The sun., 1918-12-01

bachelors are irresistibly impelled
are made the victims of various hui
Now there is infinitely more sense
In this than in the so-called historical
opera. What is the real story OF Les
Iuguenots"? Why, story as old as
"Romeo and Juliet" anyhow. A man
.as in love with a woman whom
he is forbidden to love either by re-
l!gious or family considerations. These
considerations have no more value
with the lovers than German mark
las on a gold basis. Every one eX-
ospt the lovers is busy trying to keep
them apart. That is the great ele-
mentary foundation of the emotional
drama.
What is the outcome? Either the
lovers are not kept apart and we
lave happy ending or one or the
other dies of despair or opera sick
ness or as in LES Huguenots" is shot
to death. Thus we reach the customary
tragic ending 1t all sums itself up
in the dying exclamation of Aercutio,
a plague O. both your houses" And
,Ct in dozens of cases we have this
simple and direct dramatic material
dressed all up in a mass OF historical
details, with professions. ballets and
h'her condiments.
OF course the religious basis some
tines works out differently. We have
Ill In our earlier lives heard and
cherished that beautiful ditty "A boys
hest friend is his mother" We have
that deep down in our heart OF hearts
when We go to a performance of lie
aNlu - -,
concerned about the sufferings Of
BERTHA. 1t is Fides We think OF and
;he objectionable sin Of Jean in re-
pudiating her-and in church, too.
The historical background had to be
SGT up in order to bring about this
situation. OF course Meyerbeer had to
write another act, but we case hard
cned old operagoers realize that lie
Prophetic" SO far as we are concerned,
IS over when Jean has turned his back
on his weeping mother and walked out
~ the cathedral.
SuII Another Angle to II.
There is another angle from which
TINS subject may be viewed. The av-
erage operagoer has only a haZy idea
OF, the plot Of any opera, SO why make
a plot complicated? You cannot pos
sibly make it simple enough for the
majority of the people who are paying
their good Sc each to be entertained.
How many operagoers in these days
read libretto? To be sure, the prac-
tice of reading one while the perform
ance is going on is to be deplored. 1t
robs the auditor of a great part of the
interest Of the representation. You
cannot keep your eyes fastened on a
text and on the stage picture at the
same time.
on the other hand almost no one
takes the trouble to read horetto be-
r're going to the opera. That is OBJ
yIously the rational course to pursue,
but most people find 1t too much trou-
bic. The writer of this department Of
THE Sun at performance after per-
'urmance hears conversation which
proves that some operagoers have no
notion at all as to what the opera is
about. For instance, the entrance of
NdrOW on the horse in the Rattan
scene is an incomprehensible puzzle
and from that time forward the opera
means absolutely nothing. What in
Nh" world are Anl0ndSrO and Aida
talking about in the Nile scene, and
Why does it create such a lot of trou-
bio
7, s the same thing with opera after
op"ra. few works are susceptible of
explanation by their pictorial action
and these are always liked. Histori-
a opera Never! Politics and back
stairs scheming. intrigue and hood
vlnking Why? Simply to make a
stage for one OF the ancient situations
l7 which two lovers must be held apart.
How many people really know what
TIC plot of "Tosca" is? Who is the
man 70 whom Cdrdrddossi gives the
'.snet in the first scene and why is he
49, Yer seen again?
Something had to be done to give
"nrpi' The power TO separate ToScd
aul CorGrddoSSi. And presto! out
pops the gray bearded political pris-
"rer situation. That is the whole OF It.
Why do not Clayton Hamilton, Bran
cor Matthews, John Corbin and some
others Of tho philosophic students OF
tho drama take up the examination Of
opera ibrettos and show how the
nIrhs of Sardou and even good old
'''' '''A' l'dhli III NiN
most raw and stupid manner?
several Shocking Examples.
A0d why do they not demonstrate
10 ue IT," complete unsuitability of
historical material TO the lyric drama
J. Aa, been thrust upon us ever since
VINO coronation of Poppea" in the
r"diI" Of the seventeenth century.
Just think Of some OF the indescriba-
''c f-"Puritani." "Lucrezia Bor-
@ia The Jewess" (much better than
most Of them, Henry the Lion" 1.-THE
night Camp in Granada" Gear and
zimmerman" THE Cid" Joseph in
Egypt "Semiramide," "Un Ballo in
Maschera." What is the use of going
further?
No, let US hope that Mr.. Gatti will
not seriously consider the ACCESSIBILITY
of giving us historical cycle. II we
must have the liking business" for
instance, then let US have 1t in the
Iahtastic guise of lie Coz dor"
mere is an opera in which history is
properly treated as the whimsy OF a
ulsordered mind or a sort OF pictorial
satire on what's what and more par
ucularly who's who.
One Is impalled again In fflntifra I,oxv