New-York tribune., 1908-07-19
Chapters Of Opero
Recol,ect;ons and Records of a Quarter Century.
CHAPTER III.
copyright. 1908. by Il. e. Krehoiell


burg the latter in London There were many
lovers of opera in New York besides the musical
reviewer for The Tribune who believed that II
America was ever have musical art OF It's own
the way could best be paved by supplantine itaian
performances by German at the principal nome OF
onera I'm the United States. We should 1t is true.
stil have foreign artists singing foreign works IN
foreign tongue, but she change IN repertory "ooio
nromote an appreciation and understanding OF
truthful dramatic expression in form WHICH
claimed close relationship with the drama
This was the state of affairs when. negotiations
having failed with both Mr.. Abbey and Mr.. Eye,
the summer DAYS of 1884 being nearly gone ana
the prospect of closed theatre confronting tno
directors of the Metropolitan Opera HOUSE Dr'
Ieopold r,amrosch submitted TO them a proposiuon
to give opera in German under his management.
but on their account. Either the force1uness anu
plausibty OF his arguments or the oireiuihes' %
their need led the directors to make the Veiluie
DR.. Damrosch went TO Germany TOWARD inc emu u
August: toward the end of September ne was oaoA
in New York readj to announce season as oi ole.
In German with a completely organized COMPANY
and promising list of operas rev perSoiis hn."
what was coming. and the information oloush.
with it a shock of surprise, Dr. DA!niosen ~ .ia1
been a vigorous factor in the musical hfe OF ne"
York for twelve years, but he had never oeen
identified with opera il. the public mlno ana, III
fact his practical familiarity with IL was n.'ie. @
He had come to New York from bresiau' "neie
he was conductor of the Orchestervereln IA SYM
nbonic organization, in 1s7l. He had had some
practical experience with the theatre at Welmar,
where he played with the orchestra OF the couil
Theatre under the direction of 1aszt- MAO oeeA
musical director at Municipal Theatre In foseh
and Rresla,i hut for short periods only He had
not gone through the career of the typical GERMAN
conductor for the reason that he was mol nlusi
clan ..vom Eause aus'-as the Germans express IL
He was a physician turned musician-a member
of one of the scientific PROFESSIONS WHO ho'i '
doned science for art
Dr. Damrosch remarkable man. he was
born in Posen, Prussia, on Octoper ~ loo@. ne
studied music in the home circle, IKE the gen
erality of German lads but his parents iiao chos.
the profession of medicine for hinl, ana ne hau
acn,,iescad in tie choice matriculating in the med
ical department of the University OF berih ai'e,
he had completed the usual gymnesiai course VI
s,uIies He had not abandoned his love for music
though he so devoted himself to medicine tha1 III oue
course he was graduated with honors and received
his degree incidentally, like Schumann at f1eloei
berg he continued to study music Hupeft Hes
being his teacher in violin playing ana the Nehei
able Professor Dehn in counterpart ana coi'posi-
49, after graduation he returned to his native
Pose to practise medicine, and remained there thus
occupied till 1854
In 1855 the physicians earlier and stronger ioVe
for music achieved the mastery over his ADOPTED
profession, and he started out into the "orio as
concert voiinist He played at Magdeburg and at
Berlin where his talents were so much admired tnat
IN the recommendation of friends in the Prussian
capital he went to Wenar, where he won the
friendship of Liszt and Joined the body OF enthu-
siastic young musicians-Peter Cornelius and oth-
ers-who had rallied around the great musician afd
were lighting the battles Of the new German
school His musical creed formed here. as he
himself confessed in a series of articles written
for the Neue Zetschrift fur Musk" His first Of
fetal appointment was as director of the music al
the Stadttheater Posen and in 1855 he was called
to fn the same post at Breslau- After he had re-
signed this position he remained in Breslau as
Orrhe which he called into
existence until he accepted the call OF the Man
nergesangverein Arion In New York in 16il
Though Dr. Damrosch had achieved European
reputation before he came TO New York, his best
and enduring work was accomplished here,
where he organized the Oratoro Society, which has
had continuous existence since 1873, and the SYM
phony Society, which, amid many vfcisstudes and
with several reorganizatons, has lived since 1871
The establishment of German OPERA though ii dio
not endure. yet his crowning achievement,
and at the elimination of the glory which it
brought him be died. But of that presently and in
its proper place
The artistic basis of the scheme which DIR. Dam
rosch put into effect essentially German. It
dispensed with the star system Except so far as
the engagement of Mime. Materna was a defer
to it, and substituted instead good ensemble
unusual attention TO the mounting of operas and
the bringing out Of dramatic effects through other
stage accessories The change of base brought with
II of necessity change of repertory and the Italian
operas which had formed the staple of New York
lists for years. put aside for the masterpieces
of German and French composers. One or two eff
forts to include works Of lighter lyrical character
sufhced TO demonstrate the wisdom of strict ad-
herence TO the list Of tragic works of large dimen-
sions and spectacular nature, and the sagacity Of
DR.. Damroseh was shown in nothing more clearly
than in his choice of operas for representation
There were few familiar names in the list Of
singers printed in the prospectus. The most IA
miliar, and the greatest was that which has
already been announced as the concession made
TO the star systen-Mme. Amalia Materna Twenty
five years ago the story of Bayreuth was a house
hold word throughout the civilized world. and
Nine. Materna had been associated with the Wag-
ner festivals since the first held, in 1876 In May
1882. she brought to New York by Theodore
Thomas for the Music Festival. held In the 7th
Regiment Arnory. and with her Bayreuth col
tenor, and Scaria, bass
she took part in concerts and festivals which Mr.
Thomas gave in 1884 in Boston, New York, Phila-
dephia, Cincinnati and Chicago. After returning
to Europe. after the American engagement Of 1882
she had gone straight Bayrelth where she
created" the part of Kundry in the original pro-
duction of 'Parsifal alternating afterward in the
character with Fraulein Brandt, who asso-
ciated with her in DIR. Damroschs Metropolitan
company When she to the Metropolitan (she
made her first appearance after the
well under -headway. in January, 1855 Nine Ma
terna thrty-eiglt years old and her splendid
powers were dt their zeihti Sie Hdu sung III pup
lie since her thirteenth year. at first in church,
then in comic opera in Graz and Vienna While
singing at small theatre in the Austrian capital
she became member of the Court Opera, at
traced wide attention by her dramatic abilities In
the grand operas Of its repertories. and at once
leaped into fame by her impersonation of Brinn-
hide at the first Bayreuth festival, in 1916.
Next in significance in the first Metropolitan Ger
man company Marianne Brandt. whose infu-
ence I'm creating ideals and developing
tastes among the operagoers of New York was
even greater than that of Nine Materna because