New-York tribune., 1920-02-28
deepest Depths to Which
French Opera Under In
fluence of Mary Garden
Has Descended''
Crime Against Decency
Scenery, Songs and Dances
Characterized as Lacking
a Redeeming Quality
By II. E.. Krehbiel

associating them with music. Indeed,
when the lachrymal foodgates are to
be opened and sympathy and forgive
ness invoked for the wanton and the
prof1igate, music provides q convenient
and efficient lever, for music in itself
is neither moral nor immoral. 1t at
tains to these attributes only through
association. It is what Mr.. Gilbert in
his mock apostrophe to poetry calls
"divne emollient."
It's appeal is more directly to the
emotional than to the intellectual side
of man, or even to the merely sensual,
and because Of this it is popularity
preached that its influence mist be
ennobling. The notion is dangerously
emotions from the mind and rational
restraint is unqualiiedly good only
when the hearers nature is prone to
goodness; when it is prone to evil the
agency is not morally uplifting. but
morally debasing.
Effects of Bad Music
Bad music, by which we mean music
that is void Of appeal because Of its
ugliness or its lack of aesthetic con-
tent, is therefore even less harmful
than good music put to degrading
use. In opera, mixed form, music
when it is good helps to screen or
palliate moral depravity moro than it
does in pure song, because the Ian
guage is generally unintelligible and
portion Of the music. No matter how
much the dramatic poet may preach
the justice of retribution while
depicting the consequences Of delin-
quency, his appeal to reason Is swept
aside by the food Of sympathy created
by the music. 1t is for this reason
that we weep without shame over the
misfortunes Of Violettas and Manons.
Bad music leaves depraved drama
in unrelieved depravty; good music
wells and condones it. 1t is therefore
good thing for art that the
"Aphrodte" of Pierre Louys's story,
which has been turned into a spectac-
ular play as we'll as an opera, was so
wretchedly set to music by Camille
Erlanger. The opera was presented
at the Lexington Theater by the Chi
cago Opera Association last night.
In every element which entered into
the representation it illustrated the
deepest depth to which French opera
under the influence of Mary Garden
udS yeJ QeSCoUUeO.
Had the score been one of beauty and
eloquence, the stage pictures informed
with artistic loveliness, the dances ex-
ecuted with grace and intelligent ap-
probation of what classic dance, even
when designed to heighten debauch,
might be, and the action been ex-
peditious and strong, the characterize
tion subtle, convincing and alluring, the
singing of the men and women players
and the performance of the orchestra
euphoneous, the piece might have won
admiration even from people whose
taste and judgment revolt at the "Aph
rodte" in the Century Theater.
Crudeness in Scenery
But all this was otherwise. The
scenery was crude and garish, bar
barrie or braZenly indecent, the dances
in the bacchanal, which was made the
climax of the opera by the elimination
of scenes called for by dramatic CO.
herency (such as the rape of the jew
els from the statue and their public
exhibition by Chrysis) were vulgar
caperngs and exhibitions OF simulat-
ed lcwdness such as we do not believe
we're ever realized in the retreat at
purpose of encouraging every lascivious
abomination which his polluted mind
could conceive. Last nights audience
was treated to the spectacle of the ad-
ministration to frenzied courtesan
Of such a drink as wrecked the mind
and body Of Tiberius Caprineus
The music was empty, BON bastic and
could not have been saved by the best
of singing, and what there was of dra-
matte characterization was summed up
in Mary Gardens impdrsonation Of
Mary Garden, with the familiar stereo-
typed shrug of the right shoulder, the
ceaselessly woven PAGES and semi
phoric waving of arms. the tire
lessly fexure wrists, the continually
pointing index finger, the substitution
wanton wiles which might stimulate
the febrilely curious pulse of q school
boy, but scarcely the passion Of a
Demetrios.
Crime Against Decency
1t would be tiresome, as it is un-
necessary (because the opera will not
be seen again on respectable lyric
stage), to cnumerate the extent and
work, which is wholly an artistic
abomination Some we may mention
so that the public may know the fiber
Of the makers of the opera and its
producers.
There is a crime against decency in
the subject in its shameless lines and
in nearly every one Of its illustrative
incidents. 1t is not only an unedify
ing but disgusting spectacle to see
strumpets trafficking in tbeir wares
during an entire act. 1t is as Of
fence to the feelings as we'll as the
taste of Jew, Gentle, Protestant and
Catholic Christian to hear the words
Of the Song of Songs, which is Solo
mons, sung as song OF seduction by
q professional harlot, and described by
her as the most beautiful Of all love
songs, sung at evening by lovesick
maidens near Gennesaret on the high
way to Jersusalem." Entirely aside
from the Interpretation which it has
received from the Church, the literary
loveliness of the Canticle should have
preserved it from such desecration.
1t was an offence to musical art to
make bacchanalian dance out of the
melody Of the exquisite modern Greek
cradle song, "Ainte Roimeson," which
Madame Sembrich introduced into our
concert rooms: Come, sleep my little
daughter, and I will give the Alexan-
dra in sugar, Cairo in rice and Con-
stantinople to reign over for three
years.
In 1883 Borgault- published
this gem of folksong in his "Trente
Melodies. ETC., but be ore then it had
been printed in "Melusine," and Laf-
cadio Hearn copied it and sent it to
this writer with the remark: PERHAPS
nv mother sang this to me when 7 WA q