New-York tribune., 1918-10-20

QNiNE nOOfS OF tuS SSdSVii
la09-'10 by the production at the Met
ropolitan Opera House on March ~
lit was afterward played also at The
New Theatre) of Frederick S. Con
verses opera, "The Pipe of Desire. =
The words of this opera, or operate
tantasy," as it was called, are English,
and the composer is an American o.
old New England stock. Moreover, all
the singers in the cast were native
Americans. Much was made Of these
facts il the announcements. Once
The Tribune. in whose chair OF mu-
sical criticism I have sat for nearly
forty yesrs. had musical reviewer
who composed two operas. he wrote
also the words, which were English,
and the operas, or one of them, mt least.
had performances in New York and
Philadelphia. Quite naturally Mr.. w.
H. Frv, the critic in question. cham
pioned the cause OF opera in the YER
nacuiar with great deal Of zeal. His
arguments were sound sixty years ago
and are sound to-day, but neither his
arguments nor his operas affected the
status Of opera in the United States
fact which hurts my professional
pride somewhat. Much later, when
German opera supplantcd the Italian
torn at the Metropolitan Opera House
Tor space. writing for the newspaper
which had enjoyed the rather unique
distinction of having on its staff an
editor who was as good a composer as
ne was a critic, and as good political
writer as he was composer, l hailed
The fact with glndness, because / thought
md said that it was a step toward the
naturalization of opera, a consumma-
tion devoutly to be wished, but impossi-
bic of realization 90 long as ehc italian
system was dominant. A memory OF
IKE ill-tempered criticism which my at
itndc called forth thirty yeats ago
came 20 mind on the evening when AIR
Conversa's opera was brought forward,
and I observed that every one OF the
artists concerned in il was associated
with the German representations al
he metropolitan except AR. Martin.
Who. though Kentuckian, wa. iden-
tilted with the Italian list. But there
were features OF the performance
'rhich We're calculated to give pause to
ihe enthusiasm Of those in thc audi
ence who were thoughtful as we'll as
oatriotic. or what good was the use
of the vernacular in an opera if the
words which We're sung could not be
understood? What was the use cf an
English text if it was even less intel}igi-
ble to the hearer than German, French
or Italian? If Naturalization was in
any degree the aim Of this production
that aim was completely destroyed in
ne performances.
Was it the fault of the composer?
in small degree, yes. OF the singers |?
In a large degree, yes But chiefly it
was the fault of the ibrettist. Ny.
George Edward Barton's book is an eS-
tremely amatcurish performance. If i
has any value it is purely literary. 1t
is fairy-fantasy wofully weighted
with what the author no doubt thought
was profound symbolism; and in It's
execution there is most amusing
tumble Of operatic shrcds and patches.
Mr.. Converse has given musical set
ing to this singular phantasmagoria in
The WaGnerian manner. Once on the
entrance Of Nacia near the close Of the
opera, he drops into something which
might be described as real song, but
the rest of the opera is formlcss dec
amation. more or less mclodic, over q
stream Of instrumental music which
lows on with moments OF placid beauty
ut times and Yoams in passionate
surges in the climaxes. The romantic
nature of the subject and the scene OF
merrymaking, which the painter. cos
tuner, stage manager and balletmaster
made one OF real beauty and charm
would seem 10 call for d deal Of mel
edy, but as Gretry cried out "Six
francs for an E-string!" after listening
TO an opera by Mehul in which the vio-
Inns were replaced by violas, so one
might have been tempted after an hour
of Mr.. Converse's opera to offer dollars
Tor a frank, old-fashioned, unaffected
,une. 1t is prcdominantly music
which betrays the processes of reflcc-
rion, but much OF it is beautiful, and
Mr. Converse's subtle mastery OF har-
nonic and instrumental devices is most
admirable.
have been precipitatcd by the con-
sideration Of Mr.. Converse's opera and
some of the circumstances attending
its production into chapter Of history
and discussion relating to a subject
which must occupy my attention fire.
quently and seriously during the re-
mainder of this critical chronicle. The
history will stand by itself as complete
As think necessary 70 my purpose and
AS accurate as can make it. The
question now confronting nc is that Of
national opera. in its two phases OF
original composition and the perform
ance Of foreign works in translated
form. 1t was but natural conse-
quence OF the polyglot policy estab-
lished by Mr.. Grau that the minds OF
The directors of the Metropolitan Opera
Company should be directed toward
the obvious propriety of extending the
same hospitality to English opera chat
I. y