New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-25
First Performance OfViCtOr
Herbert's New Work at
the Metropolitan.
PROSAIC TEXT AND
LABORED MUSIC
A Pretty Play Spoiled in an At.
tempt to Make II Into
an Opera.
Rv II. r.. KREHBIEL.


attempt to turn II into An English opera
was demonstrated Yesterday afternoon at
the Metropolitan opera House. when
piece I'm one act entitled Madeleine was
performed for the first time. The book OF
the opera vas adapted from the French
OF Decourcelles and Thibaut by Grant
Stewart: the music was composed by VIC
tor Herbert. IN the official prospectus OF
the season Mr.. Gatt announced tnat II
was intended 10 represent The Nauohai
Art OF Music" which may be set down
as a deplorable incident, In view OF the
fact that Professor Parker's Mona,
with which the directors OF the Metropoh-
tan opera House made a noble expert
ment in the line OF national art seems u
have been put upon the shelf ana the
efforts of all other American musicians
ignored. What the original French play
W hich provided the dramatic framework
for Madeleine" Is like we do not kho".
Certain II is that its story Is amiaole anu
that in the hands of a litterateur Win
poetical instincts and A composer Win
light touch, a command of graceful ana
gracious melody and a knowledge or the
essential elements of refined COMEDY
such a COMPOSER as Wolf-Ferrari, for IN
stance-it might have been mace INTO
delightful opera. Its humor is summed up
in the concelt that an opera SINGER az
customed TO the homage or the "oIlu'
finds herself unable to get her favored
lover. his hated rival. an humble irlehu
of her humble childhood, or even her
maid. to dine with her on New hea'
Day, because all have promised TO ui'ie
with their respective mothers. sweet anu
ctastening memories are thus forced
upon her. and in the end she finds nappi-
ness and contentment in the companion
shin OF her own mothers portrait.
Tho dramatic motif is lovely and no
! doubt was ineeniously and sympatheti-
cally developed by the trench au'hoi .
| It's gentle appeal was felt in the operauo
transmogrihcation only for lew mo
ments. after the last word had peeh VI
tered and the orchestra sang ITS postum
with the heroine Of the play seateu at
her table bowed before her mothet
picture, lost in tender thoughts ana emu
| lions 10 which the instruments gave
| lovely expression. The rest was iulie'
| far-fetched, frivolous, fuliglnous' lufnlu
fustlan in the score and inept, ill-deVlseu'
operatic ;diom in the text. 1t did not neeo
the coming of Madeleine" to demonstrate
,ba. II the vernacular is to be greeted
nth pleasure when used in opera II must
not he the English of prosaic. everyday
sneech or of stited rhetoric, but the
speech of a raised and poetic fancy IL
| &c a little less disturbing to ones equa-
ninoitv TO hear a servant maid tell her
mistress that for dinner she shall have
"soup Ia refine. woodcock and new
asparagus" than to have her solloquize
and still more gifts TO swell the sum Oh
those already here; but there Is no dii-
ference in the absurdity OF the TWO
speeches when they are set TO music III
the declamatory style which is affected
/ nv the new composers and which Mr.. Her
bert has essayed in Madeleine Speech
es like these are given out In tones
which are prompted by nothing in their
contents. separated from each other by
orchestral easps and rumbes. squeaks
a short phrases, with all sorts OF
efforts at instrumental color. Then
come long speeches I'm which all of the
lvricism that there is In them mas oeen
! relocated to the orchestra, but Whlch
gain nothing in expressiveness from that
! fact. while losing a great deal from the
| strained and unnatural defamation. VI
sustained melody, or at least or the peri
/ odic melody with which Mr. Herbert has
won much favor with his operettas, there
are only three examples i'm the score OF
6-h
! which has its MODEL in hundred Eng
/ fish and Irish folksonss and ballads
melody which seems to threaten TO De
come native TO its creator by breaking
| into a waltz, and a suave and lovely mel
odv which is as likabe as Massenet
| louvre ties yeux bleux," which II recalls
at its every repetition. This is the tune
which brings solace and delight, and
works atonement for many Of the arid
stretches in the score when il brings the
curtains together at the close. II is the
! symbol of the tender emotion which per-
vades the story and contributes quota
| TO the Wagnerian system OF typlcai
phrases which Mr.. Herbert employs. The
first melody is used 10 recall the child
hood home Of Madeleine and the lover or
her youth, while the greatly sophisti-
Gated second tune gives musical voice 10
the passion of the aristocratic lover, the
Due d'Esterre. In all these instances Mr..
Herbert shows great ingenuity in his
harmonization, following some latter-day
men TO the extreme in the employment
Of dissonances, and also great skill in
Recommendation. Three times does the
COMPOSER work up a dynamic climax, and
each time with as little dramatic provo
cation as suffices Richard Strauss In
DER Rosenkavalier." In this opera a
notary closes his portfolio with a noise
like the crack Of doom. In Madeleine
all the elements seem to unite in a shrek
when the Due d'Esterre turns Made
leine's horses free, and they bolt through
a crowd. when my lady flies into a petu-
liant tantrum because no one will dine
with her. and finally when her boy-lover
Didier. the painter. kisses her chastely OF
the cheek.
The little opera has received brilliant
setting. and the costumes of it's person
ages are rich and appropriate 10 the time
in which the drama plays. Two Of the
characters have found efficient repre-
sentatives in Nine Aida ard Miss Sparkes
both of whom sang pleasantly and acted
with grace and vivacity. But the three
men. Althouse. Pini-Corsi and De Segu-
rola. were heavy in both speech and ac-
ton, the Italian and Spanard being af-
nicted besides with dialect which made
the English text doubly painful An au-