Draper English Opera: The Rose of Castille

“We do not know that there is now any use in regretting this change of programme, but we must say that we regard it as a great mistake. ‘The Doctor’ had just hit the public taste and want, and it should have been kept on for some time longer, and followed by another of the same class of productions. While desiring the utmost success for the ‘Rose of Castille,’ we are not at all sanguine, and believe that the managers will find soon that a return to the right line of operations will be necessary.”

“Balfe’s brilliant little opera, the Rose of Castile, will be given for the first time at the French theatre, Fourteenth street, to-night, by Mr. Draper’s artists, to succeed the Doctor of Alcantara, which has had such a successful run since the season opened.  The latter opera, however, has not been permanently withdrawn, but will be alternated with other operettas.  It has become a favorite, and the management cannot, therefore, afford to drop it from their repertoire.  The Rose of Castile had a great success in England, and, if it is produced with the same care as the Doctor of Alcantara, will, no doubt, meet with similar good fortune here.”

An announcement of several teachers of the national musical conservatory. They state that they will side with their director Mollenhauer in the recent argument with Mr. Locke and Mr. White (not clearly legible names) and their business agents. These men have supposedly violated Mollenhauer’s rights and they have also used names of several conservatories’ instructors without approval. The writers of this announcement would like the readers to know that they only accept Mollenhauer as their authority and principal. Therefore they will change the location of their instruction to 829 (not fully legible number) Broadway.

(Undersigned)
Carl Heydeman
Mons. Lejeal
Signor Estanetti
Carl Foeppel
J. H. Groschel
M. Isambeaux
R. Wellenstein
A. Davis

         “Although there appeared to be a probability of rain last evening, there was a good attendance at the French Theatre to witness the first performance of ‘The Rose of Castile [sic].’ The opera is not so lively or sparkling as the ‘Doctor of Alcantara,’ nor has it as many beautiful melodies. It is yet quite interesting, and has some good ‘situations.’ [list of performers and roles follows]

          “Miss Richings assumed the part of Elvira with general fidelity and with considerable vivacity. We think that the vocal score of her part made rather too much of a demand on her, although her peasant maid’s song was encored. Miss Harrison acted her part well, and her vocalization was clear, pure and effective.  Mr. Castle had a finer opportunity than in ‘The Doctor’ of displaying the excellence of his voice, and received a hearty and deserved encore. Mr. S. C. Campbell’s rich and pure baritone was heard to good advantage. His first song in the second act was vigorously encored, and other songs barely missed the same honor. Messrs. Seguine [sic] and Wylie assumed their parts faithfully, the acting of the former having been especially delicious and humorous. The other parts were well taken.

         As a whole the opera was very much enjoyed.  Its successful production is an additional guaranty of the permanent establishment of the English Comic Opera here, and it is creditable to the management and company.”

“On Wednesday night Balfe’s opera, ‘The Rose of Castille,’ was produced by the English Opera Company to a large and fashionable audience. The plot is feeble and improbable, and is not very interesting because of its improbability. The music must be characterized as flimsy, patchy, and not earnest. There is not one serious passage in it, although the action deals with foul plots and treasons. The music is chiefly sustained by orchestral figures, into which the words are embroidered with but very little ceremony or regard as to elocution or accent.  There are two or three ballads which are melodious and well made and are quite effective, being the popular numbers in the opera.  The real want of this music is spontaneity; the author has, in a great degree, written out his special vein; the ideas do not flow as freely as usual, and when they are caught, he does not seem to be able to retain them, but wanders off into inconsequent modulations, with the sole view, apparently, of getting out of one key, to return to it again, in the same inconsequent manner. There are some pieces which are characteristic, clever and spirited. The first chorus has a national ring to it, and the duet which succeeds, exhibits some clever counterpoint, and was well sung by Miss Richings and Miss Zelda Harrison. The subject of the Muleteer’s song, for orchestra is good, to which the vocal accompaniment is by no means pleasantly arranged. The tenor ballad, ‘Couldst Thou, dear Maid,’ commences with a very charming, quaint old theme, a really beautiful thought, but it is only half carried out, and a modern ending gives it an unexpected and not fortunate close. The duet for soprano and tenor is flimsy in the beginning, and intensifies in flimsiness with every measure. The trio for tenor and two basses is a curiously composed work, but its rhythm is effective. It was well sung by Messrs. Wylie, Campbell and Sguin. The quartette, ‘In Every Feature like the Queen,’ is one of the cleverest compositions in the opera. It is well constructed, dramatic, and is well adapted to the words. The movement at the words—If she thinks to outbrave me—is exceedingly charming, and only fails in its exaggerated close.  The following aria for Soprano is brilliant and characteristic. The finale to the first act is very weak indeed, the movement—Farewell bright dream—being a painful example of overstrained modulation.  

