New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20
The Unpopularity
of Vernacular Opera
Financial Failure of the Experiment the Lyceum Theatre
Righteousness of the Performances-Antiquity OF
Opera in Notwithstanding About ranslatlons

the American Singers. published by
"The Times" and Tribune newspa-
pers, that "The Maid Mistress" was
not wholly new TO the New York stage.
Ignorance of that fact was very excusa-
bic, for it is doubtful if there remained
a memory of the famous intermezzo
in the minds of even the listeners to
the first Italian opera given in the
United States, ninety-two years ago.
Even the authors of our American mu-
steal histories were ignorant of the
antiquity Of opera on this side Of the
Atlantic until the Investigations of Mr..
o. G. Sonneck, published only few
years ago, disclosed the fact that Eng
,lish opera, both Of the ballad type and
in the form of adaptations of Italian
and French works, was performed in
this country decades before the peri
DDS set down in the books. Mr.. Son
neck has taught US that it is not un-
likely that there were few perform
ances of English operas as early as
the first decade of the eighteenth
century, and that the production Of
"The Beggar's OPERA" in 1850, which
the books (until Mr.. Sonneck made
the result of his researches known set
down as the first operate perform
ance heard on this side of the At
lantic, was far from correct. Ten
years ago the writer of these comments,
in an article on "Opera in the United
States" published in the third volume
of Groves Dictionary of Music and
Musicians had this to say on the
early history of opera in this country:
French and Italian operas had many
performances, sometimes IN French,
sometimes in English, before the year
1900 in the towns and cities which
were then in most active communica-
ton with Europe. There are even
traces of German Sin9spiei, Benda's
Can error; it should have been Edel-
mann's) Ariadne' being on the New
York list of 1891. Among French works
Rousseau's 'Pygmalion' and 'Devin du
Village, Dalayracs Nina and
I'Amant Statue Monsigny's Deser-.
tour" Gretry's 'Zemre ct Azore,'
'Fausse Magic and Richard Occur
de Lion and others were known IN
Charleston. Baltimore, Philadelphia
and New York in the last decade of
the eighteenth century. There are
traces, too, of Pergolesi's 'Serva Pa
drona.' and it seems more than likely
that AN opera in three acts. the text
adapted by Colman, entitled The
Spanish Barber, or The Futile Precau-
ton played in Baltimore, Philadel-
phia and New York in 1894, was Paisi-
ellos 'Rarbiere di Siviglia.' From 1920
10 18i9 more than score of the
Italian, French and German operas
which made up the staple of foreign
repertories were frequently performed
by English singers. The earliest OF
these singers were members of the dra-
matte companies who introduced the
atrical plays in the colonies. They
went from London 10 Philadelphia. New
York. Williamsburg. Va. and Charles.
ton, 5. c.. but eventually established
their strongest and most enduring foot
hold in New York"
NpL Oniy AHc ltHidih aDONN Ia
Serva Padrona," but the record Of
performances here moro than hun
ered years ago Of "Devin du Village"
was recalled by the repertory of the
Society of American Singers. Rous-
seaus "Devin du Village" was the
original of the German pastoral,
"Bastien ct Bastienne,' which the boy
Mozart composed, and which divided
the evenings and the honors with
1.-THE Impresario.'
II is a pity that we cannot speak as
highly in praise OF the Donizetti
opera, called Tho Night Bell" as we
can OF the works by Pergolesi and
Mozart. The humor OF the play was
ooarser. the music less elegant,
though not wholly without humor. 1t
seemed little incongruous, too, that
the composer should have burlesqued
his own style Of serious composition
in the scene which was supposed to
provide the groundwork for the farce
OF this we spoke last Sunday while
Withdrawing our criticism Of the
manner in which Mr. Reiss had sung
his first song and his part in the