Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-31

like the native born French singers for
French opera. italian for italian, and
German for the German works. Very well.
we have given in. there, and we have ac-
cepted year after year foreigner after
foreigner, and have said nothing.
Then we have thrown at us the fact that
Nordica is an American singer, and Is
singing grand opera, so there! Well,
Nine. Nordica sans at a recent festival
In the city of Omaha, at a popular May
festival. and without for a moment
dlsparaging Nordica's brilliant name or
her work, is 1t not a strange fact that at
a May festival, for, of. and by the people,
that this American queen Of song did not
sing once during the whole program a
single line OF the language which we
ordinary people called Americans use!
Well, to resume-we have also been gra-
cious to the foreign element in the music
teaching field, as our great schools are full
OF foreign teachers, and also in the recital
field.
Now, in the name Of the Declaration OF
independence, and without any fireworks
or jingoism, l ask this question:: Are the
o~ratorio and concert artists of America to
be driven out of the held2"
The big artists will not learn the festival
works; they will only appear in groups of
songs, arias or selections from operas.
Is choral music in America to die?
Is America going crazy on the foreign
idea, so that even her annual festivals must
be stunted in growth, and snubbed, and
have all their winters work tossed flip
PANTY aside to make room for n foreign
grand opera singer. who is as much at home
on the concert stage as is the proverbial
fish on the proverbial real estate.
Continuing, the Springfield Republican
says:
This is the argument, and it has no little
weight, in favor OF the star system. II it
could be continued Indefinitely IL might be
very plausibly reasoned that even SEEM
ingly extravagant sums spent for a single
sololst can be justified by the increased
receipts and the Increased popularity OF the
festivals But the fact of the case Is that
the star system cannot be kept up indet-
nitely, and in the course of a few years 1t
| breaks down by its own weight. The radi-
cal defect in 1t is that II appeals not to love
for music. but to curiosity, and when curl
osity takes the form of desiring to see and
hear a certain ~hlgh-priced artist II is both
unfruitful and easily stated. suppose the
managers begin moderately, with a soprano
costing perhaps $1,000 a night, one of the
petted darlings of the New York grand
opera. Her name figures large in the ad-
| vertisements, and the public iiocks greedily
to see and hear the famous prima donna
with whose fame and personality the Sun
day newspapers have made them so IA
miliar. She sings a couple of snatches from
her favorite operas, and the audience is
worked up to a tremendous pitch of excite
ment. People fill every chair and standing
room is at a premium. The bills are paid,
and the festival is a success.
So far, well and good; but next Year, II
the 81, 900 soprano be ~re-engaged will stand
ing room again be at a premium? Every
manager who has had experience enough to
gauge the tckleness Of public taste knows
better than that. Al 1900 she might be
profitable, but not at $1,000, because there
are SO many people who are now able to say
that they have heard her, and do not care
to spend $3.50 or 81 TO hear her again. For
that matter, some one was heard to
say-she was a student of music at that
cert by. the Boston symphony orchestra
"Oh, l heard them when they were here
before That was seven years ago, to be
sure, but II would subsequently, for q
lifetime. So long as the motive appealed
to is curiosity and the vanity which makes
people desire to be able to say they have
seen this or that attraction, novelty is an
Indispensable requirement. So the mana
gers under the star system must by nc
means engage the favorite of last year, WHIT
was applauded for ten minutes to the
skies as though her welcome could nevei
grow cold. But they must on no accoun
get a less famous, singer, or people woulC
say. THE festival isn't quite as good a!
1t was last year, Is it?' The result OF THU
premium on stars. and new stars at that
is to send up their price. If the poo
things can only shine once in a given pro
vincial town, they are quite justified in put
/ lllk Oh II Sllth6s n z 9Ndl hAhoN ~
had. and the supply is limited, so the prize
the second year, let us say, is Woo. TIT
fqroro Is greater than before ana again IN
umph. The third year the managers hav,
to work harder than ever and II no spe
cially famous and transcendent soprano 1
to be had, they are obliged to heap on at
traction on another. Hence the "all-star'
festival. It is a triumphant affair, the hal
Is crowded and enthusiasm runs to feve
height. But the managers pull long faces
The scales ave been overweighted at last
and the balance topples to the wrong side
The expenditure has been too great for IN
returns, When I'm sheer desperation tn,
managers have been driven to invest S2,75
"a sum which should pay for two first
rate concerts-in two songs by a famou
prima donna, ms happened here in the cas-
OF Calve. Il is evident that the whole sys
But when the end Of the tether has beel
reached, when the top note OF the seal
has been struck, when the tiny galaxy o
stars Of the first magnitude has been ex
hausted-what course is left? The publ
ances. Attention has been distracted from
the solid work Of the festival, the orators
performances and the symphonies, and 4
The popular estimate the occasion Is gauge
by the most celebrated names on the bllls
When the star fever has ragged for n tern
riod Of that unfortunate condition whic
politicians call general apathy. sets IN
Then comes the crucial Tine and many
point. The people have been trained I
look for excitement, for ar. orgy OF persona
display TOT NldTlOtldS una kOfEtbuH ihIl
gowns and cleaning shoulders and rap
furious smiles and bouquets as big as flow
er beds. for the hysterical furore of count
less recalls and the delicious artfully pro
longcd excitement az to whether the div
will sing the encore which the tmpatien
accOmpsnist behind the scenes is alread
dog's-earing for the piano rack. Wlthou
these things n festival comes to seem du
indeed, and II takes years TO get over IN
demOralizing effects.
4 These are weighty words, and they ar
l as true as the ring Of the minted gold
! They are words for us all TO consider, an
? am very hankful that they were uttere
by such a conservative and old reliabl
: paper as the Republican OF Springfield
4 Mass.
Had the musical critic OF The Bee dare
to write the above he would have been aC
cused OF everything, under the genera
! imbecile word knocking" which is III
Z usual epithet in the mouths Of those genii
; sons OF leisure, who do nothing toward
8 those who endeavor to build up the bel
interests OF any community in any direC
ton whatsoever.
Now, let us hear the conclusion Of II
n whole matter. The Springfield paper cor
cludes thus:
Tho managers Of the Springfield festivI
i association are 10 be congratulated on haN