The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-09
NEWSTARS ADDED ID MANY ARTISTS
 FOR THE BIENNIAL
Announcement That Kitty Cheatham, Frances Aida, Frank LaForge and De- Koven Will Appear
 Is Gratifying

In the white light of concentrated bril- culty in recognizing individual lumnaries but no matter in what setting the music
 lovers of this land would immediately be
 caught by the names of Kitty Cheatham
 Frances Aida, Frank LaForge and Regi-
 nald DeKoven.
 Without these four the week of the tenth biennial convention of the National
 Fedora tion of Musical clubs, promised to
 be an event which would outshine any
 thing the south had ever known. But with the addition of these four names to the roster the promise becomes an assur- ance.
 Announcement was made yesterday that on Thursday of biennial week, Reginald DeKoven, author of "Canterbury Pill
 grims," Robin Hood, The Highway
 man. Maid Marian" Red Feather" and numerous other works, would deliver an address. His subject will be- Opera in English.
 After retirement from the world that lasted for more than year Mr. DeKoven
 burst forth into prominence again as the
 composer of Canterbury Pilgrims"
 which was produced recently at the Met
 tropolitan Grand Opera house. This op-
 era was the joint creation of himself
 and Percy Mackaye, who wrote the
 lebretto Canterbury Pilgrims was well
 up to grand opera pitch. It was pro-
 nounced an achievement and a great step
 forward in the movement for placing
 grand opera in English on a better foot
 ing.
 SOME OF THE STARS
 But Reginald DeKoven will probably
 always be known to music lovers as the
 author of Robin Hood," that immortal
 classic of light opera.
 kitty Cheatham in whose personality
 is vested the best traditions of vocal ut
 terance, is second to none in her hold
 upon the affections of the concert-going
 public of America Miss Cheatham's re-
 cent tour of the west brought her en-
 comiums of the most laudatory kind She
 has been pronounced the supreme artist
 the singer with the rich colorful natural
 organ and all of that artistry which is
 acquired through seduous and discr1m-
 mating intellectual effort.
 Miss Cheatham appears Thursday even- ing of biennial week with the Russian
 symphony orchestra.
 Next in importance to the announce ment that Madame Aida would sing in Birmingham, was the further announce ment that she would be accompanied by Frank IaForge, the master accompan- ist. the supreme poet of the piano, the
 deep- sighted intellectual and the gifted composer.
 Frank LaForge could have been pre- eminent in several fields As virtuoso he could have risen to the top rank-but because the comprehending accompanist was even rarer than the capable piano soloist he chosa to direct his efforts along this former line. When Frank La Forge plays an accompaniment the song is presented to the audience as whole. The accompaniment melts into the voice of the singer.
 LA FORGE TO BE ACCOMPANIST Frank IaForge will be the accompanst for the entire biennial week, and music lovers will be delighted to know that he will also play a group of his own songs Saturday night.
 And as for Mime. Alda-her reputation is estabished--has been established for a number of years. But with each pass ing season, she seems to read into her in- terpretative utterances 2 new significance and there seems to be new and ever fresh quality in her voice Her most recent success has been Francesca DaRimini, and it was said of her that she did the best work of her career in this. Henry Starr Richardson. writing in the Philadelphia Evening Star said of her. "She aptly suggests the wom- anliness and the lyric attractiveness of the Francesca of the poets. In her vari- ous gowns. each adapted to the scene, she makes charming personal appear ance. She sings the role with splendid vocalism and a fine appreciation of the lyric as well as the dramatic phrases of the part. Her. Francesca is pictorial. poetic and dramatic; it possesses charm. and grace and appeal, and may be att tested an entire success Mme Alda's programme for Saturday night of biennial week, is as follows: 1 Etude de Concert (McDowelD- Frank LaForge.
 2 Je ne sus quune Bergere Philidor) Amarilli (CaccinD; Nymphs and Shep- herds (PurcelD; My Lovely Celia (Mun- ro); The Lass With the Delicate Air (Dr. Arne)--Mme Aida.
 Sinulle (Ffnnish) (Merikanto); Keh- tolaulau (Finnish) (Jaernfeld); I'm Kahne (Greig); Deep River Burleigh); An Open Secret (Woodman)-Mme. Aida. 4. Romance UaForge); Gavotte Qa- Forge)-FranlS LaForge.
 5 Chanson Norvegienne Fourdrain); Fantoches (Debussy); I Came With a Song QaForge):, unrequited Love Q4a- Forge); Song of the Open QaForge)- Mme. Ada.
 6 In quelle Urine morbide Alinuetto
 (from ''Manon Lescaut" -Puccinl Mime.