New-York tribune., 1907-08-04

Is sristocratfc when It made its American bow
es Il IS now. and decidedly more exclusive II
IS natural that memories OF Il should hnger IN
Mrs Eowe's memory for the reason that the
family TO which she belonged moved IN the
circles 70 which the new form Of entertainment
made appeal A memory OF the incident which
must have been even uvelier than that OF Mrs
FoWe's however. pe-fshed a year ego when
Manuel Garcia died IN London IN his 1Olsr year
for he could say OF the first American season
OF italian opera whe. E2neas said OF tbs siege
q Troy. "Au ot which I saw. and some OF
which I was Manuel Garcia was q son OF the
Manuel Gel Popolo Vicente Garcia who brought
tha institution 20 our shores: he was brother
of or first pr.r9s donna. she who then YVES only
the S!gnorina Garcia. but within a lustrum
afterwBrd was the great Mahoran: and he sang
n The first performance On November ~. lSZo,
end probably m ell the performances given be-
tween that date and August OF the next year.
when the elder Garcia departed, leaving the
signoTina- es Nine MaiIbren aged but eighteen
70 teTelop her powers IN local theatres and as
choriste- n Grace Church OF this and other
related things presently.
IN ths sometimes faulty and incomplete rec
ords OF the American etage to which writer's on
musical history have been IN the habit OF re-
pairing until Mrs o. GA Sonneck came TO 'ell
them that more and better Information could
be had for the seeking, 1!50 was set down as
the natal year for English ballad opera IN
America Il is thought that It was In that year
New York after having. IN all probability been
given by the same company or comedians In
Philadelphia n the middle Of the year preceo-
;ng, but Il IS little likely that these were the
first performances Of ballad operas on this s1de
of the Atlantic as that the people OF Ne"
York were oblfvfous Of the nature OF operauc
music Of the Italian type until Garcia's troupe
cana with Rossinis Barber OF Seville In loZo-
There are traces of ballad operas in America IN
the early decades OF the eighteenth century,
c-fR RIc-o lprJh- aT a
and Italian operas were given In some forrI-
perhaps as q rule, IN the adapted form whlch
prevailed in the London theatres until lar INTO
the nineteenth century. before the year lSoo.
in the towns and cities of the Eastern seaooara
which were in most active communication with
Great Britain.
Among French works Rousseau's "Pygnlalon'
and "Devin Gu Village" Dalayrac's Nina ana
~EArnent Statue" Ionsigny's "Deserteur.
Gretrys "Ze-nire ct Azor," 'tFausse Magic and
IL Charleston Baltimore Philadelphia and New
York IN the last decade OF the eighteenth century
There traces, too Of Pergoese's "SeTVa pa
erona," and it seems more than nkey that an
opera 81 three acts the text adapted by Col
nan. entitled The Spanish Barber: or, Ine fuuie
sTecauton." played IN Baltimore. Philaoeipnia ana "a
Mtg YORK. in l794. was Paisiello's Barbiere ol
siF1gla-" From 1G20 to about 1ss5 moro tnan
score Of the Italian French and German operaA
which made Up the staple OF foreign reperto.tes.
were frequently performed by English singers
ne earliest OF these singers were members OF
etricai plays II the colonies. They went from
London TO Philadelphia. New York Wiihsf1s-
Surg (Va-) and Charleston Is. CO. but eventually
established their strongest and most enduring ioot-
ned in New York. Oh. e K in Groves Dicton-
1rg Of Music and Musicians" new edition. VOL
II. page 4s6)
Accepting the 1880 date the earliest OF un-
nAstakable record for a performance or ihe
besgars Opera In New York. the original
nome Of opera here was the Nassau street me
NFe-tf2e first OF two known by that name. II
vas two story house. with high gaoies Oh
way lights were In front of the stage. aIld from
.le ceiling dangled barrel hoop pierced py
nan & dozen nails on which were spiked as
many candles. IL is not necessary TO take the
descriptions OF these early playhouses as paioiy
iitefai, nor indicative of something ike par
haflsrn- The barrel hoop chandelier OF the
"ia theatre in Nassau street was doubtless only
o primitive form Of the chandeliers which kept
N'eir vogue for nearly century after the hrst
soiledlasls sang and acted at the Nassau Street
rheatre. Illuminating gas did not reach New
iOth tili lbZ3, ard "a thousand candles Was
pun foith as an attractive feature at a concers
az ine metropolis as late as 1915. THE Beg
~ Opera was only twenty years old when