,,the ,,operatic ,,problem      ,by     
,w4 ,,johnson ,,galloway1 ,m4,p4        
,illustration      ,london  ,john ,long 
#f ,chandos ,street1 ,strand  #aijb     
,preface   ,last autumn1 having to speak
 at an organ recital given by my friend 
,mr ,clegg1 ,i took the opportunity of  
giving what encouragement lay in my     
power1 to the ,corporation of my native 
town1 in an endeavour they had made     
during the summer months to provide     
suitable music in the various parks     
throughout the city4 ,to my great       
surprise that speech was quoted in      
journals1 of all shades of opinion1 in  
the country1 and brought me also a vast 
correspondence4  ,a copy of the speech  
will be found at the end of this book4  
,as ,i have long desired that ,opera    
should be placed within the reach of    
those1 whose purses are not able to bear
 the strain of the high prices charged  
in ,england1 and having some leisure    
before ,parliament met this year1 ,i    
made inquiries regarding the various    

systems of running ,opera on the        
,continent of ,europe4 ,i obtained a    
vast mass of most interesting           
information4 ,how to make the best use  
of that information was my difficulty4  
,it was much too bulky to compress into 
the narrow limits of a magazine article1
 and besides1 much of it had no peculiar
 interest for us in this country4  ,my  
chief desire was to put it before the   
public in a form that would arouse      
interest in the subject4 ,also1 ,i      
realised that this information1 however 
valuable1 was like the desert1 in its   
unwieldy form1 and without any attempt  
to outline the conclusion to which it   
led4 ,so after much trepidation of      
thought ,i determined to run the        
gauntlet and march right up to the      
cannon's mouth with a scheme of my own  
for the establishment of a system for   
,national ,opera in this country4  ,this
 little book is the result of my        
efforts1 and though ,i do not pretend   
that it offers a complete solution of   

the question1 still less that it gives a
 coup de grace to the schemes of those  
who have trodden the same path before   
me1 ,i do hope it may help to call into 
existence some plan for the foundation  
of ,opera upon a popular basis4  ,to my 
critics--and many ,i shall have--,i     
venture to say that1 however much they  
disagree1 they should remember ,i lay no
 claim to completeness1 and ,i will     
gladly welcome any suggestions thrown   
out with a real desire to perfect my    
very imperfect ideas4  ,but there are   
two forms of criticism ,i wish to meet  
in advance4  ,the first is the criticism
 of those1 who will say it is useless   
hoping to get public money for a luxury1
 whilst the nation is engaged in a      
costly war4 ,i frankly and freely admit 
the force of such criticism1 but ,i     
would urge in reply that a proposal like
 mine has far to travel1 before it takes
 its final shape1 and one cannot hope to
 get ,parliament to take the matter up  
until the subject has been fully        

ventilated in the country4 ,and although
 at such a time our first thoughts      
should be given to those who are        
fighting our battles in the field1      
surely no harm1 and possibly much good1 
may come from considering how we can    
deal with the social problems which     
confront us4  ,the second form of       
criticism is perhaps more easily met1   
namely1 the criticism of those who look 
upon all theatres and opera houses as   
vicious and contra bonos mores4 ,this   
battle was fought by ,moliere in the    
seventeenth century4 ,prescott1 in his  
delightful essay on ,moliere1 tells us  
what difficulties that author had to    
face at the beginning of his career on  
these very grounds4 ,the clergy1 alarmed
 at the then rapidly-increasing taste   
for dramatic exhibitions1 openly        
denounced the theatre as an insult to   
the ,deity1 and ,moliere's father       
anticipated in the calling his son had  
chosen no less his spiritual than his   
temporal perdition4 ,yet who is there   

to-day who will deny that ,moliere      
helped to correct the follies of his    
age1 by exposing them to ridicule8 ,and 
if in providing ,national ,opera for the
 people1 we can assist in the higher    
education of the community1 we may well 
ask those who object on the grounds ,i  
have named1 to remember that there is no
 felicity upon earth which carries not  
its counterpoise of misfortunes1 and    
that the evils they fear are not        
inherent only to the stage1 but also    
exist in almost every other walk of     
life4     ,illustration  ,the ,operatic 
,problem   ,opera has1 since its origin1
 been considered the highest form of    
theatrical pastime4 ,the very           
appellation opera indicates that in the 
land of its birth it was looked upon as 
the work par excellence1 and to this day
 it is the form of ,art which is        
invariably honoured by exalted          
patronage1 and one that people pay the  
most to enjoy4 ,it is hardly necessary  
to advance documentary evidence in      

support of this assertion2 moreover1 it 
is beyond the scope of this book to     
marshal all the historical facts4 ,my   
chief consideration will be to deal with
 the prospect of ,national ,opera in    
,england1 and to take the existing state
 of things as the basis for future      
action4 ,but some retrospect showing    
that the originators of opera understood
 its importance1 and knew admirably how 
to define its scope1 may prove          
interesting4  ,the following extract    
from the preface to ,vitali's ,aretusa1 
the score of which is in the ,barberini 
,library1 performed in ,rome on the #hth
 of ,february #afbj1 is worth quoting in
 corroboration of the statement3--      
,this style of work 7opera7 is a new    
style1 born a few years ago at          
,florence1 of the noble intelligence of 
,messer ,ottavio ,rinuccini1 who1 dearly
 beloved by the ,muses and gifted with  
especial talent for the expression of   
passions1 would have it that the power  
of music allied to poetry1 tended rather

 to gather fresh strength from the      
combination1 than to suffer diminution  
in consequence4 ,he spoke of it to      
,signor ,jacopo ,corsi1 ,maecenas of    
every merit and most enlightened amateur
 of music1 proving that the mission of  
music united to poetry should be not to 
smother words with noises1 but to help  
those words to a more eloquent          
expression of passion4 ,signor ,corsi   
sent for ,signor ,jacopo ,perri and     
,signor ,giulio ,caccini1 eminent       
professors of singing and counterpoint1 
and after having discussed the subject1 
they came to the conclusion that they   
had found the means for reaching the    
desired goal4 ,nor were they mistaken4  
,it is in this new musical style1 the   
fable of ,dafne to the poem of ,signor  
,ottavio ,rinuccini1 was composed and   
performed in ,florence at ,signor       
,jacopo ,corsi's1 in the presence of the
 illustrious ,cardinal del ,monte1 a    
,montalto1 and their most serene        
,highnesses the ,grand ,duke and ,grand 

,duchess of ,tuscany4 ,the work pleased 
them so much that they were absolutely  
bewildered 7attonitidi stupore74 ,this  
style of music acquired a still greater 
number of fresh beauties in ,euridice1 a
 work by the same authors1 and then in  
,ariadne1 by ,signor ,claudio           
,monteverdi1 to-day ,maestro di ,capella
 at ,venice4  ,your modern theorist     
could hardly express his operatic creed 
with greater felicity than the          
,florentine noble1 ,ottavio ,rinuccini1 
and the whole quotation breathes in its 
quaint phraseology1 the spirit of love  
for all that is new and beautiful in    
,art1 which gave ,italy her hegemony    
amongst other nations4  ,the operatic   
spectacle1 when first imported into     
,france1 was a ,court entertainment for 
the privileged few1 but it soon tempted 
private enterprise1 and here1 again1 its
 importance1 as an attraction1 was not  
underrated1 for the first impressario1  
one ,pierre ,perrin1 took good care to  
obtain a monopoly for the new style of  

performances1 whilst the royal privilege
 7letters-patent71 granted to him1 sets 
out their advantages in unmistakable    
terms4,a  ,therein ,louis par la grace  
de ,dieu1 etc41 concedes to his ame et  
feal ,pierre ,perrin the exclusive      
rights of operatic performances         
throughout ,france1 not only that they  
should contribute to his own recreation1
 or that of the public in general1 but  
chiefly in the hope that his subjects1  
getting accustomed to the taste of      
music1 would be led all but             
unconsciously to perfect themselves in  
this the most noble of liberal arts4    
7,que nos sujets s'accoustumant au goust
 de la musique1 se porteroient          
insensiblement a se perfectionner en cet
 art1 l'un des plus nobles de liberaux47
 ,these ,royal letters-patent were dated
 #affi1 demonstrating that two hundred  
and thirty-two years ago ,france        
recognised the educational mission of   
the art of music1 and its accessibility 
by the means of opera4  ,the taste for  

this new entertainment grew and spread  
throughout ,europe1 and it is a matter  
of common knowledge that everywhere the 
encouragement and support came from the 
highest quarters1 always having for its 
object the benefit of the masses4  ,thus
 ,italy1 ,france1 ,germany1 ,austria1   
,spain1 ,russia1 ,sweden1 ,norway1      
,denmark1 ,greece have their endowed or 
subsidised theatres2 they can boast of  
an artistic musical past and operatic   
tradition1 and make a proud show of     
creative and interpreting talent for    
over two centuries4 ,it is equally well 
known that the patronage thus accorded1 
always took the form of a monetary      
subsidy granted either by a ,sovereign  
or by a municipality--at times for a    
period of years1 at others for a        
specified occasion1 sometimes           
unconditionally1 sometimes under certain
 restrictions1 now limited to a given   
figure1 then giving the manager carte   
blanche4 ,the solicitude and favour     
shown by the ,state went at times the   

length of taking a direct interest in   
the management of an opera house1 as was
 the case for a certain period in       
,france4  ,england alone in civilised   
,europe remained indifferent1 and took  
no active part either in fostering or   
patronising the new form of art2 and    
whilst the spirit of emulation was      
animating other states and nations      
towards helping native production1      
,england was satisfied to import        
spectacles and performers from abroad1  
just as she would have imported any     
other commodity4 ,true enough1 only the 
best article was brought over1 and the  
best price paid in the highest market4  
,if one could reckon up the money thus  
spent on foreign operatic performances  
within the last hundred years1 the      
figures would prove                     
instructive--instructive1 that is1 of   
,england's foolhardiness in alienating  
so much national cash1 without any      
benefit to the nation1 and to the direct
 detriment of native talent4 ,for over a

 century this country has been the happy
 dumping-ground of ,italian opera and   
,italian singers and dancers2 for there 
was a time when a ballet and a prima    
ballerina were of paramount importance  
in an operatic season4 ,within late     
years ,french1 ,belgian1 ,german1       
,american1 ,polish and even ,dutch      
singers have found their ,el-,dorado in 
,england4 ,composers of all nations have
 found hospitality and profit4 ,foreign 
conductors1 virtuosi1 teachers and      
chorus-singers have taken up a permanent
 abode here1 and things have come to    
such a pass that one may well wonder    
whether there is any room at all for an 
,englishman1 and whether the time has   
not arrived for a voice to be raised on 
behalf of native artists and native art4
  ,it is not as though native opera had 
failed to show signs of life4 ,our      
failure to create a body of art         
comparable with that of ,germany1 ,italy
 and ,france has sometimes been         
attributed to inherent lack of the      

dramatic instinct in music1 but that    
view is contradicted by the historical  
facts4 ,from the time of ,purcell1 whose
 operatic genius is beyond question1    
neither the impulse to write on the part
 of musicians nor the capacity to       
appreciate on the part of the public has
 been lacking4 ,we find throughout the  
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries1    
breaking through the stifling influence 
of exotic art1 an irrepressible tendency
 towards the creation of a purely native
 form of opera4 ,again and again        
,english or ,british composers returned 
to the task with significant1 if        
temporary1 success4 ,the list is        
surprisingly large and almost continuous
 down to the present day4 ,it includes  
many forms of art1 some of which have no
 pretension to a high standard1 but the 
one thing common to them all is the     
yearning towards some sort of musical   
drama which they exhibit4 ,this is seen 
in nothing more plainly than in the     
ballad operas of the eighteenth century1

 which were inaugurated by the immensely
 popular ,beggar's ,opera in #agbh1 only
 some thirty years after ,purcell's     
flourishing period4 ,a string of ballads
 took the public by storm when thrown   
into a dramatic setting4 ,arne's        
ambitious project of building up in the 
middle of the century an ,english       
operatic school to rival the ,italians  
in their own domain indicates an        
instructive confidence in the forces of 
his day4 ,it failed not so much from    
lack of support as from active          
opposition on the part of those undying 
enemies of the unaccustomed1 who play   
the game of follow-my-leader like a     
flock of sheep4 ,they did it then4 ,they
 do it now4  ,this failure did not deter
 ,arne's successors from freely         
following their own operatic bent1 in   
the earlier and less ambitious style4   
,the agreeable and distinctive national 
talent of ,dibdin1 ,arnold1 ,linley1    
,shield1 ,horace1 ,hook1 ,braham and    
many others found expression in a host  

of musically set plays1 which hugely    
delighted the public4 ,english musicians
 received encouragement and responded to
 it4 ,the #ahji ,english ,opera ,house  
produced a quantity of works1 and at the
 same time ,drury ,lane and ,covent     
,garden offered a field of activity to  
,bishop1 who was a born operatic        
composer of charming and original gifts4
 ,to this period belongs ,balfe1 who may
 be said to mark its culmination4 ,the  
,siege of ,rochelle1 his first opera1   
was brought out at ,drury ,lane in      
#ahce1 and the ,bohemian ,girl1 his most
 successful one1 in #ahdc at the same   
theatre4 ,this opera has been before the
 public for nearly sixty years1 and is  
still enjoying the undiminished favour  
of popular audiences4 ,wallace's        
,maritana1 which belongs to the same    
period1 is also very much alive to this 
day4 ,barnett's ,mountain ,sylph 7#ahcd7
 and ,loder's ,night ,dancers 7#ahdf7   
met with as much success and lasted as  
long as four out of five contemporary   

