Evening star., 1949-08-21
English Lyrics
WOuldInCreaSe
Operas Value
By Alice Eversmon

performances given at the Water
gate by the San Carlo Opera Com
pany raises once more the much
discussed question Of opera In
English translations.
It seems all the more important
after considering the audiences
that attended the summer pres
entations. Few could follow the
French and Italian texts with
complete understanding. Many
were hearing opera for the first
time or were having their first
experience of seeing opera. after
an acquaintance gained by listen
ing to the Metropolitan broadcasts
or by study. How much they
missed of the details that make
operate compositions a great art
can be surmised.
The stories and the general plan
of the familiar operas are well
known. It is not difficult to follow
the plot development in most OF
these for interest is centered in
the big arias and ensembles. But
in an opera such as Madame
Butterfly" or LA Boheme" many
significant and rare musical mo-
ments are lost to one not thor
oughly versed in the italian Ian
guage. Puccini had a special gift
of adjusting the music to the text
in short phrases that are, how
ever, vitality concerned with the
story's unfoldment. In Butter
fly" for example, the quick inter-
change of remarks between the
characters in the first act. But
terfly's conversation with Suzuki
the letter scene with Sharpless
and the visit of Yamadori. in the
second act, give the picture and
the emotional quality with great
skill. Yet the music is unim-
portant and the descriptions do
not lie in broad musical passages
but in minute points for the ap-
probation sof which an under
standing of the language Is
necessary.
Europeans Demand Translation.
The fact that Italians are opera
loving people is well known but it
is not solely because Of the music.
True. the arias and great scenes
are awaited eagerly, but all the
time the opera plot is being fol-
lowed through every insignificant
phrase. They rejoice in the some
times homely effects that are in
corporated in the text and
matched by the music. They are
hearing an absorbing drama set
to superb music. All European
peoples want this experience and
for this reason it is rare indeed to
find any opera audience abroad
willing to listen to opera in a for
eign language.
Through translations. every
moment of the opera story is
made clear to the listeners. No
one objects that their native Ian
guage is awkward or less express
sive than the original Italian,
French or German. They do not
care whether the accent falls as
the composer intended or If some
changes have to be made. They
are listening to their native lam
guage. No one needs to ask
what was all that excitement
about?" and none of the fine
points where music and text blend
in a short sentence are missed.
Simple Words Often Required.
English Is not an unsingable or
ugly language. The number of
its poets and great prose writers
equal that of any other country.
Once the public is accustomed to
hearing simple. every day phrases
sung to music on the stage. there
would be nothing odd in opera in
English translation. With singers
trained in clear diction, every
measure of an opera would be
understood and its Importance ap-
preciated. Operas such as Faust"
can be listened to for the beauty
of the music and with the know
ledge that the words are of poetic
import. But for most operas there
are values which will be lost to the
average person even though a
libretto is studied carefully. As
one writer in the endless contro-
versy over English translations
said, no one would insist that
sound alone was more important
than sound plus meaning. Un-
derstanding an opera is surely
more than rejoicing in its aural
effects"
Naturally some of the finesse
Of the original language will be
lost in translation. No cultured
English Speaking person would
be deferred by that, however. from
reading the great works and poe
try of foreign literature. Read In
English, they are still great. It
is a bit sflobbish for the compare
tive few who can understand
every word of French, German and
Italian to insist that the American
public should be willing to sacri-
flee what no other public would
sacrifice-the pleasure of follow
ing word by word the text as it
Is sung. Americans have always
been able to solve problems where
urgency and profit are involved.
The need for opera has not yet
come into either category.
UT-z1