The herald., 1894-02-25
ABOUT OUR HOMESPUN OPERAS
Americans Who Have Ventured
to Create Lyric Dramas.
Fry's LeOn0ra in 1848 Was the First
American Opera Written.
william vincent waliscs the Author of
MarItana and How He Wrote Lur-
line During His Stay in
San Frsncisco.

The opera being something OF con-
tinental, rather than English origin, it
is not surprising that the American re-
public should have passed into its third
century before any attempt was made
in the direction of the lyric drama. Up
to 1880 the immigration was exceedingly
small to what it is at present and the
Celtic and Saxon races predominated
largely over those of the Latin origin.
Hence it WAS heard with some surprise
that. emboldened by the success OF Mr..
Henry Wood miss Paton) at the Park
thester in 1885 81, in English versions
OF Sonnambula and Puritani, Dominick
Lynch of New Yerk had engaged an
opera troupe, headed by Madame
Felicie Malibran (who had previously
appeared in concerts in America as
Signorina Garcia) to present the works
of the Italian masters in the vernacular.
1t began the decadence of Lynch's
enormous fortune for, although the
receipts we're large, they in nowise
equsllsd the expense OF presenting
operas ON so grand sale.
From that time. to 1870, Italian opera
was presented in New York every win
ter with wavering success. Neither
Jenny Lind, Henrietta Sontag nor
Marie Albani dared risk anything but
concert performances on their first ap-
pearances in this country, and the
former never once essayed opera ex-
cept in the European capitals. At the
same time while operate performances
were bankrupting every manager who
undertook them, the city OF Havana,
with a much smaller population than
New York, was making them decided
success. Marti was then manager of
the famous Tacon theater, and the
Italian singers found the climate of the
Gem of the Antilles" much more favor
able to their throats than the more
brilliant but colder Paris or the dull,
foggy London.
From lS47 to 1852 the Tacon had al
ways the same "big four" who were
probably the four greatest artists COM
bined in one com pany-Madame Giulia
Grisi. Sig. Giuseppe Mario, Sig. Dom
nenico Colletti and Sig. Luigi Lsblsche,
the greatest basso that ever lived.
But in 184S-49 while the fortunes of
Aston Place Opera house (now the AS
tor librarv) were in such a critical con-
dition lowing to quarrels between the
manager and HE sIngers) that the witty
Mike Walsh alluded to it in his paper,
the Subterranean, as "the Uproar House
in Disaster Place." brother OF the
manager, E. P. Foy, sought to create
popularity for the house by writing and
producing an opera entitled "Leonora,"
the incidents being founded on one OF
the Cervantes novels. 1t had a run of
about three weeka just on the strength
of being an American opera, and then
was Withdrawn forever. The principal
parts were sustained by Signora Teresa
Truffi, Madame Barili- Thome "a half
sister to Adelina Patti, by the Way
Sigrs. Benedetti, Sanquirico and Del :
rueil. 1t would have perished out of
sight but for the late Richard NJ.
Hooley of Chicago, then a violinist in
Christy's Minetrels, at 472 Broadway.
Hooley took night off and came back
with one of the airs of "Leonora" in
mis- head, out of which he arranged an
Opening chorus" for the darkes, which
was called "Dinah's Wedding Day."
and the refrain of which ran like this |:
"Come boys, come,
Miss Dinah's to be married;
Gladly we'll welcome her,
Long she has tarried.
Bring de wine, de hoecake too
De coffee an de cream;
An doan' forgit the wedding cake
ON which the darkies dream"
1 found published copy of this
chorus on the piano of an old American
resident OF Melbourne in 1888, side BY
side with the plaintive and beautiful
creations of that i'll appreciated genius,
Stephen G. Foster.
William Vincent Wallace had sister
n hot NH a saA Iii y
man named Patrick Bushell and went
out to Australia about 1842. She called
herself MADAME E. Wallace Bou-
chelle," but her son Jack never would
accept anything but his Hibernian
pat-ronymic. Jack WAS a dear, kind
soul-lightly rest the sod above him
In 1850 Wallace, then at the zenith of
his fame as an English composer OF fine
music, conceived the idea of paying his
sister visit, and as the voyage con-
sumed about six months, he prepared to
while away, the time by writing an
opera. What that opera was nobody
knows to this day, for he destroyed the
manuscript at sea. On arriving at sgd
ney he settled down to work, and was
eight months in setting the romantic
play of Don Caesar de Bazan to music.
He called the work Mariana and it's
initial performance was given in an old
wooden building in Melbourne.
In the latter part Of 1851 he came to
San Francieco and gave two piano re.
citals, at one of which he played one OF
De Beriot's violin concertos so we'll that
his audience did not know on which OF
the two instruments he excelled. Wal
lace hired house on what was then
called the Mission road, now called
Mission street, about two blocks west
of where Col. John p. Irish (who is
neither a colonel nor an Irishman) is
about to locate the new postofhce.
Stephen @. Msesett. an old literary and
musical genius of that period, lived
about block away from there. One
night Mascot took q party of friends
over to Wallace's house, and the visitors
were rewarded by hearing Wallace play
several ballads and other excerpts from
his new opera of Lurline, which was
merely the old story of The NaiaS
Queen set to music. 1t has since been
sung in every portion OF the civilized
world. and every schoolgirl knows the
soft and sinuous measures OF Sweet
Spirit, Hear My Prayer. This was the