,italian works1 and they were only      
amongst the most prominent of a number  
of native operas1 called forth in this  
period of sunshine and received with    
appreciation4  ,this period passed away1
 and has not been renewed4 ,the promise 
held out by ,carl ,rosa1 an impressario 
of enlightenment and enterprise1 almost 
amounting to genius1 was baulked by his 
premature death1 and the patriotic      
effort embodied1 in the theatre which is
 now the ,palace ,music ,hall ended in  
worse than failure4 ,that well-meant but
 disastrous venture was the heaviest    
blow that ,english opera has ever       
received1 for it cast the shadow of     
hopelessness over the whole enterprise  
in the eyes of the public in general and
 the theatrical and musical world in    
particular4 ,naturally perhaps1 but most
 unjustly4  ,for the general            
disappointment and disillusion attending
 the failure of ,ivanhoe the critics    
were largely to blame in holding out    
expectations which could not be         

realised2 the thing was doomed to       
eventual collapse from the outset4 ,it  
started1 it is true1 with an            
unparalleled advertisement and amid     
universal good wishes2 it commanded     
popular and fashionable patronage alike1
 and every adventitious attraction was  
provided with a lavish hand4 ,but it    
lacked the essential elements of real   
success1 and had to fight against       
insuperable difficulties4 ,in the first 
place1 the stage was far too small for  
grand opera1 which moves in a large way1
 requiring large spaces4 ,the principal 
characters must stand out clear1 with   
abundant room for movement and gesture  
on a heroic scale4 ,if they are huddled 
or crowded up against the chorus--which 
also requires ample space--the action is
 confused and leaves an impression of   
futility4 ,the effect is gone4 ,this    
might not altogether prevent enjoyment  
of a familiar work by audiences         
accustomed to small theatres1 but it    
ruins the chances of a new piece        

conceived on a larger scale1 and        
presented in ,london to playgoers       
accustomed to more adequate boards4 ,the
 stage at the ambitious ,new ,opera     
,house was so small1 and the            
foreshortening so excessive in          
consequence1 that in the opening scene  
of ,ivanhoe ,cedric and his guests      
actually sat at meat in ,rotherwood     
,hall with their knees above the table1 
producing a ludicrous effect4 ,and yet  
the piece was projected on the most     
pompous scale1 with tournament1 siege1  
fire1 solemn trial1 battle1 murder and  
sudden death--in short1 all the details 
that require the most ample spaces4 ,the
 reporters were told1 of course1 that   
the stage was the largest in ,europe1   
and they may possibly have believed it4 
,at any rate1 they told the public so4  
,they ought to have known that ,ivanhoe 
had no chance so cramped and huddled    
together4  ,the second obstacle was the 
counterpart of an inadequate stage--to  
wit1 an overloaded book4 ,there were too

 many principal characters4 ,they       
cluttered up the stage1 got in each     
other's way and distracted attention    
from the main action4 ,a skilful        
novelist can dispose of a great many    
characters in one story2 a skilful      
dramatist can put fewer but still a good
 many into one play1 because they are   
able to explain themselves quickly and  
by-play is admissible4 ,in grand opera  
it is otherwise4 ,the characters move on
 a higher emotional plane2 they express 
themselves in prolonged phrases and     
accents enlarged beyond the manner of   
speech1 consequently they require more  
time and space4 ,it must all be simple1 
large and clear4 ,there must be no      
distraction of interest2 to have several
 persons of equal importance is fatal4  
,no musician could have made a          
successful opera of such a book as      
,ivanhoe4 ,the talent1 skill and        
experience of ,sullivan did not fail to 
produce some agreeable numbers1 but they
 failed most egregiously to make grand  

opera4 ,a perpetual sense of            
disappointment pervaded the piece2 it   
never rose to the height demanded by the
 situation1 save when that was comic1   
and occasionally the failure was        
absolutely painful4 ,the music kept     
trying to soar1 but was all the time    
chained by the leg4 ,the reason is      
obvious4 ,you cannot serve two masters1 
nor can a man who has devoted a life to 
light musical composition1 suddenly     
command the powers which can only be won
 by toil1 and tribulation1 and faithful 
devotion to a high ideal4 ,to crown this
 fabric of shortcomings1 the management 
committed the folly of running ,ivanhoe 
every night4 ,no masterpiece could have 
stood a test of this kind4 ,and it was  
thus1 with this single unfortunate      
specimen1 that ,english opera was to be 
established4 ,let no one be cast down by
 this failure4 ,we may rather point to  
the attempt1 to the widespread interest1
 and to the eager if ill-founded hopes  
that accompanied it1 as signs of        

vitality4 ,they indicate the existence  
of a demand1 while the recurrent efforts
 of recent1 and of still living         
composers--of ,goring1 ,thomas1 ,corder1
 ,stanford1 ,cowen1 ,mackenzie1 ,m',cunn
 and ,de ,lara--prove that the dramatic 
instinct has not departed from ,british 
composers1 and that it is not hopeless  
to look for a supply in answer to the   
demand4 ,the seed only needs systematic 
encouragement1 and intelligent          
cultivation to bear fruit4 ,i firmly    
believe that the time is ripe for such  
encouragement to come from an official  
sphere2 in other words1 ,i advocate     
,state intervention in the matter1 and  
the establishment of a subsidised       
national opera house on the lines       
successfully adopted in other countries4
 ,and that we may profit by the         
experience of others1 let us examine how
 continental nations fare under the     
aegis of ,state-aided ,art4  ,italy1    
,germany and ,france present the most   
characteristic instances1 and ,i will   

take a bird's-eye view of the operatic  
machinery in them1 beginning with       
,italy4  ,,footnotes3  ,a ,here is an   
extract of this privilege3--,nous avons 
au dit ,perrin1 accorde et octroye1     
accordans et octroyons par les presentes
 signees de notre main la permission    
d'etablir en notre bonne ville de ,paris
 et autres de nostrec ,royaume1 des     
,academies composees de tel nombre et   
qualite de personnes qu'il avisera1 pour
 y representer et chanter en public des 
opera et representations en musique et  
en vers francais1 pareilles et          
semblables a celles d',italie4 ,et pour 
dedommager l',exposant1 des grands frais
 du'il conviendra faire pour les dites  
,representations1 tant pour les         
,theatres1 ,machines1 ,decorations1     
,habits qu'autres choses necessaires2   
nous luy permettons de prendre du public
 telles sommes qu'il avisera et a cette 
fin d'etablir des gardes et autres gens 
necessaires a la porte des lieux ou se  
feront les dites ,representations2      

,faisant tres expresses inhibitions et  
defences a toutes personnes de quelque  
qualite et condition qu'elles soient1   
mesme aux officiers de nostre ,maison   
d'y entrer sans payer1 et de faire      
chanter de pareils opera ou             
,representations en musique et en vers  
francais dans toute l'entendue de nostre
 ,royaume pendant douze annees sans le  
consentement et permission du dit       
exposant1 a peine de dix huit mil livres
 d'amende1 etc41 etc4     ,italy        
,there are about five hundred theatres  
in ,italy1 and quite one half of these  
have seasons of opera at various times  
of the year4 ,the traditional ,italian  
operatic season begins on the #bfth     
,december of each year at ,san ,stefano 
,day1 and is called the ,carnival       
,season2 then follows ,quaresima or     
,lent ,season and ,primavera or ,spring 
,season--altogether some five months of 
opera4 ,besides these there exist       
7stagioni di fiere7 short seasons of one
 or two weeks' duration1 at the time of 

certain famous fairs4 ,there are autumn 
seasons1 and sporadic performances at   
fashionable summer and bathing resorts4 
,i am quite within strict probability in
 asserting that in ,italy two hundred   
odd theatres are devoted to opera the   
whole year round4 ,these theatres may be
 briefly divided into two               
classes--municipal and private ones4    
,the latter are run very much on the    
same lines as private theatres anywhere 
else1 and do not come within the scope  
of my consideration4  ,the ,state does  
not interfere in any way with ,italian  
theatres1 and such help as these receive
 comes either from municipalities1 or   
especially formed associations of       
institutions linked by common interest  
with the working of a theatre4 ,but the 
principle of such help is always that of
 an act performed for the public good1  
or1 as it is officially termed1 per     
ragioni di pubblica utilita1 and it     
naturally takes the form of a monetary  
subsidy4 ,this suesidy varies according 

to the importance of the theatre1 the   
rank of the city1 the prospects of the  
season1 and its grant is altogether     
opportunistic and at times arbitrary4   
,in the majority of ,italian theatres   
boxes are proprietary1 and the          
palchettisti 7box-holders7 have a direct
 interest and a vote of some weight in  
the prospective arrangements of a       
season4 ,the impressario desirous of    
running an operatic theatre must submit 
his prospectus to the box-holders at the
 same time he submits it to the         
municipality from which he wishes to    
obtain his contract1 and of course1 his 
subsidy4 ,a theatrical board            
7,commissione ,teatrale71 composed of   
local authorities1 and box-holders      
examines the prospectus1 and if the     
decision is unfavourable another plan   
has to be submitted by the same man1 or 
another aspirant1 or perhaps the        
,commissione has a scheme of its own4   
,as a rule1 stipulations comprise either
 a novelty or a favourite opera1 called 

in this case obligatory 7opera          
d'obbligo71 a ballet1 or simply a       
specified number of performances4 ,the  
length of the season varies from eight  
days 7stagione di fiera7 to two months1 
the repertory may consist of one opera  
or twenty1 whilst the figure of the     
subsidy is anything between ,l#bj and   
,l#hjjj4 ,the average1 however1 is three
 operas for a medium season of one      
month--one obligatory1 one di repiego   
7for a change7 and another1 da de       
,stinarsi 7to be selected71 at the      
choice of the impressario or in accord  
with the ,commissione4 ,five            
performances weekly are the orthodox    
number1 ,mondays and ,fridays being     
recognised as days of rest4  ,if an     
agreement is arrived at1 the impressario
 is put in possession of the theatre for
 the period stipulated1 and sets about  
running his season4 ,he is given but the
 bare building and seats2 he has to     
provide scenery1 costumes1 orchestra and
 chorus in addition to his company of   

artists4 ,sometimes orchestra and chorus
 are local institutions1 and there are  
small places in which the conductor is  
an employe of the municipality engaged  
for a period of years to play the organ 
in church1 teach music at schools1      
conduct open-air concerts and also the  
operatic season4 ,in such a case a part 
of the subsidy1 equivalent to all the   
salaries1 is retained to guard against  
accidents1 or else a sum is set apart   
for that purpose out of a deposit lodged
 by the impressario with the            
,commissione or the municipality4  ,the 
budget of the manager depends on the    
subsidy and the subscription1 in which  
box-holders must perforce participate   
owing to the system of ingresso or      
entrance ticket--a system which consists
 in charging so much 7a uniform price1  
as a rule7 for entrance in addition to  
the price of your ticket4 ,ingresso     
simply gives you the right to standing  
room1 or you may join some friends in a 
box of theirs2 and this method has been 

devised in view of the palchettisti1    
whose boxes would otherwise prove a     
profitless asset4 ,the palchettisti     
subscribe to the ingresso1 and the      
general public to seats and ingresso    
combined4 ,but the impressario does not 
get his subscription until he has given 
one-half of the stipulated performances4
 ,there is a further perquisite1 called 
adobbo1 in some southern ,italian       
theatres--the ,naples ,san ,carlo1 for  
instance--which brings in a goodish sum 
of money1 and consists in charging two  
francs for attendance in every box4     
,judging from the name adobbo1 it must  
be a relic of a time when attendance    
comprised some kind of fixing you up in 
your box4 ,it is nothing of the sort    
to-day1 and ,i am unable to explain why1
 after having paid for your box and     
ingresso1 you are charged for the       
adobbo1 which seems to me first cousin  
to the obnoxious petit banc in ,french  
theatres4 ,besides these two elements1  
subvention and subscription1 the        

impressario has also the resource of    
raising the prices of seats1 and        
entrance tickets how1 and when1 he      
pleases during the season1 the          
fluctuation affecting1 however1         
non-subscribers only4 ,as a rule1 the   
opening night of the season1 and the    
production of a novelty are generally   
singled out for the adoption of this    
device2 but1 naturally enough1 your     
manager has recourse to the measure1    
whenever an opera of his proves a sure  
draw1 and results1 just as much as      
customs1 are there to justify the       
expedient4 ,should1 however1 the public 
fail to respond1 the prices are lowered 
with the same alacrity with which they  
were raised4 ,thus you may have to pay  
,l#d for your stall1 say1 at ,la ,scala1
 day after day1 or you may see on       
,wednesday for #e francs 7#ds47 a       
performance you would have had to pay   
#ajj francs 7,l#d7 for had you bought   
your ticket on ,monday4  ,this principle
 pervades the uses and customs of the   

