The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-04

Socially Birmingham has been dull in
deed the past few days. With the cele-
bration of the Walker-Latady wedding
interest in fashionable activities appeared
TO cease, and Madam Modish again re-
turned to those intellectual pursuits which
have lately found their outlet and express
sion in the Griggs lecture course. AS
usual with The spring engamenet of DR..
Griggs other matters assumed second
place. and not only the clubwomen, but
practically all of the cultured women OF
Birmingham made an especial effort 10
hear at least one or more of his lectures
and other duties and other pleasures were
sbondoned for the time being. So the
aprearance of DR.. Griggs was to cer-
tain extent the cause of the cessation OF
social activities. During the one to come,
however. the prospect seems hardly
brighter. With The exception OF MIS-
vinans Freemans large reception ana
dance there are few events OF purely
social nature in prospect.
The symphony concerts tomorrow and
Tuesday promise to draw exceptionally
good audiences. A number CT people from
neighboring cities will come in for one
or two productions music students, espe-
cially. anticipating the programmes with
keerest pleasure
The sale of seats for tomorrow night
when Mrs. Truman Aldrich, Jr., formerly
of this city, will be the piano soloist has
begun with most gratifying results. Mrs
Aldrich has attained recognition as an
artist among audiences coldly critical
and in no way Influenced by personal es-
teem AS evidence of this she has en-
gagements TO play with almost every
large orchestis in the country next sea-
son. Some time ago this ambitious young
Alabama woman passed out of the anna
teur class and has gained recognition as
a professional.
More and more noticeable each season,
Birminghams musical appreciation has
become a fixed quantity, and it is small
doubt that any artistic venture such as
the concerts which Miss Edgel Adams
has so cleverly managed, will fail to prove
box office success.
Apropos of affairs musical, a writer in
a recent eastern periodical pleads for
cheaper opera and new music, stating
some very sound facts. He says that the
mistake most people make who attempt
cheap opera lies in thinking that the pub
lie for cheap opera wants bad opera. In
reality this section of the public has great
musical taste infinitely greater than the
conglomerate taste of the Metropolitan
subscribers. You cannot put them Off
with the stale old Italian operas which
are generally foisted upon them. 1t has
taken years of heavy losses to persuade
even the Metropolitan Opera company
that intelligent people want a little new
music now and then Given a Melba or
Tetrazinni you can make Lucia or
''Traviata' go at the Metropolitan, but
YOU cannot make even the unmusical box
holders swallow them without a big star,
If some young and enthusiastic conduc-
tor of the Beecham type would only ap-
proach the people of small means with
good modern opera, lie might find it pos
sible to make it pay. Since he could not
afford star prices, let him avoid stars
altogether. and spend most of his money
on the orchestra. With really fine Or
chestra and a good conductor and n
house of reasonable proportions and new
operas, he could make an appeal to the
immense throng of music lovers in Amer
ica without any great singers at all, and
then America wAnld become a training
ground for her own singers Why should
Mary Garden and Geraldine Farrar and
Putnam Griswold and a host of others
have to go abroad and sing for years for
small pay when they might just as Nell
he singing at home? There is no country
in the world that has more vocal talent
than America. Yet we hardly ever hear
our own singers when their voices are
Young and fresh. They have 20 go abroad
first and make reputation. With all
our splendid material and large music
loving public, opera ought to be a great
national institution. AT present it is
nothing but an eoxtic; a plaything of the