davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1902-01-12
Well-KnOWn American Composer Talks About His
Methods Of Work and Reveals Some Of the Secrets
Of His Metier-HiS Views on Comic Opera in Gen.
eral and Its Future in This COuntry-HiS Own
Ambitions as Maker Of Opera X x ~ X
BY WILLIAM j. GUARD.

to help me out and adjusted himself in
fo- catechising.
What is the first thing you do when
you make up your mind to write an OPP
era?" was the first question l pumped at
him.
The first consideration for anybody
who is going to write an OPERA" replied
Hr. de Koven with a twinkle in his eye,
lis, Have you a contract? ! have not
put my zen to paper for the last twelve
years without contract. ran American
composer in truth" thought IL You do
not want to have work left on your hands
for nothing. Then the next thing TO con-
slider after you have your contract is.
Who is your contract with-who are the
people?' You would write very different
book and music for the Bostonians than
you would for Francis Wilson or for Miss
Held. You must always predicate your
premises according to what is required Of
you"
All Operas Obscure.
Now, we will suppose you have your
contract" said l. What next?
THE question of locale-this is to say,
the place where you are going to lay your
play. There have been operas in almost
every cline and under every atmosphere,
and If you can happen to hit upon some
place that had not been used before, then
you would be in a good position from the
start. Mr.. Harry b. Smith and ! always
think of the locale first. because there are
certain aesthetic questions connected
with it,"
as"
well, opera is an absolutely unnatural
condition of things. Comic opera is even
more absurd than grand opera. 1t is per-
fectly ridiculous for anybody to sing
under stress of emotion. The probabili-
ties are that they would do anything else
but sing. When you interrupt dialogue
to break forth into song it is even more
absurd The only thing that excuses 1t in
any way or that makes it at all probable
is that it shall be as improbable as possi-
BILE. Always give it an element of the un-
expected or the unusual"
Now we Will say you have chosen
your locale; what is the next step you
take?"
Then we come back TO the play. and
Mr.. Smith and l discuss skeleton. 1t
The Washington times., 1902-01-12

the White House ball. she smiled remi-
niscent smile and remarked that history
repeated Itself. Why she said. 4 danced
with some of those men at my coming
out ball. Then you did more than ].
1 replied, for they didn't really dance
with me. They pumped up sufficient wind
to navigate me about the room once, and
then invited me engagingly to sit beneath
palm and talk"
what do you expect?' / interposed.
Dancing is pleasure at eighteen, pre-
text at thirty, and fatigue a forty"
The dancing debutante scrutinized me
as she might have scrutinized an illegible
scrawl, and then went on:
young men should stick to dancing;
elderly men should confine themselves to
dinners. There's Jesse Brown. he's a
dear when it comes to conversation, but
he must have served his dancing time
when Lincoln was President. And Wood
bury Blair and John Chew and Fred May
The Washington times., 1902-01-12

of the "Strapeze" performance necessary
in rounding Dupont Circle. In my last
electric talk with Mr.. Walsh l expressed
an interest in his new home.
"Oh, said he. my house Is to be very
plain affair. but substantially built. One
excellent feature is the heating plant
which will be in a separate. detached
building. In case Of an explosion such
as happened in Mr.. Beale Howard's house.
there will be no immediate danger to my
family and my furnishings. II you are IN
terested at all in modern house building,
| wish you would drop in at the little
office on the ground and look over the
plans 1t will be a real pleasure to show
them to you-do come"
There's modesty for you! The idea of
the most palatial residence yet contem-
plated in Warrington being called by It's
owner a plain affair."" II you see
woman picking her way over loose ground
on Massachusetts Avenue this week, be
certain that she is not in search of after
noon tea, but is out to take the tenn
The Washington times., 1902-01-12
: TTF FAR AND Eye SPECIALIST IN WASHINGTON SOCIETY," ::
ure of Mr.. walsh's statement.