,italian theatrical world1 and is       
applicable to the letting of scores by  
publishers1 who1 untrammelled by such   
institutions as the ,societe des        
,auteurs in ,france1 or special laws as 
in ,spain1 can charge what they please  
for the hire of band parts and scores4  
,there is nothing to prevent the        
publisher of ,lucia di ,lammermoor from 
letting the music of the opera for #ej  
francs 7,l#b7 to an impressario at      
,vigevano and charging #bj1jjj francs   
7,l#hjj7 to another who produces it1    
say1 at the ,argentina of ,rome1 with   
,melba in the title-role4  ,the music   
publisher in ,italy has a unique        
position amongst publishers1 but quite  
apart from this1 he enjoys so many      
prerogatives as to be almost master of  
the operatic situation in that country4 
,he can put what value he pleases on the
 letting of the score he owns1 and has  
the absolute right over the heads of the
 ,theatrical ,board to reject artists   
already engaged1 including the          

conductor4 ,he can take exception to    
costumes and scenery and withdraw his   
score as late as the dress rehearsal4   
,this is called the right of protesta4  
,it does not follow that such right is  
exercised indiscriminately1 spitefully  
or frequently1 but it is sufficient that
 it exists1 and what between the        
,commissione ,teatrale1 the palchettisti
 and the publisher1 the impressario in  
,italy is not precisely on a bed of     
roses4 ,still1 in spite of such         
impedimenta1 ,italian opera flourished  
for well-nigh two centuries1 and        
,italian singers1 repertory and language
 were considered all but synonymous with
 every operatic enterprise1 during that 
period4 ,this ascendency lasted as long 
as proper incentives for development of 
the art were steadily provided by       
responsible bodies2 in other words1 so  
long as the great theatres of           
,italy--,la ,scala at ,milan1 ,san      
,carlo at ,naples1 ,communale at        
,bologna1 ,apollo at ,rome1 ,fenice at  

,venice1 ,carlo ,felice at ,genoa1      
,raggio transcriber3 ,regio8 at ,turin1 
,pergola at ,florence1 etc4--were in    
receipt of regular subventions4 ,but    
political and economical changes in the 
country turned the attention of public  
bodies towards other channels1 and the  
radical tendencies of most              
municipalities went dead against the    
artistic interests of the country4 ,in  
spite of warnings from most             
authoritative quarters1 the opposition1 
towards subsidising what was wrongly    
considered the plaything of the         
aristocracy grew apace1 and the cry     
became common that if dukes and counts1 
and other nobles wanted their opera1    
they should pay for it4 ,subsidies were 
withdrawn here1 suspended there1 cut    
short in another place1 and altogether  
municipal administration of theatres    
entered upon a period the activity of   
which ,i have already qualified1 as     
opportunistic and arbitrary4 ,in vain   
did a great statesman1 ,camillo ,cavour1

 argue the necessity of maintaining at  
all costs1 the time-honoured            
encouragement1 and help to pioneers of  
the ,italian opera1 bringing the        
discussion to an absolutely practical1  
if not downright commercial1 level4 ,i  
do not understand a note of music1 said 
he1 and could not distinguish between a 
drum and a violin1 but ,i understand    
very well that for the ,italian nation1 
the art of music is not only a source of
 glory1 but also the primary cause of an
 enormous commerce1 which has           
ramifications in the whole world4 ,i    
believe therefore that it is the duty of
 the ,government to help so important an
 industry4 ,the municipalities remained 
obdurate1 and the start of their        
short-sighted policy coincided with the 
gradual decadence of ,italian opera1    
until this form of entertainment lost   
prestige1 and custom with the best of   
its former clients1 ,england1 ,russia   
and ,france4 ,we know how things on this
 count stand with us4 ,in ,russia1      

,italian opera1 formerly subsidised from
 the ,imperial purse1 was left to       
private enterprise1 and all available   
funds and encouragement transferred to  
national opera houses2 whilst in ,france
 the reaction is such1 that even the    
rare production of an ,italian opera in 
one of the ,french theatres is tolerated
 and nothing more4     ,germany   ,the  
organisation of theatres in the ,german 
,empire is quite different and widely   
different the results6 ,let us take only
 the ,court theatres 7,hoftheater71 such
 as the opera houses of ,berlin1        
,munich1 ,dresden1 ,wiesbaden1          
,stuttgart1 ,carlsruhe and ,darmstadt in
 ,germany1 those of ,vienna and ,prague 
in ,austria1 and the municipal theatre  
of ,frankfort4  ,these theatres are     
under the general direction of ,court   
dignitaries1 such as ,h4,e4 ,count      
,hochberg in ,berlin and ,h4,s4,h4      
,prince von ,lichtenstein in ,vienna1   
and under the effective management of   
,imperial ,intendants in ,vienna and    

,berlin1 a ,royal ,intendant at ,munich1
 ,dresden1 ,wiesbaden1 ,stuttgart and   
,prague1 ,grand-,ducal at ,carlsruhe and
 ,darmstadt1 and municipal at           
,frankfort4  ,the ,intendants do not    
participate either in the risks or      
profits of the theatre1 but receive a   
fixed yearly salary varying between     
#bj1jjj and #cj1jjj marks 7,l#ajjj to   
,l#aejj74 ,they have absolute freedom in
 the reception of works1 the engagements
 of artists1 the selection of programmes
 and repertory1 and are answerable only 
to the ,sovereign1 whose ,civil ,list   
provides the subsidy1 balances accounts1
 and contributes to the settling of     
retiring pensions of the personnel4     
,the ,berlin ,opera ,house receives a   
yearly subvention of #ijj1jjj marks1 or 
,l#de1jjj4  ,the ,vienna ,opera ,house  
has #cjj1jjj florins 7about ,l#be1jjj7  
for a season of ten months4 ,the        
deficit1 however1 if any1 is made good  
from the ,emperor's ,privy ,purse4  ,the
 ,king of ,saxony puts #dhj1jjj marks   

7,l#bd1jjj7 at the disposal of ,count   
,intendant ,seebach4 ,it is interesting 
to note that in #ahig only #dcg1jjj     
marks were actually spent4 ,the         
orchestra of the ,dresden ,opera ,house 
does not figure in the budget1 its      
members being ,royal servants engaged   
for life and paid by the ,crown4  ,at   
,munich it is the same1 the orchestra   
being charged to the ,civil ,list of the
 ,regent of ,bavaria4 ,the cost is      
#bej1jjj marks 7,l#ab1ejj71 and a       
similar sum is granted to ,intendant    
,possart for the two theatres he manages
 7,hof and ,residenz74 ,the season lasts
 eleven months4  ,wiesbaden comes next  
with a subvention of #djj1jjj marks1    
7,l#bj1jjj7 granted by the ,emperor of  
,germany as ,king of ,prussia4 ,the     
season is of ten months' duration4  ,the
 ,court ,theatre at ,stuttgart is open  
for ten months1 and the ,royal          
subvention to ,baron von ,putlitz1 the  
,intendant1 is #cjj1jjj marks           
7,l#ae1jjj74  ,the same sum is granted  

by the ,grand ,duke of ,baden to the    
,carlsruhe theatre for a season of ten  
months4  ,the subvention of ,darmstadt  
is only #bej1jjj marks 7,l#ab1ejj71 the 
season lasting but nine months4  ,the   
,states of ,bohemia grant a sum of      
#ahj1jjj florins 7,l#ae1jjj odd7 to the 
theatres of ,prague for a season of     
eleven months4 #ajj1jjj florins 7,l#hjjj
 odd7 of this sum are destined for the  
,national ,tcheque ,theatre4            
,frankfort1 as an ancient free city1    
does not enjoy the privileges of        
princely liberality1 and has to put up  
with municipal help1 which amounts to a 
yearly donation of #bjj1jjj marks       
7,l#aj1jjj7 for a season of eleven      
months1 and then the ,conscript ,fathers
 contrive to get one-half of their money
 back by exacting a duty of #cj pfennigs
 on every ticket sold4 ,a syndicate1    
with a capital of ,l#ab1ejj1 has been   
formed to help the municipal            
institution4--,mr ,claar4  ,the chief   
advantages of ,court theatres consist in

 a guarantee against possible deficit1  
and freedom from taxes2 and this enables
 the ,intendants to price the seats in  
their theatres1 in a manner which makes 
the best opera accessible to the most   
modest purse4 ,the prices of stalls in  
,german theatres vary between #c and #f 
marks or #c to #d florins4 7#cs4 to #fs4
 or #gs74 ,other seats are priced in    
proportion1 and a considerable reduction
 is made in favour of subscribers4      
,these are simply legion1 and at        
,wiesbaden the management have been     
compelled to limit their number4  ,the  
table below1 shows at a glance the price
 of stalls in some of the chief ,german 
theatres4 ,i give the average figure1   
the price varying according to the order
 of the row4    ,vienna                 
#d fls4 7about #gs47   ,berlin          
#f mks4 7#fs47   ,munich                
,wiesbaden               #e mks4 7#es47 
,frankfort    ,prague 7,nat4 ,th47      
#c fls4 7about #es47         7,german   
,th47      #b4ej 7about #ds47   ,dresden

                 #d mks4 7#ds47         
,stuttgart    ,darmstadt                
#c4ej 7#cs4 #f;d47   ,carlsruhe         
#c mks4 7#cs47  ,the subscriptions are  
divided into four series1 giving each   
the right to two performances weekly1   
but of course anyone can subscribe for  
more than one series4 ,a yearly         
subscription comprises--at ,berlin and  
,prague1 #bhj performances2 at ,vienna1 
#bfj2 at ,munich1 #bbh2 at ,wiesbaden1  
#bjj2 and at ,frankfort1 #ahh4 ,to      
subscribers the prices of stalls are as 
follows3--    ,vienna            #c fls4
 #g kr4 7#fs47   ,wiesbaden         #e  
mks4 7#es47   ,berlin            #d4ej  
7#ds4 #f;d47   ,frankfort         #c4ea 
7#cs4 #f;d47   ,munich            #c4dg 
7#cs4 #f;d47   ,darmstadt         #b    
mks4 7#bs47   ,prague            #a     
florin 7#as4 #i;d47  ,these figures     
suffice to prove the colossal benefit   
princely patronage and subvention bestow
 on the theatre-goer1 in putting a      
favourite entertainment within the reach

 of the masses4 ,moreover1 the ,german  
opera-goer is catered for both in       
quality and quantity4  ,as regards      
quality1 he has the pick of the         
masterpieces of every school1 nation and
 repertory4 ,gluck1 ,spontini1          
,cherubini1 ,auber1 ,herold1 ,boieldieu1
 ,mozart1 ,beethoven and ,weber hobnob  
on the yearly programmes with ,wagner1  
,verdi1 ,mascagni1 ,puccini1 ,giordano  
and ,leoncavallo1 to cite a few names   
only4 ,as regards quantity1 the         
following details speak for             
themselves--,i take the theatrical      
statistics for the year #ahie-ahif3--   
,the ,berlin ,opera ,house produces #fj 
various works--#eb operas and #h        
ballets4  ,the ,vienna ,opera ,house #gd
 works--#ec operas and #ba ballets4     
,the ,new ,german ,theatre at           
,prague--#de operas1 #aa light operas   
and two ballets4  ,the ,frankfort       
,theatre--#fj operas1 #aa operettes1 #d 
ballets and #ac great spectacular       
pieces4  ,at ,carlsruhe--#dg operas and 

