The Washington times., 1903-01-18

y &2ID
\ these enlightened days it no longer
sufhces for criticism that a writer
for the public press shall Indicate
the iuadequacies OF his subject.
Pompous old Dr.. Johnson, Alexander
Pope, Dr. Swift. AIacauIay, Thack1ray-
any one of these or any ether great
English critic of the past two hundred
years, could substitute raiIlery, satire,
argument. or ridicuIe for remedy n any
time But their latter day successors
have become teachers as well as critics.
It is now demanded that the critic shall
suggest a remedy for every fault; and
the result is that newspapers are now
- seeking writer's Of sound kuowl edge, /
rather than critics with causJic pens
They forego the pleasures of publishing
essays which would put Dr. Johnson and
Lord MacauIay TO shame for the security
Of printing criticism which ''she opposi-
ton" cannot attack
So it is that The Times feels i'm
PEELED to continue its review OF The
all the shortcomings indicated in its
-review Of Tuesday. That criticism has
excited some opposition, moreover, so
e1sA il Is doubIv desirable the reviewer
say to the full all that ,emaias to
i'd in support of his view.
ground taken then was curiously
cry ground taken in the first review
en- for these columns by the same
zzs It was that comic opera and its
development, the musical comedy,
ceased 10 be art forms: that they
now merely vehicles for the dis
Of costumes and exploitation of
dams; that their dialogue was thin
cheap and their music superficial
worthless; and that al their bad
les we're emf hasized by the efec-
hat they crowded good plays of the
is nothing sensational in this.
pens have written il with more
Every regular theatergoer must
!onE go have come 70 the same con
clusfon rl41Eess1enizs 1Qnage ez-
tended. both forms OF eEterta- nment has
1t last awakened The box Once TO dim
perception of il. The reaction is al
ready. becoming manifest IT classic re-
vivals and legitimate operate perform
anees Yet the suggestions along this
line which have appeared in this paper
nave seemed TO be sensifc. = few read
srs Nave Suggested replies and have been
satisfied v5;h the wisdom OF this atti-
frds one 7sy 6ae, But with the publica-
ton Of lis review Of The ToreadoT"
has ceree renaissance in which the
rutfsc nay possihle have some general
rstrgSs il is this. Where are the op-
rSs which modern singing comedians
can produce which are better in any
- way than those now oGered2"
a long list is the answer. It reads like
: a cresee2do, and yet is it Only brief Of
much more which could be said on to the
same end From any point OF view any
one Of the following works is vastly 70
be preferred TO any comic opera which
has been offered IN Washington this sea
son:
Onenbach's "OrDheus." z satire on
GIuck's ~Orphee en- Enfers5'' The sor-
eerer." By Gilbert and Sullivan; an old
German work. .'4aurer ind SchIosser"
Mason and Locksmlth) by 2 composer
whose name willfulIy slips the memory;
BenedIcL-s Lily OF KILLARNEY. AubeT's
well known FRA DIavaIo;" Won Suppe's
Grown OF Diamonds Poet and Peas
ant and Light Cavalry" FIotow's
.stradeIIa.' aud Martha" DOnizetti's
"Daaghter Of she Regiment 80 and Elixir
OF Love De Koven's Rob Roy Noel
leckerss Black Hussar.' and "Beggar
Student RossinI's Barber Of Seville, Sc
- Hannserdincks '-Ha1sel and GTetal,"
Mozart. Magic Flute Marriage Of
Wagner's aHeistersinzer.
What a world of controversy such an
array of musical composition must ex-
cltet soFenbach is no musician" Gil
bert ard Sullivan are done 20 death"
who ever heard OF the Lily of Killar-
ney2' IN Heavens name haven't We
heard enough Of FRA DiavaIo2' 'Doni-
zetti wrote grand opera not comic
opera who IN his senses could cali
sIiznsel and GreJaI' The Magic Flute
or The Meistersinger' comic operas"
Yet It Is fair assumption that any
4a Of these works. mounted as sUmptu-
cusIy as vas The Toreador,' aud sung
aslwcu as il was mounted, would arouse
the whole country They are all at least
as picturesque Most Of them-par-
ticuIarIy Figaro, The MeisteTstHger. 50
"OTpheuS, and Belmont and Constance
- have fine comedy roles. They are thus
as profitable fields as cosuumer and com
- could desire. They have infinitely
better plots than any opera Of late
authorship. They have thus more oD-
portunity for the actor. Both dialogue
and music are infinitely superior 10 the
dialogue and music OF works like The
Toreador."
The trouble is, they ali need 10 be
saag-not shouted. or gasped. or &C
conpauIed by the violent gesture which
IS supposed 20 support poor vocal at
taiuments. The average comic opera
company OF today would wresgle with
one OF them and die. The Lily OF XII
Iarney" or Poet and Peasant" would