Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-20

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Ihat doesn't sound much like grand opera
'oes 1t? Rather more on the order of
Robin Hood" or Maid Marian? 1t is
the opening chorus from "The Canterbury
Pilgrims" the DeI<oven- Mackaye collabora-
toh' and If you are in the audience at the
metropolitan tonight you will hear il. You
WI be able TO judge if what Is called "the
lyric drahma" by the highbrows Is sus-
ceptible of ripping and tinkling metres of
lines that surge and swing. of melody
that ctachcs its tear of sentiment in the
dimple Of its laughter
Everyone, from George V. Hobart to
Philip II. Goepp, has had a fling at the
portentous seriousness Of grand opera,
either from the musical angle or that Of
the libretto.. So tonights performance. with
its barking back to English days of blunt
speech and coarse. wholesome iovs. is i'm
portant to Philadelphia fed up too often
with the sobs of Cano the death-ratte of
the cigarette girl of Seville, the hundred
and one morose and lugubrious episodes
in which composers delight
Fun AND I.OVE-MAKING
But more important than that. indeed, is
the fact that after abortve attempts by
such diverse characters as Horatio Parker
and Walter Damrosch, we are going to
hear and see a real opera i'm English" The
text of the work. which Mr. DeKoven COM
pleted in Nevey, Switzerland. amid, and
yet far from. wars and rumors of wars -
as he puts it, mixes its fun and its love
making. No one, save those who have
heard it, can say what "Thc Canterbury
Pilgrims" will prove to he like But. at
least. the composer has walked in the right
direction by choosing a genuine. continental
ly-unpoluted English theme--the story of
"our father Chaucer''-and lie has got a
man to write the lyrics and dialogue who
knows his pCncraft
The old, Ncxng questions Of whether
operate English is any more intelligihe
than "Recondita Ammonia" or 'Ah Fors c
LUZ will answer themselves in time, What
we do know is that here is a work. not
too grave, set to a capital, simple. primi-
tive story of amorous intrigue, with music
by the man who wrote Brown October
Ale" and the kindred gems from Robin
| Hood"
There is a strong chance that '"rhe Pill.
| grims' belongs more with Robin" thar
with "Cyramo de Bargerac" or the unla
mented Mona" These essays in ENG.
] ish opera" seem to have made the mis-.
| take of taking themselves too seriously
| "Cyrano' never got to Philadelphia. but
| the writer heard Mona" once The artis
| tic blcakness of it's score cannot he put into
phrases.
| COMPOSERS HOPES
Here it may not he amiss to quote Mr.
| De koven on opera in English:
| Just word in regard to the Engllsf
! language as a medium for opera and song
| AS Mr.. Gatti says. if a typical operate
audience i'm Italy. knowing it's own language
| and generally familiar with both text ant
| story of the operas, only expects to under
stand about half of the words as sung
/ owing to the very conditions of opera t=elf
| may it not be fairly asked If American
| audiences who go to hear operas in English
| expecting to understand every word. cx
| pect the impossible and should he mor
| reasonable in their demands?
| Again, | have always contended an,
| maintained that the English language, prop
erly used, is an entirely singable languag
| and as during the rehearsals of THE Can
terbury Pilgrims. none Of the artists SCENE,
to find any great difficulty in singing il
English beyond that inherent in a certain
lack of familiarity with the language itself
it looks as if my contention stands at leas
| a fair chance of being admitted" b. D.