New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-10-16

subject, and his treatment or IL IS perhaps %
niaed as the circumstances would permit All ,"c
speaking world is interested In the oei'Sh'
Phi form of entertainment which the happily mated
colIaborators developed; and there WILL theTe1oie'
be many who will be glad to read the Story u '"e
Gilbert and sullivan operettas from 3d. VINE"
.Tr,al by Jury" was brought forward, TO 1885, "heh
"JJtopia Limited" had It's first representation
The storv &c really an important chapter in the
history of publIc amusements. Sir Arthur Snil-
van we are sure will hesitate TO believe tha' HIS
operetta music forms the best title which ne mas
TO fame and will cast many Tegreuui iooA "'
the score Of THE Prodgal Son ana us co"npan-
ions: but the fact which is vital in the case Is
that in the serious vein with all his gehian'y ne
has added nothing to music. whereas In the Hsht
dramatic style into which he was drd"" ~ ms
partnership with Mr. Gilbert he mas Done d us
tinct service to his generation his people ana 'e
art The props which Mr.. Gilbert has placed un-
der the structure OF his reputation are more nuer-
o,s ord mara varied but he. too, is at his best
IN the refined whimsicaly and polite satire OF MS
oneretta books Their destruction would De iosS'
whereas the wiping out OF ali his other or"''a''O
writings might be contemplated win equaii''"'!'
II will be extremely interesting In the future ~
read the social history of to-day in Mr. Gilber's
shits which in spite OF their farcical character
vet truly serve the purposes of comedy IN inc"
smiling chastsement OF popular foIles.
Looked at from the point OF view OF coi'ei"
poraneous culture 1t must be said that 'hrous" "e
miniStratlOnS
respect is far in advance Of all the other countries
NJ the world This Is the age OF opere;ta NO form
~ theatrical entertainment compares with hsht
musical comedy in popularity in England 'eII"aHS'
France end America. Yet 1t Is only IN fhs'aiu Ia
the popuar taste has been cultivated in drec'oh
which can be commended by the standards OF gooo
mr., ann pood morals In France the descent from
tho onera comoue Of Auber, Boleldieu ana Ndaih 10
the opera bouffe of Ofenbach was great pu' +" was
atoned for in a degree by the graceiuhess anu
piouancy of Ofenbachs melodic talent anu aiHo ~
some extent by the satirical scourge Which lhe
,,retts,s APPLIED to the manners OF the Secohu FIN
r,rs In Germany French opera boure crowded "u'
the Singspiel Of men like Lortzlng. whose talent was
mos. ingra tiating without replacing II WI" wins
of characteristic originality. Clever as 'ne oV,'
onerettas OF Suppe Strauss and MillocKer are
c,nno, he said for them that they are at all UNIQUE
IN their genre. They are but developments Oh ''e
I,ra,ch TYNE Not so with the creations of Gilbert
opd Sullivan They are racy of the Englsh SOIL anu
AN honor to the English heart MIND ana 'as'e'
How essential the two were and are to each
other Is illustrated in the story OF theT VAIN c"o
herore their collaboration began and after II ceaseu
A valuable blunder OF the author prevents Us Iro"
,auirg ,vben II was that Sullivan made MS hrs'
venture in dramatic composition Mr.. fitzger"'u
speaks Of Burnand and Sullivans COX anu ioH'
IAN operetta fashioned cut of the old farce OF bon
and Cox'D as being earlier, as 1t was IMAM me"
hy Jury but also dates it 1876, whereas ITla
~ Irrv" was brought forward in 1915. what We
,oar, from the book however is that BurAand pro-
vlsl Sullivan with two l!brettos CCox ana BON
q, 4 "Contrabandsta'O before the partnership was
formed between Gilbert and Sullivan ana 'ha' VIZ
bert after spending some years as Government
emnlove barrister and militia captain. became d
so.,c vriter at something more than thirty
,ears Of age He wrote burlesques OF the fooih
kind that was popular twenty-five years ago anu
coIlaborated for the first time with MT SulhVan i'll
"Trial by Jury" which saw the light OF Inc stage
1amps in a little theatre in Dean-st Soho' pu''' !"
