New-York tribune., 1908-02-20
MUSIC.
MANHATTAN OPERA HOUSE.
.PEllEAS EFT MEIISANDE.s

island and the Opera House of Manhattan having
already INDUCED in more than nine weeks of won
derrnent st Mr. Hammersten's resolve produce
pebussy's -'Pelleas MeTsande,s' it viii be
IL order for the sossps TO speculate to whether
or not the work is likely be than nine
days wonder. Mr. Hanmerstein has carried out
ns resolution last night the production of the
lyric drama Of that is what it is) at his operate
establishment in West Ssth street II is the most
venrUresonae experiment that he has yet made and
the one most difficult TO explain any ground
save the belief that French novelty, matter
what character or its merits, viii wiz profitable
patronage in New York just now. There is nothing
= history CT the work itself inspire the
ndence that it viii make potent appeal to the
tastes of the opera lovers Of New York Nowhere
outside Of Paris has il gained foothoId, and its
SUCCESS ii Paris is like that which any aesthetic
cL.lf pose may If diligently and ingen-
iorrly exploited Mr.. Hammerstein knew this and
Ae had the work at the Opera Conique. II
could not have escaped his discerning mind that
oa,y small element in the population OF even
cosmopolitan 2 city New York could by any
possibility possess the Intellectual and aesthetic
Qualifications necessary TO enthusiastic appreciation
of the qualities, not 10 say merits Of the work.
These qualifications quite much negative
Trey positive Il is no; enough TO the appre-
ra1.o1 Of Pelless AIeiisande" that the listener
shall understand French He must have taste
arc this must be an scqaircd one since # cannot
- born in him-for the French Of n. Maeter-
sncks :nfaatIIe plays. ''Peile2s ct Melisande- be
szr On border line between the uarionette
mature minds He must, moreover, have joined
;ts inner brotherhood of symbol worshippers, and
be able 10 discern how il is that the worId-old
srC-y Of the union OF December and May. OF
blooming youth and crabhed with its familiar
taud. some poets and rOnancerS would nave US
believe inevitably consequences can be enhanced
hy much chatter about crowns and rings dropped
snte wells, white haired beggaTs lying in cave,
slagnsnt and mephitic pools fiuttering doves. de-
pa--lng ships, kings who lose their way while
.--Fr7 and
maids who know not whence they came or why
they are weeping and whole phRntasI1lagoria
more OF all proportion 70 the simple incidents
CT the tragedy itself
This so far as the literary side Of the matter is
concerned. On the musical much more Is demand
q. lie must recognize unrhythmical. uncadenced,
6sjointed and ejaculatory prose dialogue, with
scarcely lyrical moment in Il. 1T vehicle for
music He must not only be willing TO forego vocal
melody, but even the semblance OF melody also in
1he instrumental music upon which the dialogue
floats for everybody knows since the Wagner1an
crsHnz came into being that words which are II
themselves incapable OF melodious flow may be the
cause of melody IN the orchestral music which ac-
r7-nuantes them FThere i here allusion 10
the conventional sense, tune made up Of motive.
phrase. period and section. but 4 well noduia1ed
succession Of musical intervals expressing feeling
or Illustrating q mood lie who would enjoy the
musical integu1nent Of this play must have cult
waited craving for dissonanoe IN harmony and ind
relish IN combinations Of tones that sting and bis
Ter and pain and outrage the He must have
learned to contenan euphony and symmetry. with
its benson Of restfulness. and delight in monot-
onv Of orchestral color rnonotony mood. n1onot
o1v Of dynamics and monotony Of harmonic device
i Is not al all likely that NJ. F9ammeTstein ex-
pected 70 find sufficient number Of operagoers
rhus strangely constituted among the patrons Of
hs establishment 10 justify him in the astonishing
exhibition Of enterprise veuJuresCrleness Illus
-rated by the production Of ~Peleas et M@lisande"
with artists brought especially Paris only be-
cause they have been concerned in the Partisan
performances with new scenery and at the cost Of
much money and labor spent in the preparation
J. is therefore safe that he has counted
on the potent power OF public curiosity touching a
well advertised thing. he has fared well with Nine.
Tetrazzini in presenting operas which represent
everything that .PellAas er Melisaude' is If
he fares well with the new work il viii have TO
be left the wise young women Of the lyric stage
VINO have been lec1UTing the American people Of
late on their want Of artistic culture 10 provide an
exclamation Of the phenoulenon. No sagacious and
experienced reviewer Of musical affairs viii at
tempt 70 IND reason which shall be consonant
with any known concept OF art and popular appre-
Ciation q its nature and mission.
.'P-[leas - Msisande'' Il came from the hands
O. n Naeterliuck and in the only form which the
author recognizes has been presented here in an
English version Its story has been tod more than
once. The reader may, therefore, well be spared
repetition. What has been said above about the
Qualifications Of him who would rise enjoy
rnent Of the music with which Dehussy has con-
sorted ought serve also 70 Characterize that
music Nothing has been exaggerated nothing set
Gown il q spirit OF IHberality. No student o. nu-
SIC can be ignorant the fact that the arr being
pure projection Of the human VIII IS necessarily
always IN state Of f7UX and in its nature within
TIE limitations that bound all the manifesto
lions OF beauty, Iawless N Debussy might have
proclaimed and illustrated that fact without in his
capacity Of critical writer seeking TO throw
oCiu-n on dead masters who were better than he
and living contemporaries WHO are At least older
-5- WIN he
c.ed stick Of mutual praise from mouth 10 mouth
E0lld nevertheless have given him their praise
= his proclamation Of the principles Of musical
composition as applied 70 the drama ne has pro
Gained principles as ole as opera Il needed no
man who has outlyed the diatCnic scale TO tel US
jhat vocal music should be written IL accordance
With the rhythm ANA accents o. the words. ana
-tat dramatic music sheuld be integral element
q TIE drama or he puts IL be the atmosphere
through which dramatic emotion Tadiates.' The
F0rentine inventors Of LnOnody told us that, Gluck
echoed them, Wagner re-cnCrciated the princlIlc
and 10 modern composer mas dreamed Of denying
SIS validity The only question j. whether or HoL
s1cn admirable results nave been attained by NJ
DebUssy. whether MS music sweetens or intensifes
CT vitaIizas tts play. That question must be an
Ewered by the individual hlarer. No cne should De
ASHAMED 70 proclaim his pleasure ia four hours ot
ss-lirter~gnted n.usicaIlv infected speech over \
ElLstratura of shifting harmonies. each win is
1rCvidual tang ana instrumental color; but neither
should ANYBODY be afraid TO say that n-ne-tenths
q tie music is q dreary mouoroay because Of the
absence Of what 70 him stands for musical thought
Lei him admit OF deny n sees IT. that the prin-
cirLs Of Symphonic Development IS a proper con-
couitsnt Of the musical drama bur let him also
say whether or not what q some appears a nocau-
lent hazy web o. dissonant sounds, now acr1d'
bitter sweet. rnaUuderins along from scene 70
scene urreIieved, by = single pregnant nlelocIe
phrase stIrs within him the emotions awakened py
union OF melody, harmony and rhy TIM. either III
ehe old conception or the new- Debussy has had
his fling at Wagner and MS system o. construction