The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-03-16
Our Operate Comp osers

Boston, March TO Three hundred
years ago 'Monteyerdi, an Italian com
poser, was writing The first real opera
to be produced on any stage Orfeo.|
which was brought out with great sue
cess at Mantua in 1907. Since then
hundreds Of grand operas have been
written and performed BY musicians of
various nationalities, and curiously
enough, only four Of them by Ameri-
can composers. The Pipe of Desire,
romantic opera, the music by Freder-
ick S. Converse, the libretto by
George Edward Barton, which has
been given several presentations this
winter at Jordan hall Of the New Eng
land conservatory OF music, is actually
the fourth attempt by an American
music writer to enter q field in which
great European successes have been
achieved but in which Americans have
never been able to compete Its pre-
decessors were Nv. III. Fry's Leonora,
George F. Bristow's Rip Van Wrinkle
and Walter Damrosch's The Scarlet
Letter. # ss Us " Il
This, in fact, represents our slender
national output OF grand opera up to-,
date. Operate performances we have
had abundantly from colonial days
down. In the middle of the nineteenth
century when the Italians were still si1-
preme in the kind of musical compo-
sition which they created, as they sup-
posed, out of the Greek drama, every,
American cNy OF any size saw frequent
Representations. New Orleans in par
ticular for many years has had an oper-
| attic development of its own. Later,
when Wagner began to supersede the
Italians in European popularity Ameri7.
can audiences listened attentively and.
for the most part, respectfully to per-
ifornlances the like of which they had
never before conceived. All the French
operas from iMeyerbeer through Mas.
senet have been frequently heard in
| this country, and we are not only Ia
n1iliar with Mascagni's Cava1liera Rus
ticana, but we assisted the composer
back to Italy by refusing to attend
his personally conducted performances
| Of other music. Ne have certainly
listened to grand opera enough---be-.
Isides occasionally being at the opera
house in New York when high society
twas out in stunning array--but we.
lnever have had composers who could
write operas, outside of the department
| of comic productions.
| For the three previous efforts were
tgreeted with no especial success Will
liam III. Fry, in March 1858, produced
1.-THE first opera by a native American
comp oserL eonora, which he had
written to English words thirteen
lyears before but which was first per-
Horned in Italian in New Work under
1.-THE direction of Uilnan. Ii was far,
lfrom being great music, though Fry
Twas a graduate of the Paris conserVa-
toire and musician Of considerable
ability. Similarly the Rip Van Wrinkle
of George F. BristoW, who for many
iyears was at the head of the music
il department Of the New York city pub
i lie schools, failed to- make good, despite
.some excellent passages in it nor has
i,Mr, Damrosch's Interpretation Of Have
thorne's Puritan tragedy gained more
thail a reputation of esteem among the
i critics; it has never stirred the iinagi-
Ination Of the music-loving public. 81
So that there is a record OF failures
for the consideration OF every Ameri-
i can aspirant for honors in grand op-
eratic composition. Whether Mr.. Con-
lverse's initial attempt will share the
fate Of the others remains, of course,
FOR the future to determine. He has
at all events met with a great tenn
Iporary success II appears to have
/ been the impression of the music crit
les and of the general public who wit
messed the performance of the Pipes OF
Il IDesire that he has written a real opera
(which, despite some defects OF con-
struction, is likely to attain a perma-
Inent reputation.
The theme Of this work is tragedy
| of shepherd life. Iolan, young Area
dian, plans to marry a beautiful maid,
Naoia. To celebrate the approaching
l4nuptials certain sylvan creatures
against the wishes of their ruler, the
grizzled Old One for one of the rules