This lady was full of the praises of the head-tenor5 who had performed in a Wagner opera the night before, and went on to enlarge upon his old and prodigious6 fame, and how many honors had been lavished7 upon him by the princely houses of Germany. Here was another surprise. I had attended that very opera, in the person of my agent, and had made close and accurate observations. So I said:
“Why, madam, my experience warrants me in stating that that tenor’s voice is not a voice at all, but only a shriek8—the shriek of a hyena9."
“That is very true,” she said; “he cannot sing now; it is already many years that he has lost his voice, but in other times he sang, yes, divinely! So whenever he comes now, you shall see, yes, that the theater will not hold the people. Jawohl bei Gott! his voice is wunderschoen in that past time.”
I said she was discovering to me a kindly10 trait in the Germans which was worth emulating11. I said that over the water we were not quite so generous; that with us, when a singer had lost his voice and a jumper had lost his legs, these parties ceased to draw. I said I had been to the opera in Hanover, once, and in Mannheim once, and in Munich (through my authorized12 agent) once, and this large experience had nearly persuaded me that the Germans preferred singers who couldn’t sing. This was not such a very extravagant13 speech, either, for that burly Mannheim tenor’s praises had been the talk of all Heidelberg for a week before his performance took place—yet his voice was like the distressing14 noise which a nail makes when you screech15 it across a window-pane. I said so to Heidelberg friends the next day, and they said, in the calmest and simplest way, that that was very true, but that in earlier times his voice had been wonderfully fine. And the tenor in Hanover was just another example of this sort. The English-speaking German gentleman who went with me to the opera there was brimming with enthusiasm over that tenor. He said:
“Ach Gott! a great man! You shall see him. He is so celebrate in all Germany—and he has a pension, yes, from the government. He not obliged to sing now, only twice every year; but if he not sing twice each year they take him his pension away.”
“Now you see him!”
But the “celebrate” was an astonishing disappointment to me. If he had been behind a screen I should have supposed they were performing a surgical17 operation on him. I looked at my friend—to my great surprise he seemed intoxicated18 with pleasure, his eyes were dancing with eager delight. When the curtain at last fell, he burst into the stormiest applause, and kept it up—as did the whole house—until the afflictive19 tenor had come three times before the curtain to make his bow. While the glowing enthusiast20 was swabbing the perspiration21 from his face, I said:
“I don’t mean the least harm, but really, now, do you think he can sing?”
“Him? No! Gott im Himmel, aber, how he has been able to sing twenty-five years ago?” [Then pensively22.] “Ach, no, now he not sing any more, he only cry. When he think he sing, now, he not sing at all, no, he only make like a cat which is unwell."
Where and how did we get the idea that the Germans are a stolid23, phlegmatic24 race? In truth, they are widely removed from that. They are warm-hearted, emotional, impulsive25, enthusiastic, their tears come at the mildest touch, and it is not hard to move them to laughter. They are the very children of impulse. We are cold and self-contained, compared to the Germans. They hug and kiss and cry and shout and dance and sing; and where we use one loving, petting expression, they pour out a score. Their language is full of endearing diminutives26; nothing that they love escapes the application of a petting diminutive—neither the house, nor the dog, nor the horse, nor the grandmother, nor any other creature, animate27 or inanimate.
In the theaters at Hanover, Hamburg, and Mannheim, they had a wise custom. The moment the curtain went up, the light in the body of the house went down. The audience sat in the cool gloom of a deep twilight28, which greatly enhanced the glowing splendors29 of the stage. It saved gas, too, and people were not sweated to death.
When I saw “King Lear” played, nobody was allowed to see a scene shifted; if there was nothing to be done but slide a forest out of the way and expose a temple beyond, one did not see that forest split itself in the middle and go shrieking30 away, with the accompanying disenchanting spectacle of the hands and heels of the impelling31 impulse—no, the curtain was always dropped for an instant—one heard not the least movement behind it—but when it went up, the next instant, the forest was gone. Even when the stage was being entirely32 reset33, one heard no noise. During the whole time that “King Lear” was playing the curtain was never down two minutes at any one time. The orchestra played until the curtain was ready to go up for the first time, then they departed for the evening. Where the stage waits never reach two minutes there is no occasion for music. I had never seen this two-minute business between acts but once before, and that was when the “Shaughraun” was played at Wallack’s.
