The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-01-19
Gathered in the
World OF Melody
Interesting Notes Concerning Musl-
clans at Home and Abroad.
SUCCESS OF GOUNOD'S FAUST
Meditations Upon the Thousandth Per.
fOrmance Of the Opera-Sadie Kaiser's
Succcss-"Little Tottoon," Ye Olde
Folke's COncert-Other Events.

A recent event of wide interest is the
celebration of the thousandth perform,
ance of Gounod's Faust" at the Grand
Opera house in Paris. 1t is less than
thirty-six years since Faust" had its
first Partisan production at the Thea
ter Lyrique; and less than twenty-slx
years since it was put in the repertoire
of the Opera, In the first ten years il
was produced 3O7 times at the Lyrique
and 8 times AIT the Renaissance On
March 3, 1869. 1t was brought out at the
Opera, and 6S5 productions of it have
since taken place there, with special
celebrations of the Booth and 600th per-
formances. The popularity of the work
Is certainly as great as ever before; and
such is the grace and tenderness of its
sentiment, and the deep al-appealing
paithos in music and story alike, that
one cannot but think that the perform.
ances will go on for years and years.
and that there will be celebrations fol
many a thousandth production. At
nhe conclusion of the recent perform
ance, when Ithe great house was crowd
ed with a splendid and enthusiastic
audience, the curtain was rung up for
tableau in honor OF the master-and
one can fancy how splendid the tableau
must have been. A group has also been
modelled by the sculptor Falguiere to
celebrate 1.-THE Gloriflcation of Gou,
nod,' and it shows the Genius of Fame
trumpeting his praises through all the
world.
we are told that for many years
Gounod had silently cherished the hope
OF some day writing an opera founded
on Goethe's poem. But ne was Door
On all but spirit-and little known; and
as his one object was ortistic success,
the worthy musical accompaniment of
the Immortal poem, without regard to
financial gain, the critics shook their
heads even after the music was we'll
under way. The Westminster Gazette
says that one kindly critic, after a
private hearing, wrote: Faust may
be u success, but take care! There are
enough things in it to kill the piece.
The garden scene-think of it! An act
hhat lasts over an hour, and Is COM
posed entirely OF love In the moonlight
Why. the house will be asleep before
the end of 1t! And the cathedral scene
too; that Is long and Ineffective" Even
Carvalho. the original Marguerite, was
deceived and Thought that the garden
scene should be cut down to an ordi-
nary duo. But Gounod himself was
tmmovable, and the Gazette says that
on his deathbed he made this very true,
but we Should think rather vigorous,
speech, for that time. you admire
Faust When am dead the world in
1t will seek and find my soul. Faust
will escape the ebb and flow OF mere
convention, because 1t Is composed of
true emotion, sincerity, conviction and
love, and because 1t is essentially hu-
man." And Gounod was right 1t Is q
significant thing, one full OF poetry and
OF power, and perhaps of pathos, that
there have been twenty-eight different
Marguerites. eighteen Fausts, fourteen
Mephistopheleses and 80 on through
the list. For VI has not been the
triumph of any one woman, of any
actor or singer, that has made Faust"
successful. 1t IL the poets and poet-
composers thought and soul" 1t is