New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-15
StJLLIVAN'S "IVANHOE."
TIE MUSIC.

From The London Telegraph.
After Robert Schumann had read through the
score of Iannhauser," he said TO Menueissonh,
declare that he Wagner cannot write or Imagine
four consecutive bars that are melodlous OF even
correct Having witnessed representation VI
the opera, he remarked, =" must retfacI soEu
deal of what | wrote to you after reading the
score On the stage everything IS very dllererHI,
When the gamor mad worn of he sald Inc
music apart from the whole performance, Is pour
often downright amateurlsh, meaningless anu
rcpulsve7 rom which 1t appears that there are
two WAYS of looking at the composers snare III
lyric drama first, as music simply next as mu5lo
! forming part Of complex creation. IL Is III my
| first-named lcht-the second IN due ulhicI'h'S
we now propose 10 examine the luso ~
IyanhOp" some general remarks are heCeSsaiS
at the outset. Sir Arthur Sullivan has broken no
new ground in this work, being or opilIoH' ~
would seem, that the composer OF the Oo"en
Legend could meet all the requirements Oh ai,
English lyric stage by means OF the meunous IN
qua shown in that fascinating work ne nlllu
have considered new departure necdlul III VIu.i
to signaizc duly his first serious opera ana plenty
Of excuse might have been found Tor nm, M
ing the strength of example III lhc CAST IA" az
adopted the principles OF modern opera as ~,
iuenccd by Wagner, and given us the
| orchestra Il stage with strictly supof'lllalc
musical interest a whole museum OF leit-hoUveH,
and 50 forth. Instead Of this the composcru IS
and attractive guise he has worn an 1toHSii
modified only 10 limited extent by spccIaiI
circumstances while without adopting the Iorllldi
lines of English opera in the past. he has cha,seu
them in truly safe and conservative spirit ~
inc said this need scarcely Insist upon t'ie ~
! that vanhoe1 is a melodious opera. and that the
tune is where it should BIN the H S9sn o' usrs
| dcclamatOry music freely, with aGinlraDle PPdIu
for the sense of his colleagues verses Dut, WleIi-
ever possible, true vocal melody comes H., WIFI
the charm for which no substitute can be found.
Moreover it. is given fair play. Ii has no sohorouS
and OVcrmaSterng rival in the orchestra IL -
distinguished only as prmus inter pares. 1t is
the first truly, but IL has no equals. Leu no olic
run away with the idea that though the Orchestra
accompanies, II is not often oqueht ana
| on it's own account. Indeed. the composers rctl-
cent method in this connection gives all the greater
weight to the uttcrances Of the orchestra when per-
mltted to range itself so to SPEAK IN ilc Win '
characters. An important result Is cleafneSs ana
| the iutcgibencss of an argument simply eX-
pressed and directed unsweryinrly to the nam
! issue ii is not our business at the present. mo-
mcnt 10 discus, operas so complicated In structure
| and confused in utterance that hearing becomes
| hard labor We have only 10 say with con-
siderable hankfuness that Ivanhoe is not one one
Of these. because the composer, Selling upon me
! dominant feeling in character or SITUATION
addresses all his powers TO ITS musical eN1
preston leaving collateral things to be percelved
| by an uHpuz1cd audience. with regard 10 tne
mo.lcrn vice Of leading themes" il may he said
! that Sir Arthur does not use them in any manner
! that 4 Wagncri;n thcorst would recognize. All
! the world knows how, in The Golden Legend, .
| certain phrases recur 20 help a suggestion OF
something that has passed In the same man
| ncr, and. relatively, 10 much the same extent,
/ are recurring themes employed in lvanhOc,
! but they arc neither numerous enough to he a
! toN rpon memory or perception, nor intrusive
| enough To lcceme WcarSomo, nor employed 50
! mechanically rs 10 seem artificial. There re-
! mains - add that the composer, whenever an
! opportunity present, itself fully works ont ms
! 'nouchts I'm form, and even preserves the old
! fashioned division into "numhcrS,' though his
| unit is larger than tlc individual song or duet.
Thus, there are seven numbers in the first scenc.
| To PIT complicated distinction in the fewcst
| words We have here not German. bat an EnglS
| olcri- Lh--h not alone H. iiN subject. spirit and
| mu,' mi expression. but In It's relation 10 the
! English opcr' of the past rs q development OF
! and on improvement upon il. Having regard 10
/ 'hr foundation Of national opcro-housc among
/ uS. We cannot cNag-erdtc the importance of these
iIc's Nay The Successors of Ivanhoe be like
J y. and not copies Of foreign models.
The rcadri i~ now invited - accompany rs on
! % iourncV ~ inspection through the opera mark
/ iu- such structural and other features - may
/ Ic-.tU1fcly p" considered apart from representa-
/ ton Throughout tie scene I'm tedrics Hall the
/ prevailing sentiment is hospitality. which the
! composer dclflv represents and SLstaiEs by means
of his first musical phrase: