The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-01-10
BAND INTRODUCES
A NEW COMPOSER
Selections From CiIea'S New
Opera, "Adrienne
LecOuVreur.

At Thomas Square the other night,
the Hawaiian band played a selection
from the new opera, Adrienne Leeouv-
reur. It was the first time any of this
opera has been given by band or or
chestra in Honolulu. Because of the
reputation of the opera and its COM
poser, and of the artists who have
a selection from it by the band be-
comes an event of some interest.
The season at the Metropolitan
Opera House, New York, was opened
November IS, 1907, with this opera,
Adrienne Lecouvreur, by Cilea, and
great success it was. Miss Cavalier
sang the part of Adrienne, and the
great italian tenor, Caruso. the part
of Prince Moritz of Saxony. SigHor
Ferrari conducted the opera.
The libretto is from the French by
SERVE. The plot is laid in the eigh-
teenth century, about 1850 in Paris.
and the great actress Adrienne Lee
couvreur, of the Theatre Franchise is
the leading character.
The music is by Cilea, one of the
prominent composers of the new TIA
liam school, a contemporary both in
time and in method of Mascagni,
LeoncavelIo. Puccini, Boito. Glordano
and Ponchielli. 1t is school in strong
contrast with Rossini, Donizetti and
Bellini, and of the earlier Verdi,
though the later Verdi in his Aida,
Falstaff, and Otello is more in con-
formity with the new composers.
The music of Cilea is more drama
tic, descriptive and emotional than
that of the earlier composers. In the
older Italian school the libretto count
ed for very little. Neither dramatic
much regarded. Chief attention was
paid the production of effective solos,
duets, trios, and quartets, preserving
a nice balance of soprano, alto, tenor
and basso, with the accompaniment of
chorus and orchestra. Very little stage
scenery was necessary. The place Of
the plot might be in almost any city
or country The composition consisted
of succession of songs, and naturally
the opera was mere vehicle for the
prima donna, the contralto, the lyric
hn hn1afTa
or the basso serieuse, as the case
might be. The composition was mere
ly a setting for the individual artists
instead of being itself whole to
which they all contributed.
Richard Wagner transformed the
opera. In his hands it was no longer
a mere thread on which to string the
beads of song, even if those beads
were of pearl. Music and words were
united to create great artistic whole.
The libretto became an essential part
resources of the stage and of dramatic
art were made component parts of the
completed work. The music unites in
character with the words. The music
describes the thought and sentiment
of the lines. Lines descriptive or in
scriptive of tragic death or highly
dramatic situation are no longer set
to polka or waltz melodies, or ragtime.
in opera That ineongruity is relegat-
ed to operetta or musical farce, of
which Luders, Stromberg, Herbert,
and others have given US
bright examples.
And so, though the new school of
italian composers are Italians always,
and in nothing slavish followers of |
they have recognized that |
there must be fitness between words |
and music. and that libretto and score |
must not be homogeneous, but harmo-
us,-complementary parts of an ar
tistic whole.
Adrienne Leeouvreur very well, though |
for the best effects there should be |
more instruments. At times the sound |
was pretty thin. But nevertheless it /
was enjoyable. and it gave the public
their first opportunity to hear this
1t is by presenting these
new selections and the work of new
composers that the band can be edu-
in its work.
-s-%-s--