248 
THE DRAMA. 
[Nature and Art, December 1, 18GC. 
In Munich, also, great activity is displayed in musical 
circles at the present moment. The campaign has been 
opened by the Musilcalische Academie, which gave a fine 
performance of Mendelssohn’s St. Paul. Very shortly, the 
Oratorien-Yerein will introduce Handel’s great work, Saul, 
to the Munich public, who never yet enjoyed an opportunity 
of hearing- it ; the Stringed Quartet of members of the 
Royal Orchestra will commence their exceedingly popular 
Soirees ; and the Liedertafel, under Professor Schdnchen, 
execute Mendelssohn’s choruses to Antigone. One of the 
most distinguished amateur composers of the day, Count 
Ludwig Stanlein, has just written a new work, a Sextet for 
two Violins, two Violas, and two Violoncellos, which fully 
equals any of his former efforts in the domain of classical 
chamber-music. 
In Paris, the musical season may be said to have been 
inaugurated with the opening of the Italiens, the opera 
selected being La Sonnambula, andMadlle. Adelina Patti im- 
personating the heroine. “ Well beg'un, half-done,” is a 
good maxim ; and M. Bagier gave evidence of his sound 
sense by commencing his season with a work which, though 
old, is still universally popular, and with a fair vocalist who 
is such a favourite as Madlle. Adelina Patti. Her reception 
was most enthusiastic, and she sang magnificently. Her 
acting, too, was fully on a par with her singing. Her second 
character was that of Annetta, in Crispino e la Comare. It 
was the first time that she had sustained it in Paris, and 
she made a great impression. The Parisians are in ecstasies, 
and declare it to be the best thing she has yet done. This 
is foolish ; for, as it is impossible to manufacture Dresden 
china from common clay, or ottar of roses from ordinary 
wild flowers, it is beyond the power of any artist to achieve 
greater things, or even as great, with such music as that 
written by the Brothers Ricci than with that due to the 
pens of composers like Donizetti, Bellini, Meyerbeer, and 
Rossini, to say nothing about Mozart. To assert that Madlle. 
Adelina Patti’s Annetta is superior to her Rosina, Caterina, 
Norma, Amina, and Zerlina, is an absurdity. But novelty 
adds many fallacious charms. In a little time the Parisians 
will become more reasonable. It is not much to the credit 
of Ivl. Bagier’s management that Madlle. Adelina Patti was 
but indifferently supported. She has since appeared in Lucia 
di Lammermoor and DonPasquale. Another of M. Bagier’s 
prime donne this season is Madlle. Emma Lagrua. When 
very young-, she sang, fourteen years ago, at the Grand 
Opera, in Le Juif Errant. Great things were then predicted 
of her by the French critics. Since that time, she has visited 
England, Russia, Italy, and America, leading the nomad life 
peculiar to vocalists, Arabs of the desert, commercial tra- 
vellers, and Queen’s messengers. She sings well, and has 
been well trained, but time and hard work have not failed 
to impair her voice somewhat. Her first part, that of 
Norma, was a decided success, however. But her greatest 
hit has been Desdemona in Otello. She particularly dis- 
tinguished herself in the exquisite and well-known Willow- 
Song - , “ Assisa a un pie di salice.” A young French tenor, 
M. Ketten, about whose voice some most wonderful stories 
were current, has made his debut in Crispino e la Comare , 
as Ernesto. A short time ago he was merely an accom- 
i panyist at the Theatre-Lyrique. Here some influential per- 
sonage became acquainted with him, believed he possessed 
powers equal to those of a Rubini, a Mario, or a Sims Reeves, 
and procured him the chance’ of appearing at the Italiens. 
That M. Ketten can boast of good natural capabilities is an 
undoubted fact ; but equally certain is it that, if he wishes 
to turn them to advantage, he must go through a course of 
hard study. The diamond as yet requires a deal of polishing. 
At any rate, it will be some years before M. Ketten can hope 
even to approach the three great artists mentioned above. 
