The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-04
'FIDDLERS THREE Is
A MELODIOUS PIECE
1t Has Romantic Spirit, but
Native Humor Is Not
Excluded.
STIRRING DANCES ALSO
Operetta Of Old Fashioned
Kind Is Sung by Admirable
Company.

John Cort 10 another manager who
has Joined in the chase for the genuine
comic opera of other years. The hunt
has been on for some time. Every year
a gallant crusader publicly declares that
| he has a work with music In which story
| and score are exquisitely harmonized.
There is TO be nothing but romance set
| to music-not jazz music at that. but
the kind of music that recalls those
palmy days Of comic opera that swim
before the eyes OF the ambitious i'm
presario.
Sometimes these dreams are realized
| In such a work as Victor Herberts
| Eileen" or in the exquisite score Of
THE Lilac Domino But ever these
little masterpieces fnd It difficult to es-
| cape syncopation. Indeed, The Lilac
Domino" closed It's career with liberal
allowance Of syncopation, probably in
jected at the request Of Its hackers
Eileen did not remain in hearing so
| long as some other works more literally
supplied with the element which the
public presumably demands to-day
The Review and Comic Opera.
Even the scores that come from the
banks OF the Wien. or did come from that
source. had to be submitted to pepper
! ing of our most popular native rhythm
| before they were found sufficiently sea-
soned for our taste To many comic
opera seems to have disappeared as an
art form in music along with some others
that may have been more important
sr-N.. s~I- a.
less syncopation has evidently for the
present taken the place of any more rigid
structure.
But there were In the past Robin
Hood" and before that La File de Nine
Angot" and Die Fledermaus." SO Mr..
Cort's quest has the cordial support Of
| all those lovers o. light music who are
gifted with taste in this preference. How
many theatres would they fill In COM
parison with the hopeless victims OF syn
| copation?
William Cary Duncan and Alexander
tombstone are responsible for "Fiddlers
! Three" and they have been liberal in
supplying Mr.. Cort's demand for all the
| romance possible The story of the
new operetta passes In Crenona. The
manufacture OF the famous violns OF
that town is the inspiration OF the tale
Whoever contrives the finest instru-
ment Is to have the honor OF marrying
the queen sof the carnival. OF course the
right man wins But Is not his violin
taken away from him before that for
tunate event and given TO his rival?
Other elements OF romance readily
recognizable are in "Fidders Three"
There is. OF course, a public square. 1t
was inevitable, therefore, that there
should also be grand palace. The
heroine also sang Can II BE Love at
Last" which showed the emotional un-
| certainty so familiar in comic opera.
Undoubtedly Mr. Cort had in "Fiddlers
Three" got hold of the romantic spirit
But he was not so uncompromising as
to exclude some native humor. so the
widow of a Pittsburg pickle manufac-
turer and vender OF egg heaters from
, Soapstone, Mass. shared the responsible
ity OF the fun with an English lord en-
gagged in writing a book of his remnis-
cences
Graceful Music From Com poser.
Alexander tombstone supplied some
graceful and melodous music to Illus
trate Mr.. Duncan's inventions, and the
heroines waltz OF wonder as to whether
or not the gentle passion was stirring
her at last, was delivered to the accom-
pdnlnent OF waltz pretty ana very
! frankly borrowed from Viennese
source.
There were stirring choruses and
dances. and the solos OF Thomas Conkey
were very well sung. Tavie Beige, a
singer from Antwerp, has an agreeable
and we'll managed voice which shows
training. Louise Groody had the neces-
cary vivacity for soubrette and
gurgled so sympathetically that what
she said was occasionally understood
Hal Skelly Is An energetic and really en-
Pertaining comedian OF an original man
ner.
Josie Intropodi was a comic assistant,
and Echler Geyer may have meant his
gloom as an indication OF British dem
| sity. Harry Leoni Is a veteran OF skill.
In fact, Mr.. Cort had selected an ad-
mirable company TO dispense the ro-
nance OF the earlier style OF operetta.
| and II there is a general demand for the
old fashioned kind "Fiddlers Three"
ought to meet 1t most acceptaby.