The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-27

possibilities of marriage.
Every one of the three mobiles Is a
palpitating Cophetua stretching forth
a tewelled hand to raise the plebeian
maiden to the. august throne of good
society. And the common or kitchen
lover successful in the end by the sim
pie and convincing process of defeat
ing two skilled swords with one blow
OF en- ironing board, Is most uninter-
esting. The lowly spinster of the
wayside inn was worthy of a better
fate.
Mr.. HadIey's Score.
But this tale is of the kind our
grandfathers accepted when they went
TO the theatre. Doubtless II was bet
ter told in the original Goldoni COM
edy, wherein also 1t was not hampered
in its progress nor dulled in its yivac-
!ty by the interference of music.
Mr. Hadley distinguished himself by
the frankness OF his score He made
no effort to disguise his personality in
garb Of modern strangeness, but let
simple. unconstrained melody drip
comfortably from the nibs of his I'M
vexed pen. Originality for originality's
sake Is always exasperating. Mr..
Hadley was content to write as the
great men wrote before him. He did
not borrow from Mozart nor from
Rossini nor even Pergoiesi, whose
"Serva Padrona" preceded his operetta
on Friday evening.
He may have initiated at times, but
to follow good models has always been
the practice of the judicious. There
were moments when the attentive
hearer may have suspected him Of fol-
lowing even such enticing models as
Victor Herbert and Reginald de
Koven. The latter has returned to the
field Of music criticism and Is writ
ing in the columns of the Herald with
his old time felicity of phrase, but
with n maturer and therefore clearer
vision. His patriotic praise of his
countryman's operetta was extremely
adroit.
Mr.. Hadley possesses facility. He
composes as one at his ease and he
has improved in his use OF theatrical
methods. But his music was marked
chiefly by fuency Of manner while
directness of expression and character
ization were hardly to be discerned
Neither Is easily attained. It is true /,
yet in so far as dramatic music is
con, 'rled. opera buffa was the birth
plar of both.
Some TunefuI Music.
The comedy of intrigue was incom-
patible with the stilted forms and man
ner OF the eighteenth century grand
opera The intermezZi, which pre-
coded the opera buffa, demanded free
and elastic treatment and above all
things definite characterization. To
this day the spontaneity OF manner
and the cunning in personification are
the two salient merits of Pergolesi's
epoch making La Serva Padrona," az
they were Of the later creation of Pos
sInis I'll Barbiere di Siviglia."
L was impossible to discover any
hnesse in Characterization In Mr. Had
leys score. On the other hand. the
duet for Blanca and her lover Fabricio
had decided charm of style. Btanca s
solo, while it dwelt In that same subli-
mated comic operetta region as Mr.. De
koven's apostrophe to E0ldntine In
The Canterbury Pilgrims" was very
tuneful and vocally effective. The en-
semble with which the opera ended was
the best piece OF writing in the whole
score and one OF which Mr.. Hadley has
every reason to be proud.
P!anists continue to come and go
and the disinterested observer con-
tinues to wonder why. A pianist OF
parts is an excellent production of
nature and may be contemplated with
feelings of satisfaction. IL not with
gratitude. But mere plano player is,
TO speak without reservation, a public
bore. There is no reason why people
who possess mere digital agility or
muscular force should undertake TO
entertain other people who desire to
md in music something other than a
confusion OF sounds.
Neither Is there any reason why one
should permit himself TO be deluded
about the character OF any particular
planists performance merely because
mat pianist chances TO play ones IA
vorlte music OF course you wish your
beloved composers to be heard, but
why be pleased to have them heard to
their disadvantage?
Concerts by Two PianistL
About Liszt for example. there is
much disagreement. Some excellent
men and estimable women believe him
70 h" the peer of Wagner and Chopin.
Other persons, whose sanity and moral
rec'tude cannot be doubted. regard
nm as a gifted pianist who composed
some pretty good and some pretty bad
music, There are still others who
honestly believe that he never COM
posed anything worth hearing. These
last are incon.estably wrong.
LISTS e minor sonata, however.
has always been and still Is one OF the
Ioncs n contention among all parties.
I'e Liszt enthusiasts come close to
asserting tha. It is the greatest sonata
eyer written. But even II II IL con-
o"d"d 10 be of much less importance
tnan this. 1t Is undeniable that no
List lover should have been filled
VIII Joy at the performance OF 1t at