#a ballet4  ,at ,wiesbaden--#dc operas  
and #f ballets4  ,at ,darmstadt--#dh    
operas1 #b operettes and #e ballets4    
,at ,hanover--#cg operas4  ,at the      
,national ,theatre1 ,prague--#dh operas 
and #f ballets4  ,at ,stuttgart--#ec    
operas and #e ballets4  ,at ,munich--#ec
 operas and #b ballets4  ,at            
,dresden--#ef operas1 #e ballets and #d 
oratorios4  ,these are splendid results 
of enterprise properly encouraged1 and  
,i am giving only a fraction of the     
information in my possession1 for there 
are no less than ninety-four theatres in
 ,europe1 where opera is performed in   
,german1 and of these seventy-nine are  
sufficiently well equipped to mount any 
great work of ,wagner's1 ,meyerbeer's1  
etc4  ,most of these theatres produce   
every year one new work at least1 and   
thus the repertory is constantly renewed
 and augmented4  ,every ,german theatre 
has attached to it a choir school1 where
 girls are admitted from their fifteenth
 year and boys from their seventeenth4  

,they are taught solfeggio and the      
principal works of the repertory4 ,the  
classes are held in the early morning1  
so as not to interfere with the pursuit 
of the other avocations of the pupils2  
but each receives1 nevertheless1 a small
 yearly salary of #fjj marks 7,l#cj74   
,these studies last two years1 and      
during that time the pupils have often  
to take part in performances1 receiving 
special remuneration for their services4
 ,when they are considered sufficiently 
well prepared1 they pass an examination1
 and are appointed chorus-singers at a  
salary of #ajjj to #ahjj marks 7,l#ej to
 ,l#ij7 a year1 and are entitled besides
 to a special fee 7,spielgeld7 of #as4  
#f;d4 to #bs4 #f;d4 per performance for 
an ordinary chorus-singer1 and #bs4 to  
#es4 for a soloist4 ,if we reckon that a
 chorus-singer1 can take part on an     
average in some #bej performances in a  
year1 at an average fee of1 say1 #bs4   
each1 we find that his income is        
increased by a sum of ,l#be1 a very     

decent competence4 ,nor is this all4 ,in
 the smallest ,german towns1 in the most
 modest theatres1 there exist pension   
funds for all theatrical artists and    
employes4 ,these funds are fed3--       
7#a47 ,by a yearly donation from the    
,sovereign's ,privy ,purse4        7#b47
 ,by retaining from #a per cent4 to #e  
per cent4 on the       salaries of      
members4        7#c47 ,from benefit     
concerts and performances4        7#d47 
,from all kinds of donations1 legacies1 
fines1 etc4  ,at ,stuttgart the ,king   
takes charge of all the pensions1 except
 of those of widows and orphans1 who are
 provided for from another fund4  ,at   
,munich the ,king furnishes the original
 capital with a sum of #bjj1jjj marks   
7,l#aj1jjj71 and to-day the fund has    
over #a1jjj1jjj marks at its disposal4  
,eight years' service entitles a member 
to a full pension4  ,at ,prague six     
years' service gains a pension1 but the 
average period throughout ,germany is   
ten years4  ,there are scores of        

additional points of great interest1 in 
connection with the working of ,german  
subsidised theatres4 ,the above         
suffices1 however1 for the purpose of   
showing the immense advantage of a      
system of ,state-aided ,art1 a system   
that might serve as a model to a country
 about to embark on similar enterprises4
 ,i will add one detail more4 ,there    
being no author's society in ,germany1  
as in ,france1 the theatrical managers  
treat with music publishers direct for  
the performing rights of scores which   
they own4 ,the old repertory costs1 as a
 rule1 very little1 and the rights of   
new works are charged generally from #e 
per cent4 to #g per cent4 on the gross  
receipts4 ,moreover1 band parts and     
scores are not hired1 as in ,italy1 but 
bought outright1 and remain in the      
library of the theatre4     ,france     
,in ,france the ,state intervenes       
directly in theatrical matters in ,paris
 only1 subsidising the four chief       
theatres of the capital--to wit1 the    

,opera1 the ,opera ,comique1 the        
,comedie ,francaise and the ,odeon4  ,in
 the provinces theatres are subsidised  
by municipal councils1 who vote each    
year a certain sum for the purpose4 ,the
 manager is appointed for one year only1
 subject to his acceptance of the cahier
 des charges1 a contract embodying a    
scheme of stipulations devised by the   
council1 and imposed in return for the  
subsidy granted4 ,the least infraction  
of the conditions laid therein brings   
its penalty either in the way of a fine 
or the forfeit of the contract4 ,the    
subsidies vary according to the         
importance of the town1 the theatres of 
,lyons1 ,bordeaux and ,marseilles being 
the three best endowed4 ,less favoured  
are places like ,rouen1 ,lille1 ,nantes1
 ,dijon1 ,nancy1 ,angers1 ,reims1       
,toulouse1 etc41 and1 though the        
,chamber of ,deputies votes every year  
in the ,budget of ,fine ,arts a         
considerable sum for the provinces1 the 
subsidy is not allotted to theatres1 but

 to conservatoires1 symphonic concerts  
and orpheonic societies4 ,two years ago 
a ,deputy1 ,m4 ,goujon1 obtained in the 
,chamber the vote of a special grant for
 such provincial theatres as had        
distinguished themselves by producing   
novelties4 ,but the ,senate threw out   
the proposal4  ,it is not1 however1 as  
if the ,government of the ,republic were
 indifferent to the fate of the         
provincial theatres or their progress in
 the field of operatic art4 ,but worship
 of ,paris on one side1 and a dislike to
 decentralisation on the other1 are     
responsible for the fact that all       
efforts are directed towards one        
channel1 namely1 the four before-named  
,parisian theatres4 ,of these1 naturally
 enough only the opera house will engage
 my attention1 or more precisely one    
alone1 the ,grand ,opera ,house1 ,la    
,theatre ,national de l',opera1 there   
being little practical difference       
between the working of that and of the  
younger house1 the ,theatre de l',opera 

,comique4  ,a few words1 following      
chronologically the various stages      
through which the ,paris ,opera ,house  
has passed since its origin1 may prove  
of interest1 and serve to indicate how  
untiring has been the care of successive
 ,governments over the fortunes and the 
evolution of the operatic problem in    
,france4  ,it will be remembered that   
,pierre ,perrin was the possessor of the
 first operatic privilege granted by    
,louis ,,xiv4 in #affi4 ,hardly had he  
been installed when ,lulli began to     
intrigue against his management1 and    
having learnt that the profits of the   
first year amounted to over #abj1jjj    
livres1 he had no rest until he         
obtained1 through the influence of ,mme4
 de ,montespan1 the dismissal of ,perrin
 and obtained the post for himself4 ,in 
fifteen years his net profits amounted  
to #hjj1jjj livres6  ,he was succeeded  
by his son-in-law1 ,francine1 who held  
the privilege with various fortunes     
until #agad1 the ,king intervening more 

than once in the administration4 ,in    
#agae the ,duc d',antin was appointed   
,regisseur ,royal de l',academie by     
letters-patent of the ,king1 who up till
 then considered himself supreme chief  
of his ,academy4  ,in #agbh the         
management passed into the hands of     
,guyenet1 the composer1 who in turn made
 over the enterprise1 for a sum of      
#cjj1jjj livres1 to a syndicate of      
three--,comte de ,saint-,gilles1        
,president ,lebeuf and one ,gruer4      
,though their privilege had been renewed
 for thirty years1 the ,king1 ,louis    
,,xv41 was obliged to cancel it owing to
 the scandal of a fete galante the      
syndicate had organised at the ,academie
 ,royale1 and ,prince de ,carignan was  
appointed in #agca inspecteur-general4  
,a captain of the ,picardy regiment1    
,eugene de ,thuret1 followed in #agcc1  
was succeeded in #agdd by ,berger1 and  
then came ,trefontaine1 whose management
 lasted sixteen months--until the #bgth 
of ,august #agid4 ,all this was a period

 of mismanagement and deficits1 and the 
,king1 tired of constant mishaps and    
calls upon his exchequer1 ordered the   
city of ,paris to take over the         
administration of his ,academy4 ,at the 
end of twenty-seven years the city had  
had enough of it1 and the ,king devised 
a fresh scheme by appointing six        
,commissaires du ,roi pres la ,academie 
7,papillon de la ,ferte1 ,mareschel des 
,entelles1 ,de la ,touche1 ,bourboulon1 
,hebert and ,buffault71 who had under   
their orders a director1 two inspectors1
 an agent and a cashier4 ,but the       
combination was short-lived1 lasting    
barely a year4 ,in #aggh the city of    
,paris made one more try by granting a  
subvention of #hj1jjj livres by a ,sieur
 de ,vismos4  ,in #aghj the ,king took  
back from the city the operatic         
concession--we must bear in mind it was 
a monopoly all this time--appointing a  
,commissaire de sa ,majeste 7,la ,ferte7
 and a director 7,berton74  ,in #agij   
the opera came once more under the      

administration of the city1 and during  
the troublous times of the ,revolution  
changed its name of ,academie ,royale to
 that of ,theatre de la ,republique et  
des ,arts4  ,by an ,imperial decree of  
the #bith of ,july #ahjg the opera came 
under the jurisdiction of the first     
,chamberlain of the ,emperor1 whilst    
under the ,restoration the ,minister of 
the ,king's ,household took the         
responsibilities of general supervision4
 ,one ,picard was appointed director    
under both regimes1 and was succeeded by
 ,papillon de la ,ferte and ,persius4   
,then followed the short management of  
,viotti1 and in #ahba ,f4 ,habeneck was 
called to the managerial chair4  ,the   
,comte de ,blacas1 ,minister of the     
,king's ,household1 became              
superintendent of ,royal theatres1 and  
after him the post was occupied by the  
,marquis de ,lauriston1 the ,duc de     
,doudeauville and the ,vicomte          
,sosthenes de la ,rochefoucauld4        
,habeneck was replaced by ,duplantis1   

who took the title of ,administrator of 
the ,opera4 ,the administration of ,m4  
de la ,rochefoucauld cost ,king ,louis  
,philippe #iff1jjj francs in addition to
 the ,state subvention1 and an extra    
subsidy of #cjj1jjj francs derived from 
a toll levied in favour of the opera on 
side shows and fancy spectacles4 ,this  
was in #ahbh1 and in #ahcj the ,king1   
finding the patronage of the opera too  
onerous for his ,civil ,list1 resolved  
to abandon the theatre to private       
enterprise4 ,dr ,veron offered to take  
the direction of the opera house1 at his
 own risk1 for a period of six years    
with a subsidy of #hjj1jjj francs1 and1 
with the exception of a period of twelve
 years 7#ahed-ahff71 the administration 
of the opera was included in the duties 
of the ,master of the ,emperor's        
,household4 ,both the subsidy and the   
principle of private enterprise have    
remained to this day as settled in      
#ahcj4 ,before then1 for #aea years1    
,french opera had enjoyed the patronage 

and effective help of the ,sovereign1 or
 the chief of the ,state1 very much on  
the same system as obtains at the       
present day in ,germany4,b  ,dr ,veron  
had as successors1 ,,mm4 ,duponchel1    
,leon ,pillet1 ,nestor ,roqueplan1      
,perrin1 ,halanzier1 ,vaucorbeil1 ,ritt 
and ,gailhard1 ,bertrand and ,gailhard1 
and finally ,pierre ,gailhard1 the      
present director of the ,theatre        
,national de l',opera4  ,the present    
relations in ,france between the ,state 
and the director of the opera are as    
follows3--  ,the ,paris ,opera ,house1  
like all other theatres in ,france1 and 
for the matter of that all institutions 
in the domain of ,art in that country1  
is under the direct control and         
dependence of the ,minister of ,fine    
,arts1 who has absolute power in        
appointing a director1 in drawing up the
 cahier des charges1 in imposing certain
 conditions and even in interfering with
 the administration of the theatre4 ,the
 appointment1 called also the granting  

