New-York tribune., 1908-08-16
Ii excita 81. indIvidual D, or

80 3, t- IN. man. 'Oteilo~ composed and
frst brought forward under anomalous cOhoiuons.
and though Il first the stage lamps AT Mlian ts
,a "a not aistinctiveIy Italian Neither is IL dis
tinctfyelv French or German. II Is OF its own
lind verdian. characteristic OF the composer or
..p,oet,o .srrovatore' and Traviata' in its esl
sence though widely different froEn them In express
sion The composer himself Indicated tnat ne de-
sired II 20 be looked upon as outside OF the ole
onarafic conventions According TO It's title ic
IS "Dramma Iirico in quattTO Atti- Aida vas
stiH an "Opera I'm Guattro Atti Inc distinctions
was not undersigned There are many otner indica-
tions that he desired his work 20 be looked upon
sor,etbtns as far from od-fashiOned opera wers
Wagners later dramas; that be aimed IN the first
instance at presentation OF its dramatic contents.
and considered the music as a means. and not en-
tireIv as an end this he followed Wagnerians
precept His score is flied with instrumental inter-
ludes designed to accompany actions OF 70 depict
emotions He leaves no question n our minds On
tbia pojnt but as fully Wagner In his LOhen-
grin period nc indicates the bodily movements
that are to go hand In hand with the music In ths
ntcture OF a storm which opens the opera ths
manipulation OF the artificial lightning IS not left %
his discretion TO the proper moment for dis
charging his brufgpt fslraef; in the love duet,
the close OF the first act. The appearance OF the
moon and stars IS sought 20 be intensified BY de-
scriptive effects the music; and when IN the last
scene OteIlo kisses the sleeping Desdenona. and
the typical phrase OF the opera tdra"n from
the love scene) is repeated. the composer Indicated
on ubat heat OF each measure he wants each kiss
TO fall These only few Instances OF Verdfs
appreciation Of the necessity OF suiting the action
to the music. the music to the action; and they
sink into insigniacance when compared Win his
treatment Of the murder in the last act Then
OteIlo's entrance and actions up 10 the waking os
Desdernona are accompanied by solo on douois
basses interrupted at intervals BY energetic pas
sages from other strings II Is not dIffc1t to
recall other n1e!odramas written since 'FideiiO'
which similar dramatic effects are sought, but tbs
audacity of Yerdis procedure is unexampled in
italian opera 1 make doubt that had this
scene been written twenty years earlier IL would
have been received by his countrymen with Kisses
and catcaIs. Yet were told that az the operas
first performance in Milan the audience redeHandet
it uproariously the Italian critics could not
sufficiently express their admiration for IT. The
fact is that "Oteo disclosed an honest. consistent
and in many respects successful effort TO realize the
higher purposes which We associate IN the concep-
ton OF a lyric drama distinguished from the
opera With this conception nationalisrn had nota-
ing to do: Verdrs superb artistic nature. every
( thing
/ In the season Of 1883 there was but singIs
| performance OF Italian opera in New York, cir
cumstance singular enough TO deserve special men
ton. On April "A Signor Campanini appeared with
/ CIementne De We're In Lucia di Lammermoor.-
the performance being for the once-popUar favor
ties benefit Memories Of period in which Italian
singers tremendously active were called UP in
minds operagoers OF the older generation By
an entertainment given In the Metropolitan Opera
House February Z. in honor Of the fftieth an
| nlversary OF Max Maretzek's entrance in ths
| American field a conductor OF operas The af-
| fair generously patronized and participated in
on it's professional side by Theodore Thomas. Anton
| Seidl. Frank der Stucken. Adolf Neuendorf
/ and Walter Damrosch conductors: Nine Fursch-
/ Madi. Miss Emily winant Miss Maud Powell. Ra-
/ fael Joseffy, Max Alvary, Sgnor Del PUente. Ju-
/ Ius Perotti Wilhelm Sednaayer and Mrs. HERBERT
forester Scenes from "Siegfrfed." III Trovators's
4 and Carmen were performed.
There performances Of operas in Eng
l{eE sa-1z ~ Of T1a newt
| by the Emma Juch English Opera Company Ness
| lers "Trumpeter OF Sakkingen" being brought for
| ward as a novelty. at the Harlem Opera House.
owned and managed by Oscar Hammerstein- This
house also, for week after the close OF the regu-
| lar season at the Metropolitan, was the scene o.:
an unsuccessful effort 20 prolong the German per-
formances. or rather to provide German opera az
/ popular prices to the residents OF Harlem The
company. headed by Miss Lehman and conducteds
| by Walter Damrosch. was made up OF singers from
| the Metropolitan company. The operas given were
| Norma" Les Huguenots' and I'll Trovatore."
The Italian company which took possession %
! the Metropolitan Opera House Immediately its
| vacation by the German singers under tbs
management OF Henry E. Abbey and Maurice Grau.
| During the fall and winter months IL had been
given representations in OF the larger cities
| OF the United States and Mexico City Ardtf
and sapio the conductors. and most of the
| singers familiar TO the pubLc-Patti. Al
| bani, Nordica, Fabbri. RavelIi. Vicini Perugnl.
| Del Puente. Castelmary. Novara. Mgliara: new
|
Signors Pettigiani. soprano Ieggiero: Zardo, barry
| tone. and francesca Tamagno. tenor. The presence
Of this singer in the troupe served indicate that
| its purpose, outside the exploitation OF Madame
Patti, was the production OF Verdfs "Otsli0." with
| which the season opened March "a Madams
! Aloani being the DeSdemOna Tamagno had created
/ the title role in Milan two years before. The sub
scription was for sixteen evenings and four natl
| nees. which were to be encompassed IN period
| OF four weeks; but the illness OF Madame Patti
| compelled pOstponement OF one OF the perform
ances until the fifth week after the opening, and
then to the twenty subscription representations
| was added a twenty-drst a farewell Ma
| dame Patti The operas IN which this artist
| peared were La Sonnambula' "Sernframids"
| ''Lakme." Martha Lucia di Iammsrmoor"
Romeo ct Juliette" III Barbiere'. Linda di cha
| mounix" and la Travfata." The other operas
| were "Oteo.'' I'll Trovatore' Tell" Ada
| Faust" "LAfricaine.' 'Rigoletto" and Les
| Huguenots"
There was no novelty in the list. unless the fscs
| that 'Lakme' was transformed a novelty
by the Italian version; il had heard before IN
English. and the performance was so desperately
! slipshod, notwithstanding that Mime. Patti i'm
J personated the heroine that Il awakened only pity
for Delibess work 1t would be extremely inter-
| esting and doubtless Instructive also were able
| to give such detailed financial statement OF ths
| outcome OF this season as Mr.. Stanton's courtesy
enabled me at the time TO give OF the German sea-
/ sons. But here 1 am thrown conjecture IN
the evenings and afternoons when Patti sang tns
audiences unquestionabIy represented vast receipts
i TO the management An estimate made at the t'ns
| from study OF the character and size OF the
audiences placed the receipts in round numbers
at 100000 1t significant bearing on tns
artistic problem suggested by the succession ot
| German and Italian OPERA problem uA-
was destined 10 become OF paramount L-
4 terest soon - that on scarcely a sHs