the garden of an Old Georgian dwelling Selma
I,,oro who lives pleasantly yet pahetically. in the
,nemories of NETWORKS paygoers. seems 10 nave
been managing the theatre once caheu MISS
KelIv's" and afterward The Royalty ohe was
producing La Perichole' at the time, ana brought
out Trial by Jury as supplemental! pc -"
March o. 1875 1t is scarcely necessary 70 point
ou, how much of the essence of Gilbert-and-SuIl-
v,nisno is already 10 be found In this brlSht Hlue
one-act piece Mr.. Fitzgerald il almost amusing!
overwhelmed by its contemplation ana IN NE en-
ttusasm goes far as 10 cre1it MT. "l.os'' VIE"
the invention of the dramatic chorus in opera-'ha'
IS with a chorus Of dramatic personases such as
bridesmaids relatives Of this or the other person
age love-sick maidens etc This viii surprise every
one who has even rudlmentary Kho"'c"be "a
operatic literature. and therefore knows that SucH
s-,sos have existed ever since the first opera was
written nearly three hundred years ago BAT ScHlr-
thing must be pardoned in view Of an enthusiasm
ca unsuitable as that over the Of Gilbert ana
Sullivan; and would rather forgive such crltl-
cal or historical b.under than Mr.. fItzS":aid
vicious habit of printing what he conceiveS TO De
Mr. Gjloerts most witty lines in italics ASIDE from
tho fact that that wit needs no diagram 1t Is DIS
+urblng occasionally 10 be obliged TO speculate
touching the mental processes which led the author
10 signal.ze some of the lines as ne mas done IN
spite of Mr. Fitzgerad's invitation We cannot see
what there is to admire especially in SUCH me a
"Oh never since | joneI the human race or
"a,ooe, Atone or These attentions are well
meant" 1t would have been better had he taken
20 heart the hint conveyed by Mr. Gilbert in his re-
buke to one Of the actors at rehearsal The story
Is Invented by Mr.. Crossmith A typical illustra-
ton OF Mr. Glbert's methods at rehearsal:
as this: THE King is In The counting house" This
make IT 60 as FAR as possible. lie accordingly en-
tors with grotcslue, slow walk when ne mas
author: please don't enter Ike that. Mr. Snooks:
We don't want any comicnan business I , herei
you meant the part to be funny. les, 30 ! 90, 40,
but don't want you TO tel the aniGnce coy you ave re
quickly enough
II the story is not literally true it might as well
be 1t is in the line of NJ. Gilberts notion OF
humor exemplned in all his operetas. and in the
definition which Mr.. Fitzgerald quotes from a
private letter: 1T seems TO me that all humor,
uroperly so ca led is based upon grave and quasi
respectful treatment OF the ridiculous and absurd
How far Mr. Gilbert's ideas Of the humorous differ
from those of the operctta comedians who are out
side the influences OF the Savoy Theatre IL IL
Illustrated in another story.
When Grossmith and Miss Jessie Bond were re-
henrsing THE Mikado.' the lady was to give him
a push, and he to roll comp etciy over.
"Would you mind emitting that Gilbert asked;
with much politencss. certainly. If you wish it,
said the other. but I get an enormous laugh by
it." so you would If you sat down on pork PIE
said the other
Naturally MIR Fitzgerald finds much more to say
about Mr.. Gilbert than about Sir Arthur Sullivan,
whose art, we fear. is something of mystery to
him; but he has a story 10 tel about the COM
poser's manner Of conducting rchearsals:
Sir Arthur is always strict in wishing that his
music shall be sung exactly as he has written ii.
One of the leading performers singing air
Al rehearsal. exactly dividing the notes
TREY were written. and giving the general form. az