The sun., 1919-02-23
New Roles Must Directly Inflame Her.
as Debussy's "Melisande" Did,
or She'll Ignore Them @%

And now you ask me how ! study
my roles? Here in this room or in my
rooms in Paris or Scotland, with an
accompanist and never with a coach.
have never since my salad days
learned the traditional way to act or
move upon the stage. While l am
singing l close my eyes and see the
stage with the other singers and my
self in series of cinematographic
pictures. The action passes and I
move as I am impelled. What ges-
lures l shall make after the score
reaches the stage are the gestures that
these pictures taught me. I don't deal
in big words--T am a simple common
sense mortal and prefer to be such.
but the Mary Garden who Is talking
quietly TO you in this room is not the
Mary Garden who goes out on the
stage.
Next Ambition Is Vague.
If the ensemble is not permitted to
follow the scenes as they have been
projected to me. then the effect is lost.
But this happens rarely. I do not like
to impose my personality on the ASSOC
ciate artists, and as a matter OF fact
1t is not my personality that is i'm
posed, but its simulacre. Usually when
IL is a question OF a role that I have
myself created l have courage enough
to ask that the other people try my
way. 1t is really very little trouble.
Lest l seem very egotstic, do
let me say that my next ambition.
which is deliCiously vague as yet, has
absolutely nothing TO do with a per-
sonal career. Don't laugh. but / have
a wild desire to interest capital
Qsn't that the word?) to build and
inaugurate in this city. this great and
splendid New York. another temple OF
music. Leave TO the Metropolitan the
art of bel conto, but let me have my
dream of music hall or opera house
here built on modern lines fittingly to
| hQSSS modcrp&lsic drama,
II would If | could do utterly away
| with that Cilded proscenium which has
como down from italian tradition; the
stage should extend quite across the
| width of the building and lose itself in
| forest, If 1t held an outdoor scene, or
| the walls OF the room when interior
action was progressing. Lights and
changes of light should be suggested
| by wells that should mingle when Oh
security was desirable. as at the close
OF what We now call acts. None OF
my singers should ever come so close
TO their hearers as to establish a per-
sonal equation outside OF their roles
There should be no more bowling and
scraping, no more flowers handed over
the footlights. Indeed. there should be
no footlights.
1T isn't all so impractical as i,
seems. Some of the ideas are not
mine but were tried out by the Won
derful Mr.. Gordon Craig and created &
sensation. And on this splendid, per
fectly equipped modern stage only
modern music drama should be played
the kind that stirs the heart of com
posers OF to-day. The music writer
fifty, sixty, eighty years ago is lovely
] love TO hear 1t, but II belongs in thu
past, or when some voice rises up a
1t were out of the past fit to SIM
those roles. But. the music drami
written oae OF the souls ct living mcr
needs some such invcstiturc as hav,
ventured to dream.
'Is there one man, one immensel.
rich man, who would prefer spending
his money in this way TO buying pic
lures at 100000 per canvas: TIL
lpicture buyeri hangs these cSau's!t