas securing firm hold IN the affections OF the
people There is nothing strange in this. Perversons
OF literary masterpieces, such as Oiera composers
usually accomplish, never be endured with patience
by the people Of whose Language, life and art the
| masterpieces are part Tie Germans have
! vigorously resented the despoilng Of Goethe by
! composers. Gounods " Faust" though wo.k
Of profound poe,Ical beauty long resisted
and even appears on tie German operate Isis rs
Z" Margaretha-" Thomass q" Mgnon " met evea moro
strenuous opposition OhOugh the composer sought
appease the names tbs poet and satisfy the German
people by writing second ending for tue operi de-
nouement oliemande in which A0non does not
and set married "a, herOines must do 1t the O.Ers
Comiqur) but dies as Goethe made her, and as such
perfect tragedy type should
century and half ago Julius Caesar impeIson-
ated in an opera of Handers by artificial male oprino
ana the R0DseOs OF Beni and Z,ngarel women
singers The earliest operate "Halnlet" OF record
Gasparni's AIneto prod need In London under Han.
ders management-wss introduced by overture end
Ing with g the Hamlet Of Thomas wins the applause
OF the public, not with his mono.osge
suicide, but with q drinking song; Rossnrs
Othelo" IS OF such questionable dramatic pO tency
that related that clinsctic particularly
we'll rendered moved Impossible Italian to
shout Great God The tenor is numbering ths
soPranow Vet all these absurdit;cs triiiug
pared TO modern opera in which Shakespeare is hin.
self the hero. Thomas " lie sohge Mutt O. tte"
has connection with A." A Midsummer Nights Dream
as its title would lead suppose. II is vile
comedy which presents tho poet in the character ola
disso addlepate who cOnsOrs with FdisiCR salaes
his pothouse friends Hamlet, Opaoa. CrooLb csci
Die aud Lear gets drunk insults Queen Elizabeth who
follows into atayern to achieve bis reformation and
ends oao act by falling into drunken sleep The book
OF this opera monumental proof OF tle fact
that In regard to the teratures Of other peoples
"a French hbrettst has bowels OF compassion.
to say nothing OF reverence. " Romeo and juliet" Of
ali Of Shakep ares plays accepts an operate dress
gracefully aud because Of that 1t has
been music oftener than oil tae other plays put
together The ball In CaQisFs house the flrst meeting
of the lovers, the woong in the garden and JHVrs
chamber the catastrophe and the tnal reconciliation OF
the warning families that IS II made for
music. their ony drawback she operatic composer
being that the music OF shasespearos lines is ITSELF
lovely tia. 1t mOcks the composers art. Berlioz paid
tribute this truth when he declined to MAKE use Of
Ia his musical dclueation Of the garden
scene
It Is perhaps not singular thar in the
list OF Shaksspearean settings comedy il
shown to have Jared better than tragedy.
In Nieoars Merry Wives OF WinisOr." which
we arc promised this by the cement
the American Opera. We have au opera which reflects
admirably the unctuous hamOr OF Sir John FaisGg
and the keen and YivaciOus spirits OF his fair
mentors The action is scarcely 40 Gil retarded aud the
goes unhlg y from the dino that SIR yOkafa
into tbs trap OF the merry womsn till has huni1tOni in
Windsor wood the charm the latter scene bciug m
mensey hei sIteasd by The mgsc. "TIs Tanning " tao
Shrow" presented greater feut 20 the composer
than The Merry Wives" Iu hgst place IT, FAM
OF much mora bois.eroas nttare. its action,
~ what tue principal scenes, vast
ly energetic aud Of kind which. siucs
operas have been wnttea. has felt the letters
OF musical form. Music. whom associated with the
drama. is most ctcaciOu when IL has opportunity 10
forth emotional mental state. For this there 10
little opportunity In the midst OF such tempest Of ever
changing action fills the chief Of rAe flaming
OF the sarsw" Mozart lie nonstrated the capacity OF
TO keep with and evcn heighen bastlInsae
tiyIty IN me huaes OF Figaro" and 4" Don Giovanni"
and Wagner In the music accompanying tue arrival oil
LoieHJr1. and tho street, ght scene III "Dle Msiser
singer but all composers not MJzarts ana Nsgnars
aud the rule is that masc has petrying eaeet on 40
ton.
'The Tanning o. the Shrew" llftol its compo'er Oh.
OF 0bscury and placed him the topinost OF pop
ulartty Ii is seldom that opera, the work Ola
composer OF established fame. has been received with
sdoh universal favor by critics of all schools ths
opera. its composer had not begun systematic nstrue
ton music until no had attained hs seventeenth year
He nad studied with kOhlcr. Won Bu,Ow and UAch and
conquered Tor himself the Odes position OF organistn
Swiss town. There no lived far from public notice,
giving certs conducting societies. and eking out
living by giving lessons dividing his timo between Wiz
terthur whore he held Official position. ana Ludcn
whero he found tho greater demand for his services as
teacher HIS life hard one, and developed con
Sumption, from which he died at the OF thr-siA,
two years alter the anceess or his opera had pat us
name INTO tho mOItbs OF musicians aui music lovers
the world over Tho opera brought 0ut IN Mannheim
ON october III, 1874 In February OF 1879 IL was
given IN Vienna and then In rapid order Ia Wemar lep
sic, Hanover Coburg, SehworI Dessau saizbnrg ptrf
statt, Carsruhe, Berlin, Bremen, StasOurh FrahAiors
aud London reaching the lattor city IN 1873 Like NC
OLAF and Bzet, GOoZ died while yet young aud WINE ,no
wJrlu was ok pcthg MAJ To enrich tue lterliuo % %
art no loved lie was fortunate IN the choice Oh !"
bretto TAe book Of his opera, written by Joseph tH
tor Wdmdnn Is much better than the average wdrkols
Kind rs poetry though II Ia nat constructed Win muon
skill rs play. IL aihcres with reasonable ieliy -
the scenes iu which PetTtchio disepiness
tho shrowish Katharine, with tho wooing OK
Blanca by LHceHtO and HOrtenS0 Ia tse
guIsc OF Tutors. IS an amabo episode Sdakespearos
amusing induction In omitted. OF course; the hrst acs
acconpiishes the Introduction Of al the characer' ln9