of the privilege1 is for a number of    
years1 generally seven1 and can be      
renewed or not at the wish or whim of   
the ,minister4 ,the cahier des charges1 
as already stated1 is a contract        
embodying the conditions under which the
 privilege is granted4 ,some of these   
are at times very casuistic4 ,as regards
 interference1 one can easily understand
 how a chief can lord it over his       
subordinate if so minded4 ,it is        
sufficient to point out the anomaly of  
the director's position who is          
considered at the same time a           
,government official and a tradesman--a 
dualism that compels him to conciliate  
the attitude of a disinterested         
standard-bearer of national art with the
 natural desire of an administrator to  
run his enterprise for profit4 ,let me  
cite a typical instance4 ,of all the    
works in the repertory of the opera1    
,gounod's ,faust still holds the first  
place in the favour of the public1 and  
is invariably played to full or1 at     

least1 very excellent houses1 so that   
whenever business is getting slack      
,faust is trotted out as a trump card4,c
 ,another sure attraction is ,wagner's  
,walkuere4 ,on the other hand1 a good   
many operas by native composers have    
failed to take the public fancy1 and    
have had to be abandoned before they    
reached a minimum of1 say1 twenty       
performances in one year4 ,now1 when the
 director sees that his novelty is      
played to empty houses he hastens to put
 on ,faust or the ,walkuere1 but the    
moment he does it up goes a cry of      
complaint1 and a reproof follows--,you  
are not subsidised to play ,faust or    
operas by foreign composers1 but to     
produce and uphold the works of native  
musicians2 you are not a tradesman1 but 
a high dignitary in the ,ministry of    
,fine ,arts1 and so on4  ,at other      
times1 when in a case of litigation1 the
 director wishes to avail himself of the
 prerogatives of this dignity1 he is    
simply referred to the ,tribunal de     

,commerce1 as any tradesman4            
,ministerial interference is exercised1 
however1 only in cases of flagrant      
maladministration1 and then there are1  
of course1 directors and directors1 just
 the same as there are ,ministers and   
,ministers4  ,it is needless to go over 
the whole ground of the cahier des      
charges1 the various paragraphs of which
 would form a good-sized pamphlet4 ,the 
cardinal points of the stipulations     
between the contracting parties are1    
that the director of the ,paris ,opera  
,house receives on his appointment      
possession of the theatre rent free1    
with all the stock of scenery1 costumes 
and properties1 with all the            
administrative and artistic personnel1  
the repertory1 and a yearly subsidy of  
#hjj1jjj francs 7,l#cb1jjj74  ,in return
 for this he binds himself to produce   
every year a number of works by native  
composers1 and to mount these in a      
manner capable of upholding the highest 
standard of art1 and worthy of the great

 traditions of the house4 ,this implies1
 among others1 that every new work must 
be mounted with newly-invented scenery  
and freshly-devised costumes1 and that  
in general1 no one set of scenery1 or   
equipment of wardrobe1 can serve for two
 different operas1 even were there an   
identity of situations or historical    
period or any other points of           
similarity4 ,thus1 if there are in the  
opera repertory fifty works1            
necessitating1 say1 a cathedral1 a      
public square1 a landscape or an        
interior1 the direction must provide    
fifty different cathedrals1 fifty       
different public squares1 fifty varying 
landscapes1 etc4 ,the same principle    
applies to costumes1 not only1 of the   
principal artists1 but of the chorus and
 the ballet4 ,only the clothes and      
costumes of definitely abandoned works  
can be used again by special permission 
of the ,minister of ,fine ,arts4  ,as   
regards the new works that a director is
 bound to produce every year1 not only  

is their number stipulated1 but the     
number of acts they are to contain1 and 
their character is specified as well4   
,this is in order to avoid the possible 
occurrence of a production1 say1 of two 
works each in one act1 after which      
exertion a director might consider      
himself quit of the obligation4 ,it is  
plainly set out that the director must  
produce in the course of the year un    
grand ouvrage1 un petit ouvrage1 and a  
ballet of so many acts each--total1     
eight1 nine or ten acts1 according to   
the stipulations4 ,moreover1 he is bound
 to produce the work of a prix de       
,rome--that is to say1 of a pupil of the
 ,conservatoire1 who has received a     
first prize for composition1 and has    
been sent at the expense of the         
,government to spend three years at the 
,villa ,medicis of the ,academie de     
,france in ,rome4 ,owing to             
circumstances1 the ,minister himself    
designates the candidates for this      
ex-officio distinction1 guided by       

priority of prizes4 ,the director had   
recourse to this measure through the    
fault of the prix de ,rome themselves1  
who1 over and over again1 either had    
nothing ready for him or else submitted 
works entirely unsuitable for the house4
 ,the ,minister's nomination relieves   
the director of responsibility in such  
cases4  ,works of foreign composers     
produced at the opera1 do not count in  
the number of acts stipulated by the    
cahier de charges1 the respective       
paragraphs being drawn up in favour of  
native composers2 nor can any excess in 
the number of acts produced in one year 
be carried over to the next year4       
,amongst the prerogatives of the ,paris 
opera director1 is the absolute monopoly
 of his repertory in the capital--works 
in the public domain excepted--and the  
right to claim for his theatre the      
services of those who gain the first    
prizes at the final examinations of the 
operatic classes at the ,conservatoire4 
,towards the working expenses of his    

theatre the director has1 firstly1 the  
subvention and the subscription1 and1   
secondly1 the alea of the box-office    
sales4 ,the subvention of #hjj1jjj      
francs divided by the number of         
obligatory performances gives close upon
 ,l#agj towards each1 and the           
subscription averages ,l#djj a night1 or
 ,l#egj as a minimum with which the     
curtain is raised1 and it is the        
manager's business to see that his      
expenses do not exceed the sum4 ,the    
house full receipts being very little   
over ,l#hjj at usual prices1 the margin 
is not very suggestive of huge profits4 
,indeed1 with the constantly rising     
pretensions of star artists1 spoilt by  
the ,english1 and ,american markets1 and
 the fastidious tastes of his patrons1  
the ,paris opera director has some      
difficulty in making both ends meet4    
,within the last fifteen years the two  
,exhibition seasons have saved the      
management from financial disaster1 and 
this only by performing every day1      

,sundays sometimes included4 ,some fifty
 new works by native composers have been
 produced at the opera since the opening
 of the new house in #ahgf1 and six by  
foreign composers--,aida1 ,otello1      
,lohengrin1 ,tannhaeuser1 ,walkuere1 and
 ,meistersinger4 ,the maximum of        
performances falls to ,romeo et         
,juliette1 this opera heading also the  
figure of average receipts with #ag1fgd 
francs 7about ,l#ejg74 ,eleven works    
have had the misfortune to figure only  
between three and nine times on the     
bill4  ,independently of the supervision
 exercised by the ,minister of ,fine    
,arts1 the strictest watch is kept over 
managerial doings by the ,societe des   
,auteurs1 a legally constituted body    
which represents the authors' rights1   
and is alone empowered to treat in their
 names with theatrical managers1 to     
collect the fees1 to guard the execution
 of contracts and even to impose fines4 
,thus is national art in ,france not    
only subsidised and patronised1 but     

safeguarded and protected4  ,,footnotes3
  ,b ,it may be of interest to note that
 during this period no less than #edc   
different works1 mostly by native       
composers1 had been produced4 ,the last 
opera produced under the old regime on  
the #crd of ,august #ahbi was ,rossini's
 ,guillaume ,tell4  ,c ,during #aijj    
,faust was played thirty-nine times to  
an average house of #ah1cig francs      
7about ,l#gcj7 in a repertory of        
twenty-five operas1 and the ,walkuere   
eleven times to an average of #ai1dag   
francs 7about ,l#ggg74     ,the ,english
 ,national ,opera ,house   ,three       
factors determine the existence of any  
given theatre and have to be considered 
with reference to my proposed ,national 
,opera ,house1 namely1 tradition1       
custom1 and enterprise4  ,i have proved 
we possess an operatic tradition1 and as
 regards custom no one will dispute the 
prevalence of a taste for opera4        
,indeed1 from personal experience1      
extending over a number of years1 ,i can

 vouch for a feeling akin to yearning in
 the great masses of the music-loving   
public after operatic music1 even when  
stripped of theatrical paraphernalia1   
such1 for example1 as one gets at purely
 orchestral concerts4 ,it is sufficient 
to follow the ,queen's ,hall ,wagner    
concerts to be convinced that the       
flattering patronage they command is as 
much a tribute to the remarkably        
artistic performance of ,mr ,henry      
,wood1 as it is due to the economy of   
his programmes4 ,again1 in the          
provinces1 ,i have observed1 times out  
of number1 crowded audiences listening  
with evident delight1 not only to       
popular operas excellently done by the  
,moody-,manners' ,company1 but to       
performances of ,tristan and ,siegfried1
 which1 for obvious reasons1 could not  
give the listeners an adequate idea of  
the real grandeur of these works4 ,but  
the love of opera is there1 and so      
deeply rooted1 that1 rather than be     
without it1 people are willing to accept

 what they can get4  ,this much1 then1  
for tradition and custom4  ,as regards  
enterprise in the operatic field1 it can
 be twofold--either the result of       
private initiative1 working its own ends
 independently1 or else it is organised1
 guided1 and helped1 officially4  ,it is
 under the former aspect that we have   
known it1 so far1 in this country1 and  
as we are acquainted with it1 especially
 in ,london1 we find it wanting1 from   
the point of view of our special        
purpose4 ,not that it should be so1 for 
the ,covent ,garden management1 as at   
present organised1 could prove an ideal 
combination for the furtherance of      
national art1 were its aims in          
accordance with universal1 and1         
oft-expressed1 desire4 ,what better can 
be imagined than a theatre conducted by 
a gathering representative of1 nobility1
 fashion1 and wealth8  ,it is under such
 auspices that opera originated1 and    
that native art sprang to life and      
prospered everywhere2 and it is to these

 one has the right to turn1 with hope   
and trust1 in ,england4 ,but when wealth
 and fashion stoop from the pedestal    
assigned to them by tradition1 and      
barter the honoured part of ,maecenas   
for that of a dealer1 they lose the     
right to be considered as factors in an 
art problem1 and their enterprise may be
 dismissed from our attention4 ,for the 
aim of an opera house1 worthy of a great
 country like ,england1 should not be to
 make most money with any agglomeration 
of performers1 and makeshift            
mise-en-scene1 but to uphold a high     
standard of ,art4  ,but the elimination 
of private enterprise from my scheme is 
but one more argument in favour of      
official intervention1 and the          
experience of others will stand us in   
good stead4  ,of the three systems of   
,state subsidised theatres1 as set out  
in my expose of operatic systems in     
,italy1 ,germany1 and ,france1 the ideal
 one is1 of course1 the ,german1 where  
the ,sovereign's ,privy ,purse          

guarantees the working of ,court        
theatres1 and secures the future of     
respective personnels4 ,but the adoption
 of this plan1 or the wholesale         
appropriation of any one other1 cannot  
be advocated1 if only because the       
inherent trait of all our institutions  
is that they are not imported1 but the  
natural outcome of historical1 or       
social1 circumstances4 ,my purpose will 
be served as well1 if ,i select the     
salient features of each system4  ,thus1
 in the first instance1 admitting the   
principle of ,state control in operatic 
matters1 ,i will make the furtherance of
 national art a condition sine qua non  
of the very existence of a subsidised   
theatre1 and performances in the        
,english language obligatory4           
,secondly1 ,i will adopt the ,german    
system of prevoyance1 in organising old 
age pensions for theatrical personnels4 
,thirdly1 ,i will borrow from ,italy the
 idea of municipal intervention1 all the
 more as the municipal element has      

