the corner of Toulouse and Bourbon streets. In its completed state, the French Opera House cost $118,500. Its seating capacity is 2078-58 stockholders' seats, 1520 numbered seats, and 500 unreserved in the fourth gallery. Naturally the opening of the new lyric temple was the event of the hour. I subjoin an extract from the Daily Picayune supplement of December 3, 1859:

"Of course, the opening of the New French Opera House was the event of the evening, and it was not a surprise to any one, we imagine to find it as full as it could hold, from the first row parquet to the very ceiling. The coup de'oeil presented by the auditorium, when viewed from the center of the parquet, was superb indeed. The house is constructed so as to afford full view of the audience from almost every point, and its gracefully curved tiers of boxes, rising one above the other, each gradually receding from the line of the other, and then filled, in a great degree, with ladies in grande toilette, presented a spectacle that was richly worth viewing. The whole house is painted white and the decorations of the fronts of the boxes are in gold. ** * A magnificent mirror on each side of the proscenium adds greatly to the picturesque effect of the auditorium. The entrances to the house are numerous, spacious, and commodious, and the crush, ladies' retiring rooms, etc., are constructed upon a scale of great elegance."

*

*

The cast at the overture of the opera included Mlle. Feitlinber, lyric soprano; Mme. Berthil Marchal, dugazon; M. Matthieu, first tenor; M. Chas. Petit, light tenor; M. Melschisedec, baritone; M. Genibrel, first bass of grand opera; M. Vanloir, first bass of opera comique.

*

*

* "Mr.

L'Abeille said: "Mlle. Feitlinger is a charming artiste who will soon become a great favorite with the public. She possesses a very pretty voice and a fine talent as a singer.' Matthieu is, to our thinking, an artist of immense worth. He delivers the recitatif with a magisterial bigness and transmits to the auditor the emotion he experiences. In a word, he feels deeply and expresses himself deeply.' "Mr. Melchisedec, the baritone, possesses the most beautiful instrument which we have heard in a long time."

* * *

On the same night that the French Opera opened its doors, Thomas' "Le Songe d'une Nuit D'été" (Midsummer Night's Dream) was performed at the Théâtre d'Orléans for the debut of M. Cabel, first light tenor, who assumed the role of Shak

speare, and of whom we read: "This artist has a good and welltrained voice, sweet and sympathetic and not lacking power. He showed himself an excellent comedian. * * *""

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The French Opera House at once became popular. Season 1860-61 was most brilliant. During the months of January, February and March (1861), Adelina Patti, the then 18-year-old prima donna, charmed her audiences in "Robert le Diable," "Il Trovatore," "Les Huguenots," "Lucia," "Charles VI," "Le Pardon de Ploermel" and other operas. Among her fellowartists at this time were Mme. Frezzolini and MM. Mathieu and Philippe. An advertisement appears in the Daily Picayune of January 23, 1861, announcing:

"Le Barbier de Seville, with Mlle. Adelina Patti, who in the lesson scenes will sing Mme. Sontag's celebrated 'Echo Song' and the Scottish ballad, 'Twas Within a Mile of Edinboro' Town.'"

In the same advertisement, we note that the prices ranged from 50 cents to $1.50 and that "Doors open at 6:30 o'clock, performance to commence at 7 o'clock." It was evidently cheaper to hear grand opera in those days than now!

On account of the Civil War, four rather inconsequential seasons followed the brilliant season of 1860-61. After the termination of the war, three brothers, Alhaiza by name, opened the French Opera House with an itinerant company. Their venture proving successful, they were emboldened to import from Europe a complete operatic organization, and, accordingly, Charles and Marcelin Alhaiza set sail for Paris. The company was engaged, all arrangements completed, when, on the eve of departure for America, Marcelin Alhaiza died. Charles Alhaiza accompanied the artists to New York, where they embarked upon a steamer named "The Evening Star," bound for this city-a destination which it was never to reach; for, on October 3, 1866, the vessel was overcome by a raging storm at a point 180 miles southeast of Tybee Island. How many lives were lost has never been definitely known. One writer claims that "thirty men and one woman alone reached land, but over three hundred souls perished, among the number the members of the opera troupe and its manager, Charles Alhaiza." The total

number of persons aboard the ill-fated ship has been placed by another writer as only 278. Mr. Gallier, the architect, was among the victims.

The sinking of "The Evening Star" was the more tragic but by no means only important even in the operatic history of 1866. Despite the rise of the new opera house, the old Théâtre d'Orléans continued its existence, attracting a splendid clientele and maintaining its standard. Doubtless it would have been a powerful rival to the younger house had not another calamity terminated its existence. On December 7, in the early morning, "flames were discovered in the wardrobe. Spreading rapidly, the dressing rooms were speedily enveloped, and, before assistance could be rendered, the entire building was in a blaze." In a short while the old edifice was "a mass of smouldering brick and mortar.'

