History of the Opera from its Origin in Italy to the present Time Part 6

"Pygmalion has now been represented for nearly two months, and the public is never tired of it. The subject is developed in the following manner.

[Sidenote: MADEMOISELLE SALLE.]

"Pygmalion comes into his studio with his pupils, who perform a characteristic dance, chisel and mallet in hand. Pygmalion tells them to draw aside a curtain at the back of the studio, which, like the front is adorned with statues. The one in the middle above all the others attracts the looks and admiration of every one. Pygmalion gazes at it and sighs; he touches its feet, presses its waist, adorns its arms with precious bracelets, and covers its neck with diamonds, and, kissing the hands of his dear statue, shows that he is pa.s.sionately in love with it.

The amorous sculptor expresses his distress in pantomime, falls into a state of reverie, and then throwing himself at the feet of a statue of Venus, prays to the G.o.ddess to animate his beloved figure.

"The G.o.ddess answers his prayer. Three flashes of light are seen, and to an appropriate symphony the marble beauty emerges by degrees from her state of insensibility. To the surprise of Pygmalion and his pupils she becomes animated, and evinces her astonishment at her new existence, and at the objects by which she is surrounded. The delighted Pygmalion extends his hand to her; she feels, so to speak, the ground beneath her with her feet, and takes some timid steps in the most elegant att.i.tudes that sculpture could suggest. Pygmalion dances before her, as if to instruct her; she repeats her master's steps, from the easiest to the most difficult. He endeavours to inspire her with the tenderness he feels himself, and succeeds in making her share that sentiment. You can understand, sir, what all the pa.s.sages of this action become, executed and danced with the fine and delicate grace of Mdlle. Salle. She ventured to appear without basket, without skirt, without a dress, in her natural hair, and with no ornament on her head. She wore nothing, in addition to her boddice and under-petticoat, but a simple robe of muslin, arranged in drapery after the model of a Greek statue.

"You cannot doubt, sir, of the prodigious success this ingenious ballet, so well executed, obtained. At the request of the king, the queen, the royal family, and all the court, it will be performed on the occasion of Mademoiselle Salle's benefit, for which all the boxes and places in the theatre and amphitheatre have been taken for a month past. The benefit takes place on the first of April.

"Do not expect that I can describe to you Ariadne like Pygmalion: its beauties are more n.o.ble and more difficult to relate; the expressions and sentiments are those of the profoundest grief, despair, rage and utter dejection; in a word all the great pa.s.sions perfectly declaimed by means of dances, att.i.tudes and gestures suggested by the position of a woman who is abandoned by the man she loves. You may announce, sir, that Mademoiselle Salle becomes in this piece the rival of the Journets, the Duclos, and the Lecouvreurs. The English, who preserve so tender a recollection of their famous Oldfield, whom they have just laid in Westminster Abbey among their great statesmen (!) look upon her as resuscitated in Mademoiselle Salle when she represents Ariadne.

"P. S. The first of this month the Prince of Orange, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, the Duke of c.u.mberland and the Princesses, went to Covent Garden Theatre [Theatre du _Commun Jardin_ the French newspaper has it] to see the tragedy of King Henry IV., when there was a numerous a.s.sembly; and all the receipts of the representation were for the benefit of Mademoiselle Salle."

[Sidenote: MADEMOISELLE SALLE.]

[Sidenote: A PROFITABLE PERFORMANCE.]

M. Castil Blaze, who publishes the whole of the above letter, with the exception of the postscript, in his history of the Academie Royale, is wrong in concluding from Mademoiselle Salle having appeared at Covent Garden, that she was engaged to dance there by Handel, who was at that time director of the Queen's Theatre (reign of Anne) in the Haymarket.

M. Victor Schlcher may also be in error when, in speaking of the absurd fable that Handel being in Paris heard a canticle by Lulli,[10]

and coming back to England gave it to the English, as G.o.d Save the King, he a.s.sures us that Handel never set foot in Paris at all. It is certain that Handel went to Italy to engage new singers in 1733, and it is by no means improbable that he pa.s.sed through Paris on his way. At all events, M. Castil Blaze a.s.sures us that in that year he visited the Academie Royale de Musique, and that "while lavis.h.i.+ng sarcasms and raillery on our French Opera," he appreciated the talent of Mademoiselle Salle. "A thousand crowns (three thousand francs) was the sum," he continues, "that the _virtuose_ asked for composing two ballets and dancing in them at London _during the carnival_ of 1734. The director of a rival enterprise watched for her arrival in that city, and offered her three thousand guineas instead of the three thousand crowns which she had agreed to accept from Handel; adding that nothing prevented her from making this change, inasmuch as she had signed no engagement. 'And my word,' answered the amiable dancer; 'is my word to count for nothing?'

