New-York tribune., 1911-03-01


Joseph ID. Redding and Victor Herbert
and they deserve to be: but that fact mas
nothing 10 do with the case brought be
fore the popular court last night Neither
has the fact that the story OF "Natoma
IS American. Some curious critics have oo-
1ected that il is not American because its
scene Is laid in Southern California when
that part OF the country was still under
Spanish domination. But perhaps this Is
made all right by the circumstance that the
heroine is an Indian maiden. and the So
called red people Though they are not red)
are better entitled to be called Americans /
than any other race. though they may not
be autochtones. but have come here from
Asia. Where Mr. Redding's heroine came
from We are AT a loss to tell Speaking IN
the metre Of the great epic poem Of the
Firms. which Mr. Longfellow has fastened
upon our Indians. she would fain make us
believe that she is the queen Of tribe in
digenous 20 the lower par; OF California.
but when she invokes her peoples god II
is Manitou to whom she prays-a proceed
ing about natural as If Mr.. Herbert were
to ask us to believe that his great-grand-
father in time Of distress was wont to
knee and cry 20 me taw. Boodh" How
nology Of Mr. Redding's book; It is enough
that we believe the abalone 10 be edible IN
spite Of the legend which Natoma tells
about IL in sort OF "runic rhyme We
accept bis Spanish dances Uhough not sure
that the Spanish arstocrats danced the
minuet in public places and pretty positive
that they did not dance II as Miss Mary
Garden and Mr. Sammarco danced it last
nighO. We are also somewhat disturbed by
other incidents designed 10 illustrate the
social life { the Spanish residents Of Cali
fornia century ago. We do not believe
that fond father who had watched so
long and lovingly for his daughter would
permit her to rush out into the moonlight
at the first tinkling of a guitar and 10 stay
there long enough to send one wooer about
his business and throw herself into the
arms of another whom she had met for
the first time an hour or so before. This
does not seem quite Spanish-certainly not
aristocrs tic-in fact. not altogether proper
We have been assuming that the story
Of the opera is known TO The Tribune 5
readers 1t ought TO be. at any rate, be-
cause il has been several times set forth;
but 20 make few comments plain this
may be said Of it: Its heroine is an Indian
l
naval officer by killing the man VINO rs
seeking TO abduct her mistress, in order
that that mistress may eve suppose marry
the nan whom the Indian girl also loves
How il all comes about might be little
palmer If the opera were written In IAN
Euace which would compel studious ap-
plication for an hour to the lbretto. As It
is we only see a case Of love at first
hoo of a
Indian girl. who is in every way ten times
as interesting as her Spanish mistress is
Tilted. and who is SO far from being sWay'd
by ordinary human feelings that she stabs
the man to deatr for attempting to do
what he could not possibly have done uh-
der the circumstances surrounding him
for il is al a festival in public place; the
girl is seated between her father and lover;
there are Tor were last SATURDAY when the
opera was first performed in Philadelphia
SQUAD of American sailors. with drawn
cutlasses. in the background, and the
plaza was full OF soldiers and men
and women who had gathered together to
( do the acts usual in such cases since opera
/ began-offcr wares Tor sale. sing, dance
! and make merry. But this scene Is par
ticularlv interesting because of its cxposl-
D
tic,.lar. We know it from many operas.
! but in its gay Spanish garb it recalls most
vividly the second and last acts of car
men" II is thus i'm Bizets 5 opera that the
people assemble to see the popular show
/ and greet the notables as they arrive in
1 pairs or groups. All Is ready for the en-
| trance Of the toreador. and he comes bu'
1 he is not Escamllo but Pico. Il he were
/ the Escamillo he would sing a resounding,
though somewhat vulgar stave, musically
1 speaking. about the killing OF the bull.
What does Pico sing Fortunately nobody
could understand him last night. but. this
! being opera in English. his song ought TO
be known because of its native freshness
and noble imagery. We dare not print
more of Mr. Readings poetry, but this
really cries aloud for publication:
Who dsres the bronco wild defy?
! Who looks the mustang IN the eYe7
Fearless and bold.
Their master behold: Aif,
Z With q leap from the ground
To The saddle saddle n "a bound
Sec wnere the bull upon his Knees
Snorts when his neck We tighter squeeze
Wild his eyes.
Fiercely he dies Me
\ drama with such a lEic as the cli-
max Of its most animated scene ought TO
be analyzed but it must be done by a
braver and more patient writer than The
| Tribune's reviewer. Let US hasten while
there is time TO say something about the
music and tho performance. There are
! many differences between "Natoma" and
the wild Western drama with which an
Italian composer recently endowed our
lyric stage. LA Fanciulla del West would
be more effective without Signor Puccini' g
music: "Natoma" would be utterly impos-
sibc without the musical investiture which
Mr.. Herbert has given IT. The people
would move about like marionettcs. with
out motive and uttering words which would
. be intolerable because they would prob
ably) be understood. Smothered by the
instrumental voices Of Mr.. Hcrbert's score
their inanity is only obvious at intervals,
and the play achieves the scmblance OF a
lyric drama. Mr. Herbert has succeeded
better than we could have wished AZ
times in divorcinE himself from him
, ! self He is not the care-free. happy
| melodist that ne used to he In his best
| operettas. but an opera maker Of the
modern type who relies upon his
orchestra: upon themes harmonized ana
orchestrated to give color life and mean
ing TO persons and situations not deserving
Of so much painstaking skill and so much
learned craftsmanship. He applies local
color when he thinks It Will be effective.
| He uses Indian themes TO give vitality 70
. his heroine, and he does 1, so well that.
, aided bv the skill Of Miss Garden In char
acterjzation. he makes Natoma (who. we
neglected 30 state. goes to a nunnery al