To revert to the present French Opera House: The surviving Alhaiza, Paul, opened it on November 9, 1866, with the Strakosch-Ghinoni and Susini Company, Amalia Patti, sister of Adelina, singing the contralto roles.

From 1859 to 1915, excepting the interruptions caused by the Civil War, six seasons at different periods when the theatre remained dark, and the season 1904-5, when a French dramatic company held the boards-the French Opera House continued to offer operatic entertainments. The season 1885-86 was entirely devoted to opera bouffe, during which Alice and Tony Reine were the two remarkable stars. The dramatic company mentioned above was a high class one, composed, as it was, of members from several of the best theatres of France, and counting in its personnel such artists as MM. Perrin, Dulac, Bréant and Mme. Renot.

It may not be amiss at this moment to mention the managers of the French Opera from 1859 through seasons 1914-15. These were Davis and Boudousquie, Ghioni and Susini, Alhaiza, Alhaiza and Calabresi, Canonge, Pappenheim, Durand, Max Strakosch, De Bauplan, Desfossés, Mapleson, Durieu, Maugé, O'Connel, Charley, Berriel, Roberval, Cazelles (dramatic company), Brulatour, Russell, Lombardi, Layolle, Affre and Sigaldi. Several of these directed the opera for a long period.

For the benefit of those who do not know why the opera association went into the hands of a receiver, I mention the reasons as given to me by a gentleman closely in touch with that institution. To begin with, there was no lessee for the season 1915-16, which fact deprived the association of a fair revenue. Then several of the ten carnival organizations, whose rental of the Opera House for their annual balls was a good source of income, asked for a substantial reduction of the old fee, and of these ten organizations only a small number actually had signed for the auditorium up to the time of the crisis. The third cause was the great expense undergone in compliance with the ratproofing ordinance. The climax of this deplorable state of affairs was contributed by the storm of September 29, 1915, which damaged the old building considerably.

I have heard it remarked on several occasions in the past that the French Opera hindered the musical growth of New Orleans. Looking at the matter frankly, I am reluctantly forced to admit that the French Opera did, to a degree, deprive this city of a variety of musical pabulum. In the first place, the subscriptions to the opera consumed almost all the money that music lovers cared to spend on music, thus precluding the establishment of a symphony orchestra, without which no city can strictly call itself a music centre. Then, too, the predilection for opera, due to years of education in this line of music, made concert-giving a very hazardous undertaking, with the result that the local public only at rare intervals were afforded the opportunity of hearing piano, violin, and 'cello recitals, or chamber music, or the great song literature of France, Germany, and Russia. And the whole trouble lay in the length of the opera season. Of latter days, when concerts began to be more encouraged, the question of dates was a very serious matter. For three months no concerts could be given on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays, not only because of the altruistic desire to avoid a conflict of attractions, but also because, in a city of this size, it is practically always the same little band of music lovers. which is depended upon to attend all the musical offerings. "But," you will say, "there were left Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays for concerts. As a large number of

the local patrons of music are of the Jewish faith, and as many of these observe Friday evenings, these evenings would not be suitable for concerts. There are many persons of other faiths who will not attend places of amusement-even concert halls— on Sundays, so Sunday would be a bad selection. Matinees, at least "musical" matinees, do not draw, as we all know. So here we were left with Monday and Wednesday evenings, provided that no bridge, or dinner dance, or reception, or ball were booked for either of these nights. Remember that in New Orleans we have no considerable floating population from which to draw; it is always, as I have said, the same little band to which we must turn for our audiences.

I, personally, am a devotee of opera, and am proud of what our French opera has meant to us. I should love to see the opera flourish as in the days our fathers tell about, but the only way this can be realized is by curtailing the three months' season to a one-month season, at the utmost. I know that no French company can be imported for less than five months, but there are other fine organizations which would give great pleasure, even if the operas should be sung in a language other than French. By having one month of opera, all interest would be centered upon it and a brilliant season would result. The time prior and after "opera month" could be devoted to concerts and other forms of diversion.

Despite the truths I have stated in detriment to the opera, I realize how we Orleanians should be proud of it. Admitting that it did, to an extent, deprive us of a greater variety of musical attractions, we should not forget the name it gave this city all over the world. I wonder whether a symphony orchestra holding, say, ten concerts a season with fine soloists, would have placed us as prominently on the musical map as did the French Opera. Several cities have had symphony orchestras, several have had great conecerts for years, but there were only two cities in the United States, until comparatively recently, which supported opera, and New Orleans, with its maintenance of French opera, stood unique. Do not for a moment construe these remarks as in any way intending to disparage the establishment of a symphony orchestra, for I hope to see founded here one