f poetical spirit in the play, and their conversation, like
that of the other principals, was uttered in the recitatives composed
by Delibes to take the place of the spoken dialogue used at the Paris
Opera Comique, where spoken dialogue is traditional. Theodore Thomas
conducted the Academy performance, at which the cast was as follows:
Lakme, Pauline L'Allemand; Nilakantha, Alonzo E. Stoddard; Gerald,
William Candidus; Frederick, William H. Lee; Ellen, Charlotte Walker;
Rose, Helen Dudley Campbell; Mrs. Bentson, May Fielding; Mallika,
Jessie Bartlett Davis; Hadji, William H. Fessenden.

Few operas have had a more variegated American history than "Lakme." It
was quite new when it was first heard in New York, but it had already
given rise to considerable theatrical gossip, not to say scandal. The
first representation took place at the Opera Comique in April, 1883,
with Miss Marie Van Zandt, an American girl, the daughter of a singer
who had been actively successful in English opera in New York and
London, as creator of the part of the heroine. The opera won a pretty
triumph and so did the singer. At once there was talk of a New York
performance. Mme. Etelka Gerster studied the titular role with M.
Delibes and, as a member of Colonel Mapleson's company at the Academy
of Music, confidently expected to produce the work there in the season
of 1883-1884, the first season of the rivalry between the Academy and
the Metropolitan Opera House, which had just opened its doors; but
though she went so far as to offer to buy the American performing
rights from Heugel, the publisher, nothing came of it. The reason was
easily guessed by those who knew that there has been, or was pending, a
quarrel between Colonel Mapleson and M. Heugel concerning the
unauthorized use by the impresario of other scores owned by the
publisher.

During the same season, however, Miss Emma Abbott carried a version (or
rather a perversion) of the opera, for which the orchestral parts had
been arranged from the pianoforte score, into the cities of the West,
and brought down a deal of unmerited criticism on the innocent head of
M. Delibes. In the season of 1884-1885 Colonel Mapleson came back to
the Academy with vouchers of various sorts to back up a promise to give
the opera. There was a human voucher in the person of Miss Emma Nevada,
who had also enjoyed the instruction of the composer and who had
trunkfuls and trunkfuls and trunkfuls of Oriental dresses, tho