become1 of late1 an all-important factor
 in the economy of our civic life1 and  
seems all but indicated to take active  
part in a fresh phase of that life4  ,i 
do not see how any objection can be     
raised to the principle of these three  
points1 though ,i am fully aware of the 
difficulties in the way of each2        
difficulties mostly born of the         
diffidence in comparing the status of   
operatic art abroad1 with its actual    
state in this country4 ,it must be borne
 in mind1 however1 that ,i am           
endeavouring to give help to the        
creation of a national art1 and not     
promoting a plan of competition with the
 operatic inheritance of countries which
 have had such help for over two        
centuries4  ,we are making a beginning1 
and we must perforce begin ab ovo1 doing
 everything that has been left undone1  
and undoing1 at times1 some things that 
have been1 and are being1 done4 ,let me 
say1 at once1 to avoid misapprehension1 
that ,i refer here to the majority of   

the ,anglicised versions of foreign     
libretti4 ,they are unsatisfactory1 to  
put it very mildly1 and1 will have to be
 re-written again before1 these operas  
can be sung with artistic decency in    
,english4 ,the classes of our great     
musical institutions will have to be    
reorganised entirely1 from the          
curriculum of education to examinations4
 ,this is a crude statement of the case1
 the details can always be elaborated on
 the model of that fine nursery of      
artists1 the ,paris ,conservatoire4 ,we 
must not be deterred by the possible    
scarcity of native professors1 able to  
impart the indispensable knowledge4 ,do 
not let us forget that the initial      
instructors of operatic art came from   
,italy to ,france1 together with the    
introduction of their new art2 but1 far 
from monopolising tuition1 they formed  
pupils of native elements1 and these in 
turn became instructors1 interpreters1  
or creators4 ,the same thing will happen
 again1 if necessary1 let us by all     

means import ballet masters1 professors 
of deportment1 singing teachers1 and    
whoever can teach us what we do not     
know1 and cannot be taught by our own   
men4 ,pupils will be formed soon enough1
 and the foreign element gradually      
eliminated4 ,do not let us forget1      
either1 that stalest of commonplaces    
that ,rome was not built in a day4  ,we 
are not trying to improvise genii1 or   
make a complete art1 by wishing for the 
thing1 but we are laying foundations for
 a future architecture1 every detail of 
which will be due to native enterprise1 
and the whole a national pride4 ,to look
 for immediate results would be as idle 
as to expect ,wagners1 and ,verdis1 or  
,jean de ,reszkes1 and ,terninas1 turned
 out every year from our schools1 simply
 because we have a subsidised opera     
house1 and reorganised musical classes4 
,we are bound to arrive at results1 and 
no one can say how great they may be1 or
 how soon they may be arrived at4 ,the  
unexpected so often happens4 ,not so    

many years ago1 for example1 operatic   
creative genius seemed extinct in the   
land of its birth1 and the all-pervading
 wave of ,wagnerism threatened the very 
existence of musical ,italy1 when1 lo6  
there came the surprise of ,cavalleria  
,rusticana1 and the still greater       
surprise of the enthusiasm with which   
the work was received in ,germany1 and  
the no less astonishing rise of a new   
operatic school in ,italy1 and its      
triumphant progress throughout the      
musical world4 ,who can say what impulse
 native creative talent will receive in 
this country1 when it is cared for as it
 certainly deserves8  ,the question     
arises now of the most practical manner 
in which this care can be exercised8    
,plans have been put forward more than  
once1--discussed1 and discarded4 ,this  
means little4 ,any child can pick a plan
 to pieces1 and prove its unworthiness4 
,goodwill means everything1 and a firm  
conviction that in the performance of   
certain acts the community does its duty

 for reasons of public welfare4 ,i put  
more trust in these than in the actual  
merit of my scheme1 but1 such as it is1 
,i submit it for consideration1 which1  
,i hope1 will be as seriously sincere1  
as the spirit in which it is courted4   
,i would suggest that the interests of  
the ,national ,opera ,house in ,london1 
should be looked after by a ,board under
 the supervision of the ,education      
,department1 the members of the ,board  
being selected from among the ,county   
,councillors1 the ,department itself1   
and some musicians of acknowledged      
authority4  ,the enlisting of the       
interest of the ,educational ,department
 would sanction the theory of the       
educational mission of the venture2 the 
,county ,council comes into the scheme1 
for financial and administrative        
purposes2 the selection of musicians    
needs no explanation1 but a proviso     
should be made that the gentlemen       
chosen1 have no personal interest at    
stake4  ,as ,i said before1 we have to  

begin at the beginning1 and so the      
duties of the ,board would be3--        
#a4 ,the building of a ,national ,opera 
,house in ,london4        #b4 ,the      
drawing up of a schedule of stipulations
 on the lines       of the ,french      
cahier des charges regulating the work  
of       the theatre4        #c4 ,the   
appointment of a manager4        #d4    
,the supervision of the execution of the
 stipulations       embodied in the     
schedule4        #e4 ,the provision of  
funds for the subsidy4  ,as to the first
 of these points1 ,i do not at all agree
 with those who wish every new opera    
house constructed in servile imitation  
of the ,bayreuth model4 ,such a theatre 
would only be available for operatic    
performances of a special kind1 but the 
structure of the auditorium would result
 in the uniformity of prices which goes 
dead against the principle of a theatre 
meant for the masses as well as for the 
classes4  ,all that ,i need say here is1
 that our ,national ,opera ,house should

 be built in ,london1 and according to  
the newest inventions1 appliances and   
most modern requirements4  ,as regards  
the second point1 enough has been said  
about describing foreign systems to show
 how a schedule of stipulations should  
be drawn up1 when the time comes4       
,concerning the appointment of a        
manager1 it goes without saying that the
 director of our ,national ,opera ,house
 must be an ,englishman born and bred1  
and a man of unimpeachable commercial   
integrity and acknowledged theatrical   
experience4 ,such a selection will make 
the task of the ,board in supervising   
the work an extremely easy one4  ,the   
provision of funds is the crucial point 
of the scheme4 ,before going into       
details1 let me appeal to the memory of 
the ,british public once more1 praying  
that it will remember that every year   
some ,l#ej1jjj or ,l#fj1jjj of national 
cash is spent in ten or twelve weeks to 
subsidise ,french1 ,german and ,italian 
artistes in ,london4 ,it is but         

reasonable to suppose that if an        
authoritative appeal for funds on behalf
 of ,national ,opera were made1 at least
 half of this money would be forthcoming
 for the purpose4 ,and so ,i would      
advocate such an appeal as the first    
step towards solving the financial      
problem of my scheme4 ,secondly1 there  
would have to be a first ,parliamentary 
grant and an initial disbursement of the
 ,county ,council funds1 all towards the
 building of the opera house4 ,it is    
impossible to name the necessary sum2   
but one can either proceed with what one
 will eventually have1 or regulate      
expenditure according to estimates4     
,the house once built and the manager   
appointed1 both ,parliamentary and      
,county ,council grants will have to be 
renewed every year1 the sum-total being 
apportioned to the probable expenses of 
every performance1 the number of        
performances and the length of the      
operatic season4 ,the best plan to      
follow here would be to have a season   

of1 say nine or ten months1 with four   
performances a week4  ,the manager would
 receive the house rent free1 but should
 on his side show a working capital     
representing at least half the figure of
 the annual subsidy1 and1 further1 lodge
 with the ,board a deposit against      
emergencies4 ,considering the initial   
expenses of the first management1 when  
everything1 from insignificant props to 
great sets of scenery will have to be   
furnished in considerable quantities1   
there should be no charges on the       
manager's profits in the beginning1 for 
a year or two4 ,but later on1 #aj per   
cent4 off the gross receipts of every   
performance might be collected1 one part
 of the proceeds going towards a sinking
 fund to defray the cost of the         
construction of the house1 and the other
 towards the establishment of a fund for
 old age pensions for the personnel of  
the opera house4  ,a further source of  
income that would go towards            
indemnifying the official outlay might  

be found in a toll levied on the        
purchaser of #b;d4 in every #ajs4 on all
 tickets from #ajs4 upwards1 of #a;d4 on
 tickets between #es4 and #ajs41 and of 
#a_/b;d4 on all tickets below #es4 ,i   
would make also compulsory a uniform    
charge of #f;d4 for every complimentary 
ticket given away4  ,it is well-nigh    
impossible in the present state of my   
scheme to go into details of figures1   
especially concerning the official      
expenditure4 ,but1 as figures have their
 eloquence1 we may venture on a forecast
 of such returns as might be reasonably 
expected to meet the outlay4 ,i take it 
for granted that our opera house will be
 built of sufficient dimensions to      
accommodate an audience of #cjjj1 and   
arranged to make an average of ,l#gjj   
gross receipts 7subvention included7 per
 performance possible4 ,taking the      
number of performances in an operatic   
season at #afj to #ahj1 four            
performances a week in a season of nine 
or ten months1 we get a total of        

receipts from ,l#aab1jjj to ,l#abf1jjj1 
or1 ,l#aa1bjj to ,l#ab1fjj1 repaid      
yearly for the initial expenses of the  
subsidising bodies1 as per my suggestion
 of #aj per cent4 taken off the gross   
receipts4 ,the toll levied on tickets   
sold should average from ,l#addf1 #acs4 
#d;d4 to ,l#afej annually1 with an      
average audience of #gej in each class  
of toll for each performance3 altogether
 between ,l#ab1fdf and ,l#ad1bej of     
grand total of returns4 ,from a purely  
financial point of view1 these might be 
considered poor returns for an          
expenditure in which items easily figure
 by tens of thousands4 ,but1 in the     
first instance1 ,i am not advocating a  
speculation1 and secondly1 there are    
other returns inherent to my venture1   
one and all affecting the well-being of 
the community more surely than a        
lucrative investment of public funds4   
,the existence of a ,national ,opera    
,house gives1 first of all1 permanent   
employment to a number of people engaged

 therein1 and which may be put down     
roughly at #hjj between the performing  
and non-performing personnel4 ,such is1 
at least1 the figure at all great       
continental opera houses4  ,in ,vienna1 
the performing personnel1 including     
chorus1 orchestra1 band1 ballet1 supers 
and the principal singers1 numbers close
 upon #djj4 ,then follows the body of   
various instructors1 regisseurs1 stage  
managers1 repetiteurs1 accompanists1    
etc41 then come all the stage hands1    
carpenters1 scene-shifters1 machinists1 
electricians1 scenographers1 modellers1 
wig-makers1 costumiers1 property men1   
dressers1 etc41 etc41 etc41 and on the  
other side of the footlights there are  
ushers1 ticket collectors1 and the whole
 of the administration4 ,thus one single
 institution provides #hjj people not   
only with permanent employment but with 
old age pensions4 ,nor is this all4 ,the
 proper working of a large opera house  
necessitates a great deal of extraneous 
aid and calls to life a whole microcosm 

of workers1 trader manufacturers and    
industries of all kinds4  ,let us take  
here the statistics for the city of     
,milan to better grasp my meaning4 ,the 
figures are official1 and are taken from
 a report presented to the municipality 
some time ago1 and prove there is a     
business side of vital importance       
attached to the proper working of the   
local subsidised theatre1 ,la ,scala4   
,the following are the items of what    
they call giro d'affari1 or1 in         
paraphrase1 of the operatic turn-over1  
and all are official figures4   ,the    
receipts of ,la ,scala represent  during
 the season the  sum of                 
#a1cjj1jjj fr4    7,l#eb1jjj7   ,out of 
which a personnel of  #haf1 exclusive of
 principal artistes1  receive salaries4 
,there are in ,milan eleven  operatic   
agencies transacting  every year an     
average of #cjj1jjj  francs' 7,l#ab1jjj7
 worth of  business1 or altogether      
#c1cjj1jjj fr4   7,l#acb1jjj7   ,there  
are nine theatrical newspapers  with an 

average income  of #ae1jjj francs       
7,l#fjj7 each1 or  altogether           
#ace1jjj fr4     7,l#e1djj7   ,taking   
only the nineteen  principal singing and
 ballet  masters1 and putting down their
  earnings at the modest sum of #fjjj   
francs 7,l#bdj7 each1 we get a total of 
#aad1jjj fr4     7,l#d1efj7   ,the chief
 theatrical costumiers  alone1 four in  
number1 return an  average business of  
#hj1jjj francs  7,l#cbjj7 each1 or      
#cbj1jjj fr4    7,l#ab1hjj7             
,theatrical jewellers1 property  makers1
 hose manufacturers1  armourers1        
scene-painters1 may  be put down for    
#bej1jjj fr4    7,l#aj1jjj7   ,the      
theatrical and artistic  population in  
,milan1 year in1  year out1 averages    
#cjjj persons1  and may be divided into 
three  classes of #ajjj persons each1   
according to their expenditure4   ,say  
#ajjj persons spending  #djjj francs    
7,l#afj7 each1  which makes #d1jjj1jjj  
francs  7,l#afj1jjj72 #ajjj persons     
spending  #ajjj francs 7,l#dj1jjj72     

