Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-09
MANY WRITE OPERAS.
MUSICAL STARS ARE BORED WITH
PEOPLE WHO COMPOSE.


of manuscript that would appall the or
dinary theatrical manager
Mr.. Barton, of the Casino, receives as
many scores of opera in all stages of in
completeness as any one man in America
Chatting on the subject, he said: eve
have about three operas offered us eyery
week, which is probably the total output
of the country, for they all come to us
first. Only last week lank, tall Young
man came in with an original opera he
wished produced Immediately, and in
sisted that I read it. This | declined to
do, as the manuscript appeared to be
endless, but treated him politely, and
asked him to tell me the plot, which he
did.
"'What about the musicp asked the
young man.
'Oh, have written that he replied.
You understand music, thenY
'Oh, no; but whistled the tunes to
the organist of our church and he wrote
them out
"'Does he understand orchestrationY
'Oh, yes; he has been our organist
for twenty-five years
ssHe came from a small town on Cape
Cod. It has population of some 2, 1000
people, whose chief industry is shipping
sand from which glass lampshades are
made. The young man informed me
that he had come all the way to New
York to have his opera produced, and
seemed offended because | would not
promise to produce it at once
'It is a strange fact that nine-tenths
of the operas we receive have their
scenes laid in some South Sea island,
while we produce only modern American
opera now.
sometimes women come in, and then
there is trouble. When Poor Jonathan
was running, a lady came in with an
opera, which by force of will power she
induced me to glance through. IT was
a modern dress suit opera of today, and
when l asked her if | had not seen
something of the kind before she fired
up and departed. A few months later,
when Apollo an ancient Grecian opera,
was running at the Casino, back came
the lady with new opera. Have not
seen something of this kind beforeY
again remarked. No, sir she said, and
left it with me. 1t was the identical
iibretto she had presented before as
modern opera, with the names of the
characters ruled out with blue ink and
Grecian names written in with red. She
had put the time back 1900 years.
Digby Bell said: "Every few days
some one comes to me with new opera,
but always tell him that my contract
forbids my reading any manuscript
whatever for the next three years, but
if this doesn't get rid of him and he still
insists that his opera is great, offer to
produce it for three nights if he will put
up the money for the scenery and the
costumes, and if it is the success he says
it will be, will keep it on and refund
his expenses. AS the expense of pro-
duction amounts to about $4,000 the
man with the ibretto usually goes"
'Every week." said De Wolf Hopper,
81 receive 900 additional verses to my
songs, IAN Elephant on His Hands and
the Man in the Moon Some of them
are good, but if I used one of them it
would involve lawsuit with the COM
posers of Wang
ga few nights ago received eighty
one sheets of closely written foolscap.
1t was letter giving the scenario of an
opera, and winding up with a request
for two passes. OF course did nothing
to encourage the composer to enter the
theater. R94t gkE8r nis4a
''Once tried to be polite to a woman
who came well recommended, and in
sisted on reading her ibretto to me and
playing the music on my piano. 1t was
the worst three hours ever spent
,ssOne opera offered me contained
seveslty-six speaking parts, and the
gentlaaan who wrote it had probably
never seen a stage in his life. One side
of the stage was supposed to be bathed
in sunlight while the other was buried
in snow. Every few minutes there was
climatic change. The scene was laid
in mining camp, and the book told the
story of labor agitaMon. About fifty
Indians would rush on tlSe stage, then
as many miners, then squaws innumer-
able. A cyclone was featured, a confia-
grafton, one or two floods, rainbow
and an earthquake followed each other
in quick succession"
Francis Wilson was loath to abuse
those who submitted their work for his
approval, yet he could find no words in
their praise. eyes," he said, 81 receive
great many scores of operas, but the
people who write the lines and verses
never think of supplying the music, they
consider that mere detail which any
orchestra leader can add in at the last
moment.
''Nine out of ten operas offered me
have their scenes laid in the west. l
don't know why, but every one seems to
think that the Indian is the most poet
ical creature in modern literature.
have never found him so. Sometimes
some one does send in manuscript with
the music written in, but the songs are
all familiar. The composer visits 'The
Lion Tanner few of the airs catch his
ear, he goes home and unconsciously
composes variation of the tunes he
has heard
''Some day some one will bring in a
great opera, but it will have to be built
up with catchy music, new jokes and
pretty girls. Comic opera is not born
all at once, it is developed; and the
manager who knows just what parts to
develop in accordance with the peculiar
tastes of the different cities the COM
pany visits is the man who will build
up the reputation of the composer.