New-York tribune., 1907-08-11

service for which il was designed four years;
the third which marked big an advance on
its immediate predecessor in comfort and ele-
sance as the first had marked on the ram-
shackle Park Theatre as described by Richard
Grant White. was the Astor Place Opera House,
built in 1S4G, and the nominal home OF the pre-
cious exotic five years
The Astor Place Opera House in its external
appearance is familiar enough TO the memory Of
even young New Workers. though. unlike its sue
cessor, the Academy OF Music, at 18th street and
Irving Place, it did not long permit its tarnlshed
glories TO form the surroundings Of the spoken
drama after the operas departure The Acad-
emy Of Music weathered the operate tempests
Of almost an entire generation, counting from lis
opening night. in 1854. the last night on which
Colonel J. II. Mapieson was its lessee in 1881
and emitting the expiring sasps which the Ital-
ian entertainment made under Angelo in OCTOBER,
1886 under Ifalo Campanini in April, 1888 and
the final short spasIn under the doughty colohei
in 1896. The first Italian Opera House (that was
its name) became the National Theatre; the
second which WAS known as Palmos opera
HOUSE. when turned over te the spoken drama
became Burton's Theatre; the Astor Place opera
Fyo,,se became The Mercantile Library. The
Academy of Music is still known by that name
though il is given over chiefly 10 melodrana anu
the eduea tional purposes which existed in the
minds Of its creators only a passing dream
The Age+ronoIitan Opera House has housed
fwenfy-ene regular seasons Of opera, though II
has been in existence for twenty-three seasons
once the sequence of subscription seasons ives
interrupted by the damage done TO the theatre
by fire once 10y the policy Of its lessees, Abbey
& Grau. who thought that the public appetite
for opera might be whetted by enforced absten-
ton. The Manhattan Opera House is too young
70 enter into this study OF opera hr'.Se- lheH
genesis growth and decay and the houses '-''.o'i
Mr. Hammerstein built before il in Harlem and
in West 34th street, near Sixth avenue, lived
brief a time in operatic service TO deserve
than mention
am at loss for data from which to a-":''e
a rule, as I should like TO do. governing 50
length Of an opera houses existence in its origi-
nal estate the home of grand opera
The conditions which produce the need are too
variable and also too vague TO be brought under
the operation of any kind Of law. AT present
the growth of wealth. the increase in population.
and with thai increase the rapid multiplication
Of persons desirous and able 10 enjoy the privi-
leees Of social display. would seem TO he deter
mining factors. with the mounting costliness of
Tho luxury a deterrent The last illustration
90 -lA -t...ration of the creative impulse based
growth OF wealth and social ambition is
=, the building Of the Metropolitan Opera
Nr. Hammerstein's enterprise being
7.ft--s- individual and speculative The move
lus--- mich produced the Metropolitan Opera
T-..,fs, --rrked the decay Of the old Knicker
.o,ae- -ts,ime and its amalgamation with the
newer order Of society OF a quarter OF century
sgo This social decay. If so il can be called
without offence began-if Abram c. Putnam
Last DAYS of Knickerbocker Life in New
Y--t"D is correct-about 1910 and eliminated
-assa the Vanderbilt ball. TO which nearly all the
seas5ers Of the old Knickerbocker aristocracy ac-
ce-.sd invitations During the third quarter
or 80 nineteenth century, said THE Suns" re-
vf-.-sr Of Mr.. Putnau's book "sagacious and
-.--=Er rAted Knickerbockers began 10 realize that
--.s -aste they no longer possessed sufficient
20 sustain social ascendancy and that II
.,ved them 10 effect an intimate alliance
80 To A1sc MAY IA
- - mat when there were but two decades cf
entury left II was made plain that the
,eIeray Of Music could by no possibility &C
-prasn,,tlate the two classes OF society. old and
r-~sv which had for a number Of years been
silly approaching each other
-1-e-e vras an insuficiency of desirable boxes.
s-l7 holders Of seats of fashion were unwilling
- surrender them 10 the newcomers 80 the
'-e-r~DoIitan Opera House was built IN 1893.
md ne vigor OF the social opposition, coupled
Es'.a POPULAR appreciation Of the spirit.
'fca ne II with the German regime, gave
-re 5esthbiow TO the Academy. whose loss 10
feshf9n was long deplored by the admirers OF
3ts fne acoustic qualities and its effective archi-
-=cr1sraI arrc-.reneats Tor the purposes Of dis
rla-.
TIE perIod is not - remote that we cannot
tao the falverces Of fashion and society in
TIE rise 81 the first Italian Opera House. IL not
II is far The Parl. Theatre was still a fash
io--ahie playhouse when Garcia gave hrs season
- Italian opera IN il in 1s25-'26, but within a
,lecace thereafter the conditions 50 graphically
Cess riled by Nr White. combined with new
ambitions which seem TO have been inspired 70
3 large extent by Lorenzo Da POnte, prompted
2 wish fcr q theatre. one specially adapted
70 opera The new entertainment recog
nized as d luxury and II more than fit
ting that il he lUxUTiOusly and elegantly housed
Il viii be necessary 10 account for the potent
influence Of a Da PDnte who only a super
zrinuated poet and teacher Of Italian language
and literature and this 1 hope 10 do pres
entity OF at least before these studies are
brought 20 an end. FOR the time being ii is
sufficient 10 say that il was he who persuaded
the rich and cultured citizens OF New York 10
build the Italian Opera House. which stood at
the intersection Of Church and Leonard streets
The coming Of Garcia had filled Da Ponte, then
already seventy-six years old, with dreams OF
q recrudescence Of such activities as had been
has in connection with Italian opera in Vienna
aad London. He made haste 70 identify him
self ia an advisory capacity with the enter
prise persuaded Garcia TO INCLUDE Don Clio
Vann" IN his list of operas, although this neces-
STATED the engsgernent of singer not MEM
ter Of the company. and had already brought
bis niece who was singer. from Italy, and the
Italian composer Filippo Trajetta, from Pha-
delpha when his dream OF a permanent opera
for which he should write Hbrettoss his friend
compose music and his niece sing. was dis
PEELED by Garcia's departure for Mexico and
his subsequent return 10 Europe FOR the next
FIVE years Da Ponte seems to have kept the
of the operate pool stirred for there is
general recognition In the records Of the fact
that 10 hin, was due the conception Of the Sec
ond experiment although its execution was LETT
70 another who was neither American nor
sn Italian but a FTenchman named Montressor-
Like Garcia he was his own tenor. which fact
rnusr have essed him of some of the vexations
Of management. though it added to ats laoors-