by Luigi Speranza for "Gli Operai" jlsperanza@aol.com
Chapters of Opera, by Krehbiel
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION OF OPERA IN NEW YORK
1. The Introduction of Italian Opera in New York
2. English Ballad Operas and Adaptations from French and Italian Works
3. Hallam's Comedians and "The Beggar's Opera"
4. The John Street Theater and Its Early Successors
5. Italian Opera's First Home
6. Manuel Garcia
7. The New Park Theater and Some of Its Rivals
8. Malibran and English Opera
9. The Bowery Theater, Richmond Hill, Niblo's and Castle Gardens
CHAPTER II
EARLY THEATERS, MANAGERS, AND SINGERS
2.1 Of the Building of Opera Houses
2.2. A Study of Influences
2. 3. The First Italian Opera House in New York
Early Impresarios and Singers
Da Ponte, Montressor, Rivafinoli
Signorina Pedrotti and Fornasari
Why Do Men Become Opera-Managers?
Addison and Italian Opera
The Vernacular Triumphant
CHAPTER III
THE FIRST ITALIAN COMPANY
Manuel del Popolo Vicente Garcia
"Il Barbiere di Siviglia"
Signorina Maria Garcia's Unfortunate Marriage
Lorenzo da Ponte
His Hebraic Origin and Checkered Career
"Don Giovanni"
An Appeal in Behalf of Italian Opera
CHAPTER IV
HOUSES BUILT FOR OPERA
More Opera Houses
Palmo's and the Astor Place
Signora Borghese and the Distressful Vocal Wabble
Antognini and Cinti-Damoreau
An Orchestral Strike
Advent of the Patti Family
Don Francesco Marty y Torrens and His Havanese Company
Opera Gowns Fifty Years Ago
Edward and William Henry Fry
Horace Greeley and His Musical Critic
James H. Hackett and William Niblo
Tragic Consequences of Canine Interference
Goethe and a Poodle
A Dog-Show and the Astor Place Opera House
CHAPTER V: MARETZEK, HIS RIVALS AND SINGERS
Max Maretzek
His Managerial Career
Some Anecdotes
"Crotchets and Quavers"
His Rivals and Some of His Singers
Bernard Ullmann
Marty Again
Bottesini and Arditi
Steffanone
Bosio
Tedesco
Salvi
Bettini
Badiali
Marini
CHAPTER VI: THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MUSIC
Operatic Warfare Half a Century Ago
The Academy of Music and Its Misfortunes
A Critic's Opera and His Ideals
A Roster of American Singers
Grisi and Mario
Annie Louise Cary
Ole Bull as Manager
Piccolomini and Réclame
Adelina Patti's Début and an Anniversary Dinner Twenty-five
Years Later
A Kiss for Maretzek
CHAPTER VII: MAPLESON AND OTHER IMPRESARIOS
Colonel James H. Mapleson
A Diplomatic Manager
His Persuasiveness
How He Borrowed Money from an Irate Creditor
Maurice Strakosch
Musical Managers
Pollini
Sofia Scalchi and Annie Louise Cary Again
Campanini and His Beautiful Attack
Brignoli
His Appetite and Superstition
CHAPTER VIII: THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE
The Academy's Successful Rival
Why It Was Built
The Demands of Fashion
Description of the Theater
War between the Metropolitan and the Academy of Music
Mapleson and Abbey
The Rival Forces
Patti and Nilsson
Gerster and Sembrich
A Costly Victory
CHAPTER IX: FIRST SEASON AT THE METROPOLITAN
The First Season at the Metropolitan Opera House
Mr. Abbey's Singers
Gounod's "Faust" and Christine Nilsson
Marcella Sembrich and Her Versatility
Sofia Scalchi
Signor Kaschmann
Signor Stagno
Ambroise Thomas's "Mignon"
Madame Fursch-Madi
Ponchielli's "La Gioconda"
CHAPTER X: OPERATIC REVOLUTIONS
The Season 1883-1884 at the Academy of Music
Lillian Nordica's American Début
German Opera Introduced at the Metropolitan Opera House
Parlous State of Italian Opera in London and on the Continent
Dr. Leopold Damrosch and His Enterprise
The German Singers
Amalia Materna
Marianne Brandt
Marie Schroeder-Hanfstängl
Anton Schott, the Military Tenor
Von Bülow's Characterization: "A Tenor is a Disease"
CHAPTER X: GERMAN OPERA AT THE METROPOLITAN
First German Season
Death Struggles of Italian Opera at the Academy
Adelina Patti and Her Art
Features of the German Performances
"Tannhäuser"
Marianne Brandt in Beethoven's Opera
"Der Freischütz"
"Masaniello"
Materna in "Die Walküre"
Death of Dr. Damrosch
CHAPTER XII: END OF ITALIAN OPERA AT THE ACADEMY
The Season 1885-1886
End of the Mapleson Régime at the Academy of Music
Alma Fohström
The American Opera Company
German Opera in the Bowery
A Tenor Who Wanted to be Manager of the Metropolitan Opera House
The Coming of Anton Seidl
His Early Career
Lilli Lehmann
A Broken Contract
Unselfish Devotion to Artistic Ideals
Max Alvary
Emil Fischer
CHAPTER XIII: WAGNER HOLDS THE METROPOLITAN
Second and Third German Seasons
The Period 1885-1888
More about Lilli Lehmann
Goldmark's "Queen of Sheba"
First Performance of Wagner's "Meistersinger"
Patti in Concert and Opera
A Flash in the Pan at the Academy of Music
