Part 20 (1/2)
I think it will be generally admitted that the idea of establis.h.i.+ng a school of English opera, with any chance of permanence pertaining to it, seems hopeless of accomplishment without State aid; and of this, viewing the trend of recent legislation, there would appear to be little prospect.
To have the most remote chance of gaining it, it would be inc.u.mbent on those prepared to make the proposal, to convince legislators that there was any national demand for it. Of any evidence of this, I am afraid they would find themselves absolutely lacking. The tendency, at the present day, is in the direction of raising the status of the labourer, socially and in the matter of education, rather than in the cause of art, which, after all, mainly appeals to people who are in the position, more or less, to pay for the thing they feel any serious need of. Such I think, would be the nature of the reply from any government official to those courageous enough to urge so forlorn, yet so good a cause.
He would, of course, be able to state a much stronger case if he thought it desirable.
Look at the frequent productions in London of ”musical comedies” or ”comic operas,” or whatever designation it is wished they should be known by.
They are usually on a scale both elaborate and costly, and sometimes of magnificence, but they attract people by the thousand, where a serious opera will fail to draw them by the hundred.
Here, there is no need of State aid. Why? Simply because they provide what the public want and are willing to pay for. In form, taste and atmosphere, they are the very ant.i.thesis of grand opera.
Should any of them show the least signs of demanding intellectual effort for immediate appreciation, the modern manager cuts out the offending matter, without a moment's hesitation, or the least compunction. The immense popularity these entertainments command is, unquestionably, a tribute to the sound judgment of those who control them. It is an interesting fact that within quite recent years, there has been a marked tendency to bring continental successes to London, and the music they have contained has often called forth eulogistic notices from the critics, on the occasions of their first performances. A visit to the theatre a month or so later, would, I fear, generally reveal the fact that most of it, which had earned such high praise, had been eliminated.
So accurate a judge of public taste as Mr. George Edwardes, is able to run three or four of such, or similar, pieces, simultaneously, in the West End of London, each of which must fill the house night after night for months together, before they show a profit, on so sumptuous a scale are they presented.
Viewing such facts as these, it is difficult to see on what grounds, really logical, any demand for help from the State can be made on behalf of grand opera, which it would be difficult to prove that the general public, apart from the comparatively few enthusiasts, have any desire for, when it is so abundantly evident that they are ever eager to support any kind of recreation or relaxation that they _do_ want.
The basis of the plea is, no doubt, musical education for the ma.s.ses; and, while such a desire must attract the sympathy of every music lover, it must be granted that the ability to appreciate Wagner, Elgar or Strauss, is not a necessary part of a working man's attainments. It might be a very desirable thing, but we are very evidently at a more utilitarian stage, the present day being regarded in its true light. The ill.u.s.tration may appear, at first sight, to be somewhat strained, but I venture to think it is not, judging by notices one reads in the papers, in which Mendelssohn's violin concerto is written of as, ”a hackneyed medium of expression”; Gounod's ”Faust” as full of ”sickly sentimentality,” or Bizet's ”Carmen” as a work of ”essential vulgarity.”
There may be an element of truth in either of these criticisms, and judged in the light of the writers' probable high standard of aesthetic tastes, they are justified, but they only emphasise the fact of the veritable abyss that separates the modern cultured musical critic from the musical ”man in the street,” in whose interest the proposition is put forward.
Supposing the government at any time, contemplated taking action in this direction, the first thing they would probably do, would be to appoint a Commission to enquire into the question.
It is only natural to suppose that among the first of those whose opinions would be sought, the eminent writers on music in the princ.i.p.al journals of the country, would be conspicuous. In this case, it may be taken for granted that unanimity will not be the chief characteristic of their utterances. For instance, I cannot bring myself to think of Mr.
Joseph Bennett, whose services to music in the columns of the ”Daily Telegraph,” for many years were so generally recognised, writing in such terms of Mendelssohn's violin concerto.
The question teems with difficulties.
One school of thought asks for opera given exclusively in the English language and performed, as far as possible by British artists. Another, for opera given in the language in which it was composed, and rendered by singers of the country it represents, or those competent to sing adequately in it. Again, some urge that there should be occasional performances of such simple works as Balfe's ”Bohemian Girl,” which the least musically educated would be able to appreciate; while others would ban such operas altogether, on the grounds that they are out of the spirit of the age, and that their representation would be sheer waste of time and opportunity.
As an ill.u.s.tration of the absolutely divergent views on the subject held by authoritative opinion, I will make a quotation from the ”Morning Post.”[29]
It was written with regard to the interesting experiment that Mr.
Hammerstein is now making in his effort to popularise opera in England.
”A cry has been raised that the performances should be in English. It shows a _lamentable ignorance_ (the italics are mine) of operatic conditions prevailing at the present time. It would be well-nigh impossible for Mr. Hammerstein to give his performances in English at an earlier date than six months from now. There is no lack of English singers, but those with sufficient experience of the stage at present available to carry on a regular series of performances, can be numbered on the fingers of one hand.”
If this opinion be justified, and I hope it is not, it suggests a sad commentary on the result of efforts made on behalf of operatic education in England from the time of Carl Rosa to that of Dr. Richter.
It seems to me that if opera is to become a living force in English musical life, as oratorio has been, there are certain essentials that must obtain.
In the first place the operas should be given in the English language, and the performers should be, as far as possible, of British race; the choice of works sufficiently eclectic to appeal to all cla.s.ses, and the prices of admission to the performances, arranged on such a scale as not to be prohibitive to the average individual of more or less limited means.
The headquarters of such a company would, naturally, be in London, but an ”operatic season” should be arranged for in the princ.i.p.al cities of the provinces.
The financial question naturally obtrudes itself, but I believe that a solution of the question is not beyond the wit of man to devise.
One thing is very certain, and that is the impossibility, under such a scheme, to pay the princ.i.p.al artists inflated salaries such as are in constant evidence to-day. In this respect it could not compete either with such an inst.i.tution as the Royal Opera, with its exclusive and wealthy patrons, or the theatres producing light operas that enjoy runs of two years' or more duration.