New-York tribune., 1912-04-21

iect that 'Cyrano' cannot be an American
opera because the subject is French; but
did the fact that the scenes Of 'Armide'
or 'Orfeo' are laid in Palestine and in
Hades render Gluck any the less national
Did Verdi go to Italy for his 'Traviata or
his 'Falstaff'; did Puccini 90 to Italy for
'Reheme or Butterfly or Meyerbeer 70
France for TiAfricaine'? Are Romeo and
Juliet or Hamlet any the less English
because their scenes are laid in italy and
Denmark? II seems 10 me that these
parallels carry their own answer 10 such
objections.
In my version Of 'Cyrano' I have fol-
lowed the original pretty closely, except
as regards the last two acts. II you re-
member. in Rostands play the last act
is in tho convent garden fourteen years
after the battle. Here Cyrano comes TO
die, half crazy. Mr.. Damrosch saw that
this would not be effective for operate
purposes, so he suggested that ] make the
scene Immediately following the battle,
and that Cyrano be brought there NOR
tally wounded. This I have done.
IN RHYMED AND BLANK VERSE.
"The libretto Is written IN verse, partly
in rhyme and partly in blank verse, the
blank verse occurring as the action grows
more dramatic l wrote my part with an
especial attention TO lyric effects, so that
whenever possible the characters may
burst into melodic expression. II has
seemed 70 me that modern composers have
too often neglected such lyric expression.
and / have always held that such express
sion must occur in opera No one realized
this fact more potently than Richard Wag-
uer Wagner never fails when the mo-
nent Of create emotional feeling arrives
TO hurst into songs. Witness the Spring
Song I'm Die Walkure,' the Love Duet in
Tristan II we are working I'm a musical
medium. our medium Of expression must
he musical. and this is what the modern
composer, probably at times through a
misunderstanding OF Wagner. has too often
failed TO realize. Music cannot exist with
out melody; In fact. might say that music
consists Of melody, rhythm and harmony,
and OF these the most important Is melody.
When a great emotional crisis arrives,
melody, lyric song, must express it-such
can be the only true. the only effective
method Of expressing 1t.
"All the great composers have realized
this. though naturally their manner has
changed with the times. | do not, would
not. argue for return TO the DOniZettian
method Of stringng one aria after another
for no reason except that quartet or a
trio following a solo provided dramatic con-
trast. In those days librettos seemed TO be
r,an1,fa ctrIred for the sole purpose OF dis
rlaving these set melodies, and hence there
ms little dramatic continuity in the operas
p,t Wagner has shown that IL Is possible
40 ovnrcss emotion lyIically and yet log
,oolI, AS the action progresses, emotion
Lo,o,,,os more and more intense, and then
III ot once. perfectly naturally, that emo
,io,, cvnresses itself in song. There are
sot arias that are there simply because
The connoser wishes them to be there, but
-. o,,ist because they must be there, be-
causa tbev are necessary 10 the express
sion of the story. This was wagner con-
trihr,ior vet others before him had re-
allied IT,, Gluok and Mozart among 'heih'
Even Claude Debussy, VINO mas oi'eH Deeh
sat IN as an enemy OF melodlc expression
has given this impression IN only one WORK
cpklIeas et Melisande,' ana ne mas oeeh
Quoted as saying that If he were 10 write
another opera he would nave u '''D "''''''''
method Of expression.
.N1r Damrosch is as hrm DeHeNer IN
,,o,odv as l am. and whenever my hpretto
tas given him the opportunity ne mas puiSt
go song Take, for instance 'he Oa''oiY
-ooro Here the music gTaduaHN "'' "S
Itself ND into an ecstasy OF iyrc song, as as
suroly should be the case "hens,e' 'o,e
ronsic occurs. But OF course MI Daih-
roscb @ has varied his expression WIN lhe
mood. For instance, the wen known .." .I', re-
nrIpt rG for making almond cake nave We, VIII NJ,
e'p ,n Gubcrtian 'pitter-patter' anu MI
%a,,rnsch ,'m in his music has followed SrIt
r "To return for moment to 'son ,ne suO,e, ,,h
Of nbretto setting. see no t.aaom anarorrIs, %"s
modern M 1,a life should not prove appf0DHA'e