I was at a concert in Munich one night, the people were streaming in, the clock-hand pointed34 to seven, the music struck up, and instantly all movement in the body of the house ceased—nobody was standing35, or walking up the aisles36, or fumbling37 with a seat, the stream of incomers had suddenly dried up at its source. I listened undisturbed to a piece of music that was fifteen minutes long—always expecting some tardy38 ticket-holders to come crowding past my knees, and being continuously and pleasantly disappointed—but when the last note was struck, here came the stream again. You see, they had made those late comers wait in the comfortable waiting-parlor39 from the time the music had begun until it was ended.
It was the first time I had ever seen this sort of criminals denied the privilege of destroying the comfort of a house full of their betters. Some of these were pretty fine birds, but no matter, they had to tarry outside in the long parlor under the inspection40 of a double rank of liveried footmen and waiting-maids who supported the two walls with their backs and held the wraps and traps of their masters and mistresses on their arms.
We had no footmen to hold our things, and it was not permissible41 to take them into the concert-room; but there were some men and women to take charge of them for us. They gave us checks for them and charged a fixed42 price, payable43 in advance—five cents.
In Germany they always hear one thing at an opera which has never yet been heard in America, perhaps—I mean the closing strain of a fine solo or duet. We always smash into it with an earthquake of applause. The result is that we rob ourselves of the sweetest part of the treat; we get the whiskey, but we don’t get the sugar in the bottom of the glass.
Our way of scattering44 applause along through an act seems to me to be better than the Mannheim way of saving it all up till the act is ended. I do not see how an actor can forget himself and portray45 hot passion before a cold still audience. I should think he would feel foolish. It is a pain to me to this day, to remember how that old German Lear raged and wept and howled around the stage, with never a response from that hushed house, never a single outburst till the act was ended. To me there was something unspeakably uncomfortable in the solemn dead silences that always followed this old person’s tremendous outpourings of his feelings. I could not help putting myself in his place—I thought I knew how sick and flat he felt during those silences, because I remembered a case which came under my observation once, and which—but I will tell the incident:
One evening on board a Mississippi steamboat, a boy of ten years lay asleep in a berth—a long, slim-legged boy, he was, encased in quite a short shirt; it was the first time he had ever made a trip on a steamboat, and so he was troubled, and scared, and had gone to bed with his head filled with impending46 snaggings, and explosions, and conflagrations47, and sudden death. About ten o’clock some twenty ladies were sitting around about the ladies’ saloon, quietly reading, sewing, embroidering48, and so on, and among them sat a sweet, benignant old dame49 with round spectacles on her nose and her busy knitting-needles in her hands. Now all of a sudden, into the midst of this peaceful scene burst that slim-shanked boy in the brief shirt, wild-eyed, erect-haired, and shouting, “Fire, fire! Jump and run, the boat’s afire and there ain’t a minute to lose!” All those ladies looked sweetly up and smiled, nobody stirred, the old lady pulled her spectacles down, looked over them, and said, gently:
“But you mustn’t catch cold, child. Run and put on your breastpin, and then come and tell us all about it.”
It was a cruel chill to give to a poor little devil’s gushing50 vehemence51. He was expecting to be a sort of hero—the creator of a wild panic—and here everybody sat and smiled a mocking smile, and an old woman made fun of his bugbear. I turned and crept away—for I was that boy—and never even cared to discover whether I had dreamed the fire or actually seen it.
I am told that in a German concert or opera, they hardly ever encore a song; that though they may be dying to hear it again, their good breeding usually preserves them against requiring the repetition.
Kings may encore; that is quite another matter; it delights everybody to see that the King is pleased; and as to the actor encored, his pride and gratification are simply boundless52. Still, there are circumstances in which even a royal encore—
But it is better to illustrate53. The King of Bavaria is a poet, and has a poet’s eccentricities—with the advantage over all other poets of being able to gratify them, no matter what form they may take. He is fond of opera, but not fond of sitting in the presence of an audience; therefore, it has sometimes occurred, in Munich, that when an opera has been concluded and the players were getting off their paint and finery, a command has come to them to get their paint and finery on again. Presently the King would arrive, solitary54 and alone, and the players would begin at the beginning and do the entire opera over again with only that one individual in the vast solemn theater for audience. Once he took an odd freak into his head. High up and out of sight, over the prodigious stage of the court theater is a maze55 of interlacing water-pipes, so pierced that in case of fire, innumerable little thread-like streams of water can be caused to descend56; and in case of need, this discharge can be augmented57 to a pouring flood. American managers might want to make a note of that. The King was sole audience. The opera proceeded, it was a piece with a storm in it; the mimic58 thunder began to mutter, the mimic wind began to wail59 and sough, and the mimic rain to patter. The King’s interest rose higher and higher; it developed into enthusiasm. He cried out:
“It is very, very good, indeed! But I will have real rain! Turn on the water!”
