New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-02-05
MUSIC.
-,nsr pERFoRMANCE oF "FALsTAFF."

'1s.ars Falstafr' last night 1t was also the
1T interesting musical occurrence which New
york has enjoyed since the first representation Of
-. came composers "Otello,' and through hap
CONJUNCTION Of circumstances IT was also the
os, brilliant. The audience that gathered to hear
~. first American representation OF the work was
. Ane one in numbers and character, ana was at
,red TO a festive spirit by the sight presented by
,hs stage front and conductors desk. To-day Is
40 birthday of Signor Mancinelli and to ceie-
"a. the event his orchestra players decorated
~, chair desk and the front OF the stage with
rss,oons wreaths and flowers on those who knew
sor 10 interpret the pretty demonstration as well
=, on those who did not. but thought 1t a tribute
81 the Grand Old Man OF Italian music, the effect
was enlivening and gracious 1t soon turned out
,,s, such extraneous things not necessary
~ keep the audience in festive humor, for the
mara achieve a success without parallel in the
,,story Of the Italian regime at the Metropolitan
and fairly comparable with the best OF the Wag-
,orian nights of the German seasons Cnqueston-
sby this success was much heightened by the in
nson OF surprise which 1t contained. There were
,ev. indeed in the audience who knew what to ex-
,oct either from the opera its interpreters.
pow should they have known that the composer or
~, Trovatore" was about to disclose himself as not
on,v the first but the modern OF mu
.ical comedy writer's? How could they know
,ha. NJ Maurel, whose eye is always rolling
IN a fine tragic frenzy and whose acting. with all
90 merits is continually suggesting the smell of
midnight oil and studied effects, was to discover
himself as positively rollickng representative OF
shakespeare's fat knight, and that his associates
IN the performance were. with scarcely an eXcep-
tim going 10 supplement his efforts in a manner
10 keep spectators and listeners convulsed with
laughter where they not lost In admiration OF
the book. and music? Yet these things happened and
half dozen times. in spite of the style or the
work which will not brook interruption. the lis
teners forgot their discretion. and brought the per-
arIa pcfif fhpi
delight Then at tie end Of each act. the applause
ran out into cheers and excited cries OF approval
and gratitude. 1t was IN all things memorable
night one that must have delighted NJ. Maurei.
who is so closely identified with the opera, as 1t
did the management and the lovers Of the agrees
sive and progressive genius Of Verdi. The refec-
tons caused by this latest exhibition of that genius
are so numerous that a discussion of the details
OF the performance must walt upon them
To construct operas out of Shakespearian plays
has been an ambition Of composers for century
and half. Verdi himself yielded to the tempta-
ton when he wrote Macbeth" twenty-eight years
ago. Probably nobody realizes better than he does
now how necessary 1t was that the whole system
OF lyrico-dramatic composition should undergo
transformation before anything like justice could
be done TO the 'myriai-minded' poets creations
Who would listen nowadays to Rossini's "Othello?'
Yet in its day 1t immensely popular. a care
less day was the day of pretty singing and moth
ing more: the day when there so little concern
for the dramatic element In opera that the grew
some denouement Of Rossnrs "Othello' is said
once TO have caused a listener to cry out in aston
ishment: Great God. the tenor Is numbering the
soprano" Then it might have been possible for
composer provided he were a Mozart 10 find NH
steal investment for Shakespearian comedy. but
assuredly not for tragedy. No literary master
piece safe from the vandalism Of opera writer's
at that time. however. and Shakespeare simply
shared the fate of Goethe. Schiller and their great
Eel
greater possibilities and now II may be SAID we
have a few Shakespearian operas that VIII ehaure
for several decades at least; let US say Nlcola
Merry Wives OF Windsor" Gounod's Romeo ana
Juliet" and Verdi's "Othello' and "Faistah Am
broise Thomass Hamlet" and Saint-Saenss Hen
~ VIII" seem already have outlived their brief
day. least in all countries save France where the
personal equation in favor of a native composer
seems strong enough to keep secondciass composers
afoat while IL permits genius TO perish. AS for
Goetz's Tanning of the Shrew." ii was too nuch
like good rhirewine and too little like cham
pagne TO pass as comic opera. When Nerdis lat
est 1--WE would not say lasD opera appeared the
only Falstaf who had vitality was the fat knight
Of Nicolars opera. Yet he had had many predeces-
sors Baife composed a "Falstaff' for the Kings
Theatre in London which sung with the ca
pacious voiced Lablache in the titular part ana
Grisi, Persiani and Ivanoff in the cast Ihat was
IN 1875 Forty years earlier Salieri had composed an
Italian "Fastaf" for Vienna. In 1876 Adoiphe AuaHl
prOt a French
antics of the greasy knight amused the Parisians
eehtv-slx wears before in Papavones lie vieux
coouet" Nicolais predecessors in Germany were
Peter Ritter. 1894, and D!ttersdorf l'% NeTdl
return to Shakespearan subjects after reaching the
fulness of his powers In his old age. and after ne
had turned from operas to lyric dramas, is IN the
highest degree significant OF the thoroughness OF
the revolution accomplished by Wagner The pro-
duction Of "Otelo" and "Falstaf" created as great
an excitement in Italy as the first performance OF
"Parsifal did in Germany, and 1t must nave seemed
like the irony of fate to many that Wagner should
have TO be filtered through Verdi in order 10 pear
fruit in the original home of the opera; but that
is surely the lesson Of "Otello. "Falstan and the
hot booded works of Mascagni. Leoncavailo ana
Puccin
Even strikingly than "Otelo this comic
opera of the youthful octogenarian discioses the
Importance which Boito has assumed in the de-
yelopment Of Verdi That development: Is one OF
the miracles of music. In manner Verdi represents
full century OF operate writing He began
when in Italy at least. the Nbretto was mere
stalking horse on which arias might be hung
All that II did besides furnishing vehicles for airs
was 10 provide a motive for the painter and
costumer. Later the growth OF dramatic
characterization in his ensembles and Inc de-
velopment OF strongly marked and ingeniously
differentiated moods in his arias without departure
from the od-fashioned forms. In this element
lay much OF the compelling force of his melodies,
EVEN Of those commonplace which pricked
for the barreorgan almost before the palms were
cool which hrst applauded them like "Di quella
pira and la donna mobile Then set in the
per,od OF reflection The darling of the public be-
gan 10 think more OF his art and less OF popularity
Less inpetuous less fecund perhaps, in melodic
invention he began TO study how 10 wed dramatic
situations and music. This led him to enrich his
harfnonics, and refine his Instrumentation
which in his earlier works is frequently coarse
and vulgar in the extreme. At this stage he gave
Us la Forza del Destino" and Aida. Now the
hack writer's Of opera books would no longer SUI
flee him. He had already shown high appreciation
Of the virtue which lies in a good book when he
chose Ghslanzoni to versify the Egyptian story
OF Aida" but the final step necessary TO com
pletc his wonderfully progressive march was taken