The herald., 1894-12-27

easy matter to sing in English has been
exploded any way by the very state.
ments of such artists as Melba, Nordica,
and Emma Esmes. These, too are the
greatest vocal stars of the day, and
moreover they are of AnglosSaxon
birth and training.
But if it is desirable to hear our own
tongue in the higher realms of music.
how much more 80 in those of the
drama and how much more profitable
would IL be tor the artists themselves.
OF all the great actors of the European
stage who have toured England and
America, there are but two who have
played in their own language with any
degree Of financial profit. Tomaso Sal
vini and Sarah Bernhardt. But these
sublime artists would have met with q
greater success. financially at least, had
they been able to adopt the lingo of the
country and would have contributed
that much more to the enjoyment OF
their patrons.
The only notable instance where the
language had been acquired are the
two solitary exceptions o. Charles Fech-
ter and Alexander Salvini. They did
not shun the task, herculean as it may
have been. The younger Salvini has
been more successful in this particular
than was Feohter, for he now has but a
slight intonation to denote his foreign
origin while Fechter retained q very
broken accent to the last.
Coquelin, beyond all cavil the greatest
comedian of the age. can draw but little
more than expenses in America, yet
there is mo question that he would
be carried ON the arms of the populace
were they able to follow him. Without
this bar the great Italian tragedian.
Rossi, would not have been over
shadowed by the elder Salvini and thus
doomed to failure; Jane Hading would
have had nothing to fear from the. fame
of a Bernhard; and the most recent
conner, Mounet Sally, would not have
had his audiences limited to few
patriotic Frenchmen and sprinkling
OF fashionable snobs whom one can
watch taking their cue for applause
and laughter from their barber or caters
er up in the gallery.
All honor to Alexander Salvini, and
for the sake OF the higher drama let US
hope that few more energetic scholars
such as he will be forthcoming from the
green room.' Apart from his unuues-
toned genius, which is.his right by in
heritance. apart from the brillianoe of
his productions, and his enterprise, the
public see in an actor like Alexander
Salvini something different from the
Anglo-SRxon thespian. irrespective of
the latter's ability. IT is another type
he creates a different atmosphere; in
other words, he presents contrast. and
it is largely by the aid of contrasts that
we can alone hope to see the greatest
possibilities of the stage realized. Art
should be international, at least dra-
matte art but it never will be so while
'protection" rules in the way of tariff,
] mean language.
The more one considers the accomp.
lishments of the younger Salvini the
unique exception he appears. That he
is proficient in English and that Italian
is his mother tongue, the public is fully
aware. but he does not stop there. This
actor-scholar can play Goethe and Shil.
lsr in the original; he can charm @
Spnnish audience in it's native patois.
and he is eligible to enter the house oil
Moliere, for it is said he is able to ex-
prees himself in the language OF La
Belle France better than he can in that
of the country of his birth. When
Manager W. M. Wilkison announces
that he is arranging for Salvini'a APP
pearance in London, Paris, Vienna. Ber-
lin and like placse and that the per-
formances are to be given in the Ian
guage OF the several audiences, he looms
up as perhaps one of the most extra
ordinary figures of the intern stional and
contemporary drama.