The sun., 1916-10-22

when IL was written for some fes,ivl-
ties at the royal palace Of Sohoen-
bruenn by order Of the Emperor. The
story hinged on the difficulties OF
Frank. a manager. in engaging a com-
pary for his theatre. Actors and ac-
tresscs gave examples OF their powers
and singers displayed their skill. in III"
latter case with the familiar result OF
a fine qIarre..
rho orvretta which viii he per-
formed on Thursday will bc something
N the way NJ a new development, fo-
Mr.. krehbiel has retained portions.
reoast others. ana adapted still. others
from a version made about fifty years
g by J.. Schneider and calle,
: "Schauspieldirectur, oder Mozart und
S~chikanedcr."
: In this piece tho composer appears
as the hero in the heat of writing The
Magic Flute" under Schlk Iu.der's di-
rection. This .mpresariu was the
manager Of the Theater an der Wien
n wrote the libretto of "Th" Magic
Flute" which he produced. The drop
curtain Of the Old theatre to this day
is a painting Of characters from the
opera with Schikaneder among the
crowd,
Schneider version H. heartily dis
liked ny Mozart overs because It pic
lures the master as a coXcomh and
shallow pate. not even possessed OF
c.ean morals. Mozart was Il vastly
different sor, Of person, and Mr.. Kreh-
bel. who IL one Of his true adorers.
may he counted upon to present him
in his proper lisht.
The version to lie seen ON Thurs
day omits all the part concerning the
actors. a. given In the original, AMI
centres about the operate troubles.
The entire music of the original score
and two additi0 nal oae of Mozart will
DO sung. While the skeleton of
Schneider's version H. retained, the
libretto Is in effect a new one write !
by HI adaptcr.
. Doubtless these two little works.
one written in the period Of Mozart's
marvellous juvenile precocity and the
other in the first years of that mighty
maturity so untimely ended by death.
will serve To show once more that char
acteristic facility Of uttcranCe which
lends endless and ineXpressible charm
to all the music of the most gifted OF
composers.
Mozart, it must be borne in mind
was not Of the analytical type. He
was the incarnation Of s~pontane.ty
I~ntrospection was foreign To his genius.
No composition which flowed from his
fecund pen was a foster child OF
silence and slow Time He lisped In
numbers because the numbers came.
md IN manhood ha IN no N hnxs pfn0c
from sheer joy.
He was constituted in diametrically
the opposite way from Beethoven. who
reached perfection in his works by "A
process of deep travail and mental abb
straction. So he became. as Roman
ROLAND hae' admirably said. "the
chosen friend OF hose who have loved
and whose souls are quiet. Those who
suffer can seek refuge clsewhere-in
that great conso'er. the nan who
suffered so himself and was beyond
cOnsolation-I IA Beethoven"
Mozart accepted operate aria texts
as mood symbols and constructed his
settings without striving after de-
tailed intimacy Of expression. His
treatment Of sentiment is In long flow
ing melodic lines rather than In cameo
reproductions Of the textual infections.
His quiet humor IL affectionate rather
than satiric and his broader fun has
the romping gayety OF imperishable
boyhOod.
Whether any permanent addition to
the repertory Of the contemporaneous
theatre shall or shall. not be made by
Thursdays performance. we shall
without doubt he glad to hear the
music Of these two scores which In
their day gave almost unmeasured
delight. Little indeed that Mozart
wrote can conveniently be spared from
the literature Of the living. for II near.