The manager pleaded for a reversal of the command; said it would ruin the costly60 scenery and the splendid costumes, but the King cried:
“No matter, no matter, I will have real rain! Turn on the water!”
So the real rain was turned on and began to descend in gossamer61 lances to the mimic flower-beds and gravel62 walks of the stage. The richly dressed actresses and actors tripped about singing bravely and pretending not to mind it. The King was delighted—his enthusiasm grew higher. He cried out:
“Bravo, bravo! More thunder! more lightning! turn on more rain!”
The thunder boomed, the lightning glared, the storm-winds raged, the deluge63 poured down. The mimic royalty64 on the stage, with their soaked satins clinging to their bodies, slopped about ankle-deep in water, warbling their sweetest and best, the fiddlers under the eaves of the stage sawed away for dear life, with the cold overflow65 spouting66 down the backs of their necks, and the dry and happy King sat in his lofty box and wore his gloves to ribbons applauding.
“More yet!” cried the King; “more yet—let loose all the thunder, turn on all the water! I will hang the man that raises an umbrella!”
When this most tremendous and effective storm that had ever been produced in any theater was at last over, the King’s approbation67 was measureless. He cried:
“Magnificent, magnificent! Encore! Do it again!”
But the manager succeeded in persuading him to recall the encore, and said the company would feel sufficiently68 rewarded and complimented in the mere2 fact that the encore was desired by his Majesty69, without fatiguing70 him with a repetition to gratify their own vanity.
During the remainder of the act the lucky performers were those whose parts required changes of dress; the others were a soaked, bedraggled, and uncomfortable lot, but in the last degree picturesque71. The stage scenery was ruined, trap-doors were so swollen72 that they wouldn’t work for a week afterward73, the fine costumes were spoiled, and no end of minor74 damages were done by that remarkable75 storm.
It was a royal idea—that storm—and royally carried out. But observe the moderation of the King; he did not insist upon his encore. If he had been a gladsome, unreflecting American opera-audience, he probably would have had his storm repeated and repeated until he drowned all those people.
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1
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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tenor
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| n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意 | |
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prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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lavished
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| v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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hyena
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| n.土狼，鬣狗 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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emulating
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| v.与…竞争( emulate的现在分词 )；努力赶上；计算机程序等仿真；模仿 | |
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12
authorized
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| a.委任的，许可的 | |
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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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screech
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| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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surgical
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| adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的 | |
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18
intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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afflictive
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| 带给人痛苦的，苦恼的，难受的 | |
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enthusiast
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| n.热心人，热衷者 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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pensively
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| adv.沉思地，焦虑地 | |
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stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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phlegmatic
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| adj.冷静的，冷淡的，冷漠的，无活力的 | |
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impulsive
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| adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的 | |
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diminutives
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| n.微小( diminutive的名词复数 )；昵称，爱称 | |
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animate
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| v.赋于生命，鼓励；adj.有生命的，有生气的 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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29
splendors
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| n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 )；壮丽；光辉；显赫 | |
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30
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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31
impelling
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| adj.迫使性的，强有力的v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的现在分词 ) | |
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32
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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33
reset
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| v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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tardy
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| adj.缓慢的，迟缓的 | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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40
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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permissible
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| adj.可允许的，许可的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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43
payable
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| adj.可付的，应付的，有利益的 | |
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44
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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45
portray
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| v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等) | |
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46
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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conflagrations
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| n.大火（灾）( conflagration的名词复数 ) | |
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48
embroidering
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| v.（在织物上）绣花( embroider的现在分词 )；刺绣；对…加以渲染（或修饰）；给…添枝加叶 | |
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49
dame
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| n.女士 | |
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50
gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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51
vehemence
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| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
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52
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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53
illustrate
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| v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图 | |
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54
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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55
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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56
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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57
Augmented
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| adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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58
mimic
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| v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
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59
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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60
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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gossamer
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| n.薄纱，游丝 | |
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gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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overflow
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| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
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66
spouting
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| n.水落管系统v.（指液体）喷出( spout的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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approbation
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| n.称赞；认可 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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fatiguing
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| a.使人劳累的 | |
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71
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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72
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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