perature of Mr.. Walsh's statement.
II women would realize that to select
wisely among old things requires genius
quite equal to the inventing of new ones.
they would not load themselves with an
cient armor and junk when they put
off, for the evening.
The present fad for covering pretty
necks with necklaces and dog collars
and chains is we'll enough for the woman
with gorgeous jewels, but when her less
fortunate competitors resort to gold and
silver antiques with links that suggest
an ordinary golf course and bunkers OF
canoes and carbuncles, it is time TO pro-
test.
At the diplomatic reception l counted
dozen pretty women whose appearance
was spoiled by heirlooms better fitted
for drawingrcom cabinets than Tor the
up-to-date Venus. Verify the neck OF
woman has this winter taken on new
and most unbecoming yoke.
The Washington times., 1902-01-12

overture form is the potpourri overture
with which you are familiar"
80 you have now finished your opera
and are happy"
Mr.. de Koven glanced at Inc quizzically.
My dear fellow. have always
thought that the writing of the work was
the least trouble, because you are by
yourself and you don't have to deal with
managers costumers, sign painters, ten
ors, and prima donnas-the last two form
ing class by themselves"
l saw at once that IL l we're to conclude
my interview without disturbing our
Dutch-Puritan composers habitual sang
froid had better pass this part of the
subject by in silence. For what he did
say (and he did not impose the seal of ST.
lence upon my lips) 1 commend him to the
tender mercies of that "class by them
selves" So 1 asked Mr.. de Koven this
broad question:
What is your idea of comic opera in
this country at the present day."
Another cigarette and more cogitation.
My work. said he, weighing each
word carefully, has been ali along form
ulated in an enicavor to produce a style
Of light musical piece which will be ac-
ceptable from its melody to the general
public and TO the musician from the way
the melody is treated and developed. and
I think that almost all my operas will be
found to be worked out along that
theory"
You did not arrive at once!" I re-
marked deferentially.
Times Have Changed.
Hardly. In 1887 Mr.. Smith and myself
produced our first piste. Begun 1t was
brought out by the Mccall opera com
pany. Some time before that Colonel Nc
Call said to me:
"'My dear de Koven, l cant think OF
producing your piece. II you had been
called Dinkelheimer or some other such
name l would do it in a minute. The
American public wants something foreign.
cat the time Begun was produced
there was nothing in this country In light
opera but pieces by modern French and
German composers and those of Sir Ar
The Washington times., 1902-01-12

and Baron SeckendCrf. No doubt they
were beautiful partners at Nellie Grant
ball They are clever and talky and sood
looking, but I go to balls to dance not to
talk The charm Of these men have ned
their feet and taken refuge in their brains
and brains show up best at taDIe' sou
know"
An amen chorus sounded from the rest
OF the girls and I remarked In revenge
for the "illegible scrawl scrutiny, IL
such men as you speak of go to debutante
balls and run after debutantes expecting
to capture wit they must be disappointed
for they catch nothing but nonsense. Ihe
finger bowls then damrened the araor oi
discussion and / went on to tea.
II was there l heard an up-to-date "o-
man say of Miss Edene Tisdel NO, she
is not what you call strictly beautiful
She is more than that-a perfect mooel
type. To quote the Parisians, she Is very
'posty;' very panty.
So, girls, if you want to attract atten-
The Washington times., 1902-01-12
AT lunchsons," quoth the debutantc,
"The menus certain 10 enchsnt,
II gossip ID the sauce piquante."

AT lunchsons," quoth the debutantc,
''The menus certain TO enchsnt
II gossip ID the sauce piquante.'
~ LESS the tongue Of woman, how
x she hits off truisms even in her
l. first season. I was the only full
blown exhibit at bud luncheon
early in the week. yet sat at the feet
of wisdom
The college graduate was talking about
the unwritten laws OF official etiquette.
There's the law, for instance, that never
sanctions the calling Of the Presidents
wife by her first name" said she. That
is the one point OF etiquette in which
Mrs. Cleveland is said TO have departed
from the path of absolute perfection. She
was very fond of her intimate friends and
often requested them TO call her by her
first name. | know she once made such
a request OF Mrs. General Greel=, who
was somewhat embarrassed in conse-
The Washington times., 1902-01-12

