New-York tribune., 1919-02-05

tried maiden in the valley of Cham
ouni, and because she wouldn't sing
Home, Sweet Home" at the close of
the second act was compelled to sing it
at the close of the opera in order to
make her importunare hearers willing
to go to their own domiciles. She
sang it is as she had sung it for years,
wiping the same tear-drop out of the
corner of her left eye and leaving her
audience with swelling nearrs, for
though she had dwelt a quarter Of a
century amid pleasures and palaces in
Europe she could not forget her erst-
while ever so humble home on the East
Side of New York. Why should she i?
Mr.. Abbeys checks away, arrived
punctually, and "Home, Sweet Home"
had more than q little to do with the
size of the figures upon them.
We shall not smile in pity or con-
tempt at Linda di Chamouni" or any
opera so long as there are singers who
can sing the music as it ought to be
sung and as we have heard it sung.
Linda" may be Anticipated and the
monotonous physiognomy of Donizetti's
and beautiful singing will never
be outmoded. A beautiful voice and q
beautiful art were exhibited in the old
opera last night; but there was some
alloy in the pleasure which they gave.
The most striking phenomenon in the
case was that incipient dementia in the
principal character was synchronous
with the highest development of her
art in Nine. Galli-Curci. A mild form
of insanity in the heroine seems essen
tial to bring out the gifts of singers of
the class to which she belongs.
While Linda was entirely sane in the
first act and three-fourths of the sec
ond she caused wonderment and pain
full surprise in the minds of those who
had been taught last season that as an
exemplar Of pure song she was sue
cessor and q peer of the singers with
whom the opera is associated in our
recollection. 1t was plain that she had
been both overpraised and underesti-
mated, which is the common fate of
artists like her.
In scene after scene she maintained
painfully fiat intonation and COM
PEELED recognition of the fact that
neither her voice nor her art both ad-
tremendous houseful of people ready
to fall down and worship the image
that had been set up a year ago, but
upon them her singing fell much like
a wet blanket.
We will have nothing to do with
the causes of her artistic alterations.
Leave that to the vocal pedagogues.
Is it naturally defective ear? I'm
fortunate training in the use of her
breath? Construction of her vocal or
gans? We do not know. Some of the
charm of her beautiful voice was also
gone and with it some of that quaint,
almost medieval atmosphere which
surrounded her personality when she
loo
Doubts and perplexites were pict-
ured in the faces of the knowing all
over the house. But when under the
influence of her dramatic fathers
malediction the mind of Linda was
tuned awry the sweet bells that had
tangled out of tune" recovered their
old loveliness and disappointment gave
way to delight.
Then again we heard beautiful songs
of the kind that bids modern concep-
ton of what dramatic song should be
yield it's place for the time to the un-
conquerable love for vocal loveliness.
Linda was welcome because Linda Was
CALI -Curc.
Till then there seemed to be some ap-
prehension lest Signor Stracciari, the
Antonio Of the occasion, would bear
away the honors of the evening AS it
was, his share was large one, and de-
servedly So The others in the cast
with q qualified reservation in favor of
Carolina Lazzari (Pierotto, the Savoy
ard YOUTH faied to pour out meas
ure of joy, though the buffo antics of
Vittorio Trcvisan amused the crowd
ard there was a good deal of the ap-
plause such as may always be counted
on from an audience laboring under the
fond belief that every tone, SO it be
long, loud OF high, is manifestation
of art deserving Of reward.