Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-18
ARE WE STRAFING
GERMAN MUSIC?
Problem of Producing Enemy
Opera" Is Again Seriously
Discussed


FTNliAT aged bee nationality in music, Is
L buzzing again in tho public bonnet.
Time and again have writer's strlven 10
prove, sometimes with partisan vim some
| times coolly, that there could be no question
about the propriety OF producing enemy
| allen musical works" In war periods. And
| just as certainly some one else has refused
TO let the question rest. what do we care
whether an opera was composed by Ger
man If It's good opera ?" asks A. 10 which
b rejoins that every dash thing the black
Germans ever wrote ought to he put out of
! the way SO it goes.
| Even in France, the land OF artistic
| sanity, there were outcres against the per.
! formancc Of German musical works in the
carly days of the war. Wagner, the wagner
| who wrote some Of the most inspired of his
| lesh-cNalting music for Paris, Wagner
| whose works were staples OF the weekly
| roster in the great pillared building which
nearly brushes shoulders with the Cafe de
la Paix-wagncr was attacked Beethoven
whose Teutonic breadth of line has blinded
| many to his Belgian ethnology. was at
| tackled. England Joined in the ltany of ma
tions against all German art That ltany
was iustifiable on emotional il not cerebral,
grounds.
The United states singular catholcty
| In such matters is n thing of record. In
this country we have shown almost as
! MUCH tolerance of German music, even since
April, 1917, as We have of the local Rund-
schaus or Of their editors doings. Is II
possible however, now that We are in the
thick Of it, that most German music will
be put on the American slide? Arc we
going to sidestcp as much German music
as possible. while retaining our regard and
love for the truly great mon and their
writings?
The Why's Of Importation
The question is bred largely 10y the sea-
son announcement. yesterday, of the Met
ropoltan company, which provides Phila-
delphia with most of its operatic material
every year. Mr. Gatti-Casazza's prospectus
Of the forthcoming operatic year certainly
points to an abatement of German importa-
tons. Perhaps this is partially due to the
Metropolitans inability 10 get what it wants
abroad Perhaps it is partially due to
the Nets" unwillngness TO risk its dollars
and its diplomacy on so perilous venture.
Also, please remember that Mr., Gatu is
a member of that race which has been
making it hot for Austria.
His prospectus is an amusing and en-
tightening evidence of the trend Of the
times. Six novelties are promised. Two are
by Americans, one by an Italian, one by Il
Frenchmau, one by Russian. Germany is |
not mentioned her sole claim to an operatic |
grip on the United States being the an |
nouncemcnt OF a work by a Hungarian. But !
besides Messrs. Cadman and Gilbert, Signor |
Mascagni, Monsieur Rabaud and the Slav. |
Rimsky- -Korsaliow Herr Liszt makes very |
poor showing indeed, though personally he /
is always welcome for his scarlet talents. |
In revivals, naturally the Central En-
pires stand about as they did i'm statu quo ,
ante. Wagner sees to that. His ring
will be sung and those other works ranging |
from "rannhdeuser" TO "rristan.' There
is also mention of "the usual number" of |
other German works TO be given meaning
sci and Gretel" The Entente, however
mas II larger quota, WIN ltS MOntCmeHHl,
Donizetti, Verdi Gounod and Meyerbeer.
Just where may Cor may noD this poten-
tal nationalist spirit in opera lead Us? Will
it, as Mr., De Kovcn and other intelligent
hope, lead us to "A fruitful culti-
walton Of native creative ability? viii we
be able 70 shake ourselves free Of we decide
We want to) from German opera? The
query is not without its persistence. For
after the war there is bound to be tre-
unquenchable detestaton oc
things Germanic, even IF they arc only
vaguely so and uniformed by any spirit
Of frighttulness. Undoubtedly no one will
want to give up Wagner for he wrote not
for a little group Of stubborn Junlicrs but
for the world, and wherever five senses and
that sixth sense, called the soul. exist. his
music will be relished. Like the Latin poet.
life was his oyster. out OF it he drew the
great pearl Of melody that has made him
HoU hoDt Rritoino