New-York tribune., 1919-08-10

Oscar Hun1n1erstein

and his French campaign. cannot
tell, because / do not know what was
in the minds of Mr.. Kahn and Mr.,
Gatti in the summer of 1908; but two
things are obvious now--the inclusion
OF English opera in the Metropolitan's
policy was essential to the interna-
tional ideal which had been proclaimed
by the establishment years before, and
It's presence there now is direct
fruit of the war With the sound Of
the German language become hateful
in American ears, substitute had to
be found, either in French or English.
Common sense, tact, practicability and
patriotism combined to suggest the
adoption of the latter. Hence we shall
now have Italian and French operas
in their original tongues and German
II the vornacular--let US hope, also,
the additions which may be made to
the Russian list.
Was Mr. Hammerstein musical? I
do not know. Nothing that he ever said
tc me in the many years Of our ac-
qualntance indicated that he mad
knowledge Of music or fondness for it
in any form except the operatc When
he talked to me about opera it was
profes sional showmans talk. His OBJ
session to produce opera-an obsession
which he was fond Of procaiming,
perhaps because it was good adver-
tising stuff, and the odor of printers
ink was as incense to his nostrils-
came upon him as it has come upon q
multitude Of men of all classes Of
playshing from it's birth) has had
place upon the public stage. Noble
men have yielded to it and so have
Wallets, walters and cooks. The psy.
chology involved is comprehendcd
largely by the psychology Of specula
tion and gambling. The instances in
which men have been led into the
career by solely artistic paths are few
and are more often found in COM
binations OF men inspired by social
aims or public spirit (like the Metro
politan Opera Company than IN in
dividual entrepreneurs. OF the impre-
sarios whom J have known. only
Marctzek, Maurice Strakosch and Maple
sen were professional musicians. Il
do not count DR.. Leopold Damrosch, be-
cause he was only the administrative
agent OF the owners Of the opera house,
or Walter Damrosch. because his wis
dom saved him from being long en-
meshed in managerial snares.) Ma
retzek became composer and con-
ductor in his native Austria because
he could not endure the horrors OF the
dissecting room when he began the
study of medicine, which he had orig
inally chosen to be his vocation. Stra-
kosch w@s pianist who had studied
at the Vienna Conservatory; he wa: a
teacher in New York until he went to
Europe SIS agent for his sister law,
Adelina Patti. AS an operate manager.
believe. he began when, with his
brother, Max, he took charge of the
Apollo Theatre in Rome. Mapleson was
student at the Royal Academy in Lon
don in his youth and was public sing
er for while and also an orchestral
viola player Perhaps | ought to in
clude Dippel in this list, but singers
are not commonly looked upon as
musicians by the musical profession
(Dr. Won Bulow, it will be recalled,
even refused to recognize tenors as
men: they are disease" was his
dictum) Ullmann, of the early days
Of the Academy of Music, was musical,
| think, and Thalberg, his associate in
one disastrous season, surely was, for
he was one Of the greatest pianoforte
virtuosi that ever lived. They were
before my time, however-that is be-
fore | became & writer for the new s.
papers Henry E. Abbey, was genuine
~ fond OF music and played the cornct
in the band of his native town, Akron,
Ohio; but, like ammerstein, Conried
and others, he was drawn into the
ope eratic maelstrom by other theatrical
ventures.
Maurice Grau may be said to have
grown up in the lyric theatre. but he
never professed t. have knowledge Of
music. Unlike the professor OF the