New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-08
Music
Two Little Operas Are
Given by Society of
American Singers
BY II. L. kREHBIEL


the part OF the music reviewers for the
newspapers. both heightened in an APP
probable degree by the appeal to ma
tonal pride made by the war, can bring
success 90 The newest effort to popular
. 'zo opera in the vernacular, the Society
+ OF American Singers ought to win a
triumph.
The organization is somewhat over
weighted, We fear. by its name. and pos
s'biy handicapped by its APPARENT pur-
pose to apply itself too exclusively to
musical archaeology; but these thing
can be remedied. The artistic aims OF
the organization were set IN a measure
oy the success which crowned the pro-
duclou last fall Of two Of Mozart
Ntte operas, one of which had the his
lorcW interest of being production OF
the composers prodigy years. the other
CO., o'lrg an unknown work from the
period OF his upeSt maturity.
The latter C"The lmpresario") cna-
Died Miss Garrison and Miss Gates TO
disclose great charms Of voice and un-
suspected skill ia yocalization. and this
fact. no doubt led to the choice of the
most interesting and unsteady beauti-
tui OF the two works which Mr.. Reise
and The singers who have banded them
selves together with him produced last
niEni Fersoiosl' La Scrva Padrona,
or ~ ~ mas 0cen translated, THE Maid
ieSs'
This little opera boufTe or operctta
rmadc great deal Of noise IN the mu-
sical world in the eighteenth century
'"f'''a'I do farls. where It once
cause" commouon which resembled IN
manner inc moro serious quarrel be
'"tDi inc champions of Plcclm and
DItch' respectively, some years later
hAi noih these famous controversies
were much ado about nothing, and the
stucent OF musical history to-day can
scarcely think of them without a smile
10 was the fashion OF the time to affect
exaggerated zeal in behalf Of imaginary
ideals M art and make public show. OF
ones devotion.
The rivalry between two singers. Cuz-
Iom and Fausbna, divided London So
c'ctN INTO two camps. split families
ranged the sexes against each other
7 the men fought for Faustina. the WON
en- Tor Cuzzonll, caused change i'm
fashions and the location of beauty
pots on female faces; but the turmoil
bore neither lesson nor fruit.
So when LA Scva padrOna' came
to Iaus there cnsued ,he war OF the
I Irll'siS and bufoNsis, and as the
King and Nine Pompadour favored the
iormer. the Queen and her party. quite
I as matter OF course. ChamplOned the
latter.
To think Of these things i'm connec-
ton with the childish comedy on which
Pcr.o,esi has strung SOME cxquisitely
igt.c.fn. and beautiful melodies il
merely amusing. Naturally few Of the
listeners ought Of them last night
and these had to seek endowment i'm the
singing Of Mrs. Faston-Maclcnnon and
Mr. Bispham. and i'm smaller degree
their acting and the pantominc Of Nr
Burgstaller. who. the only other char
actcr I'm the comedy. was both speech-
less and eonclces. Norrr vas dramatic
music buno on q +hionor .broad ~
comedy. An artful mink Of maid
whecdios and frigb4ons ON old man into
marrying her with the helm of q fellow
servant who masquerades as a fre-eat-
ing soldier.
The dialor6c is insiDid and ifs vboIo
purpose is to hitch the musical pieces
together. These musical pieces. how
ever. are full of the charm which at
It.ches To- the rcIod,- of tho varied
when the art Of SINGING was a4 lis
height. when beauty rested on graceful
contour and expression on perfection
Of phrase purity and equality Of tone.
appreciation Of symmetry and the pres
crvation OF reposc. How beautiful the
principal air in ole Scrva Padrona" is
Amc. Somhrlch demonstrated 20 US
years AGO IN her recitals. To sing the
notes Of this music is not difficult: TO
disclose its style requires the artistic
capacity Ct the michticst order.
Il was. therefore, a pleasure to note
how near Mrs. Maclonnan came to a
tul! realization Of ITS demands and also
with what INTEL lgcnce and sprightli-
ness she entered INTO the spirit OF the
comc'F' me performance was refined;
le "-to.o4 CON alAg ihe use OF
ING oIIEi"a, orcneS'Id' ION LOT strings
y"'I' l"3ush modern EDITORS nave not
AesI ,@.e' L" hIslca'e IL by ADDING
VIVA jos 'r1inehlS I'D 'he nope OF thus
"el u9liNF li 10 modern TASTE
ne opeIetla Whlch followed an
e ,,,. '.',i j.. "I Ronl-et'i ainpaneIIo
O. Not'c' was or coarser hbre IN every
respect, cspeclalIN IN IT'S plot, which
questionable enough IN IS fundamental
/ motive. was further VulgarlZed by the
English version Of its book. This book
like that Of La Serva paduna~ was
made by sydney Rosenfeld. an old
hand a. The business. who seems 10
have thought little of the manner OF
the oldtime Italian opera buffe and
much of the modern Broadway musi-
cal comedy. As has been mentioned
/ n The Tribune, the comedy, a wildly
farcical onc in the English version
turns on the successful efforts of a