The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-07-19
4 COMIC OPERA.
Scenes in a Managers
Office When Its Pro-
duction Is De-
termined.
TROUBLES AND TRlUMPHS.
Thousands Of Dollars Dependent on
the Judgment Of the
Public.


says. Light opera means heavy work
thinks the tired manager when his labors
are but half through. Douglas Jerrold
once said he would rather be successful
manager than a Prime Minister: he
might have added that the qualities re-
quisite to become prime minister are
necessary for the successful control Of a
modern production, like those for In
stance presented at the New York Casino.
In no respect are the qualifications Of an
imDresario, for example such as Rudolph
Aronson, different from those of a prime
minister except that his talents are en-
ployed on different species Of material.
The manager first must have an intui-
tive knowledge Of what is likely to meet
the taste of capriciots public, months
ahead, for an opera may take twelve
months to write and the popular fancy
may veer round the entire compass in
that time. Today the barrel organs may
be numbering Won Suppe, next week the
street ganins may be whistling Lecoeq,
next month the inhabitants of flats NAV
be tormented with Offenbach rs he is
thumDed out of insJalment pianos; next
yeari-well, who knowsf The impress
sarlo must know, he must decide. he will
even control the peoples taste If he has
correctly digined its tendency
THE FIRST STEP.
Step number one is o correspondence
with the composers to settle tbs terms OF
the contract. This is O tasK worthy the
powers OF Philadelphia lawyer, Tor IL
involves bhe price, the terms for.royalries
In foreign cofntries, the arranQements
for Simultaneous production in two
countraes TO. protect copyright the stipu-s
laeions for secrecy, the date fer pto6uc-
ton, 1.-The. time for delivery Of the libfetto
and score, the nature And style of the
subject. The original suggestions for
| scenery and surge arrangements. the
penaiJles for nDn-c9npletioa or nor-pre-
oucuon. the Submission of plot with
designs for managers approval and s
score Of minor details
The fire has been lighted, the steam is
turned on, the machine begins TO move q
\ little slowly at Arst, but presently in full
career of fierce activity. The pen which
has signed the contract Is kept VET to
write the squib which IS 20 inform the
world through the papers thai the brain
of man mas matched out another bright
| idea for. its amusement.
WheH public curiosity is once aroused.
| the newspaper men are eager to obtain
news items aboub the forthcoming opera
amusing instance of this occurred when a
| well known correspondenCin a New York
| letter to Boston paper evolved from his
| inner consciousness a plot for the Gilbert
| & Sullivan opera, sfhe Yeoman of the
| Guard" and wrote a charming sketch of
Persian love tale laid in the tower of Ara
| rat, redOlent with the Odor OF the lotus
\ and ringing with the voice of the bulbul,
| This he put forward ex-cathedra; he
\ alone was the bosom oonfldant Of the com
! poserS- Yet ne would have been every
| whit as near the mark had he written Ia
l-hifi-as the place, and the Queen of the
southern isles the heroine. The manager s
literary woFk-the editing of advertise
ments, the selection or papers, the 1.-the
graphT of bill posters--are but small items
IN the rising tide OF labors.
A MANAGERIAL CIRCUS.
The authors haye.ar last Informed the
manager how HfaAF principal characters
there are in the piece with their lines OF
business. The manager announces his
needs in the usual quarters and then the
managerial circus begins BIS Office is
| besieged with troops OF applicants fifty
deep every morning. Nambar one is
young girl with an anxious looking mid
I die aged lady.
,sThis is NY daughter, sir. She eau
sing very well and she wants TO do.some-
| thing. My husband was sea captain
( and he was
Yes. madame, has your daughter been
| out befere?"
mo. sir. You see we have been living
| at
YES. madame: We win try your
Striking chord he bids her sing a
| scale, which the girl begins in her ner-
vousness. three notes out. Here cool
! headed Judgment comes in. Nervous
ness is NOT impatiently mistaken for.in-
nd 10
! DEAR" treasures the timid one. A fair
! voice and ear IS now disclosed. Take
/ this note to the musical director, and be
will try you in the chorus" The pair are
| bowed out before they have time TO re-
| ply, pleased enough, though little dis
appointed at not being cast for leading
principals.
The next conner is Of different stamp;
self satisfied she boldly responds to the
piano with voice which remnds the
nearer Of the scissor grinder, or of the
field cricket as he chirrups to his mate in
| the fall. Cool head comesln again. In
competent as she is, she must ret be
offended, and although she has wasted
valuable time. something like this takes
place:-'I think my dear. tall ladies in
side a theatre are addressed as my
dearly that our list OF altos is full, still
the musical director may mako some
| changes, and l Will take your address,
and.Iet you know il anything turns up
The lady is bowed oct. and is now wait
! ing for '-the letter that never came"
Fifty or sixty such interviews in
morning is sn ordinary quota. Some
times lady comes whose pfeposs essinR
appearance makes her prize. but whose
voice is worth nothing and whose knowl-
edge OF music Is less. She will be en-
gagged, and the coaching her into musical
shape will be one of The penances by
which the musical director will atone for
the errors of his early youth One OF the
callers IS more Important. She asp.res to
and CERT ttpates from some national con-
servatory She has played In Loudon or
Vienna. She Is tried with some lovely
but heyid number Of the actual opera and
sings It charminGiy at sight Coming 70
an abrupt stop:-"Why, Mr.. Aronson,
this Song Is like Pat Moloayss tune on
the fiddle; 1t has no beginning and breaks
of Ia the middle
Yes, my dear. the rest OF that song il
coming over next week by the Arizonar'
She is engaged, but it win be matter OF
anxious consultation hereafter between
the manager, the musical director. the
stage director, and possibly the author,
as to which part she shall be cast for,
King CophetUa or the Daggar Msid7
ssKlcEs.n
Tho musical director perhaps now comes
for instructions Mr. Blown, who is
perfect in his part. says ne won't sing it
because he has 60 dance with Mr.. Smith,
and they are not friends. Mr. Aronsen
with military pronintness:--ssCa the
understndy aud tell Mr.. Brown he car