New-York tribune., 1911-03-01
MUSIC
NAToMA" AT THE METRoPoL-
ITAN OPERA HOUSE.
Much Ado About a New Opera.

j., evc- there was time when the pubic
-.,,d or. at least. its voice, should pe
,-.oa from cant so far as music Is CON
,or,ed il is now This is a commercial age
nd much ado is made over almost every
.,,,c which Is offered for sale from rail
,avs 70 ratsbanc: hut the noise provoked
~. now plav or a new opera. so the bust
- of proclamation be put into deft hands
lvcoods that excited by anything else.
s,s.ovorv might be made which would up-
90, tho doctrine Of evolution or the theory
. oravitation without causing one-tentn
~ the discussion provoked by inc an
roncement Of a new play or new opera
,rovidpd tho agencies OF publicity were
~ tho ingenious sort. The relative lmpor-
lance Of tho incidents. present or prospec-
tive has nothing 10 do with the matter
The atmospheric disturbances caused ny
,ho production of la Farciulla del West
wore A hundred times as great as those
sc-oupanyinc the first performance or
"K6nieskinder." though both operas had
,nelr first performances IN New YORK.
These we're local explosions, like the awful
.cci5ent which spread death and havoc at
0or,rpnipaw. but the premiere of Der
uoeenkavalier'' az Dresden seemed 10 be a
matter OF worldwide significance. Was 1t
tecsuse the universe had recognized so
,,srvellous a genius in Richard Strauss that
.bc last eNfoiation Of that genius com
,c,led universal attention; or because every
'onceivable method Of advertising had been
,usilv employed in preparing the public
mind for the stupendous occurrence ever
.ince "Floktra' had been put before the
public? -,
There is one comforting thought in all
these cases. and that is that after tho COM
brstible and decorating gases have once
,een sct free they DO not long burden
tho atmosphere.
r i, q pleasan; thought that after the
occurrence Of last night at the Metro
?ouau opera House the public will not be
ssked 10 do more touching "Natoma' than
70 extract from the opera a. much enjoy
mon' as II can by seeing and hearing II.
"Twiugh," may DC looked forward TO with
less mental strain. for II will come upon
us with less huster. though il will not
steal upon US as gently as The Sacrifice
will steal upon the people OF Boston Fri
oav night We mention these TWO operas
in this connection because of the coinci-
d.nce that they like ''Natoma' are
.o American words and treating of Ameri-
can subjects
As such We are bound 20 take great in
terest in them. and We DO. The Tribune
has been Interested in English opera or
1pera I'm English for many years, for so
many years, indeed, that it can scarcely
understand the attitude Of some latter day
agitators. who. ike the child who expects
e. see a new world on the dawn Of every
nr.t of January. think that the things in
which they are temporarily concerned
never existed before they swan into their
ken Heavens, The musical critic OF The
Tribune wrote operas. both words and
music more than fifty years ago tNot
this critic. hut his predecessor. They were
written in English. too. and one, AT least
was performed los very admirable com
tanv AZ tic Academy Of Music here and
also We believe, iu Philadelphia, where
"Natoma" saw its birth last Saturday
night: and from what we know Of Mr..
Fry's literary ability VIC are willing to
wager that the ibretto was better than
that of "Natoma" But the title Of the
opera was "Leonora" and its scene may
rot have been laid I'm America However.
if this Is a necessity 10 Justify interest in
American opera, Mr. George T. Bristow' s
Rip Van Wrinkle" which was performed
~ the Academy Of Music when that in
stitution was new and under the admin
istration Of Ole Bull. might pass muster.
That was fftv-siX years ago, but already
then the management Of he Academy OF
Music had anticipated tho management
Of the Metropolitan Opera House by offer
ria fo~ ha hos
opera by an American COMPOSER. insisting,
moreover. that the work be based upon
strictly American subject Nothing
came If the enterprise. but neither has
anything yet come of the Metropolitan S
offer, except some happenings worthy of
being worked into farce set to music by
The ingenious Mr.. Herbert
These bits of history must seem very
ancient l. the writers and others who are
now working themselves into delightfully."-
amia5le fervor over English opera on the
ground that II has never had a trial. as
they think But therc arc bits which are
both older and newer-Ardit wrote ar
opera. la Spia, based on Cooper's novel
and produced u i'm New York That was
long ago: but the present generation hac
tlc privilege Of hearing Walter Damrosch'
Scarlet Letter which was just a'
American iu subject as la Spia thOugi
Walter Damrosch. Ike Ardti. was born II
Europe However, Mr Damroschs Amer
i.susm antcdates Mir Icrbcrts by fifteer
cars
Ru' 1hv talk about these kidding operas
when Franco-American named Pelis
sier aided and abctted by a Connecticut
Yankee named Elihu Hubbard Smith, pro
duccG "Eiwin and Angelina I'm 1896 anC
BENJAMIN Carr aud William Dunlai
achieved run with their opera, ''Th'
Archcre' iu New York I'm the same year
No,y that tho patriots have so much am
uuuition ought it not 10 be recalled a
hearinc on the subject Of opera I'm Englisi
tbat n has existed in It's adapted O
original form In America for close on u
ccntur, and thrce-quarteIs? That th'
first opera house in New York. built OF
tie social lines Of the Metropolitan. wa
1ut out of business practically by TN
INa'rt Of companies that sang in tn
yriraculars That there has never beei
period of any length since in whicl
English opera or opera in English has no
.bcen performed in the United states; an
That when companies nave succeeded /
las ocen because they have been composed
81 good Singers Gn the early DAYS bette
singers than thc'I Italian rivalsj. an
when they have failed it has been becaus
o. the foreign singers We're better artist
or cceusc opera In a foreign tongue ha'
become n social fad? II is about seventy
FIVE wears ago since a clever man. Phil
lfone once Mayor Of this city ridiculin
the taste of hig dav FOR foreign opera