Article on Max Maretzek’s lawsuit against the Sunday Mercury

Event Information

Venue(s):

Manager / Director:
Max Maretzek

Event Type:
Opera

Record Information

Status:
Published

Last Updated:
17 November 2015

Performance Date(s) and Time(s)

29 Dec 1866

Citations

1)
Article: New-Yorker Musik-Zeitung, 26 December 1866, 328.

Maretzek received $1,000 from the editor of the Sunday Mercury as a settlement enforced by the court. The paper is known for its need to reveal what they call scandalous matters, consequently makes a big scene of it and likes to act as the “morality police”. After the ‘Mercury’ repeatedly gave negative reviews of the performances at the opera house, because Maretzek refused to advertise in the paper, Maretzek decided to sue for defamation. The paper, for example, warned family fathers from sending their children or anybody to the opera house, because it is ‘a gathering place for thieves and prostitutes.’ It also said ‘the [genre] opera has been invented by the devil and is doomed to lead to the deterioration of the Christian soul.’ Following the indictment, the slandering in the ‘Mercury’ became even worse which led to nine more wrongful accusations, which will be addressed in court at a later time. The costs of the trial ($2000) were ordered to be carried by the ‘Mercury.’ It is to be expected that even larger settlement amounts will follow once the other cases are tried. It is interesting that the defendant of the ‘Mercury’ is using the argument that operas such as Rigoletto, Traviata and Robert are full of immorality. This very defendant was a regular attendee at the opera house when he still received comp tickets.