The sun., 1910-05-08

conditions cannot b. brought into any
actual relationship with their hfe Or
thought. The Italian opera In Germany
in the seventeenth century was not mOrs
foreign 20 the people than the polyglOt
opera az the METROPOLITAN is TO the people
% New York.
Does anybldy fancy that operagOers as
sume an art attitude toward the spsFaP fou
have only 10 listen 20 the comments made
by the most fastidiOua of the Subscribers.
They 90 10 the opera lata and mast Of
them depart early. Their interest centres
In what they vaguely describe a. the
performance Even this word Ia abused.
What do these good people. and for the
matter Of that most Of the newspaper
commentators mean by the psrfOrm-
anoe'p
The FIRST aud vital question In regard
10 Il appears 10 be whether all the singers
were in good voice n they we're, then
the most important element in the per
formance' il satisfactory. The next
question Invariably Ia. How did you Ike
Dcstinn as GiOoORddg- or Did you like
Miss FaFrar a. Toscd'- We have lately
risen 10 q new height where In the proud
dignity Of our swiftly acquired knoWledge
We ask. How did you like To~canim .
conducting Of Die Meistersinger
None OF these questions betFays the
existence Of a real artistic spirit. Indeed
few u thOss who AJAX and answer these
inquiries Posseas even the simple tech-
meal knoWledge which would enable the'n
to speak with Judgment. The vast amount
Of Ignorance in regard 10 ths art OF sanE-
ing which 10 revealed In the opera house
is astounding.
A. Tor the conducting OF an opsra.
few " any Of the habitual attendants have
any clear knowledge OF what the duties
Of a conductor actually are. stlil leas 90
they possess such an acquaintance with
the scores Of tho operas and the Purpossa
Of their composers as would enable them
20 prOnOunoe an Intelligent opinion a.
10 a conductors interpretation.
There 10 a pleasing dsl'laion that any
woman who took piano lessons when she
was Al school and who has a fairly good
keyboard technic or VINO received singing
lessons and can warbls Tosti's '0ood-by
or some sweet thing by Maud Valerie
White Understands music. whatever that
indstsrminate phrase may mean. What
Il seems 10 mean IL that tho person TO
whom il is attached 10 q musician.
Another stand which has more assump-
ton Of authority 10 that Of the man who
says: 4 have been going 10 the opera for
thirty years. aud assure you that last
nights performance Of la GiOconda
was the hest ! ever heard. THIS man
really seems 20 know some things, but
when YOU question him he position in
regard % lyric art IL precisely the same
a. that of the other people. Il 10 for him
merely a matter of this or that sinEer's
voice ard this or that conductors treat
ment ol such OF such a finale.
Oi the larger aspects of the ART orea-
tions offered tO them theas OpeEAgoinG
people rarely display even q suspicion.
Thay neither know nor care anything about
such matters. They ara Interested only
IN -ths performances. and IN that only
in 20 far a. thoss particulars are conosrned
which furnish their two hours q enter
tainment.
n YOU sit in an opera house IN Germany
YOU will End an apprcciable percentage
81 the audiences interested in the work
itself in its school. in its construction.
in the means by hich the composer neeka
20 interpret the emotional moods Of the
drama. in the merging Of the Individual
ties % the singers and even the conductor
isomsJimesl IN tho general plan Of inter
probation
Among these people you will find
many who can talk about the music with
understanding no. a. mere piAnists Who
can perhaps sit down and pick Il out on
the keys To be sure you meet In Ger
many, in Austria, in Hungary. in Francs
and In Italy vast deal oi ignorance but
II IL not the ruling factor. II is not CLAIMANT
and authoritative. II does not parade
itself in the highways and proclaim IT,
self the arbiter elegantiaTum
Il is possible that Ne shall IN time reach
a level II culture even higher than that
now 70 he found in Europe, but It cannot
be- until We have assumed different
attitude toward musical art We must
fret oi all rid ourselves Of the idea thai
We confer favor on a great master by
permitting him TO write an opera for "
We have this bearing al present and Il Il
ridiculous.
We must return 20 that state in which
people who have nothing bat money
good manners and social position 20 com
mend them 20 the consideration Of hu.
maDitv ara Willing IN Hsten resDsctf,Il,