The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-23

There was a very enjoyable dancing
party at the Union Pacific hotel last
night.
would be good if we insisted on hav-
ing good ones, instead of allowing
them to be made by any hack trans
lator who happened to turn his hand
to the task. The Germans get good
TRANSACTIONS from the French and
Italian, and we could get it from any
| language. The objection that If it
were sung we would not understand
it anyhow is all foolishness. Good
singers can learn to sing so that every
word can be understood, and they
would do it. if we let them under
stand we paid for nothing less. The
artists would object? Yes, because a
musical artists first business is to OBJ
ject to everything-that is the way
| they prove they are tempermental,
pay check stops. They tell us that
the English is not singa Bile. 1t is not
SO liquid as the Italian, but it has "a
greater strength than that language
by it's consonants. 1t is more singab
! than the German, and as much so as
the French. Geraldine Farrar says
that it is not adapted to song. Not
for her, to be sure, if she sings her
English as poorly as she does her
German"
Men will not sit through an OPP
era because they can not understand
it, and they refuse to pretend. They
will go to opera when they do under
stand. because the American man loves
big projects and enterprises, and
opera is the biggest thing in music.
1t is not true that the music is all
of opera. The music is incidental to
the drama, just as the lights and the
costumes are. You do not need to
know one note from another to like
grand opera. You get at the under
standing OF it through the door of
the drama, and in no other way. The
American people have been shut off
from opera by the veil of a foreign
language We know a great deal about
opera stars, but we know nothing of
opera. We have a false feeling that
if we enjoy a piece of music it lis not
quite up to standard There has been
too much twaddle and foolishness
talked about the divine art of music.
1t is no more a divine art than any
other piece of creative work well
done"
Mr.. Hubbard has his heart set upon
making the people of this country IA
miiiar with opera, and he has chosen
his method of reading the text in Eng
lish to his audiences and giving them
the music of it by his pianist He
takes with him Claude Gotthels. a
thoroughly competent and finished
musician. Mr.. Gotthels began last
nights program with two numbers by
List, Forrest Murmers and the Sixth
Hungarian Rhapsody. Mr.. Hubbard
then made his remarks on English
opera, insisting that whatever of the
fragrance of the poetry might be lost
in a translation, would be amply COM
penSated by a better understanding.
He read for the evening Norma
Wanna, adapted from Maeterlinck's
drama. The story is laid in the Italian
city Pisa in the fifteenth century, and
IS the tale of the saving of the city
by a princess Willingness to sacrifice
herself. The play has been given in
Boston and Chicago but otherwise is
practically unknown in this country
Mr.. Hubbard is a thorough going
musician; has been musical critic for
, some of the large papers, and has
| edited publication that is a sort of
musical encyclopedias, well known and
! much priced among musicians.
I. + +
The high school music contest is
attracting a great deal of attention
and the high school people especially
are interested in it's outcome. The
contest is held three evenings
this week at the Orpheum thea
S.las Mariner. The contest was put
on at the time the present reel was
staged, as the story is one that is
studied in the high schools, and is a
IdVorlte with nearly all of the stu
dents.
Those who entered the contest Mon
day night were: Miss Henrietta Price,
voice; Miss Juliette Hughes, violin;
Miss Margaret Rust, voice; Miss
Thelma Huston, reader; Alvan Battey,
voice, and Miss Inez Horner, piano.
There is a lot of musical talent
among the high school students, and
the contests into which they enter
from time to time have served to
stimulate and encourage their effort
The judges at last nights performance
were Miss Gladys Cav, Miss Jennie
Blinn and Miss Pennick. Those who
will serve as judges tonight are Dean
and Mrs. Horace Whitehouse, Miss
Mildred Hazelrigg and Mrs. E. D.
Clithero.
A ten-piece orchestra furnishes the
music for the evening. The contest
will continue tonight and Wednesday
night, and the prizes will be awarded
wednesday evening
]. !
Mrs. Terrence Ewart and sister. Miss
Alice Meade, entertained the children
of the Potwin kindergarten Monday
for little Sara Ewart in celebration of
her sixth birthday anniversary.
Mrs. r. Bauer, of Junction City, an