1 JULY 1837, Page 13

DRURY LANE THEATRE.

"Norma," says the sapient manager of DruryLane Theatre, "is a fa- vourite opera at the King's Theatre; therefore I will have it translated into English; SCHRCEDElt shall play the principal character, and profits will accrue." Like ancient Pistol, BONN iS destined to disappoint- ment. Norma is a favourite at the King's Theatre,—that is, a favourite with the singers and the subscribe's, but no favourite with the public. The masses have only been put in action this season, spite of the "unparalleled concentration of talent," by MOZART. Norma did not fill the pit of Drury Lane the first night, although it had been billed and paragraphed for a month. The frequenters of the Italian Opera rarely undergo the fatigue ()nudging for themselves: music excites in them neither enthusiasm nor disgust ; they are instructed to think BELLIES brilliant and Mozaar dun, and they obey. The hearers at Drury Lane are a different set of persons. They may, en maw, be as unable to weigh and measure the merits of these two composers, us the kid-gloved and essenced loungers at the Italian Theatre; the probability is against such a supposition, but it may he so. Still, the former go to hear and to be pleased, and only go when they expect to be pleased : they neither judge nor vote by proxy ; and Mr. BUNN Will discover before the week is out, if he have not found out already, that success in the Haymerket is no unerring indication of popularity at Drury Lane. Norma, too, was the repetition of an experiment that had recently failed at the same place, under niece favourable circumstances, inas- much as BALVE'S opera was superior to BELLIEI'S. It was another attempt to convert the Euglish public to all admiration of operas tormed on the Italian model, another vain endeavour to enamour them with dialogue in recitative. Our prediction regarding the fate of Ca- therine Grey was speedily verified ; after four nights' hopeless struggle, she expired ; similar or somewhat similar will be the term of Normer

English existence. We have said the pit Watt not filled on the first night ; in truth, it was little more than half filled, and there were not

auditors enough in the two shilling gallery to occupy holf the front seat. Such a house any rational or sane person would have antici- pated. But SCHRCEDER is a great foreign singer ; Norma is a foreign opera, end therefore it must he eminently calculated for the display of her

powers. PASTA made a hit in Norma, and therefore SCHRCEDER must do the same. This mode of reasonieg is more general than many per- sons would believe. Illustrations of it frequently (wear at the Phil. harmonic Concerts; and BUNN may plead their example as his excuse. A snore palpable exposure of its absurdity was never mode than at Drury Lane on Saturday night. Nothing in dramatic music can stand more widely asunder than the school in which SCHRCEDER has been reared tend that of modern Italy. BEETHOVEN, MOZART, and SPOHR, have scarcely a feeling or principle in common with BELIJNI and his Italian contemporaries. Their minds, their objects, their pursuits, their habits, are as unlike as possible monis professors of the same art engaged in a similar department of it. SCHRIEDER, accustomed to

ploy Fidelio, Agatha, Eurganthe, Jr:wombs. Donna Anna, and similar

(if, indeed, there can be found similar) characters, is accustomed to pteduee her effects with the notes of her author. If she can impart te these their true meaning and display all their hidden power, her duty is fulfilled. Whenever this is done, all is done. But with the notes of his author an Italian singer only begins to work ; they are the mere fintudation upon which the song is to be erected. SCHRCEDER treated Betissa as she had been accustomed to treat WEBER or MOZART; and ludicrously bold, piteously naked, was the display. The language of nature, it is true, is the some in all countries and all tongues ; and vocal music, especially dramatic music, ought to be the strongest ex.

pression of that lanstiage. Wherever it was possible ill Norma, 'SC/NI:EDER effected this, aiding it with all the force of her splendid acting ; but such instances rarely occurred. The truth is, that the Ira. lien writers of the present day seem utterly regardless of connexion between sound tend sense. The niece jingle of the measure appears to occupy their sole attention; and the absorbing interest which the hearer feels throughout an opera like Fidelio. precisely because its author fol- lows the path of nature and thus seeds every phrase home to the heart, is unknown and unfelt in Norma where such a purpose is rarely at- tempted and more rarely ochieved. Take as ail example, the prettiest and most pleasing piece in the opera, the duet " Deb, con te Ii plonk," which is sung by Norma and Adolgisa just after the former has medi- tated and even attempted the murder of her children. The style of this duet is altoge her joyous and mil title!. well suited for a Christ- mas revel or a village donee; timid it is, in fact, the popular dance of the " Norma Quadrilles." Whitt can a sieges trained in the school of Germany, accustomed to contemplate the weeks of its great masters, and imbibing, as her knowledge expands and her experience grows, fresh admiration and deeper revel:cove for their works,—whot call such a sieg.:r do with the stuff of which Norma is compounded ? Almost nothing. The oely wonder is. that SCHIOEDER did so much—that she changed any part or portion of this lead into gold. But here her e:x- traordinary powers as an actress came into play, and made its feel what true genius can produce out of such flimsy and Reality materiels, even without the power of giving distinct articulation to the words she uttered : for her recitative must have been wholly unintelligible to those who were unprovided with books of the opera, and those who had them followed iler with difficulty. She spoke by her look, her action, and the inflexions of her voice. It may seem a paradox, bee it is nevertheless true, that she was better understood when playing Fideho In German than Norma in English. In the former it was manifest that the sympathies of her auditors were constantly excited, in the latter vets: rarely.

SCIIKCEDER'S performance of Norma can hardly be called an experi- ment—it woo rather an attempt certain to fail. She had no chance, no power of success. Mr. BONN might have engaged VERNET to play Richard or Lear with as much certainty as to the result. It would seem the obvious course, that, having engaged the finest singer of Ger. many, she should have type:wed in some of those parts (in addition to .Fidetio) iii which she had gmiimmed her renown,—that Eurganthe, for ex• ample, which was brought out on the very eve of her last demo tore from Eogland, and which few persons, on that twcount, had the good fortune to hear, should have been prepared for her—or Faust, or Jes- sunda. But Mr. BONN has a proud disdain of comment sense, and a

policy too refined for common comprehension. Vehl, that is his affair, not ours: as he has sown, so he must reap.

The other singers deserve some notice, but not much. Miss BETTS (Adagio's) was 11111Ch mole up to the trick of BELLINI than SCIIIttE• DER, Old eaderated away very fluently. Not so WILSON, Oho acted better and sang worse than usual ; worse, that is, as a representative of time BELLINI school. Pei laps he limy consider this a compliment : we have no objection.

The story of this opera needs not to be repeuted. In its original form it has already twice come under our notice, add we hoped to have done with it. It was hrought out with apparent anticipation of success. The scree of the Druidical temple is a beautiful %%tisk of art—Stone- henge restored. A Druidical temple at the Opera-house means a Gre- cian building supported by Coroothitin columns; and, there, serves equally for Egypt or Wnles as fur Athens or Rome.

The translation of Norma is said, we know not on what authority, to be by Air. PLANCHE Though much better dune thatI these things usually are, we should not have detected the author of Oberon. Would that he amid BISIIOP would unite in the production of something credit. able in place of the mongrel and mawkish adaptations, the shopeless abortions, which have too long driven the genuine English opera twin the stage, and of which it is quite evident the public is heartily tired. The foulOotion of a good opera must be a good drama; and such a one Mr. PLANCHE has proved his ability to furnish.