The Washington herald., 1906-10-14


either. A first-rate comic opera adequate
" presented starts rolling across the
world waves Of good cheer that make
millions OF Gods patient poor and dis
conteuted rich" better, brighter and hap
pier people. Who can calculate the guam
City Of unhappiness dissipated Of vice
corrected or prevented by the wholesome
and prophyiactic laughter excited by the
works OF Won Suppe, AUdTan, Strauss,
Gilbert and Sullivan. Sousa. De Koveu,
and the rest OF the tuneful band? 'Their
music and fun have proved good medicine
for millions, and more mental healers Of
The same school viii be a blessing tc the
world. That's the argument Of the devO-
tees OF the lighter music, which all en-
10Y and most people play, and those who
can or care 70 may refute it.
Messrs. Edwards and Brenner, in their
The Girl and the Governor" heard in
Washington last week have not put out =
nrst-rate article Of musical medicine, per-
haps, but many CT its shortcomings can
be, and no doubt Will be, corrected as
The performances go on \ great deaf
can be said for Julian Edwards music
that cannot honestly be said for Mr..
Brenner's hbretto. But then AR Ed
wards is a more experienced workman
than his collaboration. Perhaps he was
better endowed originally. We have
much larger number Of really capable
composers than we have of Hbrettists.
oddly enough. FOR the art Of the libTettist
would seem 10 be far less difficult of mas
tery than that OF the composer. The peo-
pie who can write clever verse are legion.
1t is a common knaCk-in fact, most peo-
pie who can write at ali think they can
10 il. Perhaps this is why 50 few take
The thing seriously enough 10 make q
business of IL, so that by persevering
practice they may come in time 10 turn
our good librettOs FOR the composers !
True. a good deal more than the knack Of
rhyme is required TO make an entertain
ing and aCtdble comic opera NbrettO.
There must be some turn for dramatic
construction and knowledge OF stage re-
quirements. But the former is not so rare.
and the latter ought not 70 be very diff
cult 10 acquire. In his book OF The
Girl and the Governor, Mr. BTenner
shows plainly enough symptoms Of devel-
oping the knack OF stringing situations
together effectively. His hand IS not yer
left and firm in the work, however, and
the shortcomings of his book must have
been a serious handicap on his collaboration
in striking out good, clear telling music
Librettists are not born. they are made.
They are not finished until they are dead
or get paresis or paralyzed. That IS,
they are always in the making They
should. If painstaking and progressive,
steadily improve with practice Mr. Brcn-
uer, therefore deserves encouragement
Probably he is capable OF doing better
work than he has done in the book -
The Girl and the Governor" Nc doubt,
also. he has done worse work, -Thich man
ayers refused TO produce. For this he ana
The public should feel grateful to the
manasers. But MIR, Brenner deserves com
mendatiOn for mis- persistence in making
modest rhyTae. Every one has started 20
write a comic opera MANY have achieved
an opening chorus. a hmpins lyric or two
and q little connective dialogue. Some
have achieved a first act But mighty few
have pIoddngly stuck 10 it after The first
delusive Inspiration has evapOrated
dogg5dIy stvinging together the unwilling
rhyme even TO the labored, il not bitter,
end. That Mr.. Breuner has done this
shows he possesses at least one essential
. of the ywright-perseveFing Industry
lie hasn't demonstrated the capacity for
taking infinite pains which is said TO con-
stitute genius Far from IL. If he had this
,apacity even moderately developed. be
would have worked out the underlying
IDEAS of his plot, which are not 50 bad
ny auy means with reasonable regard to
the modest requirements Of comic opera
probability. Apparently he grew tired or
bored and slapped things together recb-
iessly so as to tell himself and his
friends that the great work was finished
\ crude lbrettO, untrue 70 itself was the
natural result.
4 comic opera no doubt presupposes alb
surdIty, but to be good Of its kind it
ought to De articulated absurdity, non
sensicai causes working cut in r0llioklng
sequence to comedy effects This is what
distinguishes comic opera from the bug
house cxtUav0ganzds and burlcsQucs that
nave held the stage under the name ia re-
cent tcverish years. There ought to be
sequenCe-plOt-in comic opera as well as
stirring Choruses. fetching lyrics. and at
least q rhinestone sparkle in the dialogue
now and then. In its up-to-date substi-
ute conference would be disaster. for
hose who take part in it as 4 rule learn
nut one turn" per season. The plots
are crude and cOutoTted afteU-contTiv-
ances to permit the working in Of the
turns"
Aside from the merits OF "The Girl and
tha Governor the fact that II is an hon
est attempt TO return to genuine comic
opera entities it 10 a word OF commeuda-
ion and its authors to eucoUra cement
The uondescript thing which has held the
place Of comic opera so long is frayed to
Il fFazzle and Will have 10 be superseded
10y something more substantial and less
rreaky. The supply Of freaks is limited
and reasonable people tire OF them just
rs they do Of fantastic dishes that the
chefs give queer favoTs to In the hope OF
stimulating jsded appetites and creating
a. culinary sensation. Moreover, the ef-
rect on the stage people who take part
m the musical nOndescripts is disastrous.
There is absolutely no cumulative value
IN the experience they get IN them They
do not grow in artistic value as the sea
sons pass with the result that IS soon
rs they lose the personal charm and the
[riSkiless Of youth there Is no longer a
place for them in the line Of effort to
which they have devoted themselves.
Fhey are back numbers, who must betake
themselves To vaudeville or 10 keeping
theatrical b0arding-hOUses. And this at
"a time OF life when in the days Of real
comic opera they would have been in the
height OF their usefulness.
Il ever the liberty OF tie press is seri-
ously restricted IN this country. it viii be
because the eXcesses Of yellow journal
ism become intelerable. II a censorship
~ the stage is ever established here il
viii be because yellow playwrights and
reckless theatrical spectators force the
great body OF good citizens TO accept il
rather than see law and order and de-
ccncy sacrificed. Several Washington
olergymen last week made appeals to the
District Commissioners TO prevent the
4resentatiou in this CITY of The Clans