This reply, applauded and circulated from mouth to mouth, prepared Mademoiselle Salle's success, and had the most fortunate influence on the representation given for her benefit. All the London journals gave magnificent accounts of the triumphs of Marie Taglioni, and of the marks of admiration and grat.i.tude that she received. Equally flattering descriptions reached us from the icy banks of the Neva. Mere trifles, _niaiseries, debolleze_! This _furore_, this enthusiasm, this fanaticism, this royal, imperial liberality was very little, or rather was nothing, in comparison with the homage which the sons of Albion offered to and lavished upon the divine Salle. History tells us that at the representation given for her benefit people fought at the doors of the theatre; that an infinity of amateurs were obliged to conquer at the point of the sword, or at least with their fists, the places which had been sold to them by auction, and at exorbitant prices. As Mademoiselle Salle made her last curtsey and smiled upon the pit with the most charming grace, furious applause burst forth from all parts and seemed to shake the theatre to its foundation. While the whirlwind howled, while the thunder roared, a hailstorm of purses, full of gold, fell upon the stage, and a shower of bonbons followed in the same direction. These bonbons, manufactured at London, were of a singular kind; guineas--not like the doubloons, the louis d'or in paste, that are exhibited in the shop-windows of our confectioners, but good, genuine guineas in metal of Peru, well and solidly bound together--formed the sweetmeat; the _papillote_ was a bank-note. Projectiles a thousand times, and again a thousand times precious. Arguments which sounded still when the fugitive tempest of applause was at an end. Our favourite _virtuoses_ place now on their heads, after pressing them for a moment to their hearts, the wreaths thrown to them by an electrified public. Mademoiselle Salle put the proofs of grat.i.tude offered by her host of admirers into her pockets or rather into bags. The light and playful troop of little Loves who hovered around the new dancer, picked up the precious sugar-plums as they fell, and eight dancing satyrs carried away in cadence the improvised treasures. This performance brought Mademoiselle Salle more than two hundred thousand francs."

What M. Castil Blaze tells us about the bonbons of guineas and bank-notes may or may not be true--I have no means of judging--but it is not very likely that eight dancing satyrs appeared on the stage at Mademoiselle Salle's benefit, inasmuch as the ballet given on that occasion was not _Bacchus and Ariadne_, as M. Castil Blaze evidently supposes, but _Pygmalion_. The London correspondent of the _Mercure de France_ has mentioned that _Pygmalion_ was to be performed by desire of "the king and the queen, the royal family, and all the court," and naturally that was the piece selected. According to the letter in the _Mercure_ the benefit was fixed for the first of April; indeed, the writer in his postscript speaks of it as having taken place on that day, but he says nothing about purses of gold, nor does he speak of guineas wrapped up in bank-notes.

It appears from the _Daily Journal_ that Mademoiselle Salle took her benefit on the 21st of March (which would be April 1, New Style), when the first piece was _Henry IV., with the humours of Sir John Falstaff_, and the second _Pigmalion_ (with a _Pig_). It was announced that on this occasion "servants would be permitted to keep places on the stage,"

whereas in most of the Covent Garden play bills of the period the following paragraph appears:--"It is desired that no person will take it ill their not being admitted behind the scenes, it being impossible to perform the entertainment unless these pa.s.sages are kept clear."

[Sidenote: MADEMOISELLE SALLE AND HANDEL.]

At this time Handel was at the Queen's Theatre, and it was not until the next year, long after Mademoiselle Salle had left England, that he moved to Covent Garden. The rival who is represented as having offered such magnificent terms to Mademoiselle Salle with the view of tempting her from her allegiance to Handel, must have been, if any one, Porpora; though if M. Castil Blaze could have identified him as that celebrated composer he would certainly have mentioned the name. Porpora, who arrived in England in 1733, was in 1734 director of the "n.o.bility's Theatre" in Lincoln's-Inn Fields.

The following is the announcement of Mademoiselle Salle's first appearance in England:--

"AT THE THEATRE ROYAL COVENT GARDEN, On Monday, 11th March, will be performed a Comedy, called "_The_ WAY _of the_ WORLD, by the late Mr. Congreve, with entertainments of dancing, particularly the Scottish dance by Mr. Glover and Mrs. Laguerre, Mr. le Sac, and Miss Boston, M. de la Garde and Mrs. Ogden.

"The French Sailor and his La.s.s, by Mademoiselle Salle and Mr.

Malter.

"The Na.s.sau, by Mr. Glover and Miss Rogers, Mr. Pelling and Miss Nona, Mr. Le Sac and Mrs. Ogden, Mr. de la Garde and Miss Batson.

"With a new dance, called _Pigmalion_, performed by Mr. Malter and Mademoiselle Salle, M. Dupre, Mr. Pelling, Mr. Duke, Mr. le Sac, Mr. Newhouse, and M. de la Garde.

