New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-28

"oIuS nor the music were worthy OF the
| service in which they were employed
/ particularly the pastry cooks recipe. and
/ 80 did Mr.. Grswold. Nj Hnshaw. Mr..
Murphy, Nh. Ruysdael and Nine. Matt
| teld: but the words We're generally those
/ winch had least significance. II was when
! the language Of the drama rose To
! emotional heights. when il became a
/ vehicle Of feeling. of passionate stress. Of
! eager love and longing. Of pride in con-
scious strength contempt for cCnven-
! tons defiance of death when In short il
| should have reached its highest utter
I ance. that il was made 10 become only
/ one Of the inarticulate voices IN Mr. Dam
rosch's instrumental music 1t would not
| have been different had the language been
any other; the determining factor was the
! style in which much of the dramatic
music is written. Unfortunately NJ.
Amato had TO be tho chief sufferer. be
cause ne was the representative Of Cy-
f, rano. and il was the rlumed knight
whose glorihcation enlisted Mr.. Dam
rosch's most ardent Inspirations and-so
/ II would almost appear-his most sono-
rous music. though We cannot understand
/ why they should so often have adhered
and kept pace with one another. But fur
Their consideration Of these things may be
! left to those reviewers whose conceptions
of patriotism and art give them more
trouble than they do this writer
II is less a wonder that Rostand's "Cy-
| ranc de Bergerac" should at last have
| been turned into an opera than that it
, should have waited SO long for that trans
! formation which every reader on spec
tator Of the play must have seen was in
evitable from the beginning In Europe
the play is protected by copyright and il,
| would be an easy guess 10 say that Nj.
| ROstand was himself rhe obstacle in tho
way of the omnlvorous French librettists
who have no bowels ~ compa ssion for
the literary masterpieces OF any people.
Mr. Rostand is powerl 50 m the present
instance. and though Ny. Oanrosch has
publicly announced that he intends 10 al
| vide his royalties with MN Il is not
! likely that be is contemplating with
cquanimity the fact that his Cyrano
is TO put on the antic disposition which
| his transmogridcation INTO an operate
nero Involves. no matter how ingeni-
| oUsly the translation is accomplished.
/ Least OF all will he be pleased TO know
! that CYranO is 10 utter his speeches
| not only with the alloy Of music. but
! sophisticated by q tongue so foreign TO
! their spirit as is the English. II he was
displeased with the performances OF his
| drama in English. he will no doubt feel
doubly outraged at the reflection that his
! hero's famous nose is 10 he celebrated Il,
music And yet il was inevitable. IS i
matter Of fact. the work Of Messrs. Hem
! dersOn and DamrosCh is not the first oper-
attic version Of Rostand play. In Septem-
! Der. 1892 ii had a brief career as an opera.
, which was made 20 give vent 10 the am
bition Of Mr. Francis Wilson 10 Get away
| from acrObatic musical farce and demon
strate that he could use his mind as well
as his legs in giving entertainment 10
the public. Unhappily, the demonstration
/ involved also the use Of NJ. Wilson'S
voice. from the ldiosyncrasies Of which
the genial and scholarly comedian could
not divorce himself. ana SO it failed mis-
erablv Nh Wilson made the scenario for
the opera himself MI Stuart Reed put IT
: into dramatic shape-that is. he wrote the
I dialogue and indicated the places for the
/ music Mr. Harry Il. Smith wrote the
songs and Mr.. Victor Herbert composed
the music.
Every body was quick To recognize that
/ Il was a correct instinct which saw the
| making OF an opera in "Cyrauo de Ber-
] serac" but every boGv who saw and heard
the opera was equally quick 70 observe
that IL was mistaken one which chose
! another treatment than frank ana broad
burlescuc for Mr.. Wilson. even il he
wanted it so. Much Of the lyrical ce!c-
bration Of lie panache" seemed provided
TO order by VI. Rostand himself who had
/ conceived his play on lines that cried out
I for a musical setting as loudly as work
! so profoundly poetical ana romantic
could II f. sufficient 10 remind the
I reader of the irst act. with It's merry
gathering, its play scene. the ballad Of
I the duello. III. second. with It's hungry
A, poets and the rhyming pastry cook. and
7 the inditing Of tie letter 20 ROxane the
third with its proxy sercnade ian echo
! % NoZart's Don Giovanni. the song
Of the cadets Of Gascony; the fourth,
/ with it, camp scene before the battle and
the battle itself: finally, Cyrano's IN
/ conscious confession Of his passion. his
! fight with the phantQms Of the things
! iu life of which he had been the impiaca-
pl, euemy-why. they all seemed 10 be
/ made for opera, And then the pretty IN
I yltatious 10 seventeenth century music
t1e mlsetle which j. the prelude 10 Mont
| heurys -ffort TO recite pastoral the
pavane. which was 10 be PLAYED out OF
tune" IN .Ase De Guiche should apprca en-
[, the home OF Roxane to spoil the love
! making-what delightful opportunities Tor
, dainty and ingenious musicianship'
All this seems 10 be Of the opera
operate. snd every person IN the play
too struck out IN sharp lines for musical
Characterization and a Transporting IN
terchange OF liRhtsome humor, semi
gravity and deep passion. CnfortunateiN'
there was too much to lend itself to the
langtid legs Of music. and when the
authors of the opera undertook the
transformation they id not know how
and when To make the heroic eXclslons
which were necessary 10 bring the play
Within the operate framework. Much or
tine literary sparkle would have 10 go by
the board, OF course. That Nj Hender-
son knew and he labored valiantly ana
with much success 10 supply ts place
with lines which would carry music
/ though they could not Vehect the ro-
mantle NE which VAS the breath IN
cvrano's nostrfs. But rAusic came with
! lis clog. in spite OF him and IN spile
aven NJ Mr.. Damrosch, who Rad a multi
tude of pretty concets which he plainly