The Transformed American Opera Company
Production of Rubinstein's "Nero"
An Imperial Operatic Figure
First American Performance of "Tristan und Isolde"
Albert Niemann and His Characteristics
His Impersonation of Siegmund
Anecdotes
A Triumph for "Fidelio"
CHAPTER XIV: WAGNERIAN HIGH TIDE
Wagnerian High Tide at the Metropolitan Opera House
1887-1890
Italian Low Water Elsewhere
Rising of the Opposition
Wagner's "Siegfried"
Its Unconventionality
"Götterdämmerung"
"Der Trompeter von Säkkingen"
"Euryanthe"
"Ferdinand Cortez"
"Der Barbier von Bagdad"
Italo Campanini and Verdi's "Otello"
Patti and Italian Opera at the Metropolitan Opera House
CHAPTER XV: END OF THE GERMAN PERIOD
End of the German Period
1890-1891
Some Extraordinary Novelties
Franchetti's "Asrael"
"Der Vasall von Szigeth"
A Royal Composer, His Opera and His Distribution of Decorations
"Diana von Solange"
Financial Salvation through Wagner
Italian Opera Redivivus
Ill-mannered Box-holders
Wagnerian Statistics
CHAPTER XVI: ITALIAN OPERA AGAIN AT THE METROPOLITAN
The Season 1891-1892
Losses of the Stockholders of the Metropolitan Opera House Company
Return to Italian Opera
Mr. Abbey's Expectations
Sickness of Lilli Lehmann
The De Reszke Brothers and Lassalle
Emma Eames
Début of Marie Van Zandt
"Cavalleria Rusticana"
Fire Damages the Opera House
Reorganization of the Owning Company
CHAPTER XVII: THE ADVENT OF MELBA AND CALVÉ
An Interregnum
Changes in the Management
Rise and Fall of Abbey, Schoeffel, and Grau
Death of Henry E. Abbey
His Career
Season 1893-1894
Nellie Melba
Emma Calvé
Bourbonism of the Parisians
Massenet's "Werther"
1894-1895
A Breakdown on the Stage
"Elaine"
Sybil Sanderson and "Manon"
Shakespearian Operas
Verdi's "Falstaff"
CHAPTER XVIII: UPRISING IN FAVOR OF GERMAN OPERA
The Public Clamor for German Opera
Oscar Hammerstein and His First Manhattan Opera House
Rivalry between Anton Seidl and Walter Damrosch
The Latter's Career as Manager
Wagner Triumphant
German Opera Restored at the Metropolitan
"The Scarlet Letter"
"Mataswintha"
"Hänsel und Gretel" in English
Jean de Reszke and His Influence
Mapleson for the Last Time
"Andrea Chenier"
Madame Melba's Disastrous Essay with Wagner
"Le Cid"
Metropolitan Performances 1893-1897
CHAPTER XIX: BEGINNING OF THE GRAU PERIOD
Beginning of the Grau Period
Death of Maurice Grau
His Managerial Career
An Interregnum at the Metropolitan Opera House Filled by
Damrosch and Ellis
Death of Anton Seidl
His Funeral
Characteristic Traits
"La Bohème"
1898-1899
"Ero e Leandro" and Its Composer
CHAPTER XX: NEW SINGERS AND OPERAS
Closing Years of Mr. Grau's Régime
Traits in the Manager's Character
Débuts of Alvarez, Scotti, Louise Homer, Lucienne Bréval and
Other Singers
Ternina and "Tosca"
Reyer's "Salammbô"
Gala Performance for a Prussian Prince
"Messaline"
Paderewski's "Manru"
"Der Wald"
Performances in the Grau Period
CHAPTER XXI: HEINRICH CONRIED AND "PARSIFAL"
Beginning of the Administration of Heinrich Conried
Season 1903-1904
Mascagni's American Fiasco
"Iris" and "Zanetto"
Woful Consequences of Depreciating American Conditions
Mr. Conried's Theatrical Career
His Inheritance from Mr. Grau
Signor Caruso
The Company Recruited
The "Parsifal" Craze
CHAPTER XXII: END OF CONRIED'S ADMINISTRATION
Conried's Administration Concluded
1905-1908
Visits from Humperdinck and Puccini
The California Earthquake
Madame Sembrich's Generosity to the Suffering Musicians
"Madama Butterfly"
"Manon Lescaut"
"Fedora"
Production and Prohibition of "Salome"
A Criticism of the Work
"Adriana Lecouvreur"
A Table of Performances
CHAPTER XXIII: HAMMERSTEIN AND HIS OPERA HOUSE
Oscar Hammerstein Builds a Second Manhattan Opera House
How the Manager Put His Doubters to Shame
His Earlier Experiences as Impresario
Cleofonte Campanini
A Zealous Artistic Director and Ambitious Singers
A Surprising Record but No Novelties in the First Season
Melba and Calvé as Stars
The Desertion of Bonci
Quarrels about Puccini's "Bohéme"
List of Performances
CHAPTER XXIV: A BRILLIANT SEASON AT THE MANHATTAN
Hammerstein's Second Season
Amazing Promises but More Amazing Achievements
Mary Garden and Maurice Renaud
Massenet's "Thaïs," Charpentier's "Louise"
Giordano's "Siberia" and Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande" Performed for
the First Time in America
Revival of Offenbach's "Les Contes d'Hoffmann," "Crispino e la Comare"
of the Ricci Brothers, and Giordano's "Andrea Chenier"
The Tetrazzini Craze
Repertory of the Season
------
Index of Names.
There is a second volume to this, "Chapters of Opera," ii.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
