THE THEATRES.
THERE are persons who seem to take pleasure in musical dislocations and distortions, and when they have perpetrated some outrage on a composition of acknowledged beauty, survey it with a complacent chuckle. Of this disease the symptoms vary ; in some persons displaying themselves in a perpetual itch for turning every thing musical into the form of a psalm-tune; in others the compounding of quadrilles is the predominent mania ; the former (so stubborn is the malady) finding materials in Opera-songs, the latter in a Stabat Mater. In the Covent Garden manager, or his council, it takes the form of converting Italian operas into a sort of mnsico-dramatic exhibition, for which we know no proper name. And the fit is violent—one among other symptoms which induce the hope that the disease will abate. Still, while it lasts, it is a disease, and must be dealt with accordingly. The remedy is an infusion of good taste into a reasonable portion of common sense. Let us briefly look at these exhibitions in three aspects, and examine the taste, the necessity, and the policy by which they are sought to be vindicated. The taste displayed in fitting—rather unfitting—an Italian opera to the English stage, we have frequently discussed, and too re- cently to render necessary any repetition of the various reasons which render the attempt not only absurd but impossible. The English Semi- ramide or II Matrimonio Segreto is as like Rossmir or CIMAROSA as HB's sketches are of WELLINGTON Or BROUGHAM. Like—but hard, angular— vulgar ; in short, what is intended—a caricature. But the necessity of producing these operas on the English stage, in order to improve the musical taste of the public, is insisted on. The obvious answer to this plea is, that they are performed in London by the most accomplished Italian singers and in the most perfect form. The plea might avail at Frankfort, Brunswick, Hamburg, or any German town which does not support an Italian opera ; but in London it is inadmissible. We have the splendid originals, and therefore need not feeble, mutilated, dis- torted copies. "But the middle classes are debarred this luxury, and therefore it is right to place it within their reach." We admit the de- privation: it is like many other luxuries which the middle classes do not, and cannot, prudently, enjoy. So is turtle. We beg CIMAROSA'S pardon for the savoury similitude, but let us use it a little farther. A fine, fat, full-grown turtle, falls into the hands of some one who desires to feast his middle-class neighbours upon it—too long debarred from the relish of green fat. He commits the prize to the dressing of a council of English cooks, intimate with the sirloin, but unskilled in the deeper mysteries of the "divine art." The time of dinner comes : eager eyes and more eager appetites watch the advent of the foreign luxury ; when at length the table groans under a huge lump, hideous to view and horrible to taste—a compound of dried parchment and horn. The English cooks had roasted the turtle! And an Italian opera an the English stage is a roasted turtle—to which we prefer the unfashion- able sirloin. The latter we have ; we know how to dress it, and how to enjoy it. It is within the reach of "middle class" customers ; who will in time find out, that a foreign delicacy spoiled is not so good as an English joint well dressed.
Now as to the policy of these exhibitions. They can only be carried into effect by the payment of enormous salaries to certain singers ; the result of which is best seen in the fact, that after a season in which Miss KEMBLE was stated to have drawn such unprecedented sums to the theatre the manager immediately made his appearance in the In- solvent Debtor's Court, and gave up the concern. There might be reasons in addition to hasten the catastrophe ; but such was the fact. No similar result followed the many seasons during which Miss STE.. PEENS was playing in the operas of ARNE, DIBDIN, STORACE, and Brume ; when the treasury was always full, the salaries reasonable, the audience delighted. The policy of these exhibitions as far as they regard the singers is another question. To all singers of the English school, they must of necessity be distasteful : but Miss KEMBLE and Mrs. SHAW aim to ally themselves with another, and repudiate the music of their own country in the lump and altogether. Be it so. But their present position is of all others the most undesirable, as it is one of admitted inferiority. Their aim is the Italian Opera. Now, either they have sought entrance there and been rejected, or, conscious of inferiority, they have not ventured to seek an engagement at her Majesty's Theatre. They have thus voluntarily damaged their pro- fessional reputation and lowered their musical station. Disowned by the partisans of the Italian school, they in turn disown those of the English lyric drama, and thus belong to neither. So much for the policy of these exhibitions ; of which Tuesday night witnessed another. The opera "delivered over to the tormentor" on that occasion was the delightful Matrimonio of CIMAROSA. The English agent in this outrage accomplished more than his brethren, since he mangled a fine opera and ruined an excellent comedy at a single blow. The Secret Marriage was neither the play of COLMAN and GARRICK nor the opera of CIMAROSA. It was a new comedy, (for the dialogue was spoken, not sung,) from which all the spirit of the original was carefully drawn off, with some English lines adapted to some of Cruhatose's musk "The libretto," says the Morning Post, "was not better than former libretti" Indeed it was not. We quote part of the first duet, as a sample of the poetry-
" Dearest, thy gloom lay by,.
Its cause ere they discover :
The case will soon be over
That wrings thy anxious breast.
"Love can but thrive unshaded
By terror and dissembling: He lives not long while trembling At every shadow near."
There are two false accents in this version of the duet befbre we get to the fourth line of the first stanza. From a note appended to one of the songs, in which a long apology is made for the mistranslation-of a single word, the adapter would seem to claim the credit of scrupulous fidelity ; but the truth is, that his version, faulty as it is in accent, in rhyme, and in metre, is no translation. He serves the Italian poet as he serves the English dramatist, and gives us his own bright thoughts instead. Even in passages where the music demands a close correspondence with the original, it is not found. Instead of Fidalma's " Vergogna, vergogna!" Mrs. SHAW had to sing, "Young ladies, young ladies," and so on.
With the opera itself the most unwarrantable liberties are taken. II Matrimonio Segreto is a short opera ; there is no redundaney—there is nothing that can be taken away without palpable injury to it. The first piece cut out was the allegretto to Fidalma's song, "E vero che in casa"; which was thus metamorphosed into a ballad. The next ins the charming quartetto, " Sento in petto "; which has so often found admiring hearers even in the concert-room—the gem of the opera. Then followed the substitution of a song of PAISIELLO, out of cha- racter, for Carolina's aria, " Perdonate, signor mio." The second act of the original opera contains eight pieces, of which four are cut out, (among them, Lisetta's only song)—viz.
Terzetto, " Sento, ohime I" Duetto, "Son lunatico bilioso."
Terzetto, "Cosa farete."
Aria, "Se son vendicata."
Such is the "roasted turtle" which it is attempted to impose upon John Bull as a foreign luxury, and which he is to be coaxed into ad- miring, under pretence of improving his taste. The performance was such as might be anticipated—perhaps not so good. Miss KENBLE and Miss RarszeonTH seemed to have changed characters. The modest, retiring Fanny, of the Clandestine Mai riage, was converted into a vulgar vixen ; and the pert, forward Miss Sterling, into a mere walking lady. The trio was very well sung, and encored, after a stout opposition—although the partisans of all the ladies were here united. Miss KEMBLE usually sang with good taste, but with some signal exceptions. Miss RAINFORTH had almost nothing to do, (her only song being cut out,) but to walk on and off the stage. Of Mrs. &raves song we have already spoken ; and as much of it as she retained was admirably sung. HARRISON was better than usual, because more quiet : but LEFFLER as the representative of a polished Italian nobleman must be seen to be appreciated !—the performance is in- describable. Giunlixt was a well enough Geronimo : but, as in every character, a disadvantageous comparison is forced upon us ; and if managers, adapters, actors, and actresses, will challenge it, they mast take the consequences.
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