"The administration, desiring to respond to the interest which the stockholders have been good enough to take in this enterprise, and wishing at the same time to please the public by every possible effort, has neglected nothing in order to give to its performances all the variety, ensemble, and splendor which constitute the chief merit of those kinds of spectacles. The vast size of the theatre will permit it to add to its repertoire, consisting of old and new comedies of good authors and operas by the best composers, mechanical ballets and pantomimes, the performance of which is entrusted to persons skilled in that line. The measures which it has taken to secure new artists for whom it is waiting, the commodiousness and salubrity of the interior of the theatre, its various exits, all make the administration hope that the public will be good enough to encourage the untiring efforts it will make to please them. The administrative office is at the theatre proper. For the administration, (signed) LOUIS Dou

These were some of the offerings at this theatre: The Barber of Seville" followed "Dettes," opera in two acts by Champein; "The Reciprocal Test" followed by the "Death of Captain Cook;" "The Recovered Husband," comedy in one act by Dancour, followed by a "Divertissement un dancer," in which Mr. Francisqui will be the chief dancer; "The Glorious One," followed by the "Ballet of the Quakers;" "The Little City," comedy in four acts by Picard, followed by the "Stormy Night,' opera in one act.

Later years found this erstwhile temple of art degenerated into a sort of circus and finally into a dance hall known as the Washington Ballroom.

The Théâtre d'Orléans was begun in early 1809. On November 30 of the same year it opened with a comedy called "Pataques." Destroyed by fire in 1813, a new theatre was erected. on the old site in 1817, upon the solicitation of John Davis, a manager. The architecture was Doric and the building represented a cost of $80,000. It contained a parquet, two tiers of boxes, and "loges grillés" (latticed boxes), the last "intended to be occupied by persons in mourning, who, without being seen, might witness the performance in comfort," as Mr. J. de Baroncelli informs us in his interesting essay, "Opera Français de la Nouvelle Orleans."

No drama ever enacted upon its stage was as thrilling as the one which it presented on February 26, 1854. A large audience was witnessing the performance when, suddenly, the side boxes of the "Secondes" and "Troisièmes" collapsed upon the first tier of boxes, causing a terrible panic which cost several persons their lives. This excerpt from the Daily Picayune of February 27, 1854, is pertinent:

* *

"The accident originated in the giving away of the third gallery to the left of the stage, on the side toward Royal street. The gallery is occupied by colored people and was attached to the rafters of the ceiling by iron bars. It was also connected with the second gallery by slight iron columns. * The theatre was crowded for the benefit of a favorite performer, Mr. Carrier, the low comedian. The second act of the first piece was drawing to its close when a sharp report, like that of a musket, startled the audience. Many thought it was some incident to the play itself. But in another moment a universal cry of alarm, a general rising, a rush, the cracking and crashing of timbers, the screams of women and shouts of men, told too plainly another tale. * * Several persons who witnessed the gradual fall of the two galleries, the efforts of the struggling and appalled mass of human beings in them to escape, and the appearance of the rest of the theatre at the same moment, described it as something utterly paralyzing and horrifying exceeding any steamboat explosion of conflagration, or railroad catastrophe they ever witnessed."

*

In 1859 the Thèâtre d'Orléans was sold to a Mr. Parlange. This gentleman and the manager, M. Boudousquié, not being able to come to an agreement regarding terms of rental, the latter set out to organize a stock company of $100,000 for the purpose of erecting another home for opera. With Mr. Rivière Gardère as president, the new company was formed on March 4, 1859. A little more than a month later a contract was signed with the architects, Gallier & Esterbrook, for the construction of the present French Opera House. Although begun as late as June, the building was inaugurated on Thursday evening, December 1, with a performance of "William Tell." To accomplish this feat of rapid construction, strenuous efforts were resorted to. Work was pursued by day and night, and, in order to facilitate the night work, permission was obtained from the city authorities by the builder, a Mr. Villavaso, to keep large fires burning at

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."

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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.

*

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.' * "Mr. 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. *

*

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.