New-York tribune., 1919-03-13

Three New American Work
Are Produced at Metro
poliian Opera House
By H. T. Krehbiel


1t would, perhaps, be best not to
take too serious view of the new
operas which had their first public
representation at the Metropolitan
Opera House last night. It canno.
wholly be avoided, but the discussion
can be brief.
they were offered as an earnest Of
the desire or the management IN on
courage American composers. and with
frequent protestations that they we're
chosen for performance because Of
their artistic merit only. We do not
wish to doubt the sincerity of tbe
monagements motives and are not in
q position 20 question the correctness
OF the statomon, that Mr. Breus "rhe
LegendD and Mr.. iIuRo's "Thc Templo
buncef are the best Of twcntv-ivo
scores which woro submitted last voar
II Us enough To say that the frsl ar
lhe two work must haze BROUGHT at
tunes sense Of bumilin.ion TO Tho we'll
Nishos OF American music. and ihat
neither Of them shows anything like
hiEh water Of the creative nhilItv Of
Nnorlcan composers us ID has been
disclosed again and nguin for yoars I'M
our concert rooms and threatree.
IT Is. o. course, possible that more
OF the men who hnvo shown Themselves
capable Of bottcr Things made au
effort to get hoaring for the works
Wnich ere resting 50 their writing
desks If go. the assertion thnf tho
two operas we're The bost that cana
under examination must remain nm
challenged, for iu The country of the
bllnd the onc-eyed man is King
There remains then only the ques-
ton whether nt not tho cnuae Of
American opern was helped by The pro
nurti'n of th"Ho opnrnh. Frankly. ve
do not believe ilat - wna, va can only
hope that u WIS not harmed.
ha works OF Mn 3rcll and MIR
Hugo ought not TO be put on the same
plane, though they must uecessarlly
be brought together ia dlscusaion
he Legend rs ridiculous in plot,
pfosalc and commonplace In languape
artificial M structure, and in all but
a few moments barron Of interest or
beauty. From beginning to end its
score is the product Of calculation, RE-
1lectlon and labor, combined with some
ingenuity IN the creation Of orchestral
ana harmonic effect IL aims to follow
the Nagnerlan system of dramatic
composition, and when it's mclodic line
lfts itself above mere musical decla-
nation and achieves the arioso manner.
and measure OF tunefuluess, it echoes
Magnarlan phrases which have long
been admired the prize song i'm Die
Melsterslnger, for instance Gener-
ally the dialogue is mere stiltcd in
tonauon Of words which can i'll en-
dure eNaltatlOn either by music or
elocutlon, superimposed on an instru-
mental fabric woven out Of themes
winch are neither plastic nor charac-
terlstic enough TO suggest association
with the people, the moods, the pas
slons or the agencies Of the play The
language is of the kind that we would
expect from schooiboys playing at
robber-mel odramatics. Some Of ii was
umntelllglbIe last night. but for every
phrase lost the audience owed the
composers and singers thanks.
The plot? A nobleman by dav is
bandit by night His daughter has a
lover who comes to her in the noble
mans castle, while on an errand to
capture the nobleman and bring him
to punishment. The girl makes him
take q VOW to be true 10 her under all
circumstances. Enters the father, who
Is told by his daughter that the young
officer is her atfianced lover He gives
hlm welcome and learns the object OF
has visit. Then, instead of Sitting the
young mans weasand, he neodlessly
declares himself TO be the bandit of
whom his son-in-law-to- be is in search
and runs out into the night to receive
the bullets Of the young officers sol
dlers. The woman, torn between love
for her father whose wicked character
she detests and love for her lover, kills
the latter to prevent him from pur-
suing the former and is summarily
shot by the officers of the law. That is
all, but IT is quite enough 1t lasts
hfty~fve minutes, which is about an
hour longer than it ought.
The Tcmple Dancer in all it's Gle
mcnts gets nearer to the world of
dramatic illusion than does the work
of Mr.. Breil and jacques Byrno, his
hbrettist. and is much more tolorablc.
1t penetrates, indeed, short distance
into the realm of imagination, and
might have gone deeper If the au~
thors Nine. Jutta Bcll-Ranske is the
writer Of the book) could have real
lzed their conception Of a heroine who
must he at once singer and dane
ing priestcss in an Indian temple.
The work is, indeed, more ballet than
opera. As 1t was, Miss Easton, grace
ful in ovprv nation md ,,ooo oo.,lI