The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-20

liant success and are not engaged to
remain as permanent members Of the
company.
What becomes of the dazzling young
prima donna who accepts an engage
ment at the Metropolitan? This refers
to the young American who has been
discovered by some local singer or
teacher and educated to he the new
Sembrich or Destinn. Can any n
point out one of them on the Metro
pol!tan Opera stage al the present
moment?
The American singers who began
with prominent positions In the com
pany have occupied the same ones
since their dcbuts; they are to-day
precisely where they were at the start.
Thu others. such as Nine. Homer and
Mr.. Martin. had their positions In
Europe and were engaged because Of
records made over there.
The whole profession Of music Is
overstocked. Only the most extraor-
binary gifts and untiring industry can
reach the top. And it is "a profession
which knows no middle class. 1t is
top or bottom. You are in the front
rank or the ambulance. Good women
who are contemplating the education
of musical talents ought to tremble in
their shoes at the prodisious RESPONSE
bility which they are confronting.
The performance Of Debussy's ia
Mer" by the Boston =. mphony Or
chestra on Thursday evening induced
Philip Hale. the writer Of the pro-
gramme notes. to quote w. II. Henley
on the discovery Of the ocean by
Byron. who took il into his confidence
and opened his soul to II. There is
much description too in Byron. but
one MAJ doubt whether all Of /: rose
much higher than Bryant's one line.
odd oceans gray and melancholy
waste"
Mr.. Hale quotes from the excellent
programme notes of the Chicago or
Chestra, written by the distinguished
critic Felix BorOWski. "A list Of works
composed with the ocean as the sub
ject or suggestion. Mr.. Hale finds the
list incomplete and adds some works.
Neither he nor Mr.. Borowski recalled
Nlcode's remarkable tone poem "Das
Meer.'
The lists were confined to purely
orchestral works; but even this could
have properly included the creates,
e composition Of all. the overture
To The Fl! ing Dutchman." For while
the music d!scourses Of more than the
sea. Its foundation is the great deep
and h might OF its tumult. NJ
music has ever painted this with more
splendid e%loQuence than the wild rush
NJ Wagner's description.
The composer of Tristan und
Isolde" found other moods OF the SCI;
TO voice. for he presents us not only
with an idealized chantey in the first
act. but in the introduction to the
third he sings the loneliness Of an
empty ocean in heart wringing ac-
cents. Wagner had made "a storm,
voyage on a sailing vessel. and tina
is an experience which brings "A MAJ
TO Il closer communion with the sea
than even ii winter crossing Of the
North Atlantic when made in "a stee
leviathan of 10000 tons.
Those who go down 10 the sea IL
ships 20 much further when the raj
is not over fifteen or eighteen fee
from the water than when It Is thirtS
or forty. Shouldering the billow.
aside with the driving power of tripl,
screws gives one Il confidence of vic
tory which is quite absent when tn,
ship is reeling and staggering through
them under "A three reefed mittei
with the thumb brailed up" Wayne
might new have conceived the TEN
p%estuous parts of the Flying Dutch
man" overture if instead of sailini
for London from Pillau in a wind
jammer he had gone from Petrogra'
in the Czarevitch Alexei (~electr!
lights, stewardesses, &c.).
Doubtless to most people who Civ
attention to the doings Of the musica
world the important incident of tn
past week was the return OF Geral
, dine F'arrar to the Metropolitan Oper
J House. They must have been aston
ished at the want OF enthusiasm wit
which the Monday night audienc
, greeted her. There Is no definite rea
= son to be assigned for the cool an
r critical attitude Of the assembly. Som
Of those who discussed the subjec
r between acts were inclined to believ
that operag0ers wondered whether he
= art would show benefit or deteriora
\ ton from her experience as 4 movin
picture actress.
l But there was no ground for c,
- pecting the disclosure OF alteration
" caused by this new industry. Actin
l in opera has to conform itself to Il
music to such an extent that It lacI
Z precisely that freedom which is a fe;
e ture OF moving picture in%terpretatio
Naturally the incursiOn into the real
OF the photo play could not touc
! Nine. Farrar's singing.
The fact is. that there was nothir
n to show that she had been infiuenc,
e by her experiences as q pickering ST
Q Or a fiuttering bride. She was ju
= the same TOScH ~ she had been b
fore she performed in front OF Il
camera or was married. When it cau
to Carmen, the story WAS very di
p, ferent: but 1t has been fully told. VI
singing in "Tosca," however. was be
n ter than it had been In the latter pa
q of the previous season. Her vote
n which Is one Of great natural beaut
IL was in excellent condition, and al
i sang with much smoothness. II
l. "Vissi d'arte" was better deliver,
e than It usually is.
IF Her acting has suffered from owe
r praise. II has individuality OF sty
~ 1t is an expression OF her PERSONAL,
e. as all good acting must be. And IN
personality has always been somewh
e. addicted to whims and fancies. II