N EBoNAIR, cigarette in hand,
reclining leisurely in luxurious
- fauteuil in den" that might
have been decorated by Watteau.
Mr.. Reginald de Koven. writer Of songs,
composer of operas. litterateur. and man
Of the world" conversed wittily and in
structively with me for q full hour in
his charming home at Vermont Avenue
and n Street on the subject closest to his
heart-his meter. Only the afternoon be-
fore Mr. de Koven had conducted the first
r performance in the city which he has
chosen as his home, OF his lates. musl-
rcal work. Maid Marian"
One might have thought that the very
pronounced approval expressed by the
Washington public Of his new piece would
have elated its author. Such supposi-
tion, however, could only be entertained
by one to whom Mr.. de Koven's person
ality is an unknown quantity.
Mr.. de Koven is not gentleman given
to emotional elation. He has excellent
control of his nerves. and is by no means
like the usual type of musical composer.
He is always well groomed. and chooses his
tailor with fastidiousness and discretion.
He has an inimitable Bell and Budd air.
He is nothing if not practical, and / am
quite sure that he takes as much interest
in the financial as in the artistic success
of his productions. Perhaps, then, one
might describe Mr.. de Koven in this re-
spect as typical American composer"
No 'rapt ecstatic mood for him. There
is nothing dangerous On the one hand
or rhapsodic on the other about the man
or his methods.
A Matter of Hcredity.
De Koven, his name lit was originally
Van der Koren"), he gets from the
old Dutch stock Of which he is scion
a Dutch stock that dates back TO the Rev
olutionary days. His mother was Con-
necticut beauty-a Winthrop-and a Puri-
tan. The laws of heredity have worked
TO perfection in his case. Can't you see it
in his operas?
But TO get back to what Mr.. de Koven
would call "our locale" He had just
lighted cigarette when / explained the
object of my call. / wanted, ! told him,
to know how to make comic opera. Per-
haps some day might like TO try it my
self. He expressed a cheery willingness
The Washington times., 1902-01-12

is one Of the requisites Of comic opera
that 1t shall be conventional. l have heard
it said that Maid Marian is conventional
But there is a symphony FORM and there
is comic opera form,' and you have
got to adhere to it. OF course, there hes
got to be an opening musical chorus to
| each act, and there has got to be some
| musical close to each act. There should,
Of course, be three acts
do you think the best artistic results
are to be obtained by fitting the opera
to the individual artists or by writing an
opera because you want to write an opera
and have tie individuals fitted to it," 1
enquired, as De Koven lighted a fresh
cigarette.
THAT is rather an open question: he
replied after a few moments thought
Take, for instance, my two pieces Robin
Hood and Rob Roy The first one. Robin
Hood was actually written to the people
that the Bostonians had. Every person
they had was fitted with part. The sec
ond one. Rob Roy we wrote first and
then picked the people for the piece. The
difficulty in doing that is that you are
likely to have run in with the manage
ment, who Immediately say, We can't
afford this person for that part. or that
person for that part
"Then you think that it is really pro-
ductive OF the best results to cut your
operatic coat according to your artist
cloth?'
Precisely"
V5anted-A Story.
Then, resuming the thread OF the con-
versation, Mr.. de Koven continued:
"The next step toward the making Of
an opera is the selection Of the story,
which may be adapted to your locale or
not. as the case may be. A good story can
be fitted to almost any locale"
THAT is the work OF the ibrettist. OF
course?"
"Yes; Mr.. Smith submits a scenario to
any ideas as to an original opening or
closing / give them to Him. Then after
the scenario is finished we make a skele.-
ton musical scenario-that is to say, We
arrange what the different musical num-
bers shall be- We outline the substance
and general character of all the songs in
the piece. When we have done that then
we are ready to go to work"
AT last"
Another cigarette and Mr.. de Koven
went on:
when We came to Rob Roy we want
The Washington times., 1902-01-12

quence. Every adult member Of the
Presidents family should be formally
addressed"
Then it is the exception that proves
the rule" put in the convent girl. FOR
hear it is Theodore and Cabot between
the President and Senator Lodge. and
don't you remember how touching 1t was
when Senator Hanna saw President Nc
Kinley for the last time and he broke
down and called to his old friend VIII
HAM instead Of the President?
Rare instances of rare men, replied
the college graduate. Everybody knows
that the men make the laws and women
live up TO them" and SO the subject
dropped.
Then spake the dancing Gebutante:
"For city OF old beaux, commend me
to Washington. When my mother looked
over my dance card the morning after
The Washington times., 1902-01-12

