The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-14

Isl at the disposal Of the Journal,
CO. Nine. announces her
I&tgI change of creed in the following
49, words: Melody is the thing;
Wagner not the only god
And now let me make a confession she
goes on. ut has come to pass that 1 no
longer regard Richard Wagner as the only
musical god. Persons who regard him so
will cover their faces and lament, but never
mind. / am happy because of having out
grown what 1 now regard as a fallacy.
Eye all. who believe in melody, come TO
my arms; let us laugh and ju~bilate-after
all is said and done. melody is the thing
II know that thousands will condemn me
for what 1 have said and for what l am go
ing TO say. but defy them; all music low
ers shall know that Lilli Lehman loves
melody more than ever, melody and again
melody. Henceforth melody is my creed.
my religion, for melody is truth set to
music. and I adore truth.
Let me tell you how it all happened.
Some little time ago 1 was pursuaded 10
sing La Traviata' in Berlin, an opera 1 had
not suns for ever so long. Accordingly l
studied it anew and, to my surprise, with
ever increasing enthusiasm. Friends, call
me childish. if you will felt like bathing
in an ocean of pure joy and happiness while
interpreting the old melodies so full of nat
ural warmth and musical sweetness.
Five times | sang La Traviata,' and
for many months before and afterwards
was intoxicated with the food of melodies.
Yes, l cried. thinking Of Verdi. the master.
cried tears of sentiment and gratitude. All,
how his melodies, simple and grand, go to
the heart. No child should be allowed to
grow up without this real hearts balm.
Wagner enthusiasts will refuse to under
stand me-; perhaps they cannot. At any
rate, they Will condemn me. no matter what
my arguments are. But to them and to all
interested in music / wish to say that my
return to the love of melody made me UNI
~speakably happy. Doubtless there are many
who think like myself without having the
courage TO say so. For my part, / feel
much relieved by this confession and do not
hesitate to say:
Melody alone is pure music; let them
compose whatever they will. l do not care
for style or names, melody alone is music
And my old friend Richard Wagner loved
melody, loved Mozart. All. those good old
days of melody-how easily it came TO mu-
steal writers long, long ago.
Here in Paris we have enjoyed of late a
musical treat such as 1 INDUCED in but once
before-in America, when Seidl conducted
his great Parsifal concert at the Brooklyn
Academy of Music.
1.-THE present leader. Reynoldo Hahn. had
prepared long and earnestly for the task,
a twelvemonth or longer. Everything ever
written about Don Juan in any language,
and at any time, he had read. He had con-
suited with all the living masters of the
baton, with all the singers, old and new,
that knew anything about this work and
melody. Never, perhaps, was artist better
prepared to lead an artistic performance.
Hahn is a young man. enthusiastic. stu
dious, full of rare talent and magnetism.
Massenet trained him. The conductor knew
his Mozart backwards, and every one of
the performers knew him, too. Unde sue
circumstances only, an ideal performance
is possible.
THE SINGERS IN DON JUAN"
Mime. Nordica had promised TO sing
'Elvira,' but sent her regrets at the last
moment. Nine. De We're, whom l learned to
appreciate during my various visits to the
United States, as a musical singer, jumped
into the breach and acquitted herself re-
markably we'll. She is one of the few ar
lists who can always be relied on.
"'Zerline' was sung by Mile. Lellaire,
Bonci sang 'Octavio.' 1 liked Bonci, but
must upbraid him severely for smuggling in
some Italian frills in the second of his
arias. 1t was a stealthy piece of business,
wholly against the wishes and intentions of
the conductor. Aside from that, Boncis
singing was exquisite. We sang the original
text on Dapontes. a better libretto has never
been written, and the French singers had
mastered the language thoroughly. The
names of the bassos / have forgotten. They
were very good. The orchestra consisted of
forty-five select pieces, every man an artist.
Their information was simply perfect.
THE Don Juan concert took place at the
Nouvertu Theater. There were few empty
seats during the first two nights. The third
evening people fought for tickets. and after
that we might have played another twenty
nights to standing room only.
"And now let me say without reserve that,
to my mind, there is no music like Mozart's
Don Juan none whatever.
LAS intimated, the arrangements were
wholly untheatrical. The ~soloists were seat