Appendix B.
Reading edition
Financial Aid Granted to Operatic Schemes from State or Municipal Funds.
(Drawn from the Government return made in pursuance of the Address of the House of Commons of March 2nd, 1903.)
Country. Town. Amount. Comments.
Argentine Buenos Ayres Nil. Municipal taxation exempted to
Republic performing Companies at the Opera.
Austria and Vienna Free Theatre given:
Hungary deficit made good from Opera House cost £509,795 to build.
the Emperor’s Civil list.
Buda-Pesth £24,208 and £250 for An additional grant from the
salaries. Sovereign of £13,334.
Prague £3,750. (For the Czech Theatre for 1903).
Bavaria Munich Municipality keeps up the A sum of £12,500 goes to the
Court Theatre. general upkeep of the Court
Prince Regent Theatre Theatre and Residency in Munich
(New Opera House) free from the Royal Civil list.
electric lighting up to £1,125.
Würtemberg Deficit, averaging £15,000, House used for dramatic as well
made good by the King of as operatic purposes.
Würtemberg.
Belgium Subsidies granted to composers of
from 500 to 1,500 francs per act
on approved operas; also of from
60 to 250 francs per performance.
Brussels Théâtre Royale de la Monnaie, Rent free, but many conditions
£5,600. imposed.
Antwerp Subsidy varied according to
requirements.
Bulgaria Nil.
Central San José 1897, French Opera, £4,000.
America— 1898, Italian Opera, £1,200.
Costa Rica 1899, Nil.
1900, Italian Opera, £920.
1901-2, Nil.
Guatemala Guatemala A varying amount.
Salvador San Salvador Amounts varying from £277
to £6,068 for various kinds Free use of the National Theatre.
of opera during the last
12 years.
Chili Santiago An amount, about £5,000, Rent free: the same company apparently
“if the municipality is visits Chili annually from Europe.
satisfied with the
performances.”
Denmark Copenhagen Deficit on Royal paid from
State Theatre accounts.
Egypt Cairo and £E5,000 for 36 operas and
Alexandria 24 comedies.
£E4,000 for the Cairo Opera
House and another theatre
for upkeep.
France Paris Opera, £32,000. Rent free.
Opera Comique, £12,000.
Germany Berlin £54,000 from the Crown for State contributes to the upkeep
the Opera House and the and repairs.
Play House.
Great Britain Nil.
Greece Nil. Small amounts occasionally granted from
Municipal Funds in various towns.
Italy Rome Nil. £2,400, withdrawn in 1898.
Milan La Scala receives £3,900 for
50 performances.
Turin Municipal Orchestra lent for Previous subsidy withdrawn.
operatic purposes.
Naples £3,200 for the San Carlo
House.
Venice Varying amounts on special
occasions.
Norway Christiania About £1,100 granted per
annum to the National Theatre
(not exclusively for opera).
Peru Lima Occasional grants to travelling
companies for opera.
Portugal Lisbon San Carlos Opera House
rent free.
Russia Petersburg Details unavailable.
and In 1902 the sum of about
Moscow £300,000 was granted by
the Emperor to the three
Imperial Theatres in
these cities.
Warsaw Nil. Former subsidy withdrawn.
Riga Nil. Managed by a “Guild.”
Odessa Opera House maintained
by Municipality.
Saxony Coburg and £3,778 to the Ducal Court Rent free.
Gotha Theatre.
Dresden £31,000 paid by the King,
and any deficit made good
(£15,000 in 1903).
Many other towns grant free
use of the theatre, and
sometimes of the Municipal
orchestra, the scenery,
dresses, etc.
Servia Belgrade Royal National Theatre Used for opera and drama.
receives £1,720 per annum.
Spain Nil: various “schools of music” and
orchestras receive Municipal aid.
Sweden Stockholm Royal Theatre (mainly opera)
receives £3,330 from the Crown,
and £3,330 from the State; also
various other amounts.
Switzerland Berne £280 to the theatre orchestra.
Basle £1,000 for musical institutions
and the theatre orchestra.
Geneva £6,480 for the theatre and
classical concerts.
United States Nil.
Uruquay Montevideo A subsidy given to an annual
performance of Italian Opera.
Venezuela Nil.
Note.—As a grant, when made, is often given both for the drama and for operatic purposes, and sometimes for the support of musical functions generally, such as concerts and band performances, it is difficult to arrive at the actual figures for opera alone. But the above quotations will afford a general idea as to the conditions obtaining with regard to subsidies in the various countries to which reference is made.