New-York tribune., 1911-04-30
w. 7. HendersOn's
"FOrerunneTS OF
Italian Opera
THE WORK OF YEARS
Carrying Choral MUSIC
Around the Globe
Were Richter to Come
TO New York.

TO new lOIh.
When a writer whose duty il is 10 enron
icIe the musical doings Of city IKE Ne"
York day by day through long scaSo''
and to make comment of a criticai.Na'uie
upon them takes time. nevertheiess' 10
write a serious work on subject "h'ch
ip as far from the things which confront
him daily as tho polar star from the ear'i'
II Is pretty good evidence OF serious mihu-
sdness and devotion to art. THIS Is "h@'
W. T. Henderson musical critic OF lhe
Sum has done In his book entitled some
Forerunners of Italian Opera" just pub
lished by Henry Holt & Co
The study must be the work OF years OF
patient toll and enthusiastic research
though students OF musical history nave
had occasion at times TO touch its periph-
cry. IL is what the Germans would call
n Vorstsdic-that is. a preparatory study 10
the history OF italian opera proper. This
begins as a rule with an account or the
reformatory movement carried on by a
coterie of Florentne amateurs and schoi-
ars at the end OF the sixteenth and be
mining OF the seventeenth centuries.
These men. who builded more wisely than
they knew, while attempting 10 revive the
Greek stage plays as they conceived them
20 have been. invented what speedily gre"
into the Italian opera. They were, In
sense. like Saul the Son Of Kish. who went
ou. TO find his fathers asses and found
Kingdom.
Mr.. Henderson. whose book is delight
f1l introduction TO Mr.. Apthorp's 1.-The
Opera Past and Present of tho Music
Lovers Library. published by the Scrib-
ners ten years ago. tills the ground COW
cred by the first fifteen pages OF that book
and extends IL into landscape full of
varied charms. with sunlight and shade.
brooks and flowers and many a walk lined
with benches that invite TO rest and con-
temptation. As Mr. Apthorp took the
Egyptians and Assyrians for granted and
thought It beyond his purpose 20 look into
the Greek drama and it's Roman imitation.
30 does Mr.. Henderson. but when Mr.. Ap-
thorp rushes ahead in his eaEerness TO
reach tho Florentine Cdmer0tq and its
work. Mr. Henderson pauses and makes
; his study OF 2S6 pages.
He devotes his first chapter 10 the early
liturgical drama, showing how the solemn
functions of the Church gradually acquired
tho elements, which. when combined later
IN secular entertainments. constituted q
lyric dramatic chant the dance. costume,
acton-and thus gave rise TO the dramas
which We're acted by tho priests I'm the
church for purposes Of religious instruc-
ton These plays finally emerged into the
open AIR, where i'm Italy they were called
Sacrc Rappresentazioni.' Thus the au-
thor, describing tho famous Ass festival"
and other developments of the choral pro-
cession, reaches the latter decades Of the
fourteenth century. which saw the open
air sacred drama in full action.
The sacred representations were an out
growth Of the 'Lauds." The most signif-
cant Of these productions 10y Jacopone da
Todi. was q setting Of q dialogue between
Mary and the Saviour OH the cross fol-
N lowed by the divine mothers lamentstion.
Mary at one point appeals TO PLATE, but
- interrupted by the chorus OF Jews cry
ing Cruelty Him. Here the student will
see the kernel of the Passion oratorios
which came much later and which seem TO
this writer 10 he the direct outcome of the
niedi9val manner Of reading the, story of
Christ's Passion. on Good Friday. with diff
fereut readers for each character and still
another for the people What is specially
interesting in Mr. Henderson's analysis is
that in these 'Tauds" secular melodies
came 70 be employed in place Of the
church chants He says:
1T appears 70 have made no difference
10 tho Italians what kind Of time they en-
ployed. They sang tho same strambotu
to the Virgin and the lady Of their love. to
hc of Ifr hp nd bo
balcony"
out Of the "Lauds" came the "Divozioni."
which were acted in church on a stage
constructed for the purpose--a stage #
tWo stories. the upper story for the celes-
ual persOnages Of the play In Florence
there came about blending Of the divo-
zionl with civic pageants on ST. Johns
DAY, at which there were great floats. with
orenery and actors to represent Biblical
events. THE machinery Of those shows
WAS SO elaborate that the cathedral plaza
was covered with a blue awning To repre-
sent the heavens. while wooden frames,
covered with wool and lighted UP. repre-
sented clouds amid which various saints
appeared. Iron supports bore up children
dressed as angels and the whole was
made 10 move slowly on the backs of
bearers concealed beneath the frame y
The plays were not divided into acts, bu:
there were changes OF scene. and there
Was not only song but music OF instrE-
ments as well. David danced before the
ark TO the sound Of large lutte violin.
trombone. and his own harp.
In the third chapter Of Mr.. Henderson 5
book we find a study Of music at the court
Of Mantua. when the art came into promi-
nencc as early as the fourteenth century.
II was al Mantua that Poliziano produced
his "Orfeo," the first lyric drama with Il
secular subject, TO a study OF which our
author devotos nearly one hundred pages.
We learn how tho play dealing with the
familiar story Of Orpheus and Eurydice
was treated: how II was played on a stage
erected in the great hall Of the Palazzo
GCnzaga. II was divided into two parts.
with fixed scene on each-one showing a
Thracian landscape. the other the realm Of
Pluto and Proserpinc. OrpheuS appeared,
no doubt, as he appeared in the representa-
tlons OF Gluck's opera recently witnessed
AZ our opera house.
Part Of the text NJ. Henderson thinks.
was spoken. Orpheuss addresses TO the
internal powers were no doubt sung.
were also the chOTuses, which were no