The morning call., 1893-03-13

belief in his supernatural powers, consents
to share the throne of King Kamehmeha
and wed the sweet Princess Iaia. The
agreement is ratified in a trio, one of the
prettiest numbers in the opera, Captain
Cook, the King and the Princess singing:
Idfd.-
No boaster valn do assure thee
Is my father, stranger far.
Believe him ever, conjure thee
When his throne he bids thee share.
Long years he's waited for this meeting.
The gods SC long have held In store,
This happy day his heart Is beating
With Joy it never felt before.
No hoaster vain. do assure thee.
Shsit thou mud me, strangers fair,
Believe me ever, cunjure thee,
My throne, my heart bid thee snare
0oD'qls Q SS9s;@ So9s;s; vain. h. doth ...uremo.
Shall find him-thst is fair
Believe him ever, adiure thee,
BIS throne, his heart he BIDS eshare
The last four lines of the first verse are
sung as q chorus by the trio.
The king then tells the history of his ma
tlon, and sweet Iaa follows with beauti-
full soprano solo, telling Captain Cook who
she is:
A fern-leaf grew in the forest glade
Where the sunbeam peeped In its coyest way
Where amorous youth and beauty strayed
And Cupid King held regal sway.
It's thoughts were all OF love aNu llIe,
SO far reno we'd from toll snd strife,
Where all the air was fun Of love
The bOughs and branches far abovei
The birds all sang the selisame song.
And warbled on the whole day long:
How sweet is love!
Now. how could this tiny leaf apart
Iu an atmosphere SO fui and warm
Its heart preserve from the lovers dart?
hose the fault If it came TO harm?
What wonder. then, it dropped and died
When Cupld's arrow pierced It's Side,
With none 20 shield it-none TO guard,
Poor little fern-leat stricken hard.
Aud so throughout the liveiong day
1t never sang ITS sweet. sad lay:
How sweet is love!
Then follows chorus of rejo icing by the
natives over the arrival OF their god. and
Captain Cook is borne in triumph to the
throne. The next scene opens with visit
TO the Island of Oponui, a sub-chief and
ruler of a neighborng island, to whom Iaia
has been betrOthed from childhood. He
very naturally is much distressed over the
loss of his prospective bride and in numer-
Gus basso solos tells his woes, but is COM
fronted by koko Boa, a rival soothsayer to
the one who foTetold the arrival of the
white god, and who advised him to b ide his
time and make war upOn the king. After
interviews with the King, Princess, Cook
and his crew, 0ponui decides to fight for
her and gets bis army ready for battle. But
all this time Captain Cook has been think
ing Of his wife and babies at home. and the
second act closes with the mariner in
quandry whether to stay on the Island as
king or 90 home again to England.
The third act tells the story of how the
love OF wife and babies in England on
Cooks part and the love of Iaia for the
savage OpOnui on the other hand led to
peaceful settlement of the troubles by Cook
sailing away after having given the reunited
savages his blessing
The music throughout is very fine, hRr-
monious. light and catchy. Mr.. Brandt has
been so long an orchestra leader that he
knows just what the public want, and has
given it to them. Ksmehameha and Oponui
sing the basso parts, Iaa the soprano. her
maid the contralto Captain Cook barytone,
Koko Bola and Or. Cupples the tenor and
the ships crew ard natives form a full,
strong chorus numerically. Mr.. Brandt
arranged most of the music for orchestra for
"Said Pasha," by Stahl and Marble:
"Bluff King Hal" by Dan O'Connell and
Fl. j. Stewart, and His Majesty" by
Peter Robertson and Stewart, and as these
three constitute the only comic operas ever
written on this coast that have had any de-
gree of success, he has certainly tile ad-
vantage of handling the work of his prede-
cessors.
He says that the brightest and best music
ever written on this coast will carry the
libretto of Forman.
The new opera, as yet unchrstened. will
probably be presented to the Bostnnians
during their engagement here, as Brandt
feels satisfied it will be success. With
the present interest in the affairs of the
Hawaiian Islands no more propitious time
could be selected for launching an opera
dealing with that people, their traditions
and history.
At any rate the composers are going to
try it. and that soon.