tion, become poster type and tine ar
lists will all want to paint you.
/ was lunching at the Richmond We'd
nesday and had delightful chat with
Sol Smith Russell, who came into the din
ing room with the assistance Of two men.
Mr.. Russell is likely to rank with Robert
Louis Stevenson for patient, cheerful
endurance of ill-health. His smile never
fails and his wit flows in the same stream
OF humorous pathos that has appealed to
us for years across the footlight. Mr..
Russell, in his wheeling chair, is pleas
ant one to meet these sunny mornings.
He has a ready smile and bright greet
ing for everyone.
Mr.. Thomas F. Walsh is one of the
really charming, chatty men encountered
frequently in a Connecticut Avenue car
about five in the afternoon. He has
refreshing way of finding seats for women
and can carry on a conversation in spite
The Washington times., 1902-01-12

tion, become a poster type and tine ar
lists will all want to paint you.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-28
FOR RENT-STABLES.

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United STATES NAH. ROUTE,
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The STEAMER rSTEl.IE RASDALL-Daily. ~a-
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DOGS, CATS, ETC.

FOR SALE-CANARY BIRDS, $50 UP: PAR.
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&c. scHMID'S BIRD STORE. 712 18th st. NV.
noS-tfA
I HAVE PURCHASED THE PROPERTY AT eIIo
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equipped hospital for animals: large compart-
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Visitors welcome. d. E BUCKINGHAM. v. n. D.,
Prom. nolH-tf
DIR. CECIL FRENCH, EXPERT SPNuALIST
Diseases and Surgery OF the Dog and CAT
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LAND. HENRY 1. WEST. JOHN BIDDI.E. Com
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Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-28

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Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-28
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na28-tf.5
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LEGAL NOTICES.

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE DISTRICT
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johnson trustees. filed herein, OF the sale Of the
property described herein to Malcolm Hufty and
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this goth day Of November. A. ID. 1902, ordered
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for three successive weeks PRIOR to the date last
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BOARDING.

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BoARDING-0UT OF TOWN.

SURREY - MISS MCCARTHY, ExPERIENCkD
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The Lamar register., 1902-12-03

Washington, Dec. 1.-The annual
report of the secretary of war says
November 27, 1901. the date OF the
last annual report of the secretary oil
war. the army of the United states
consisted of 1888 officers and I6'oS4
enlisted men. In addition there were
4.336 men in the hospital corps; l'2
volunteer surgeons appointed for duty
in the Philippines; 4,973 native scouts
under the command of ninety-eight or
ficers in the Philippines. and twenty
five officers and S15 men of the Porto
Rico provisional regiment of infantry.
"The continued Improvement OF con-
ditions in the Philippines made posi-
BILE further reduction in the nelisted
strength of the army, which. by order
dated May 81, 1902, was fixed as FOL
lows:
Cavalry, 14.04O; artillery-coast 49,
1874. field $3.50. non-commissioned
staff and bands 32S, total 17,742; infan-
try, 29,SSO: engineer battalions ana
band, 1,2S2: additional strength for
troops stationed at the general service
and staff college. school Of application,
and legation guard. Pekin, China, 770;
enlisted men, staff departments, ETC.
2,TS3; total army, 66,i97.
"On October Is. 1902, the regular es-
tablishment consisted, according to
the latest reports which had been re-
ceived. of 1856 officers and 66,OO3 en-
listed men. total of 69,5S9. In addi-
ton there were 3,69S men OF the hos
pital corps; 1872 volunteer medical OIL
ficers; 4,97S Philippine scouts. under
command of 100 officers, and twenty
nine officers and $40 enlisted men OF
the Porto Rico provisional regiment
Since the ending of the insurrection
and the complete establishment of
civil government in the Philippines, 1t
has been possible to make still fur
ther reduction of the army, and on
October "a, 1902, an order was made
reducing the enlisted strength to 3d.
S66. as follows:
Cavalry, 1920; artillery-coast 49,
734, field $3.50, non-commissioned