New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-27
MUSIC.
rHE FUTURE or OUR orERE


calculate tho chances zero Of the various forms IA
which tho delightful, and expensive ENTERTAINERS
manifcsfs itself There are two points Of view nom
which observations must be made-ths artistic and
the financial. UnhappIly, it has been demonstrate
over and over again that IA would DO idle TO argue
the question simply from the side Of art. wherever
opera is an exotic, there the question Of its quality
and its maintenance depends upon social considers
tIons and the caprices Of fashion. OF course,
there IS something humilating In this stah
| Of affairs. New-York is one OF the largest and
wcalthiest cities in the world. 1t Is the metropolis
Of the country to whom the commercial, industrial
and artistic future Of the world belongs 1t ought
to begin build for the future to turn It's eyes away
from the false glare Of mcretricous things and a.
rect them toward those manifestations Of tho besau.
full whose influences elevatfng and refining II
cannot be that any considerable number Of the stock
| holders OF the Metropolitan really believe that the
taste Of the progressive aud unconventional Amen'
people is half century behind that OF tbe lead
| ers IN European cvillzation-EnglaDd, Germany.
France and Russia. That In opera tho productions
of people for dramatic not simply lyrical,
music has been proved In the past and Is proved
every opera night at the Metropolitan We cannot
afford TO place ourselves in respect Of musical train
ing and sympathy on the level OF spsin Italy and
| Brazil
But this is purely the art side OF the question The
argument which IS moro likely TO bring conviction Is
that which Is based the fact (which has happily
been demonstrated beyond controversy that financial
Is contingent the maintenance OF sound art
standard Granted that the public would lils to lste,
10 better vocalIsts than the members Of the Germas
company rule, let us sec what would %
essential to crafty their desire In the rst piaceso far
as nero vocazation is concerned, NewYork has head
the best and is fasdious and capricous that nonns
but the best will satisfy IT, An all round good
! Italian company without stars" has never been
| patronized In New-York and never win
L. Ir~ffa
the operas are threadbare, are dramatically unnter
esting and only beautiful voices and beautiful singing
| can mako them tolerable. Now, here Is list OF
practically all the singers in Italian and French opera
| who would be attractive to the New-fork public;
| sopranos-Patti. Sembrich, Nilsson, Van Zandt.
Contraltos-Scalch Bellincioni.
lean asd Ds ceiisr ard Tsan,c
| Bar1tones-Maure and Lasalle.
OF course there are many good singers, not Named
| who could be utilized, but this Is practically com
plete list of cards." and cards are necessary.
| AS bearing on the question mention might be made
| Of Miss Emma Nevada who three years
| ago was a dreadful failure hero, but
| has lately aroused the greatest enthusiasm
in Madrid and on the strength of her success then
has been engaged for forty nights in South America
at So 600 night. Those who would suggest that the
list is incomplete might also be old that the only
tenors (ousidc of those mentoned who are succeed
ing in Italian performances Marcont, whose hascs
minds of New-Yorkers stagno, the utterly unmustcsl
believer who shared in the discontinue of Mr. Abbey's
| company at tine Metropolitan, and MierzwfncsD,
whose Ut de poitrfne7 and nothing else distinguishes
| him at the Academy six years ago. Madame Adam,
excellent singer that she Is, with tastes and talents
beyond the Italian repertory, had her trial at reani-
mating italian opera at the Academy few years ago.
Keeping all the prime dome mentioned and their
perores 10 mind this would be the outside limit Of
the operate list that could be offered to our public
@La Traviata,' III Barbere.' "semiramide," Ia
dA%ores E& frovatoSs." aRisolct.o Aida,
nan:' ocrspnC Les HuGaepno,s Il tA ia.1as.
| Carmen Hamlet >" Mignon."
Even this hackneyed list would be impracticsbls
| in so short a
What would be the prospects Of financial success
with quartet of stars and a satisfactory troupe
in such repertory? A leaf from Mr. Abbey's expe-
rences at Metropolitan win to give fnsfruc-
don on this point with the help Of The prestige
which came from the new house, with Nilsson, SEM
brfch, Trebelh, Fhrsoh-Msdi scalchi, Campanini,
capoul aud Del Puentc In the company the average
nightly receipts OF the first month Daring
the opening night, wien fabulous prices were paid,
were 5000. while Mr.. Abbey's nightly expenses
we're $4,000. The capacity of the house during this
season was $500 night greater than il Is now
because of the difference In prices Of admission Sup
pose Mr. instructed to engage Italian
company for next season. He would be obliged In
here which approach closely those he would
have to pay (the list IS made from evidence carefully
gathered, and CROSSWORD does not enter into IN:
Patti, $4,000 per night Sembnch (who IS now III in
Dresdenl, $1,000; Nilsson (retired but might DO per-
suadd to return for ssy) So 500; Marie Van Zandt
1000; jean De Reszke would only in con-
Junction with hts brother the baritone, and the two
would cost, though $1,000 was lately offered in
Madrid $1,000; Tsmagno. $500 Che was offered
$3.50 in Brazil; Masini. 800; Maurel. 5000:
Lasalle, $7o0 It might be interesting 70 add in
view OF the fact that contracts with prime donns
usually include hotel expenses that under Mr.. Abbey's
regime Madame sembrchs hotel bills amounted to
81 400 month.
We imagine that facts and figures like these, taken
In connection with the experiences made by those
interested In operate representations during the last
years at the Academy OF music and tho Metropolitan
Opera House, carry their argument aud require no
explanation. There are few things Whose men
ton win suffice argumenp, however. that speak
for German opera and against a change 10 italian.
German opera Is cheaper. It's reperfory, including
IL does the masterpieces of all schools is much
larger and varied. In sincerity of purpose and
artistic intelligence its representatives rule
much superior to the representatives OF French or
italian opera. 1t numbers among It's singers some
of the finest of living vocalists such. One would
have TO search long 10 find elsewhere good drs
matte soprano as Lehmann. fine basso
Fischer. The whole subject OF what constitutes
italian or German or French opera Is vague. Good
singing is good singing the world For certain
merely effects, the Italian language is morn
pleasing than the German French or English
but Italian is Just much foreign language hero
as German, and its delicate nuanoes arc not always
manifest TO American ears; certainly not when thsy
come from non-Italian throats, and counting Madame
Patti an Italian by virtue Of her parentase, there
are four Italians in selected list Of fifteen singers
The warmest supporters of opera in this city are
the Germans, especially the German Hebrews 10
would scarcely be an exsggeration to
say that the Metropolitan audiences out
side Of the stockholders boxes are
two-thirds men and women Of German birth Tnsy
the most stable patrons Of opera because OF kns
cultivated in the past or inherited. In Germany
music is not a matter Of fashion, but vehicle S
culture German music means highly developed har-