            The opening chorus to the second act is, to say the least, curious, while the following bass solo presents a most inauspicious wedding of words to music. Don Pedro’s ballad—Though fortune darkly—is pleasant in form and sweet inn melody, and was very effectively sung by Mr. Campbell, winning the honor of an encore. Elvira’s ballad—The Convent Cell—is quietly and simply beautiful, and is certainly the melodious gem of the opera, and was very sweetly sung by Miss Richings. The duo for Soprano and tenor, is clever and quaint in its construction, and contains a very sweet but superficial tenor solo. The bass buffo duet is a very weak affair—a sort of washed-out Italian re-hash, but the aria for Soprano which follows is an effective and dramatic composition, to which Miss Richings did full credit (excepting a harsh an inharmonious cadenza and three dreadful shakes), and won a hearty encore. The finale is the most effective ensemble piece in the opera, and the movement commencing ‘By this marriage I gain,’ is really excellent.

            The performance, vocally, was in some respects very good. Mr. Castle sang with great dash and spirit throughout. He is winning his way upward very fast.  Mr. Campbell also sang gracefully, and smoothly. We hope to see him throw more animation into his manner, in subsequent performances. Mr. Seguin was good throughout and Messrs. Wylie and Peake were painstaking and acceptable.

            Miss Caroline Richings sang her music generally with spirit and effect, and threw great dramatic energy into both singing and acting. We should, however, advise her to omit the scherzo in the first scene. It is one tissue of roulades and passages of velocity, none of which did Miss Richings accomplish. Her execution was irredeemably bad, her intervals and intonation were both false, her shakes had no definite pitch and in fact, the whole movement was very badly sung indeed. For reputation’s sake we advise her to omit this scherzo. Miss Zelda Harrison sang pleasingly. She is improving in stage ease and manner.  The orchestra was very thin and lacked in delicacy and refinement and color.  Its performance did but little credit to the judgment or skill of the leader.

            The Rose of Castile is put upon the stage in the most inexpensive manner. The grand Court Festival at the French Theatre consists of six ladies standing bolt upright against a wall, while another dances fantastically with her back toward them.  Elvira had been invited to stay and witness said Festival, but she very wisely refused. Her taste was unimpeachable. This was the old style of bringing out English opera, which brought upon every enterprise of the class a well-merited contempt.  If the present management has not facilities for giving operas with the necessary scenic effect, it should choose such operas as can be produced in a proper manner; otherwise the end is not doubtful. We desire to encourage the enterprise, but we must insist, for the sake of the cause, upon proper attention being paid to every department. The public will patronize efforts in the right direction, but it will not recognize such productions as that on Wednesday evening.”

“Mr. Eichberg’s charming little work, The Doctor of Alcantara, was superseded on Wednesday evening at the French theatre by Balfe’s Rose of Castile [sic].  The change was not one calculated to increase or even maintain the justly earned popularity of Mr. Draper’s company.  The Rose of Castile, as the libretto states, is an imitation of the modern Italian school, but a very poor one.  The orchestral arrangement of Wednesday night (we will not undertake to discuss the authorship) is entirely unsuited to the subject or plot of the opera.  It is monotonously stringed throughout, and puerile also to a great extent.  The part of Elvira (the Rose of Castile) was enacted by Miss Caroline Richings.  It is an extremely trying test for any soprano, and abounds in modern Italian scherzos, fioriteri and other ridiculous vocalizations, and requires a thoroughly trained Italian voice to make it even bearable. The ‘Convent Bell,’ in the second act, sung by her, was the only good solo she had in the entire rôle. It was well sung. Miss Harrison, as Donna Carmen, had little to do or sing, but she did as well as could be expected from the meager materials afforded her by the librettist or composer. Mr. Castle was passable as the disguised king of Castile. He sang the ballad ‘’Twas Rank and Fame,’ in the third act, admirably, and received a merited encore. Mr. Campbell was in better voice than ever we heard him before. He sang the fine baritone air in the second act and the buffo duet splendidly. Regarding acting, the best in that line in the cast was Mr. Seguin. The quartet in the first act, where Elvira is discovered by the conspiring nobles, is one of the gems of the opera. It was well rendered by Miss Richings and Messrs. Campbell, Seguin and Wylie. The rondos, &c., in the rest of the opera are complete nonsense. Now if, instead of such heavy works as this Rose of Castile is (for there is not the slightest particle of comic element in it), the management of the English opera would give us light sparkling pieces, like the Doctor of Alcantara, Two Cadis, Rose of Tyrol, Crown Diamonds and Offenbach’s charming operettas, there is no doubt of its success, even during the heated term. Heavy, lumbering [?] works that last till after eleven o’clock will never become popular in the summer season. Of course, it would be unfair to judge severely of the artists cast a the first representation of an opera; but we cannot see how, in its present shape, without considerable cutting down, the Rose of Castile will be a success. The only effect it may have is to make the Doctor of Alcantara, which is sandwiched between it and the other operas in contemplation, more acceptable. Let us have, by all means, truly comic operas, and not such lugubrious works as the Rose of Castile.”