New-York tribune., 1908-09-06
Chapters Of Opera
r ecolIections and Records of a Quarter Century.

CHAPTER X.

and proof of the difficulties which hampered them
times.
The principal members of the company were
Mesdames Melba Calve, Eames. Nordca, Arnold |
son. Scalchi and Mantell and Messrs Jean and |
Edouard de Reszke, de Lucia. Vignas, sAncona, |
Plancon. Castelmary ana Martapoura The sub
scription for the amounted to $500 which
$1,000 than the largest subscription in the
German period A great ado was made over this
fact by the managers and their friends. Not un- |
naturally the lovers of German opera took up the
cudgels against the Italianssimi and pointed out
the ndubable fact that ewing to the dlIference IN
prices OF admission and seats the subscription. in
stead of showing a large advance in popular in |
terest, indicated falling off to the extent OF an
attendance OF six thousand in the season. Not |
money, but attendance. they argued, was the real
standard of popularity. The managers also very |
unwisely, ii proved (since two years later they
found themselves obliged TO include German per-
formances i'm their scheme). put forward public |
boast that the receipts for the last month of the
nearly equailed the average gross receipts
for the entire term OF any German opera ever given
in New York OF course the reference went only
to the German seasons at the Metropolitan Opera
House, for there record that could be con-
suited touching the many sporadic German enter
prises of the earlier periods at the Academy of
Music and other theatres. 1t not at all I'M
kind but simply in the interest of historical verify
that in The Tribune called attention TO the fact
that it was scarcely ingenious in Abbey. Schoefel
& Grau to choose the month in the season
twenty-five representations including two for pop
ular charities tat of which, managed by the
Opera House directors, the public contributed
0o0 and six representations of Carmen, which,
with Nine. Calve in the principal character, was
enjoying the sensational triumph ever achieved
by any opera singer Moreover, most of these
performances outside the subscription and
the prices, have repeatedly said, were nearly
double those which prevailed during the German
regime. Besides, it easy task TO prove from
he vrfc oh I bad nrint ed
in my Review of the New York Musical Season
that in order to surpass the German record with
their last month, Abbey, Schoeffel & Grau would
have had to show average nightly receipts of over
see01, whereas only had they in spirit of
boastfulness claimed that as much $1,000 had
been taken single performance, and that at
phenomenal Carmen matinee Without Galve and
Carmen the bankruptcy which came two years
might have been precipitated in this season
Thanks TO Bizet's opera and its heroine and the
popularity of Nine Eames and the brothers de
Reszke in Faust" the season was prodigiousy
successful the receipts from all sources dncluding
the Sunday night concerts and opera in Philadel-
phia and Brooklyn being in the neghborhood OF
S550,O0O and the profits, 1 have already said.
s15O.0oO The twelve performances of Carmen Il
make no doubt. brought at least 100000 into the
exchequer of the manager in the subscription sea-
son. in the supplemental post-Lenten season CT
a fortnight there three performances more
The success OF the opera remained without a
parallel in the history of opera in New York till
the coming OF Wagner's "Parslfal.'
Mime. Melba effected her entrance the operate
stage in America December 4. 1888, in Doni-
zettis Lucia Five years before she had made
her London debut in the opera, and between
that time and ner coming to New York she had
fragrant laurels in Paris in company with the
brothers de Reszke and NJ. Lassalle in Romeo ct
Julette" and Faust" both of which operas she
mad prepared with the composer. Her repertory
small when she came. but in it she unique
both for the quality of voice and the quality
l
effective in her first season partly because large
{ portion of the public had been weaned away from
the purely lyrit style of composition and song in
which she excelled. partly because the dramatic
methods and fascinating personality of Nine. Calve
had created fad which soon grew to proportions
that secuted reason; partly because Miss now
Nine Eames) had become d great popular favorite,
and the people of society, who dotted on her, on
Jean de Rszke. his brother Edouard, and on Las
salle found all the artistic bliss of which they
were capable in listening their combined voices
in Faust So popular had Gounod's opera become
q this time with the patrons of the metropolitan
Opera House that my witty colleague, Mr.. w. ].
Henderson, sarcastically dubbed it 'daJ Faustspiel-
haus" parody of The popular title of the theatre
on the hill tho Wagnerian Mecca
When Nine. Melba she the finest X
emplar finished vocalizaton that had been heard
at the Opera House since its opening, with the
single exception of Nine. Sembrich. Though she
had been singing IN opera only five years. she had
reached the zenith Of her powers. Her voice
charrningly fresh and exquisitely beautiful. Her
tone production natural and quite as ap-
parently spontaneous that of the wonderful
woman who long upheld the standard of bel
canto throughout the world. In the case of Nine.
Patti art had already begun be largely arti-
fee, circumstance that needed to
der inasmucu her career on the operatic stage
already compassed a full generation; but Nine
Meba neither needed to seek for guard
against possible mishap. All that she needed-more
than that: all that she wanted to humor her
amable disposition TO be prodgal in utterance-
lay in her voice ready at hand. It's range COM
mensurate with all that could be asked of It, and
she moved with greatest I'm the regions which
Of rivals carefully avoided. To throw out
those scintilant bubbles of sound which used 20 be
looked upon as the highest achievement in singing
seemed to be entirely natural mode of express
sion with her. With the reasonableness of such a
mode of expression concerned now; it is
enough that Nine Melba came nearer to providing
II with justification than any of her contem-
poraries OF that day except Nine. Sembrich or any
Of her contemporaries OF to-day. Added to these
gifts and graces. size disclosed most admirable
musical instincts. quality which the people had
been taught 10 admire than ever while they
were learning how to give reverence due to the
dramatic elements in the modern lyric drama
have already intimated that Nine Melba's
operas found little favor with the public COM
pared with Carmen" and Faust" and perhaps
there in this than a mere indication Of
the educational influence left by German period
! should have hesitation whatever in saving so
had not the Carmen craze reached proportions
which precluded the thought that artistic prediIec-
tons convictions had anything to do with f.
So much Of mere fad did Nine. Calve in Car
men" become that the public remained all but in
sensible to the merits of her immeasurably finer
impersonstion OF Santuzza in "Cavalleria Rusti-
cana II was in Mascagni's opera that she eff
fected her debut on November 2s. 1898, in company
with Sefor Vignas, a Spanish tenor SQUAT and
a nflr 1u oP