The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-06
n, ". .. HENDERSON.

~ lbDkuls lbNdTu tHc ttpuSN w
ton Of the lyric drama along
Nomc of the lines indicated in his
masterpieces. Wanting perhaps the
philosophic foundation upon which ne
rested his creations, some modern
writer's have sought to bring INTO their
works the vital cement of character
ixation 10y the employment OF local
color. The use of this is expected L"
give Ia the work a racial or national
cast and to facilitate the delineaton
Of the moods and Ideals of the people
among whom this particular type Of
music originated.
Bu, the problem il not ~ easily
solved. This is not only the case when
the ESSAYS 10 hathc himsof
10 the local color of "A foreign nation
but also sometimes when the musician
10 working in the thought of his own
country. Puccini made "A brave at
tempt at what he fancied was Ameri-
Cnism in his Girl OF the Golden
Vest" but succeeded only a develop
lpg a hyphenated art. In his "Madama
Butterfly" he reached n higher level OF
Illusion. IL not of realism a he
invited Europeans and Americans TO
listen to a Japanese opera rocking IN
q local color with which they had no
tna innate acquaintance.
1t might indeed he purely Japanese.
They were willing Ia believe it to he
20. They certainly could not authori-
tai lively declare that Il was not. At
am rate It sounded exotic. II had the
languor and the passion of the mystic
Est. albeit in some phrases there was
-.-.ti,,t,,. 90 tho t.Nfaintr uG
lnguors and passions nf ancient
EGypt as offered to us in Nerdis
Aida"
Bizet's Carmen" brought with 1t the
mos, successful illusion Of all the at
tAmpts by q foreigner TO charm us with
Spanish color. But Bizet jugG!ed with
the national .diom. He uses i; only
for the delineaticN OF his heroine. She
IN the only rsona in the opera VINO
~ gs Spanish music or with whom II
n directly associated in the orchestral
portion of the score. Every one @ Sc
has French opera music. The fact
t1aat they all are Spaniards Is quietly
relocated 10 an artistic ohscurNy
against which the personality of Car
MNn is sharply outlined.
Now comes Mr.. GraGadoe. a Spanish
with an opera bu!N upon
Spanish action and expressed IN
Spanish music. And h happens
There is hardly any characterization
at all. except the broad one OF the
Spanish people. Any principal IN
'Coyescas' might without artistic n
congruity sing the phrases or any
other. "Madamina" could not he taken
away from Leporciio and handed over
70 FIGARO in lie Nozze." nor couid
Donna Anud'S stately measures be pre-
sented TO the country girl Zer'ind with
oat our detecting the inappropriatenes@
Of the new delivery. And yet these
operas of Moz.It ave no local co.or.
The characterization N
sf.ovescas' goes 10 the chorus because
le represents the people, and the
ueople's music is favored honey in IL
em,ltitude OF threats. We are aimosi
onrsuaded TO conclude that the intense
%nationalism of the Russian operas
which have come TO us consists IN 'ht
olcauent delivery of music idlomati'
csaly Russian by the chorus, when I'M
persona,es the Russian people.
THE success of the Russian opera
however. does not rest upon TINS cohd1'
ton. The music of a lyric drama mus
md a way TO publish in potent terms
thr emotions OF the ~protaGonisis OF TN
MAY. This is its first and chief once
without which all else is but sounding
brass and tinkling cymbals. 1t mus
ann in the second place at delineatini
personal character. And with this W.
0me to the real secret.
1t is no the mere presence OF tn
Russian idiom that paints for ~ M
character of Boris GOdWnos- II Is tn
mastery employment of it - the eN
preston of human passion. 1t IS M
cumposer's success in this which save
sl,e opera from the failure which IL
disconnected libretto might bring upol
4.
The story of Boris Godunov" is Il
De sought not In tho loosely relate
series OF incidents which go to make "
che action but in the significance OF III
two chief p~ersonages, the monarch
himself and the embodiment OF fate i
the young monk who is continual,
Craving nearer to the throne, Dtn,tf'
o. the agent through whom Boris !
brought to destruction.
These NO characters move steadil
through the drama to the inevitabl
denouemcnt. Boris himself is define
ated with immense tragic power. ]
he were not the opera would he n life
: less thing. And it Is not the Russian
ism Of the music allotted to Boris tina
makes him tragic: it is the manner /
which that music is used to express hi
inner life,
The artistic principle underlying thi
treatment is almost identical with tina
which governs the dramatic music {
Wagner. Here we meet no questio
OF local color, no employment Of racii
ar national idiom. But We are cor
frOnted with Wagner's elaborate sys
TEN Of representative themes. To
many music lovers fancy that the So
.ret of the spell OF tho WaGnoria
drama is TO lac found in the individu;
meaning OF the lett motiven.
This is only d part of the who'll
When a music lover has CAREFUL
committed to memory the whole ,
the representative themes in "Ds
Ring dcs NIbelunGen' he has on
gone through the gateway Of Was
ner's artistic paradise. To becOn
wholly wise one must discover Il
way IN which Wagner combines h
themes into great mood pictur,
which perfectly delineate the ides
contained in tho action.
Each great dramatic eituatiou