New-York tribune., 1911-03-19

rehearsal before n fuli audence. large
audience - sn important thing. even al
rchoars-l, because an audience VIII
always do half tie acting and In the
matter o! tho modern school, OF personal
and temperamental singing, must also
think or Imply some OF the singing as
well. These general rchearsals are the
real opera frs: nights. and while the
audiences that attend them are often
large TO ove.Now!ng. as well as highly
Representatives the general public has lit
the chance Of invitation.
There are a piquancy and an attract
iveness about these general rehearsals be-
cause the artists and their following who
are not singing are IN vigiant and criu-
cal attendance. In every opera house
there are three schools of thought. These
schools OF thought have their represent
atives among the singers on the stage
and In the audience. They can be re-
ferred to roughly as the French. the Ger
man and the Italian opinion. Further
more. the audience, and even the pre-
ponderating American element in the
audience. have pronounced tendencies in
one or other Of these directions.
There are as many factions In an op-
era audience as there we're IN tho Roman
circus. though thc mcnoe~s of hose fac
tions have not aa yet adopted thc plain
lspoken Roman ra~hicn of wearing a color
to de:ote thc'r sympa'hIes. So your new
opera has the benefit Of tho verdict Of a
mixed tribunal. mixed az 10 nationality.
as TO taste. as to habit Of thought and as
10 emotional outlook. In other words.
such an audience IS In its way an cpit-
ONE OF posterity. and therefore deserving
Of the closest study.
All first nights are occasions of gem
eral strain. In the theatre there is no
such thing as certainty. no such thing as
logic. The public is moody. capricious
and uncertain. yet to build on any of its
moods or caprices is 10 build upon quick
sand. AL those who have had expert
ence OF the theatre know all this only
too we'll IL Is the tragedy of manage
uent You have often asked yourself
as you have come discontentedly from
of intelligence could put on such rub
bish? AS a matter of fact, plays just
as rubbishy as that one from which you
have crept silently away have proved
successes which YOU yourself might have
been enabled 10 enjoy.
A manager shoots dozen arrows, and
one hits the mark. The ablest mpro sario
can fail time and time again, and the
men who have made the most failures
ore often the mon who are the strongest
managers. on the other hand. the stu
pidest can achieve the feat OF the sports
man who had shot for day after day in
n game preserve in Ireland. Unfortu-
nately, he never bagged anything AT
last he killed brace Of partridges.
Turning to the gamekeeper with sickly
kind of smile. he said; well, succeeded
that time" The gamekecper replied re-
spectfuIlv. YES, sir, IL IL marvellous
how sometimes they will fly into It,"
II is this element Of chance, Of acci-
dent that makes the important first
night n centre of attraction. Your frst
nlgltpr IGclS UlIIlStll W pc a NoSi't''
in vast gamble. chip In a BLUM
against the mood and whim OF the
public. He knows well that success
turns upon a hair He sees the balance
swing this way. then that and enjoys
the variation and the suspense. He has
seen triumph snatched from the Jaws
of defeat. He has seen the brilliant
promise OF three acts swamped In the
morass Of the fourth. and In the un-
certainty and excitement Of IL all con-
sists such charm and glamour as con-
tinue 10 linger I'm these theatrical
, premieres.
No one who was present will ever for
get the first time that Luisa Tetrazzini
appeared at the Manhattan Opera House.
I would venure to say that at that par
|, ticular moment she was Oscar Hammer