The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-17
ADVERTISEMENTS l PROVED ONE THING. America Can Produce Great
 Singers DISCUSS BARRY CASE William Harris Smile Is Thing That Goes On Forever-Reginald De
 Koven Just Works When
 He Feels Like It
DISCUSS BARRY CASE
By JAMES GRANT THuRsToN

By JAMES GRANT THURsToN
 New York December 16.-(Special) ) oscar Hammerstein has done one thing with his new opera house in London which will entitle him to high place in the musical and dramatic history of the English speaking race. He has driven home the fact that continental Europe has no monoply either on voices or the training of voices and in this way has brought the time measurably nearer when we shall have the very best Of grand opera in English, sung by men and women to whom English is their native tongue.
 America is the great voice produc ing country of the world. Only Austria today Is turning out singers of any thing like equal quality and not near- ly in such quantity" declares Putnam Griswold, the American basso, who has been singing abroad for some years and who made successful Metropol- itan opera house debut at Hagan in oetterdaemmerung"
 American singers are making their way abroad as successfully as they are at home, often in the face of great prejudices and jealousies.- In fact, an American singer can make his way in Europe only by reason of a good choice Inferior native artists may be tolerated and acclaimed, but an American inter loper? Never.
 i"Do I think the climate responsible for the superiority of the American voice? Well, hardly, because our sue cessful singers come from all over the country, from Maine to Texas and from New York to California, and within these boundaries the climate is as var jed as that of all Europe No. It is to the native intelligence that inevit- ably seeks the best way and the short est way to accomplish anything. The foreigner who comes here quickly ab- sorbs the idea. Take, for instance, the Italian teacher with whom I am study ing to perfect my Italian diction. He has not been long in America but I could not make progress with him nearly as quickly in Italy as here. He admits that the American atmos- phere has stimulated him to new and more direct methods
 Our crying need in America is a na. tional conservatory of music What are our rich philanthropists thinking about that they do not establish one? There
 
 citation for the man or the men who will found one. Why should our young men and women students be driven to Europe to study singing? It would be much easier for them and better for them if they could learn their lessons at home. The temptation for frivoling and idling and dissipating in foreign countries is great. l have seen instances of failures leading to want and worse among American students abroad nu- merous enough to convince me that there is another side to the charge against the rapacity and false pretenses and promises of foreign teachers"
 Here is an excellent idea for some of our rich men who are interested in music and there are plenty of them able and willing to finance such a scheme prop erly.
 Broadway is still discussing the case of Richard Barry of the writei and the players club.
 It is the opinion of most of the actor people that MT. Barry has won a barren victory in having the courts compel his retirement in the club. The general feel ing is expressed by Frank E. Mackay, a director of the club and one of the old est and most highly respected men in the profession. Mr. Mackay says:
 Association in the Players club means a mental eonditional-that condition has been lost to MT. Barry"
 court may issue command controls ing physical condition, but no court can compel the players to associate men, tally with MT. Barry His winning, then, Is merely a skeleton, If he likes to hug the bones of a skeleton, let him hug The mental association is passed beyond his reach.'
 Productions may come and produc- tions may go, but William Harris smile goes on forever. In the midst of season already notable for it's calamities. with the dead and wounded falling all around him. the veteran manager, who is still the most boyish of his colleagues, smiles on and ever on. No matter what the outlook may be to other students of the theatrical situation, MT. Harris tranquility is not disturbed and he is absolutely compla- cent over the prevailing scheme of things.
 Every season about this time' says MT. Harris. we hear the same old story of bad business and distressing prospects. And every season about this time it is more or less true. There comes always Thanksgiving week, and there comes always the three succeed ing weeks. The latter period, coming
 
 dull. Then the holidays arrive and everything is rosy again.
 "The public is not at fault for any slump which theatricals may be suf- fering. The public is spending more money for amusements than ever be- fore in the history of New York, or of the entire country for that matter. 1t will continue to spend more as time goes on. The only trouble is that the money thus spent is more widely dis tributed than heretofore
 Yet there are too many theatres too many for any but the best shows Such thing as a fair attraction is of the past. There is no fair busi- ness any more It is good or 1t is very bad. :
 The test really will come In Janu- ary The good shows will continue to do big business and the poor shows haven't got q chance. Personally I feel sanguine about the outlook
 Since MT. Harris is interested in dozens of theatres and attractions and has hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, his comparatively cheerful view of the outlook should be consol- ing to managers of minor importance
 Reginald De Koven, who perhaps is one of America's most prolific com posers. is one of those who never works unless he feels like doing so.