Gluck’s Alceste has been revived, with an immense flourish 
of trumpets, at the Grand Opera, where it was last repre- 
sented in 1861. Mad. Viardot-Garcia was then expressly 
engaged to enact the part of the heroine, now sustained by 
Madlle. Marie Battu. This opera was first produced at 
Vienna, in the year 1767, and in Paris in 1776, but was 
never as popular in the latter capital as any one of the four 
other operas which Gluck brought out there — a fact attri- 
buted not so much to the music as to the unsatisfactory 
libretto. Speaking of the latter, Jean-Jacques Rousseau de- 
clared that he knew no other opera in which the passions 
were less varied than in Alceste ; that the whole plot turned 
upon only two sentiments — affliction and terror ; and that 
the composer must have been sorely pressed to prevent his 
music from becoming lamentably monotonous. On the pre- 
sent occasion Alceste has been got up, under the superinten- 
dence of M. Hector Berlioz, very magnificently ; but, despite 
all the recalls and applause the first night, it is not likely to 
have an extremely long run ; in fact, people say that M. 
Perrin is already looking out for something to replace it. 
According- to report, Auber, that ever-youthful octo- 
genarian, is busy on a new opera, Le premier Jour de Bonheur, 
the libretto of which is from the practised pens of MM. 
Cormon and D’Ennery. It is to be produced, at the Opera- 
Comique, in May, the month of the Great Exhibition. 
According to another report, Strauss has paid ,£60,000 for 
the right of giving a series of monster concerts at the 
Exhibition ; and, according to a third, Rossini has finished 
the scoring- of his Petite Messe Solennelle, which has been 
performed twice, with pianoforte accompaniment, at the 
P house of Count Pillet Will. 
THE D 
rTlHE theatres are in full play, and we believe we may add 
J- in full pay, although the strenuous efforts of the sen- 
sational dramatists, enterprising managers, inventive scene- 
engineers, and scenic artists do not seem to have resulted 
this season in producing, at any theatre, one of those 
decisive pieces which, like the “ Colleen Bawn” or “ Peep of 
Day,” will last a whole year. Indeed, there are perceptions 
of the sensational drama somewhat palling on the public 
taste, such as it is. The unhappy lady who has married a 
second husband, not being quite certain that the first is 
dead, and who is placed in very equivocal situations by the 
appearance of a vagabond who is unusually familiar with 
her, no longer seems to excite the deep commiseration of 
the audience. They seem to think her a disreputable or 
foolish person ; and it is in vain she faints, and shrieks, and 
weeps, in white muslin. Indeed, the genius of modern dra- 
matists is so ingenious that they heighten the event by 
producing two exceedingly well-trained children to pile the 
agony as by their unconscious babble they betray the 
mother’s secret. They have the newest toys to play with, 
so that they may realize the scene to all the fashionable 
RAMA. 
mothers ; and the artificial little urchins simulate their parts 
as well as their elders. It is also a new variety in such 
plays to get rid of the very much used but unserviceable 
passion of jealousy. The fair bigamist is provided with a 
second mate — we cannot strictly say husband — who ’ is 
utterly impassible. Nothing can make him jealous, though 
the lady gives hundreds of pounds away to a shabby vaga- 
bond under the plea of charity. The audience somehow 
seem more inclined to smile than weep with the lady heroine, 
though embodied by so comely, graceful, and clever a person 
as Miss Herbert, who is unexceptionable in her attire, her 
poses, and her faintings. It may be that the audience are 
so wicked as to laugh at bigamy ; but they seem too deco- 
rous and too jolly for that. It may therefore be that the 
actress, with a great deal of intelligence, lacks that power 
of personation and embodiment of the character which ex- 
cites sympathy by its truth and apparent unconsciousness. 
Or it may be that, whilst the distress is excessive, the mode 
of getting out of it is so easy, by the expression of a few 
truthful words, that folks will not let their sympathy be 
juggled by mere silliness. Whatever the cause, the drama 
