New-York tribune., 1908-07-05

CHAPTER !.
The Metropolitan Opera House the fifth the-
stre erected IN New York for the purposes Of Ital
ian opera. Italian, German and French operas in
adaptations and operas in the vernacular had long
been known when the Italian form appeared, and,
like the latter, had been housed in the theatres
generally occupied by the spoken drama. The
home Of the original Italian company the Park
Theatre, which had been opened in 1920. and I
make no doubt that IL costs more to illuminate
the Metropolitan Opera House for one season than
1t did 10 build the theatre which echoed TO the
voices Of Garcias troupe, including that Of the
young woman who 10 be the incompara-
bic Mahbran- The second Italian opera company,
the career Of which began in 1892, and which
managed in part by Da Ponte, Mozart's nbrettist,
occupied the Richmond Hill Theatre, which had
once been private mansion and the home OF
Aaron Burr. Da Ponte, having made financial
failure of the season. introduced rule of operate
management which still possesses potency in
the metropolis, and wherever Italian opera
something like footing; briefly stated the rule is
this: Failure stimulates enterprises;
enterprises call for new houses. Da Ponte, having
wretched failure in 1882 opined that the way
10 achieve success TO house aristocratic
form Of entertainment aristocratically. He per-
suaded rich 10 build the first Italian Opera
House in New York. It stood at the intersection
OF Church and Leonard streets. II cost STE, ,oo0
which is about one-tenth OF what 1t cost TO build
the Metropolitan. 1t opened on November Is.
1855. within month OF fifty years before Its
just two seasons helped TO effect the ruin Of two
sets Of managers. then given TO the
spoken drama under the style OF the National The
atre, which Il endured till May q. 1s41, when 1t
exenplffed another fundamental theatrical law and
went up IN flames.
Without an exclusive home, Italian opera de-
parted from New York until Paimo's Opera House
opened in February, 1874 Its
Italian restaurateur, who had grown fairly rich
from his Cafe des Miles Colonies Broadway.
he ba,,co ~,
Chambers street, on the site now covered by the
building of the American News Company. II had
OF the elegance of its predecessor, which
the first theatre in the United States with tier
OF private boxes, but II good acousticaly and
seated about eight hundred persons 1t ruined its
pans, and died object Of charity. Still Palno's
efforts not without good results; they famed
the snoulderng fire OF opera love into blaze, and
l5o euterprisng entered into agreement to
guarantee performances OF Italian opera for five
years in a new house which built by Messrs.
Foster Morgan and COLES. This the Astor
Place Opera House. which held 1900 persons and
opened i9s doors November -, 1s41 The FIVE
years in which opera given in this house make
lively figure in history. because they were marked
by the sharpest operate battle fought
New York except that which generation
later The rival houses were Castle Garden, Nibio's
Garden and the lyric theatre, and the story
goes that the leader Of the opposition. having
vowed tnal he would ruin the AstOr Place opera
House succeeded in destroying its odor of aris-
tocracy by hiring It for dog show. Eventually
the house was turned the Mercantile Lii
brary Association and opera sought a home.
Now the Academy OF Music was built at l4th
street and Irving Place Its 1896 0co which
was sls5.0eo more than its builders had calculated
10 spend upon It. It's name doubtless suggested
by that Of the Academic NstioEsle de Musique pop
ularly called the Grand Opera in Paris. had meas
urable justification in the that with IL at the
music. IL opened on October 2 1854 by
company headed by Grisi and Mario in Bellini's
Norma" There opposition 10 the companies
which made the Academy of Music their home
from the beginning the end Of its operatic CD
reer, but established it remained the fash
.onable lyric theatre OF the metropolis. the true
home of Italian opera for thirty years. Then IL
yielded the palm 10 the Metropolitan Opera House,
with which I chiefly concerned.
Sox the sake Of the record nnd that must now