#ajjj persons spending #hjj francs      
7,l#cb71 which makes #hjj1jjj  francs   
7,l#cb1jjj71 a total of                 
#e1hjj1jjj fr4   7,l#bcb1jjj7   ,the    
pianoforte dealers let  about #djj      
instruments every  year at #ab francs a 
month                     #eg1hjj fr4   
7,l#b1cab7   ,taking into account only  
eight of the opera companies  7,monte   
,video1 ,new ,york1  ,caracas1          
,santiago1 ,madrid1  ,buenos ,ayres1    
,rio and ,lisbon7  engaged in ,milan1   
and selected  exclusively from ,italian 
artistes1  we get a total of            
#be1ebe1jjj fr4 7,l#a1jba1jjj7   ,adding
 all these together1 we  get a grand    
total of                                
#cf1hja1hjj fr4 7,l#a1dgb1jgb7   ,very  
nearly a million and a half sterling    
turned over in operatic1 business in one
 city4 ,and there are scores of minor   
items1 all sources of profit1 that have 
to be neglected4 ,but ,i must point out 
that no less than #agde families derive 
employment and a regular income from the

 theatrical industry of ,milan4 ,it is  
quite true that the capital of ,lombardy
 enjoys a position which is unique not  
only in ,italy but in the whole world1  
as the chief operatic market1 and there 
is nothing that indicates this artistic 
centre is likely to be shifted1 much    
less to ,london than anywhere else4 ,but
 it would be interesting to know how    
much ,english money goes towards the    
fine total of the ,milanese operatic    
turn-over4 ,there is no reason why we   
should not have our twenty odd trades1  
as in ,milan1 and at least #agde        
households whose material existence     
would be definitely secured through     
their association with a ,national      
,opera ,house4 ,if ,i am not writing in 
vain1 our results should be infinitely  
greater1 differing from continental ones
 as a franc or a mark differs from a    
pound sterling4 ,and should the great   
provincial towns follow the lead of     
,london1 entrusting their municipalities
 with the creation and organisation of  

opera houses1 if ,manchester1           
,liverpool1 ,birmingham1 ,leeds1        
,glasgow1 ,sheffield1 ,bradford1        
,dublin1 ,hull1 ,southampton1 ,plymouth1
 ,wolverhampton1 etc41 will turn a part 
of their wealth towards promoting a     
scheme of the greatest importance to the
 art of the nation2 if all that goes to 
foreign pockets for foreign art is used 
for patriotic purposes--then ,england   
will be able to show an operatic        
turn-over worthy of her supremacy in    
other spheres4 ,for every ,italian      
household living on opera we will have  
ten1 and prosperity will reign where1 so
 far1 art and an artistic education have
 brought only bitter disappointment4 ,i 
am writing of ,music as a profession in 
,england4 ,the multiplication of our    
music schools seems to be accepted as a 
great matter of congratulation1 and we  
are perpetually hearing the big drum    
beaten over the increasing number of    
students to whom a thorough musical     
education has been given2 but who asks  

what becomes of them all8 ,oft-met      
advertisements offering music lessons at
 #f;d4 an hour are perhaps an answer4   
,it would be profitless to pursue this  
topic1 but all will agree that it is far
 better to sing in an operatic chorus at
 #cjs4 or ,l#b per week than be one of  
the items in a panorama of vanished     
illusions and struggling poverty1 the   
true spectacle of the singing world in  
,london4  ,the establishment of         
,national ,opera in ,england1 putting   
artistic considerations aside1 presents 
the following material and commercial   
advantages1 viz41 provision of permanent
 employment for artisans1 mechanics1    
workmen and manual labourers2 an impulse
 to various special industries1 some    
developed1 some improved1 others        
created2 an honourable occupation to    
hundreds kept out1 so far1 from an      
exclusive and over-crowded profession1  
and a provision for old age4 ,in other  
words1 the solution of the operatic     
problem in ,england might prove a step  

towards the solution of a part of the   
social problem4  ,that my scheme for the
 establishment of an ,english ,national 
,opera ,house is perfect1 ,i do not     
claim for a moment4 ,that my plans might
 be qualified as visionary and my hope  
of seeing a national art called to life 
through the means ,i advocate considered
 an idle dream is not unlikely4  ,but my
 conviction in the matter is sincere1   
and ,i can meet the sceptics with the   
words of the old heraldic motto which   
apologises for the fiction of a fabulous
 origin of a princely house3 etiamsi    
fabula1 nobilis est4      ,,opera ,,for 
,,the ,,people      ,opera for the      
,people    ,the ceremony of opening a   
new organ1 the gift of  ,mrs ,galloway1 
was performed by ,mr ,w4 ,johnson       
,galloway1 ,m4,p41 in the ,city ,road   
,mission ,hall1 ,manchester1  on ,friday
 evening1 ,september #f1 in the presence
  of a crowded gathering4 ,a ,recital   
was given by ,mr  ,david ,clegg4   ,mr  
,galloway1 ,m4,p41 who took the chair1  

in opening  the proceedings1 said3--,on 
an occasion such as this1 it  will not1 
,i am sure1 be deemed superfluous if ,i 
take a  brief bird's-eye view of the    
history of music1 and in                
a--comparatively  speaking--few         
sentences trace its progress  towards   
the position it now holds among the arts
 of  modern life4 ,music1 in one form at
 least1 has been with  us since the     
creation of man1 for we may reasonably  
believe that in his most elementary     
stage1 he discovered  some vocal phrases
 which gave him a certain rude  pleasure
 to repeat1 or chant1 in association    
with his  fellows4 ,travellers1 who have
 penetrated the confines of  remote and 
savage countries1 have told us of the   
curious  chanting of their inhabitants  
when engaged in what1 to  them1 were    
their religious and festal celebrations2
 and as  we cannot conceive man in a    
more primitive condition1 we  may take  
it1 that in prehistoric times there was 
a limited  melodic form1 which afforded 

that peculiar delight to the  savage    
mind1 that the glorious polyphonic      
combination of  to-day1 give to the     
cultured races of ,eastern and ,western 
civilisation4   ,our slight knowledge of
 the art1 in its early state we  owe to 
such records1 as have been handed down  
to us  from that which may be termed the
 golden era of civilisation  in ,egypt4 
,long before the sway of the            
,ptolemies--ages  before ,cleopatra took
 captive her ,roman ,conqueror--music   
formed not only an indispensable part in
  religious and ,state functions1 but   
entered largely into the  social life of
 the people1 and of this there is       
indisputable  evidence in the           
hieroglyphics and carvings1 to be found 
on the seemingly imperishable monuments1
 which the researches  of archaeologists
 have revealed to the knowledge  of man4
   ,of ancient ,hebrew music we do not  
know much1 but  we may assume1 that     
during the ,captivity they learned not  
a little from their ,egyptian masters1  

although it does not  appear--judging   
from the harsher and more blatant       
character of their instruments--that    
they attained the  degree of refinement 
achieved by the ,egyptians4 ,it  would  
seem1 from the many allusions contained 
in the  ,bible1 that the ,jews were more
 particularly attracted  towards the    
vocal1 rather than the instrumental1    
side of  the art4 ,many a familiar      
biblical phrase will probably  crop up  
in our mind4 ,the psalms that are sung  
during  ,divine ,service teem with such 
references4 ,o sing unto  the ,lord a   
new song1 ,how shall we sing the ,lord's
  song in a strange land8 are sufficient
 to illustrate my  meaning1 and among   
the daughters of ,judea such names  as  
,miriam1 ,deborah1 and ,judith1 are     
especially known to  us for their       
accomplishment in the vocal art1 and as 
examples of the manner1 in which it was 
cultivated by  the women of ,israel4    
,among the ancients1 however1 the       
,greeks most assuredly  had the keenest 

perception and appreciation of the      
beauties  and value of music4 ,in the   
,heroic age it played a  significant    
part in their sacred games1 and for a   
man to  acknowledge an ignorance of the 
principles of musical  art1 was to      
confess himself1 an untutored boor4 ,in 
the  great tragedies of ,sophocles and  
,euripides it figured  largely both     
vocally and instrumentally1 and1 even as
 the  ,welsh have their ,eisteddfod1 so 
the classic ,greeks had  their          
competitions1 in which choirs from      
various cities  strove for vocal        
supremacy and the honours of            
prize-winners4   ,that other great race 
of ancient times which fattened  on the 
spoils of ,europe and ,asia--,i refer to
 the ,romans--treated  the art with less
 concern1 and employed it in  a cruder  
form at the celebration of their        
victories and  ,bacchanalian revels4    
,they did little or nothing to foster   
or develop it1 although it is said that 
one of their most  famous--or perhaps it

 would be better to say infamous--rulers
  was so devoted to music1 that he      
fiddled while  his capital was burning4 
,but we may reasonably have  our doubts 
as to ,nero's claim to rank as the      
,sarasate of  his time1 for although he 
made public appearances as a  virtuoso  
in his chief cities1 and challenged all 
comers to  trials of skill1 the         
importance of his recorded victories is 
somewhat diminished1 by the fact1 that  
his judges were  sufficiently wise in   
their generation1 to invariably award   
him the honour of pre-eminence4 ,it is a
 prudent judge  who recognises a        
despotic ,emperor's artistic--and       
other--powers4   ,with the dawn of      
,christianity came a new era in  the    
art1 and in the #dth century1 we find   
that a ,school  of ,singing was         
established at ,rome1 for the express   
purpose of practising and studying      
,church music4 ,it  was not1 however1   
until another couple of centuries had   
elapsed1 that the sound of music based  

on definite laws  was heard beneath an  
,english sky4 ,you have to travel  back 
in mind to that memorable procession of 
devoted  monks1 which1 under the        
leadership of the saintly  ,augustine1  
wended its way into the little city of  
,canterbury1  singing its ,litany of the
 ,church1 and startling  ,pagan ,britain
 with its joyful alleluia4 ,slowly1 very
  slowly1 the art progressed1 but four  
more centuries were  to pass before it  
was established on anything like a true 
scientific basis1 and it is such men as 
,hucbald1 a ,flemish  monk1 ,guido      
,d',arezzo and ,franco of ,cologne who  
laid the foundation of our whole system 
of polyphonic  music4   ,before1        
however1 ,i touch on that broader       
expanse1 the  era of the ,flemish       
,school1 which began to attain          
noteworthy  prominence in the early     
years of the #aeth century1  it would be
 as well1 perhaps1 to dwell for a few   
moments  on the history of the noble    
instrument which is the cause  of our   

foregathering here to-day4 ,in a very   
early chapter  in the ,book of ,genesis 
we are told that ,jubal was the  father 
of all such as handle the harp and the  
organ1 and  therefore he ranks in       
history as the first teacher of  music4 
,it is commonly asserted1 that the      
emoluments  of the modern organist do   
not come well within the  designation of
 princely1 and1 judging from the limited
  population in those ,adamite days1 we 
may well assume  that ,jubal's living   
was almost as precarious as those worthy
  ,shetland ,islanders who depended for 
their subsistence  on washing one       
another's clothes4 ,with wise           
forethought1  however1 ,jubal's brother 
had devoted himself to engineering4  ,he
 was the instructor of every artificer  
in brass and  iron1 and therefore1 we   
may conclude there was money  in the    
family1 and that the man of commerce was
 generous  to the man of music1 even as 
we of to-day are ever  ready to respond 
to the demands for assistance1 on behalf

  of our local choral societies1 and    
musical organisations4  ,but it must not
 be supposed1 that the organ presided   
over  by ,jubal bore any resemblance    
whatever1 to the stately  instrument1   
which will now voice its glorious tone  
within  these walls1 for the first time 
in public4 ,the primitive  organ of     
mankind has its present-day affinity in 
the  charming instrument1 which1 in the 
hands and mouth of a  precocious        
juvenile1 has such a powerful and       
stimulating  effect on the cultivated   
ears and sensitive nerves of the  modern
 amateur4   ,it is not possible for me  
to go into any detail1 with  regard to  
the slow and marvellous development of  
that  triumph of human skill1 which is  
truly known as the king  of instruments4
 ,from those simple pieces of reed1 cut 
off just below the knot1 which formed   
the pipes of the  syrinx1 to the        
complicated1 elaborate and perfect      
machinery  which is hidden beneath the  
organ case there1 is the same  degree of

