OPERA COMIOUE 



nast 



OPERATING THEATRE 



:i deliberate disregard of convon- 

 ti"n.il precedent*. Cluck did n-.i 



ullcm JiU mu.-ii- to iiit.-rft-rc \\itli 

 Iri'itiiiiute stage requirements, but 

 used it so as to accentuate and 

 illustrate the dramatic action. 

 Although his views met with vm 

 lent opposition, their intrinsic 

 logical truth and hia own ji-nm- 

 eventually triumphed ; tin- <>M 

 form of opera was killed. G luck's 

 reforms penetrated to every artistic 

 centre. 



In Italy, the birthplace of opera, 

 this form of art has been dispro- 

 portionately predominant, not al- 

 together to the advantage of Italian 

 music. The most prominent name 

 is that of Verdi, whose earlier work 

 displayed that concession to vocal 

 effect which is peculiarly grateful 

 to Italian audiences. Even Verdi, 

 however, could not remain un- 

 affected by the reforms of Wagner, 

 mentioned below, and in such 

 works as Aida, Falstaff, and 

 Otello adopted a more modern 

 style, truly remarkable in a man 

 who was then already old. 



Wagner revolutionized the whole 

 scheme of opera. Although his 

 first opera, Rienzi, was founded on 

 existing models, this remarkable 

 composer was inspired by the 

 example of Gluck, and early in his 

 career set himself the task of 

 evolving a new form of stage art, 

 in which music, poetry, and scenic 

 effect should have equal im- 

 portance. To this end he not only 

 wrote his own libretti and in* 

 vented his stage effects, but also 

 expounded his novel theories in 

 voluminous writings. His music, 

 moreover, was conceived upon a 

 hitherto unheard of scale. The 

 storm aroused by Gluck was a 

 mere trifle compared with that 

 which raged around Wagner, 

 though for that his own provoca- 

 tive and intolerant manner was 

 largely to blame. It has long been 

 recognized that the Wagnerian 

 music dramas his own term are 

 amongst the most striking, as well 

 as the most stupendous efforts 

 ever put forth in the realm of 

 opera. The later developments of 

 Richard Strauss, however inter- 

 esting technically, show no artistic 

 advance on Wagner. 



Of late years the Russian School 

 has attracted much popular sup- 

 port by reason of its primitive 

 strength and its splendid presenta- 

 tion. Like Peri and Caccini, mod- 

 ern Russian composers have aimed 

 at reproducing, with the utmost 

 fidelity possible, the rhetorical 

 force of the words, and thus the 

 wheel has in a sense made a full 

 turn, though modern requirements 

 include the expression of emotion 

 and dramatic significance to an 



extent undreamed of three hun- 

 dred years ago. At the same time 

 it muni never be forgotten that 



Opera Comique. Main entrance ol the 



Paris theatre, one ol the national 



theatres of France 



opera cannot be wholly realistic. 

 It is necessarily a conventional 

 form of art, and as such it must be 

 accepted. 



Bibliography. The Opera Past 

 and Present, W. F. Apthorp, 1901 ; 

 Dictionary of Music, G. Grove, 

 1904-10; A Critical History of 

 Opera, A. Elson, 1905 ; The Story 

 of Opera, E. M. Lee, 1909; The 

 Rise and Development of Opera, J. 

 Goddard, 1911; Some Forerunners 

 of Italian Opera, W. J. Henderson, 

 1911 ; Mozart's Operas, E. J. 

 Dent, 1913 ; Opera and Drama, 

 R. Wagner, Eng. trans. E. Evans, 

 1913 ; The Russian Opera, R. New- 

 march, 1914. 



Opera Comiqne. In the classi- 

 fication of opera, one in which the 

 dialogue parts are spoken, not 

 sung. The plot is generally brought 

 to a happy conclusion, but this is 

 not essential, an example of the 



contrary beinjj Bizet's Cat men. 

 The optra eomtque should not !. 

 confused with the Kngluh comic 

 opera, which corresponds to opera 

 ''"<ff>'. 



The Opera Comique is one of the 

 national theatres of France, now 

 situated in the Place Boieldieu, 

 Paris. Founded in 1714, it had a 

 struggle for existence against the 

 rivalry of the Opera des Italiens 

 and the Comedio Francaise, and 

 was suppressed from 1718-21 and 

 1745-52. In 1801 it merged with 

 the former, and occupied several 

 buildings until the present one was 

 opened, 1898. 



A London theatre called The 

 Opera Comique waa opened 

 Oct. 29, 1870, for the performance 

 of Fumch p.ays. With its main 

 entrance in the Strand, its stage 

 backed that of The Globe (Q.V.), in 

 Wych Street. Remembered for its 

 association with David James, 

 who reconstructed it in 1885, and 

 as the early home of the Gilbert 

 and Sullivan operas, it disappeared 

 when Aldwych (q.v.) was con- 

 structed in 1901-5. 



Operating Theatre. Room 

 specially designed and equipped 

 for the performance of surgical 

 operations. A modern operating 

 theatre is designed so as to reduce 

 to a minimum the opportunities 

 for collection of dirt and dust, and 

 to provide for easy and thorough 

 cleaning. The walls, accordingly, 

 should be free from all ledges or 

 shelves, and should be lined with 

 smooth tiles or glazed brick, or 

 covered with an enamelled sur- 

 face, so that they can be thorough- 

 ly washed down with a hose. The 

 floor should be formed of an im- 

 permeable substance. The theatre 



Operating theatre in S. Bartholomew's Hospital, showing arrangement oi 

 apparatus, with surgeons and nurses in antiseptic clothing 



