The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-30

the point, having nothing said about
him.
The discoveries which the Broadway
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS made in the cellar
OF the Princess Theatre. where Macs
tro Max Hershfeld takes refuge be-
tween acts. were therefore in the
nature of revelations. Particularly the
answer to the question: Are musical
comedy conductors human" One does
not expect Nietsche "a bob up in the
midst Of Very Good Eddie" but he
did just the same when Mr.. Hirsch-
field quoted. Human, all too human"
But I'm afraid you don't mite get
me- SO to speak," e%lucidated the scien-
tifc investigator, what / am driving
at is TO-
"Oh. yes. l get YOU perfectly" he
interrupted, stated bluntly. what you
want 10 know is how !. a middle aged
husband, night after night. week after
week and month after month. can sit
up there In my conductors chair and
let a stageful of pretty and fasci-
mating girls fiirt with me with no
serious damage u heart or fireslde.
It's a question that has been asked
every musical conductor who @
waved n baton and the answer has
in substance always been tsis:
"They who work in confectionery
shops never taste candy"
Then TOO the relation Of the musi-
cal conductor TO the production in
general Is. in the very nature OF
things, a most impersonal one. In
the case Of Very Good Eddie where
the orchestra occupies he hidden
and submerged recess under the stage.
the conductor is the only visible
source OF the music both 10 the audi
ence and to the players. A large
part Of my present job consists in
being the link between those on top
of the boards and those in under.
The musicians. submerged as they
are. cannot hear a single word that
In being spoken or sung above. II
by chance Alice Dovey or Anna
Orr were to sing a little off key or
the chorus fall into any one OF several
catastrophes which are likely to hap
pen even in the best regulated musi-
cal production the orchestra has no
way Of knowing it save by such signs
as the musical conductors presence
of mind suggests. When such a con-
tretemps occurs 1t is up to him to
come to the rescue. covering up the
faux pas as best he can and sending
out telepathic encouragement to the
stumbling singer 30 as to keep him
or her from growing panicky until
everything In again in harmony.
"For instance. on our first night here
one OF the young ladies In n ervou
panic jumped into her number right
in the middle OF the prelude. Under
the, circumstances it might ave been
a fatal catastrophe. but fortunately.
| being a first night. my musicians
were on the alert for Just such a con-
tingency, and at a certain given sign
| from mo began playing for time as
| the saying Is. By sheer good luck the
| girl, In her stage fright, did not be-
come aware OF what was taking place,
and the tune being absolutely new and
unfamiliar to the audience the latter
also remained b~lissfully ignorant.
After four or Ave bars Of playing
for time a cue from me enabled the
musicians 10 pick up The score where
they had dropped 1t and all went
we'll.
"They should worry
Jerome Kern. the composer. told
me later in the evening, however. that
! he had In those few terrible moments
| died a thousand deaths. The guilty
| young lady singer. whose success vas
| unqualified. at the end OF the perform
ance shook . deDrecatNg nnger 1t me