New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-09
HISTORICAL OPERA STUDY
Unique Concert by the Mac
DOWeI| Chorus.

II was not altogether wise To- carry a
critical spirit into the concert given by
the Mcdowell Chorus In Carnegie Han
last night Not that the music was not
extremely interesting. OF. at least, the
greater part of 1t, or that much of 1t was
not beautifully performed. ON the con-
trary. there was much that was AS las
oinatlng as 1t was novel in the programme
and MIR SCHNEIDER and his singers az"
themselves as proud as ever they did last
season What inspired mild spirit OF
opposition was that an institution oaliins
itself trather anectedly. it might he said
p Schola Cantorum should have made pro-
fession OF an educational purpose IN an
entertainment, aud In the first part OF IL
done SO many things which II ought nor
IA have done and left undouc 50 many
which II ought 10 have done 10 be true to
IFS lofty proclamation. The aim OF the
meeting. so the house bill SAID was 10
illustrate the development of opera from
the madrigal to- the master works OF
Gluck" Now. the opera Is an art form
of a very distinct and unambiguous char-
acter. which came into existence at the
end of the sixteenth century I'm Florence
Those who created it did so as a protest
against the style of music which hlleh
nearly the entire first part OF Mr.. Schihd-
lcr's pfocfamme. The madrigalS ana
othcr contrapuntal pieces by Mcssandro
.triceio G5GD, OraZio NcCCh $3.50
and Adriano Banchleri GJ9SD all had his
torical interest FOR the musical student
but without exception they illustrated
what the opera in its beginnings was not
When Mr.. SCHNEIDER reached the time
when the lyric drama grew out OF the
efforts Of the Florcntine reiormcrs 10 re-
vlye what they conceived to nave been
the spirit and form Of the ancient Crock
tragedy. he forgot hi educational scheme
completely There was not single eN-
annie of the so-called representative
svIe. tho old mJnoGic declamatory sons
alternating with its chor.c madrisal out
Of which the opera grew, except the IA
nous lament of the deserted maiden
from Monteverde's "Arianna' 06osD. Moth
ing by Peri nothing by 'dccinl. nothing
by Gacliano From the single Italian
fragment which illustrates so beautifully
the birth of the operate Arioso. the pro-
grammc leaped 10 the Engii'hman' Pur-
cell. and thereafter - the end OF the
chapter the music performed was all from
the French school-from lullHs intcrmez-
70 i'm a comedy by Moliere. itam"ar :
"uinnolytc Il Article Philidor's Erin
Iinde'" Guck's "Alceste" and Rousscaus
lie Devin du Village
To the critical mind, therefore. the
IL,
ters worse for tho student I'm the early
numbers, there was a good deal OF So
classification in the presentation of the
music. The secular madrlgalists Of the
end of the sixteenth century could not
hold a candle to their ecclesiastical rivals,
and as music pure and simple. little that
they did needs 70 be heard In city IA
miliar for twenty years with the music
of Orlando di I.asso. Palestrina and their
fellows. II it was essential 10 a demon
stration Of the development Of dramatic
music TO produce a portion OF Necchl :
'I.'Amhparnasso. nothing finer could
have been found than the humorous mad
rigal "Tik, TAX tok." with its echoes Of
the synagogue. But Necchi wrote
"I.AmGparnasso' for voices alone. and
TO MI it with realistic instrumental effects
and organ tones was 10 falsify history
for those who went To tho concert with a
desire To he instructed.
But enough of this, It is dssonant
note, and the concert had so much in it to
give pleasure that 1t would never have
been sounded had il not been provoked
by 'Schola Cantorum" Beginning
with the scenes from Purcell's King Ar
thur" one delight followed upon the heels
Of another to the end OF the concert.
Why. many must have asked themselves
mentally with such an inepIring exemplar