The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-26
BY W. J. HENDERSON.

nv NJ VI 'bsf
tention to the cunning of the
master craftsman Meyerbeer. Afflicted
with pitiful poverty of ideas, he never
thelcss contriycd often to dress them
up in such dazzling clothes that one
forgot the skeleton in gazing at the
armor. And when he had no idea at
al, says the learned doctor, ne dis
tracts our attention from that fact by
a cadenza for clarinet.
The cadenza is an old and honorable
institution. Ii dates back at east as
far as the ancient Egyptians, who
were accustomed to conduct part OF
their religious worship by singing long
vocal fluurishes on certain vowel
sounds With uncrring instinct for
inspiring fancies they associated each
vowel sound with "A planet and per- |
suaded themselves that the singer set
In motion sound waves which Nibrated
In unison with those put in movement
by the planet. The harmony of the
spheres had a meaning for them and
ri.ey were sure that the morning stars
saug together.
Still later IN the Christian liturgy
the cadcnZa had a place not dissimilar
to that held in the Egyptian ritual. 1t
was applied to such emotional excla-
nations as "kyrie oleison." Christie
elelson' and "Alleiuia.' Unfortunately
when the singer began to drive his
blazing chariot across the musical
ornament the cadcnza lost its original
purpos. and became "A mere parade
ground for the display Of his voice and
Its agility.
II is amusing to note to what
strange uses the cadenZa came in the
seventeenth century. Some of those
written by composers of that period
are well nish impossible for singers OF
to-day. They are essentially instru-
mental and not zoe in character.
But they may have served the familiar
purpose of 81 many cadenzas. namely
to PROV idc q brilliant finish e a piece
OF musir offering nothing in itself.
The thoatregoer of to-day. whether
In the home Of the spoken drama or in
the trmple of lyric art" is like tn
wonder whether scenery has come TO
be the ridenZa Of bad performances.
Wd~ IT always thus? One easily re-
calls pertinent instances. For exam
pie. when the amiable Cardinal Maza-
rim freshly returned from some profit
abb years in the l5arberini palacv At
Rome. introduced the Italian opera to
Paris he met with some unexpected
comments. 1T. Evrcmond had already
empticd his bitter ink well upon the
new art. He called Il "A fantastic pro-
ductiun Of poetry and music"
"a play SUNG from beginning To end.
Is ii tho persons represented had come
To the absurd understanding of dis
Coursing in music the most common
place as well as the most important
concerns NJ life. IS contrary 10 nature:
It wnunds the Imagination and offends
the UNDERSTANDING
Mazarin's first attempt to popularize
the Comedies en- MIsjque avec Ma
chimes a IA Mode d'Italie' was "a
failure. iiut note That special mention
Is made If the machines. Rossi's
"nrfeo' was performed on Shrove
Tuesday, l647, in the small saloN Of
the ala Royal before an invited
audience ~ about thirty. "Sienora
Ieonora from Rome" had the chief
role. That is the old record. I.eonora
Baroni it was, the siren of Pope Bene-
diets rebuke, the famous heroine Of
Milton's al LennoLain CansHten."
and the subject OF u volume Of rhapso-
dc vcrslc.es by forty Italian poets.
Foreli was brought from Rome to
supervise the magnificent scenery and
dazzling costumes. The opera was
33 Ia per cent. longer han Die
MeistersInser"; 1t lasted six hours,
The superb scenery amazed the court,
but privately the court!ers said ION
pensait MOURN d'ennui." However,
the opera was given three times a week
Tor two months. Her Majesty was
always present. Once she left in the
middle Of the performance to go To her
dcvotlons and she refused to allow the
work 10 Toe performed in Lent. 1t is
said that this conduct offended the
Cardinal, However, 1t amused the
court. and after nearly dying OF ennui
Il certainly deserved to he en,ivened
By "a furtive smile.
The truth is that for more than a
century previous to the Introduction Of
opera into France scenery had been a
great feature in the theatrical produc-
tons OF Italy. The curious may Q
lies Decors. Lees Costumes ct La
Mise en- Scene au KYLE Steele by
I.udovic Celler paris, 1850. And
there are many interesting u in
historical works. In the monumental!
'sDriGNi del Teatro in Italia" Of Al
lesaudro d'Ancona one vii, find
valuable Information about the ma
chimes and the vast pictorial effects
of the "saCre rapprcsentazioni' of the
6ftocuth and sixteenth CoGturies.
The truth seems to he hat in so far
Or the early lyric drama was con-
Corned the scenic attire was not de-
signed to conceal poverty of thought,
but was regarded ~ AN essential item
in the whole. Possibly Waguer's much
celebrated uGion of the arts was in
operation IN those days without the as
eistancc Il propaganda. The spec'acu-
lar element in the opera has existed
practically from the beginning.
10 be sure there was a certain clas-
sic dignity about the stage picture
offered with the production Of the
nrst modern secular drama, the
"Orfco" of Polizlauo, and that chaste
conception might well have been
cherished. together with the lofty SIM
plicity OF style Of the music. But
both were speedily lost in the swift
growth of sensuuus cNc.tcmcnts, The
stage surrendered itself to elaborate
epcrtaClcs costing thousands and as
tonishing the mind by almost binding
tho eye, while the music wandered
into the hopeless confusion of the