صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

title of The Tender Husband; but that the author, being carried away by the luxuriancy of a genius which he had not the heart to prune, on a general survey of the whole, distrusting the propriety of that title, added the under one: with an-OR, The Accomplished Fools, in justice to his piece, and compliment to his audience. And, pardon me, madam, had he called it The Accomplished Knaves, I would not have been angry at him, because there would have been more propriety in the title.

I wish I could, for the sake of the authors, have praised every scene of this play: I hoped to have reason for it. Judge then, my dear lady, what a mortification it was to me, not to be able to say I liked above one, the painter's scene, which too was out of time, being on the weddingday; and am forced to disapprove of every character in it, and the views of every one. I am, dearest madam,

Your most obliged sister and servant,

P. B——.

LETTER LV.

Mrs. B-to Lady Davers.

MY DEAR LADY,-Although I cannot tell how you received my observations on the Tragedy of The Distressed Mother, and the Comedy of The Tender Husband, yet will I proceed to give your ladyship my opinion of the opera I was at last night.

But what can I say when I have mentioned what you so well know, the fine scenes, the genteel and splendid company, the charming voices, and delightful music!

If, madam, one were all ear, and lost to every sense but that of harmony, surely the Italian opera would be a transporting thing!-But when one finds good sense, and instruction, and propriety, sacrificed to the charms of sound, what an unedifying, what a mere temporary delight

does it afford! For what does one carry home, but the remembrance of having been pleased so many hours by the mere vibration of air, which being but sound, you cannot bring away with you: and must therefore enter the time passed in such a diversion, into the account of those blank hours from which one has not reaped so much as one improving lesson?

I speak this with regard to myself, who know nothing of the Italian language: But yet I may not be very unhappy that I do not, if I may form my opinion of the sentiments by the enervating softness of the sound, and the unmanly attitudes and gestures made use of to express the passions of the men performers, and from the amorous complainings of the women; as visible in the soft, the too-soft, action of each.

Then, though I cannot but say that the music is most melodious, yet to see a hero, as an Alexander, or a Julius Cæsar, warbling out his achievements in war, his military conquests, as well as his love, in a song, it seems to me to be making a jest of both.

And how much more absurd is it still, to hear some dying chieftain, some unfortunate hero, chanting forth his woes and his calamities, and taking his leave of the world, with less propriety than our English criminals at the fatal tree! What can this move, how can this pierce, be the story ever so dismal, anything but one's ears!

Every nation, Mr. B― says, has its peculiar excellence: The French taste is comedy and harlequinery; the Italian, music and opera; the English, masculine and nervous sense, whether in tragedy or comedy-why can't one, methinks, keep to one's own particular national excellence, and let others retain theirs? For Mr. B—— observes, that when once sound is preferred to sense, we shall depart from all our own worthiness, and at best, be but the apes, yea, the dupes, of those whom we may strive to imitate; but never can reach, much less excel.

Mr. B says sometimes, that this taste is almost the only good fruit our young nobility gather, and bring home

from their foreign tours; and that he found the English nation much ridiculed on this score by those very people who are benefited by the depravity. And if this be the best, what must the other qualifications be which they bring home?—Yet every one does not return with so little improvement, it is to be hoped.

But what have I said, what can I say, of an Italian opera?-Only, little to the purpose as it is, I wonder how I have been able to say so much for who can describe sound? Or what words shall be found to embody air?And when we return, and are asked our opinion of what we have seen or heard, we are only able to answer, as I hinted above, the scenery is fine; the company splendid and genteel; the music charming for the time; the action not extraordinary; the language unintelligible; and for all these reasons-the instruction none at all.

This is all that the thing itself gives me room to say of the Italian opera; very probably for want of a polite taste, and a knowledge of the language.

In my next, I believe I shall give you, madam, my opinion of a diversion or amusement, which, I doubt, I shall like still less; and that is a masquerade; for I fear I shall not be excused going to one, although I have no manner of liking to it, especially in my present way. I am, madam,

Your ladyship's most obliged and faithful
P. B.

I must add another half-sheet to this letter on the subject-matter of it, the opera; and am sure your ladyship will not be displeased with the addition.

Mr. B― coming up, just as I had concluded my letter, asked me what was my subject? I told him, I was giving your ladyship my notions of the Italian opera. Let me see what they are, my dear; for this is a subject that very few of those who admire these performances, and fewer still of those who decry them, know anything of.

He read the above, and was pleased to commend it. Operas, said he, are very sad things in England, to what they are in Italy; and the translations given of them abominable and indeed our language will not do them justice.

Every nation, as you take notice, has its excellences; and you say well, that ours should not quit the manly nervous sense, which is the distinction of the English drama. One play of our celebrated Shakespeare will give infinitely more pleasure to a sensible mind, than a dozen English-Italian operas. But, my dear, in Italy they are quite another thing: and the sense is not, as here, sacrificed so much to the sound, but that they are both very compatible.

Be pleased, sir, to give me your observation on this head in writing, and then I shall have something to send worthy of Lady Davers's acceptance. Do, sir, pray do.

I will, my dear; and he took a pen, and wrote the enclosed; which I beg your ladyship to return me; because I will keep it by me for my instruction, if I should be led to talk of this subject in company. You must let my sister know, said he, that I have given myself no time to reperuse what I have written. She will do well, therefore, to correct it, and return it to you.

[ocr errors]

'In Italy, judges of operas are so far from thinking the drama, or poetical part of their operas, nonsense, as the un'skilled in Italian rashly conclude in England, that if the 'Libretto, as they call it, is not approved, the opera, notwithstanding the excellence of the music, will be con'demned. For the Italians justly determine, that the very 'music of an opera cannot be complete and pleasing, if the 'drama be incongruous, as I may call it, in its composition;

[ocr errors]

because, in order to please, it must have the necessary contrast of the grave and the light; that is, the diverting, 'equally blended through the whole. If there be too much of the first, let the music be composed ever so masterly in ' that style, it will become heavy and tiresome; if the latter ' prevail, it will surfeit with its levity: Wherefore, it is the

'poet's business to adapt the words for this agreeable mix"ture: for the music is but secondary, and subservient to 'the words; and if there be an artful contrast in the drama, 'there will be the same in the music, supposing the composer 6 to be a skilful master.

Now, since in England the practice has been to mutilate, curtail and patch up a drama in Italian, in order to ' introduce favourite airs, selected from different authors, the 'contrast has always been broken thereby, and the opera damned, without every one's knowing the reason: And 'since ignorant, mercenary prompters, though Italians, have 'been employed in the hotch-potch, and in translating our 'dramas from Italian into English, how could such operas appear any other than incongruous nonsense?

[ocr errors]

RECITATIVOS.

'To avoid the natural dissonance and irregularity in common speech, recitativos in music and dramatical per'formances were invented; and although the time in pro'nouncing the words contained in them, is scarce longer than in common conversation; yet the harmony of the 'chords of the thorough-base, which then accompanies the voice, delights the ears of discerning judges: Wherefore ' recitative is a regular way of speaking musically, as I may 'say, in order to avoid and correct the irregularities of speech often found in nature, and to express the variety ' of the passions, without offence to the ear.'

6

Permit me, dear madam, to repeat my assurances that I am, and must ever be,

Your obliged sister and servant,

P. B

« السابقةمتابعة »