El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-04-01
GRAND OPERA; FACTS
AND TRUTHS.
ITS ORIGIN AND GROWTH IN THE STATES

The costumes were trimmed in solid
gold and silver and the ornaments were
| rear gems. The ancient chroniclers say
that the cost of the production was
100000 ecus
II this meant silver ecus it amounted
TO $4,000; if gold $4,000 All the
| TetrazZinis, NOrdicas, Melbas, CarusOs,
! Steaks and Farrars in the chorus could
| not total such a sum for single per-
I fOrmancei
The worlds first simon-pure opera
! was "Dafne,'' the libretto by Rinuccini
| and the music by Peri. The perform
ance was given in CorsTs palace. Flo
renee, and the production, which was
/ private, was either in 1895 or 1887, auth
critics differing on this point ''Euri-
| dice" with the Iibretto. by Rinuceini and
music by Peri and Caccini, is generally
| supposed to have been the first serious
Italian opera given a public perform
| ance- This was at the Pitt palace Oct.
| s, 1900. and the occasion was the mar
| riage Of Maria de Medici to Henry "
! of France.
Schools of Opera.
! There are many schools of opera and
| the rivalry among them often becomes
i very acrimonious During the past sea
| son there has been much pickering
about the alleged discrimination against
\ the German or Wagnerian school at the
| Metropolitan Opera House.
These reports became so numerous
| that the board of directors finally had
to give out a formal denial. At the Man
haitian Opera House Mr.. Hammerstein
| confines himself to the French and
italian operas and he is particularly
partial to the modern French school
represented by Massenet, composer OF
"Manon," The Juggler of Notre Dame"
That's" and other works almost equally
well known.
But this rivalry among the lovers of
the different schools is as child's play
in America compared with the riotous-
times which have been experienced on
the continent. In Paris, for example,
when Wagner's 'Lohengrin'' was pro-
duced in 1891 the scenes in and around
the opera house were most shameful.
The French people at that time were
still extremely bitter in their feelir
against all things German, as a result
OF their crushing defeat in the Franco
Prussian war.
AS soon as the plan to produce
'Lohengrin' was made public there was
great protest and many Of the sing
ers. thinking that discretion was the
better part of-xalOr, became 'flT' and
delayed the performance many times
On the night that it was finally pro-
duced there were almost as many po-
licemen in the opera house as there
were auditors The conductor, NJ
Lamoureux. carried a pistol in his
pocket as well a baton in his hand.
The audience came provided with am
munition, not stale vegetables and eggs
but small balloons filled with evil
smelling gases which were released
These floated through the house making
the place almost unbearable. Outside
the cavalry had TO clear the streets OF
the mob.
Composing and Management
The work Of composing operas is q
gigantic undertaking and as a rule in
wolves years OF labor. OF course there
have been exceptions There was Han
del, for example, who composed Rim
aldo" In IA days while Rossini COM
posed The Barber of Seville" in Is days
and Pacini wrote "Saffo" in four weeks
But in comparison Wagner's labor of 20
years on the ''Meistersinger" and the
Ring" may be mentioned
Opera management and opera COM
position are not nearly so lucrative as
opera singing. The Metropolitan Opera
company each year has a big deficit
which is met by the millionaire direc-
tors.
Oscar Hammerstein is said to be more
fortunate. 1t is told Of the latter that
he has no system OF bookkeeping He
deposits what he gets in the bank and |
draws his checks. II he has anything
left in the bank at the end of the sea !
son he knows that ii has been a profit |
able year; If he has TO repleniSh his I
opera. funds from a private account he |
knows that he has lost, but he does not |
know except in a vague way which |
operas have been profitable and which |
have been money losers
Caruso's Income.
Caruso IS said to receive s200. 900 a
year from the Metropolitan Opera COM
pany and Patti claims to have received
$4,000 a night for two seasons of so
nights each.
Even in the good old days of Jenny
Lind divas were not underpaid Here is
e copy of the Lind contract with Mr. |
in 1916: AN honorarium of
$4,000 for the season, April 14-August
20: a furnished house. carriage, and
pair of horses; sum of $500 should
she desire to have a preliminary holiday
IN Italy; liberty 10 cancel her engage
ment should she feel dissa tisfied after
her first appearance and an agreement
not TO sing elsewhere for her own
emolumenc.
HUNDRED and petted and Iionized as
hey are, grand opera stars often de-
Telop idiosyncrasies which they charac- !
erize as the Outgrowth of tempera-
nent- This temperament often has pc
euliar ways of making itself manifest
Handel on one occasion caught a prima
ionna by the scruff of the neck and
lung her suspended in mid-air out of
, window until she accede6 TO his re- ]