New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-22
" THE YE0MEN or THE GUARD"

THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD"
There doubtless many who heard Gilbert and
sulvans latest opcrcta at the Casino on last Wednes
day evening who will share with the hope that
familiarity will disclose greater merits In The ieomeh
Of the Gusr than could be discovered at this It's hist
American representation The thought would be
grfevous that these happily mated conaboratos had
gone into decay. In srite Of the fact that In ther
province they have been merrymakeS the Eng
disappearing world i'll afford to lose them
good laugh is a good thing. and now that the liking
for musical comedy has aacn powerful hold upon
the public there greater need than ever LOT opcre'as
which entertain the mind, delight the senses ana re-
fresh the body without violating decency or outraging
healhful II is necessary that the demonstra
ton be made again that farccal comedy can be
made diverng without calling on the actors to resort
TO horse-play In the presence of Gilbes eheivescent
intellectually forgive his cyncism,
and in the hearing of sullvans music
we always retain our respect Tor
him. though we wish he had more fceund fancy and
a more varied style The good qualities Of both are
present in a measure in the operetta, but these
are scarcely obvious enough to meet the demands
which they have taught us to make Of each new
work II from their pens; and so 1t must re-
gIetfully be recorded that Pnafore,' patience and
The Mikado- have not a worthy successor in The
Ycomen of the Guard" Least of all the new
work be consored with Princess Ida" for its greatest
weakness Is found right where the greatest charm OF
the respectful pervcrsion" of Tennysons poem Iay
namely I'm the book In its literary quality Prin-
cess Ida" distinctly above any one of its con
gcners, and fits failure best explained on the
ground of want of appreciation on the part of
public that had 10 look for broad farce where
IT should have gone for refined comcaty. Princess
Ida" seemed TO point I'm the direction in which MessIs
Gilbert and sullivan might have sought to develop
the unique style of operctta which their Invention
With all its paradox and logic gone mad, with all
its buresQuc of odtime chvalry and The severity OF
its satire so-called womans rights" there was In
il delicacy Of treatment, afectionate touch. so
far the central character concerned. that
brought the whole play pretty near the standard Of
true comedy
Unless willing to give admiration
10 evidences of mere mechanical Skill Gilbert
loses in charm for soon "a he abandons the
element which, whether found in book score, must
be called Gibertian. The essence of this element
Is paradox. its eXemplifcaton IS farcical The
beauty of il IS that it is farce which appeals with
dvcuing force to high faculty of wit instead of
merely low sense of humcr. a score Of examples
will occur TO any who recall the scenes and
sentiments of the opclctas which preceded The
Yeomen.- 1t was MI Gilbert who disclosed 10 Sir
Arthur sulliv an how music might be made humorous
The composer needed only set the lines in the
spirit In which they seemed to appeal to the stage
folk. and the thing was done; wc had the paradox
of the book accumulated by another in the score. or,
as Mr. Gilbert's clown says in the new operetta,
herein was contradiction cOntadcted," the very
marriage of pro with con-" Then there was the other
paradox between the situation and the sentiment,
as when the pirate king held pistol 10 Frcdercks
head and begged for mercy, the pirate chorus en-
tered dead of night singing with catlike tread
at the top OF their voices. Such elements are es-
scntially farcical, but there seemed possibility
Though the necessity not so apparently of de-
veloping them into factors of real comedy; and this,
had hoped, would be the course Mr.. Gilbert would
follow. The retention Of the element in refined
comedy, however. was conditioned upon the true
purpose of comedy being kept in mind. When Mr.
Gilbert has political social folly to chastise, he
smiles in vain. Rnddy gore proved this; yet there
was more satire in Rudy gore' ten lines over than
there is in " The YeomeD of the Guard" The change
which Mr.. Gilbert has made from farce to comedy
is an unfortunate for him and us, because his
farce was of high type, While his comedy is of no
type at all. There two things against which it
might be argued the satire in the operetta is d.
rected The first IS the fundamental passion OF
the story, for IL is a singular fact that Mr. Gil
berts presentation of the love story does not excite
the slightest sympathy because it fails to arouse
a suspicion of sincerity. The parsonage whose
actions are prompted throughout by love and who
enlists our sympathies the outset and holds them
till the climax reached is Phoebe; yet she is sum
marty paired of with the ilvisaged iaer In the
denouement while the hero Fairfax. who knows
her love and his life TO II. goes off with another
and the lghtcs: heart imaginable We imagine
and not his desire to satrze the universal passion
that led Mr.. Gilbert into this blunder If the satire
directed against the fool of Shakespcarean trag
edy, 1t is manifestly absurd proceedings for to the
world of to-day, the stage fool can only be vehicle
not an object Of satire. lie lacks contemporaneous
human interest Besides there IS no satire in the
treatment Of the fool who seems TO have been IN
troduced to play exactly the same part that he does
in Shakespeare. The fact is. there is 40 sincerity
in the play and its incongruities have Just the OPP
posite effect TO what they would have
had I'm book written on the old
lines-say a book designed to parody Don Caesar
de Bazan7 instead Of one making use of its under
lying dramatic idea The book, moreover, Is laDored
aud though Mr.. Gilber's skin in the manipulation
Of rhymes, rhythms and alterations has enabled him
TO construct singabe' lyrics, there is in no part
OF the piece spontaneous a flow as distinguished
the Gllbertian books prior to Ruddy gore'
The fact that much of the effect of stllvans music
heretofore has been due to the felicitous flow OF
the text may be taken explanation why dis
appointment must be felt, too, in the score. The
English spirit Of the older is preserved, and
once or twice has happy exemplifcaton, as in the
first chorus Of the warers where, too in compliance
with Of Sir Arthur's old formuaries, the melody
Is blended with that of the womens song, constructed
to be used a counerpontl and in the unaccom-
panied part song:
Strange adventure Maiden welded
To groom she's seen !"
But, as was remarked in the hurried notice written
after the first performance, most of the good music
in the humorous scenes, where Gilbert APP
proaches his old self We make exceptions in favor
If Phoebe's first sOng Else's recitative and ballad:
"'Iis done 1 am a bride |" the cleverly builtup
finale Of the first act, and especially the funeral
music with accompaniment Of tollIng bell. which
ushers In that finale and greatly heightens the gloom
Of the picture Of preparations for execution
Tower Green. On the whole, the shows
decadence in melodIc invention which Sir Arthur
vainy tries TO hide by increased use of reconcile
effects Of treatment and orchestTaOn. One melody
will iinger pleasantly In the memory. II Is that of