New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-01
ONLY SUPERLATIVE ART
Regardless Of Nativity That Is What Ii.
Metropolitan Must Offer
To the Editor OF The Tribune.

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir There is much that is just in FN
Ms TRADE in The Tribune Of February q
against operate snobbery especially his re.
gret for the untimely failure Of the Inflated
Aborn enterprise.
But he himself exhibits a proync:alsrn a,
deplorable as the snobbery he attacks when
he belittles the art OF gifted foreign singer
and insists on the substitution Of home.
grown talent for word-recognized genius in
house whose standards forbid any IN
judged patriotic" experimentation. The
Metropolitan should be the home OF only
world acknowledged superlative art, whether
the source of that art is America or not
Art, after all is not matter Of nationality
A great voice belongs as much 10 the world
land just as truly to America as to any other
country as the immortal compositions Of
the worlds great composers
If +. y. VI. is so bent on Americanzing the
Metropolitan stage, why does he exult 50
wildly over the criticism directed against ore
of the very representatives OF America on
the Metropolitan stage? Should he not
rather Of he wishes to be CONSISTENCY exult
that the Metropolitan did open its doors 70
singer Of undeniabe American birth. the
daughter of Sid Farrar, an oldtimc baseball
star? In this case | am inclined TO ioin
with him in regretting that one particular
American should be a member Of that proud
galaxy. For how does Miss Farrar. this
American singer, repay the recognition OF
Americas greatest opera house? Ev refus-
ing 10 stand up while 1.-THE Star-Spsngled
Banner was being played as was recently
reported!
Yet F. y. w., in his champonirg Of an
American" singer with not very American
sounding name Edith Helena)-a singer
with a voice fine and well trained enough,
but with nothing OF the miraculous about IL
secs fit TO belittle Nine Barrientoss voice,
voice the like of which has not yet been
heard on the Metropolitan stage or in this
country!
One can understand ard sympathize with
F. n. Ms bitter disappointment however.
The worthy soul probably went 20 hear Bar.
rientos expecting to be soul.satisfyiugly
deafened by the immortal Carus and 20 have
his eardrums delciously shattered by the
high shreks OF soprano with Csrus's
own welkin-rnglng powers. And behold
what does he hear? A miraculous slender
silver thread of a voice; infinitely flexible
infinitely sweet capable Of taking n note in
high as true az If sounded on a masters
violin but light enough 10 be drowned
out" at times by the hard working Mr.
Carus giving the public It's moneys worth
of his expensive and expansive tenor.
should like TO wager that Mr.. a.. despite
his sterling and strenuous "Amercansm,"
would not venture 10 suggest an American
tenor to take Mr. Caruso's place. Why?
Simply because he very obviously measures
the worth Of q voice b. how much there BE-
Of il; because he is 50 overawed and print
lively impressed by the terrific volume OF
voice like Carusos that he is totally incapa-
bic of approaching a voice that, despite he
Brightness is no less than a miracle, ono OF
natures phenomena rare and exquisite
thing that is priceless because o. its exotic,
unique quality.
To belittle Nine Barrientoss voice simply
because she happened 70 be born IN Spain is
pure chauvnism. The world has aoknowl-
edged her greatness. Countries where ma
tivity counts for nothing, and where the
average musical intelligence az well g. stand
ards Of criticism are undenably higher than
ours, have accepted Nine. Barrentos as one
of the greatest coloratura sopranos produced
by any age. Nine. BarrientOs did not got 20
the Metropolitan through priucely peocadl-
loes or other forms Of that 'prcss-agentry
to which F. y. NJ. justly objects She rs
there because Of legitimate curiosity on the
part of the public to hear voice acclaimed
a miraculous gift, and a laudable desire on
the part Of the management TO bring TO this
country any artist by hearing whom our own
aspirants may profit and the standard Of
general taste may be raised
There would not be any field for American
singers, there would not be such institutions
in existence as the Boston, Chicago, Phila-
delphia, Cincinnati and San Francisco Opera
companies, if the Metropolitan had not prsc-
tically created taste for grand opera IN
this country by bringing the worlds great
est singers here TO force appreciation Of that
greatest of music by the sheer strength Of
genius so great that the most untutorod
must bow before IL.
There is plenty of scope for American art
lists on the stages of the institutions which
the example Of the Metropolitan brought into
being. And there have been and viii be
American singers on the stage OF the Metro
pol an itself, which is ever ready 20 re-
ceive them when they have reached the
stature Of the vocal giants singing there.
T. D. G.
New York. Feb. 26, 1917