 difference1 as there is between the    
rough-hewn  canoe of the savage1 and the
 wonderful perfection of the  liners1   
which run their weekly race across the  
broad  ,atlantic4 ,it was not until the 
end of the #aath century1  that the     
first rude steps were taken towards the 
formation  of the modern keyboard2 then 
it was that huge keys or  levers began  
to be used1 and these keys were from #c 
to #e inches wide1 #a-a_/b inches thick1
 and from a foot and  a half to a yard  
in length4 ,nevertheless1 even the      
organ of the #dth century had its       
impressive powers1 if  we may place     
reliance on words attributed to the     
,emperor ,julian1 the ,apostate1 who    
wrote3 ,i see a  strange sort of reeds2 
they must1 methinks1 have sprung  from  
no earthly1 but a brazen soil4 ,wild are
 they1 nor  does the breath of man stir 
them1 but a blast leaping  forth from a 
cavern of ox-hide1 passes within1       
beneath  the roots of the polished      
reeds2 while a lordly man1 the  fingers 

of whose hands are nimble1 stands and   
touches  here and there1 the concordant 
stops of the pipes2 and  the stops1 as  
they lightly rise and fall1 force out   
the  melody4   ,and in its growth1 as in
 the growth of young children1  the     
organ has had its share of infantile    
vicissitudes4 ,even  as late as the     
#acth century it lay under the ban of   
the ecclesiastics1 and was deemed too   
profane and scandalous  for ,church use4
 ,again1 in #afdd1 ,parliament issued an
  ordinance which commanded that all    
organs and the  frames and cases wherein
 they stand in all ,churches and        
,chappells aforesaid shall be taken away
 and utterly defaced1  and none other   
hereafter set up in their places4 ,at   
,westminster ,abbey1 we are told1 the   
,soldiers broke  down the organs and    
pawned the pipes at several ,ale        
,houses for pots of ,ale4 ,it is        
difficult to understand this  opposition
 to the organ1 more especially as ,david
 in the  last of his psalms enjoined the

 people to praise ,god  with stringed   
instruments and organs4 ,true1 indeed1  
,job1  in one of his most pessimistic   
moods1 placed it on record  that the    
wicked rejoice at the sound of the      
organ1 but  evidently ,job had no soul  
for music--was so unmusical1  in fact1  
that he is worthy to be associated with 
a certain  eminent divine of the        
,english ,church1 whose musical         
instinct was so deficient that he only  
knew ,god ,save the  ,queen was being   
sung by the people rising and doffing   
their hats4   ,before touching upon that
 scientific development of  the art1    
which1 broadly speaking1 began with the 
advent  of the ,flemish ,school and     
reached its culminating point  within   
the rounded walls of ,bayreuth1 we may  
well give  a moment's consideration to  
those melodies1 which travelled  their  
unwritten way through the early ,middle 
,ages1 and  which we know1 by the few   
examples that have come down  to us1 to 
have been racy of the soil that gave    

them birth2  the folk song of the       
country is more characteristic of its   
people1 of their temperament and        
psychology1 than any  other attribute of
 their national existence4 ,we1 in      
,england1  have little enough to point  
to in this way2 in a sense  there is    
nothing peculiarly individual in our    
music as a  whole4 ,but with the old    
melodies of ,ireland1 that ever  seem to
 tremble between a tear and a smile1 and
 in the  quaint pathos of ,scotland's   
airs1 and the well-defined  beauty of   
typical ,welsh songs1 we recognise the  
true  speech of the heart and the       
outpouring of the natural man4  ,germany
 is still richer in its folk music1 and 
the ,pole  and the ,russian1 the        
,hungarian and the ,gaul1 can each      
point to a mine of original melody which
 has provided  latter-day composers with
 the basis of their most beautiful      
works4 ,nor must the importance of the  
,troubadours  and ,minnesingers be      
overlooked in reference to this         

interesting phase of musical art4 ,they 
it was who kept  alive and spread abroad
 the traditional songs of the people1   
and by their accomplishment actually    
worked as an  educational force on the  
people themselves4 ,readers of  ,chaucer
 will bear in mind many an allusion to  
the minstrel's  art of his period1 and  
well through the ,norman and            
,plantaganet epochs4   ,with minstrelsy 
the rafters sung1  ,of harps1 that from 
reflected light  ,from the proud gallery
 glittered bright  ,to crown the        
banquet's solemn close1  ,themes of     
,british glory rose2  ,and to the       
strings of various chimes  ,attemper'd  
the heroic rhymes4  ,to the ,flemish1 or
 ,netherland ,school of music we owe an 
art system1 that exercised a potent     
influence on every form of composition1 
and counterpoint was the especial study 
of its followers1 until1 as invariably  
happens1 technical skill was regarded   
with a greater degree of favour than    
genuine inspiration4 ,but the ,school   

unquestionably produced a vast number of
 very fine masses1 motets1 and much fine
 service music4 ,then from ,belgium the 
musical spirit travelled to ,italy1 and 
before the #afth century had fulfilled  
half its appointed course1 the powers of
 ,palestrina had indelibly stamped      
,italian art1 and his genius had        
elevated the ecclesiastical music of the
 age1 to the lofty standard of its      
associations4 ,then such musicians came 
to mind as ,monteverdi and ,carissimi1  
the latter of whom made clear the path1 
for those great writers of oratorio1    
whose names we hold in such reverence1  
and whose works we love with such       
unwavering devotion4  ,german art was   
late in the field1 and correspondingly  
slow in the earlier stages of its       
development2 thus we owe it little as a 
pioneer in the art4 ,but when the       
,teuton burst upon the world in all his 
greatness1 he first came in the colossal
 personality of ,john ,sebastian ,bach1 
and then followed ,haydn1 ,mozart and   

,beethoven1 to be succeeded by others1  
who were well qualified to take unto    
themselves the mantles of their         
predecessors4 ,perhaps1 however1 ,i have
 done early ,german art some injustice1 
for it must not be forgotten1 that to   
the era of the great ,reformation1 we   
owe those ,lutheran chorales1 such as   
the famous ,ein' feste ,burg1 which were
 as effective in stirring and           
encouraging the rank and file of the    
reformers1 as were the thrilling words  
of ,luther1 and his earnest and         
enthusiastic fellow-workers4 ,and it was
 due to the custom of accompanying these
 chorales1 that ,germany owned1 before  
the end of the #agth century1 the finest
 school of organists in ,europe4        
,english music has always leaned more   
towards the sacred1 than the secular    
side of the art4 ,the names of          
,marbecke1 ,thomas ,tallis1 ,byrd1      
,farrant1 ,gibbons1 ,lawes1 ,blow and   
,purcell are known to every choir-boy   
and village chorister4 ,their anthems   

and chants are part and parcel of the   
musical programme of every parish       
church1 and the fine example1 set by    
these ,elizabethan and ,stuart writers  
has been well followed1 by ,croft1      
,weldon1 ,boyce1 and nearer1 and        
belonging to our own times1 ,wesley1    
,goss and ,sullivan4 ,and it is the     
sacred in music1 which to-day makes the 
strongest appeal to the heart of the    
,english nation4 ,in the congregational 
singing in churches1 in the overwhelming
 attention which an ,english audience   
will bestow on such an oratorio as the  
,messiah1 we realise that a chord is    
struck1 which vibrates through the whole
 of our being1 which lifts us into a    
state of semi-exultation1 and moves us  
like the words of some great statesman4 
,i will not discuss the question1 of    
whether a drama or an opera has most    
power over its audience1 but ,i will    
fearlessly affirm1 that apart from the  
drama there is no art that has the same 
soul-stirring influence1 as the art of  

music4 ,the simple harmonies of our     
,anglican hymns suffice for the untaught
 peasant1 and the broad sweep of a      
,handelian chorus holds captive musical 
amateurism4 ,but there is a music that  
reaches to higher heights1 embraces     
within its sphere a wider domain1 and   
goes deep down into the mysteries of    
nature--into the abysses of the soul2   
but such music is an open book only for 
the musical student4 ,it lives4 ,it     
exists4 ,it swells through the length   
and breadth of the land2 and year by    
year its influence increases1 its power 
becomes more dominant1 and its glowing  
beauties more vividly appreciated4      
,people are beginning to comprehend the 
wondrous message1 sent to us by such    
composers as ,ludwig ,beethoven1 and    
,richard ,wagner4 ,they are beginning to
 understand the voice of that most      
marvellous of all instruments--more     
marvellous than the organ itself1 for   
its keyboard is human brains1 and its   
stops are human hands4 ,i mean the      

modern orchestra4 ,the world's finest   
music has been written for that         
instrument2 the divinest melodies have  
been given it to interpret1 and the most
 significant factor in the ,english art 
life of the present is the growing      
enthusiasm with which music1 in its     
highest and most abstract form and      
beauty1 is listened to1 by those who1 in
 political phraseology1 are summed up in
 that terse and comprehensive expression
 ,the ,masses4  ,i look with much       
greater confidence to music1 than ,i do 
to ,parliament1 for the means of        
preventing crime and                    
intemperance--indeed1 as one of the most
 permanent cures of all vice and        
discontent4 ,much has been done in later
 years by local authorities1 towards    
enabling the public to have within easy 
and reasonable reach such music as can  
be provided by bands and local          
orchestra4 ,but this is only the        
beginning4 ,i trust the day may not be  
far distant1 when local authorities will

 see their way to providing at cheap    
prices the best of operas1 as is done so
 largely on the ,continent of ,europe4  
,we rightly and wisely provide          
libraries1 technical schools1 and many  
other forms of instructive recreation1  
but why are we in ,england to lag behind
 other countries in providing that most 
instructive form of                     
entertainment--namely1 opera4 ,i have   
never known a true lover of music who   
was not a good citizen4 ,and what a     
preventive against idleness1 the cause  
of so much crime4 ,once produce opera at
 a price which all can afford to pay to 
hear1 and can anyone doubt1 that many a 
man and woman will choose it1 in        
preference to an evening in a           
public-house or a music-hall4 ,i never  
remember listening to an opera1 however 
poor or badly performed1 that ,i have   
not gained some strength with which to  
continue the desperate struggle of the  
battle of life--which is very much more 
than ,i can say1 for instance1 for      

speeches in the ,house of ,commons4 ,he 
who loves music has a servant at his    
command which will ever render him      
willing and delightful service2 he who  
loves music brings himself into         
subjection1 to one of the most elevating
 and purifying influences of            
civilisation1 and he who loves music and
 will practise it1 becomes a valuable   
and agreeable factor in the social life 
of the community4 ,there are no selfish 
restrictions in music4 ,the painter must
 keep himself to his canvas1 and the    
actor to his stage1 but singers and     
instrumentalists have a standing in the 
humble parlours of the poor1 and in the 
luxuriously-upholstered drawing-rooms of
 the rich2 they have a coign of vantage 
in the choir stalls of churches and on  
the platforms of concert halls4 ,music  
offers her favours alike to the modest  
reader of the ,tonic ,sol-fa ,notation1 
and to the pianist who can master the   
difficulties of the ,beethoven ,sonatas4
 ,the chorus singer enjoys the same     

measure of gratification as the leading 
soloist1 and the student with his score 
in his hand is just as great a king as  
the conductor4  ,in speaking briefly on 
such a vast and interesting subject1 one
 must necessarily leave volumes unsaid  
that ought to be said4 ,i have but      
casually touched on the beginnings of   
musical art1 and the utmost ,i can hope 
for is that ,i have succeeded in        
arousing some degree of curiosity in the
 minds of those1 who have shown but     
little regard for musical literature1   
and which will have the effect of       
ultimately leading them to devote more  
of their time and attention to good     
musical performances4   ,colston  ,coy4 
,limited1 ,printers1 ,edinburgh4        
----------------------------------------
-------                  ,transcriber's 
,note3                                  
,typographical errors corrected in the  
text3                                   
,page  #i  ,manteverde changed to       
,monteverdi           ,page #ad         

snnshine changed to sunshine            
,page #ca  threatre changed to theatre  
,page #de  ,othello ochanged to ,otello 
,page #ge  genuis changed to genius     
,page #ge  ,monteverde changed to       
,monteverdi                             
----------------------------------------
-------