New-York tribune., 1918-10-20
Opera
Blanca" New Hadley
Opera, Rendered at Park
Theatre
BY Fl. E.. Krehbiel


anca," should have shared the pro-
gramme with an English version of
that most exquisite of italian classics,
La Serva Padrona." 1t was the pur-
pose of the management to pair it with
"Madeleine," the music of which was
composed by Victor Herbert and the
book fabricated by Grant Stewart, who
also made the liberetto Of "Bianca."
Mr.. Herbert's opera, after being pro-
claimed by Mr.. Gatti as a representa-
tive Of the National Art of Music"
four seasons ago, lived longer life
than it was entitled to live, though it
endured through only three subscrip-
tion performances at the Metropolitan
Opera House. Like it, MIR. Hadley's
work is an effort in the striving to
hab,litate yernacular opera. and spe-
clally laudable one because it is an
original creation and not an adapta-
tion- of foreign score. 1t is very
likely that had the original plan been
pursued it would have been beneficial
to the new opera because Of the con-
trast in methods which it would have
forced upon the listeners, for while
Mr.. Herbert and Mr.. Hadley both re-
lied upon the orchestra for the sub
stratum of the dramatic music, the
latter used the medium as a vehicle
of melody, while Mr.. Herbert used his
to make noises intended, in the man
ner Of Strauss, to illustrate, delineate,
expound and expand the Incidents and
furniture of the play. dropping into
the lyric vein only when opportuni-
ties for set song--which, unfort-
unately, were few-presented them
selves. The rest was strident and
stridulous defamation above, within
and under the noisy instrumental
strains. Unhappily, though Mr.. Had
ley keeps current of somewhat agi
tated tune running through the new
opera, he seldom permits his voices to
fioat upon the surface and eschews ar
ticulated vocal melody even more
vigorously than did his predecessor.
AS for sentimental song. there is but
one approach to it, and that achieves it's
purpose in a measure not by merit of
sincerity OR beauty of expression, but
because it affords relief from the
wearisome and invertebrate declama-
tion which precedes it.
However, there is nothing in this
somewhat precipitate analysis to point
out the significance of the juxtaposi-
tIon u PlduCa anu La Ccr9d
Padrona." or "Maid Mistress" as Per-
ttuled. That significance lay in the
, fact that there was a common trait in
the principal characters of the two
comedies and that the genius of an
eighteenth century Italian composer
lifted it into the sunlight of bewitching
and convincing charm, while the talent
Of Mr.. Hadlay left it submerged and
undiscoverable. Serpina and Blanca are
both artful minXes who rurposely set
themselv.c to bending stubborn and
grouchy men to their wills. Could any
one have livined this common aim from
the utterances of the representatives
whcedling arts with which woman Sc
duces mankind were Mrs. Gates's
through the grace Of that most potent
of all agents of seduction, melody
melody, arch, graceful, piquant, witty,
humorous and inexpressibly lovely.
characteristic and iluminative, too; g
gracious vehicle for sentiment, di
aphanous, clinging, revealing vesture
for words--even the translated words
Of the operate text And all carried
along and buoyed up and held before
our ravished sense by an effervescent
flood of instrumental tone (strings
numerous" CT ripples and eddes CLINT
ing and clustering in the sunlight.
Was ever daintier heartbeat than
Serpina's or truer, manlier one than
Pando!fo's in the final duet? Yet
strings, vo]ins and vols. What would
Mr. Hadiey, who orders a room to be
freshly aired with rush Of blatant
chords, punctuates each speech of the
woman hating Count Ruggio with all
orchestral proclamation like the crack
of doom and clashes his cymbals and
triangle fortissimo at the mere men
tion Of . flask Of "gold," have done
of Pandolfo? 1t is too awful for specu-
lation.
"Bianca" is barren Of ensemble until
the close and then, for the sake of a
concerted piece, servants who have
lollcd about the stage and are of no
consequence to even the slight ac-
ticn of the play, are dragged in. But
there were opportunities for blend
ing of voices as we'll as of set lyrics.
and it is pity that they were not en-
braced, Do Miss Stewart and Hadley,
Wagner, the tragedian, in adherence to
the verities of dramatic dialogue? 1t
would seem so. But are we to have
only conversation operas" in the COM
ing national art? Mr.. Hadley bitches
melody to melody (they are mostly in
oldtime dance rhythms) in his orches-
trail score, and by dint of modulation
.Euances in dynamics and color deftly
maintains interest in them. They are
pleasing, even if not marked by dis
tinction, and only in a few instances
1--WE note the gavotte movement where
Terramonte makes his offering Of pearls,
and minuet in particularly do the
measures attract by virtue OF their
beauty. Characteristic Of the people
and incidents they are not in the least;
for characterization and illustration we
are thrown on fragments which link
the speeches together. The speeches,
rrosaic, without distinguishing individ-
uality of style, are made wcarisome
and become clogs upon the action be-
cause of the composers habit of dwell
ing upon the last word of phrase after
phrase-"the few poor soldi she will
ga-a-a-a-ain." "you made false move
the-e-e-ere," "she'll see I had her in
terests at he-a-a-a-rt," etc, as much
time being given to the final word as to
the four or FIVE that preceded it. 1t is
TO be hoped that this is not to be the
stvle Of defamation in the national art
for which we are striving.
Something better than this is due to
the genius of our language, something
better to the art-form which blends
it with music. The vernacular in
American opera must within be the
English of prosaic everyday speech,
not the stilted rhetoric of so many
+oo,1a+;ope that have been made to