The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-12-29

ing 10 sing again. Just hstenl ish
he perfectly splendid,'
The big bassc once again expands hi
chest beneath the heaving fawn,colore,
waistcoat. his immaculate coat tails ar,
visibly agitated, while his fingers olutel
under pearlgrey gloves, and seycra
hundred music students hold thei,
breath while he emits his, When th,
lprompter suddenly catches the Great
One mapping, and makes him sing The
lines again. the audience Is all but awe
struck, This thing happens, Of course
TO the duiTer who Is being coached fol
an amateur performance. but whoever
expected II in rehearsal involving oper
attic stars with international regulations
However even Homer no,ls perhaps
Nine. Louise Homer, at times and the
courtN Spanish noblcman who takes
bass parts In the San Carlo performances
may have now aud then moment of
forgetlulness. One OF the advantages
OF the laboratory method OF studying
grand opera Ia that besides attending
finished performances you are In at all
the rehearsah and see Just how every
boly in the caste. great AMI small, Is
coached into perfection OF form.
There are, now new opportunities in
this country for pursuing this labora
tory study ot The most dramatic Kind
|bf classical music, These fuf,hermare
are going 10 be greatly increased in .he
rear future. say the wise ones Grand
opera Is likely before long to be actu'
ally at home in this country. Up TO
now it has been only an exotic that IL.
except in New Orleans. New York. OF
course. has seen multitude OF prrsen
tions OF grand opera. under foreign
auspices, ever since the performance Of
The "Begger's Opera back in 1850,
A few Others OF the largest cities have
had now and then few days OF the
time of the op'm troupes that spend
most OF their American seasons In the
metropolis. where high society Is will.
Ing to sq,ander some OF the proceeds Of
high finance upon high priced boxes.
Most average Americans, even those
who are interested IN music, know
grand opera mainly by reading about
it. Only New CLEANS which first in.
troduced operas Of the French and
Italian school into America in 1901, has
had to its credit a practically unbroken
series OF annual performances under
local management. Comic opera, Of
course, has been Americanized long
since.
Just now there is likelihood that
permanent grand opera on broad
and non. sectional basis may
be maintained in this country, Boston
rather than New York serving as head
For the idea OF the San
Carlo opera company which has just
completed the first engagement OF its
second season in America wita three
weeks in Boston and which has now
started on its tour among the leading
centres of population, is to abolish the
Of grand opera hitherto held
by the rich, cutting in two the usual
prices for seats, as charged by the opera
house in New York, and starting a
scheme (which viii appeal to Americans
in all cities, with discrimination against
none.
IF Boston Is chosen as the centre from
which this plan Of grand opera for all
Americans will work, distinctly new
element will be introduced into Amer.
lean music. For the Puritan capital, al.
though in some respects, particularly as
regards musical composition and musical
educa ton, it has long been the leading
American centre, has always been weak
in chances to become familiar with grand
opera. New York deserves great credit
among American cities for having first
given encouragement TO enterprises Of
this kind originating abroad. For more
than century Gotham has patronized
successively long line Of famous opera
tic singers--to become familiar with
Manuel Garcia and his daughter Nine.
Malibran, Nine. Carradori Signorina
Borgbeye, Senior Marty, to say nothing
Of "the galaxy Of song birds'--to bor-
row favorite phrase of the press agents
whom Colonel Mapleson, Mr.. Grau, and
Mr.. Conried have introduced in later
years to the American public. And in
all this time Bostonians, and New Eng
land folk generally, have mainly grum-
blel at the price Of grand opera during