Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-08
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS
Weekly Comment on Things
Musical in Discriminating
Philadelphia

AHttuutsP'''"
TN this column last Saturday, appeared
l. a short article on the relation OF the
sololst TO music in general, ana WIN
special reference to the part taken by
soloIsts now and formerly In attracting
audiences to tho concerts of the great
orchestras. After IL was written the
writer had interview with John
O'Sullivan. the tenor of the Chicago
Opera Company. Mr.. o'Sullivan had not
seen tho article. nor was the subject
brought up Intentionally, but his views
on the operatic star arc so interesting
and so revolutionary, considering the
fact that Mr. o'Sullivan himself comes
within that classification, that they arc
well worth setting down Mr.. O'Sulli-
van holds that the star" system is on
the wane in opera and that the audi
ences here as In the domain of absolute
: music, should go TO hear the music
rather than to hear the performer.
There are no operate stars IN
France" said Mr.. OSullivan. "A singer
just sings a role and he Is just a sort
ter how important his role may be.
Even the prima donna and the heroic
tenor are only parts OF the ensemble.
Here in America, however, 1t seems
to be different. One would think from
the receptions that the stars receive that
operas were written for prima donnas
or tenors and that they were staged for
the stars, and that the public comes to
see them for the sake of the stars and
not for the music"
YTIIS seems like radical talk from an
J. operatic star himself, but it shows
the healthier state of mind which is
beginning to prevail toward music even
in professional circles. 1t Is undoubt-
edly true that formerly operas were
written for the stars, and this was SO
much the case that 1t was not until
the time of Rossinl that composers them
selves wrote out the embellishments TO
the principal arias, and even Rossini
did not do this in his earlier works. 1t
was not until he found that he could
not safely trust to the good taste of
all the stars TO put in the correct en-
bellishments that he wrote In his own
As has been said in the earlier days
Of the opera the works were composed
for the stars, and it was the abuses that
grew up under this system that led to
10 be necessary to save this art form
from partial, II not total destruction.
Mr.. OSullivan, in commenting on this
, said that while there is no longer any
danger of such consequences, neverthe-
less the undue prominence of the star
leads the composer to write for an OBJ
jective other than that of producing the
most consistent and beautiful music
possible, and that music which best
carries out the dramatic and emotional
ideas of the subject of the opera libretto.
He says that in his opinion. Debussy's
"Pelleas and Meisande" is the greatest
of all French operas an opinion In
which he Is by no means alone. lie
said further that Debussy. before his
death. finished several short operas,
One of them Is THE Fall Of the House
of Usher" based upon the story of the
same name by Edgar Allan Poe The
Paris Opera has announced for early
presentation also an opera based upon
play of Gabrielle d dAnnunzio which De-
busy completed very shortly before his
death
TNHE death roll among musicians for
i the year 1918 shows some prominent
names, among them, Arrigo Boito. the
italian composer and for years the IL
brettist of Verdi; Claude Debussy, the
principal composer of the modern French
school; Caesar Cui, the Russian; Sir
Hubert Parry. the Englshman and
wassili Safonoff, the famous Russian
conductor
OF these, easily the most prominent
Is Debussy. whose works have
now been generally accepted all over the
world. Like all innovators, he had a
hard struggle to become known, but
he lived to see his work acclaimed
What his permanent position in com
position in it's broadest sense will be
cannot be foretold at this time, but there
can be no doubt that much of what he
did Is permanent He was an atmos-
pheric writer and of an exceedingly re-
mote and isolated musical personality
Ee has many followers among the mod
ern French composers but no one ever
got close enough to his methods to be.
come more than mere follower.
Boito Is thus far known as an actual
composer chiefly by his opera
'Mefstofelc." although he has the dis.
tinction of having composed the musi.
est mystery Of many years. This is
his famous opera, ."Nerone." based
upon the life of that Roman Emperor
VINO. tradition says, fiddled while Rom,
was burning. The work. 1t is said
has been finished for a long time. but
has never been produced, although this
10 given as one of the chief reasons fol
the long sojourn abroad of Toscanini
1t Is said that he will not return to this
country until he has produced the opera
Boito's friendship with Verdi led hin
10 do less composing than he woulC
otherwise doubtless have done, for
being a man of much literary ability
ne became Verdi's lbrettst in lateI
years and prepared the librettos fol
"otello" and "Falstaff." Verdi, It is ais,
said, used the manuscript score of tn,
mysterious "Nerone'' to sit upon at IN,
piano while engaged upon the compost
tion OF "Falstaff"
CAESAR CUI is good bit bette
" known in his own country than here
although some Of his compositions arr
familiar to American concert goers. II,
was one of the leaders of the Neo
Russian school, and did much to furthe
tho interests OF tho followers of tina
school. He was a man whose influenc,
on composers OF greater abilities THAI
he had himself was by no means small
and much OF his own musical personalit.
lives In the work of others.
Russia also lost one of her most fam
Gus conductors, wassili Safonoff He wa
in this country for time as conducto
of the New York Philharmonic an,
gave some very remarkable readings o
modern Russian compositions. notab
the Sixth (Pathetique) Symphony o
Tschaikowsky.
u-nuiand Ioat Sir Hubert IT Darr,