"No servants will be permitted to keep places on the stage."

It appears that at the King's Theatre on the night of Mademoiselle Salle's benefit, at Covent Garden, there was "an a.s.sembly." "Two tickets," says the advertis.e.m.e.nt, "will be delivered to every subscriber, this day, at White's Chocholate House, in St. James's Street, paying the subscription-money; and if any tickets remain more than are subscribed for, they will be delivered the same day at the Opera office in the Haymarket, at six and twenty s.h.i.+llings each.

"Every ticket will admit either one gentleman or two ladies.

"N. B.--Five different doors will be opened at twelve for the company to go out, where chairs will easily be had.

N. B.--To prevent a crowd there will be but 700 tickets printed."

I find from the collection of old newspapers before me, that Handel, whose _Ariadne_ was first produced and whose _Pastor Fido_ was revived in 1734, is called in the playbills of the King's Theatre "Mr. Handell."

The following is the announcement of the performance given at that establishment on the 4th June, 1734, "being the last time of performing till after the holidays."

"AT the KING'S THEATRE in the HAYMARKET, on Tuesday next, being the 4th day of June will be performed an Opera called

PASTOR FIDO,

Composed by Mr. Handell, intermixed with Choruses.

The Scenery after a particular manner.

Pit and Boxes will be put together, and no persons to be admitted without tickets, which will be delivered that day at the Office of the Haymarket, at half a guinea each.

GALLERY FIVE s.h.i.+LLINGS.

[Sidenote: MR. HANDELL.]

BY HIS MAJESTY'S COMMAND.

No persons whatever to be admitted behind the scenes.

To begin at half an hour after six o'clock."

Handel had now been twenty-four years in London where he had raised the Italian Opera to a pitch of excellence unequalled elsewhere in Europe, except perhaps at Dresden, which during the first half of the 18th century was universally celebrated for the perfection of its operatic performances at the Court Theatre directed by Ha.s.se. But of the introduction of Italian Opera into England, and especially of the arrival of Handel, his operatic enterprises, his successes and his failures, I must speak in another chapter.

CHAPTER V.

INTRODUCTION OF ITALIAN OPERA INTO ENGLAND.

Operatic Feuds.--Objections to Nose-pulling.--Arsinoe.--Camilla and the Boar.--Steele on insanity.--Handel and Clayton.--Nicolini and the lion.--Rinaldo and the sparrows.--Hamlet set to music.--Three enraged musicians.--Three charming singers.

It was not until the close of the 17th century that England was visited by any Italian singers of note, among the first of whom was the well-known Margarita de l'Epine. This vocalist's name frequently occurs in the current literature of the period, and Swift in his "Journal to Stella" speaks in his own graceful way of having heard "Margarita and her sister and another drab, and a parcel of fiddlers at Windsor." This was in 1711, nineteen years after her arrival in England--a proof that even then Italian singers, who had once obtained the favour of the English public, were determined to profit by it as long as possible.

Margarita was an excellent musician, and a virtuous and amiable woman; but she was ugly and was called Hecate by her husband, who had married her for her money.

[Sidenote: OPERATIC FEUDS.]

The history of the Opera in England is, more than in any other country, the history of feuds and rivalries between theatres and singers. The rival of Margarita de l'Epine was Mrs. Tofts, who in 1703 was singing English and Italian songs at the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields.

Instead of enjoying the talent of both, the London public began to dispute as to which was the best; and what was still more absurd, to create disturbances at the very theatres where they sang, so that the English party prevented Margarita de l'Epine from being heard, while the Italians drowned the voice of Mrs. Tofts.[11] Once, when the amiable Margarita was singing at Drury Lane, she was not only hissed and hooted, but an orange was thrown at her by a woman who was recognised as being or having been in the service of the English vocalist. Hence considerable scandal and the following public statement which appeared in the _Daily Courant_ of February 8th, 1704.

"Ann Barwick having occasioned a disturbance at the Theatre Royal on Sat.u.r.day last, the 5th of February, and being thereupon taken into custody, Mrs. Tofts, in vindication of her innocencey, sent a letter to Mr. Rich, master of the said Theatre, which is as followeth:--'Sir, I was very much surprised when I was informed that Ann Barwick, who was lately my servant, had committed a rudeness last night at the playhouse by throwing of oranges and hissing when Mrs. L'Epine, the Italian gentlewoman, sang. I hope no one will think it was in the least with my privity, as I a.s.sure you it was not. I abhor such practices, and I hope you will cause her to be prosecuted that she may be punished as she deserves. I am, sir, your humble servant, KATHARINE TOFTS.'"

[Sidenote: ARSINOE.]