Article on New York City as a “musical capital”

“New York City as a Musical Capital.—Director Maretzek announces an operatic season of twelve nights, and ‘Lucrezia Borgia,’ ‘Don Giovanni,’ ‘Judith’ and ‘Faust’ are to make the twelve nights brilliant with their rapid succession. After the twelve nights are fiddled away the illustrious Max is to retire to ‘fresh fields and pastures new,’ and there is to be an irruption of the Germans. What those too tonic men will give us we cannot say; but of course it will be classical, and will include ‘Der Freischutz’ and ‘Martha.’ Grau has his foot upon his native heath, but is for the present wisely shy and grandly reticent. He keeps his finger on the dexter aloe of his nasal protuberance, and does not communicate his plans. But of course he has plans, and will give us music, and so we are in hourly expectation of the development from him of some grand piece of operatic strategy that will leave him without a competitor, musically speaking, for the popular purse. Thus, between Maretzek, the Germans and Grau, we shall have a lively winter. New York has plenty of money, and grows in taste. The cultivated part of the community patronize the Opera as a refined amusement, and the shoddy element, having sense enough to want to seem refined, goes the same way. Immense amounts of money are therefore to be spent on the Opera here. That will give us all the talent, and our public will educate its taste to the highest point. We shall produce artists of our own also, and send them to Europe, as Europe now sends artists to us. Patti is a nice little evidence of what we can do in that way. Now, it is necessary that artists should establish their fame upon the approval of London and Paris; but by and by we shall substitute for the approval of London and Paris the approval of New York; and that will be necessary and sufficient for all snob [?] purposes. So we grow.”