Omaha daily bee., 1919-03-23
By HENRIETTA M. REEFS.

m HERE is big week ahead oil
us unsteady this week. Other
opera companies may firt
with us from time TO time, but it
takes the San Carlo company to be
constant and true. Each year it
pays us visit. Each year the
company is improved, either by the
addition Of some new stars, larger
chorus, new scenery or other inter
esting detail. The company has
been playing to record houses in the
west and it made a distinct success
in Los Angeles, playing to a total
Of Sal 900. The change from the
Auditorium to the Boyd theater this
year will make more intimate feel
ing between the company and the
audience than was possible in the
larger hall. The operas to be pre-
scented are found in another place
in this paper. They are mostly
well known operas in Omaha with
the exception of Martha" Satur-
day afternoon. In the hands of the
San Carlo, and under the direction
Of Mr.. Gallo, these operas cannot
idIt W nave d iliuolldl dllu llitClCSl-
ing presentation.
I've got an idea. Now don't waste
time being amazed or congratu-
lating me or wondering how on
earth it could have happened, or
where | got it-but read on and see
what you think of it,
There is lot Of talk going on
about the Municipal auditorium. 1t
is not exactly civic triumph as it
is, and the talk is about either fixing
1t up or getting new one.
Let us do one or the other, but if
we are going to half-build another
auditorium and leave our city strewn
with half-finished public buildings
let US not try to begin on new
one but go on and finish the first
one. However, that is another mat
ter, not to be discussed at present.
While we are at it, whatever we
do, let us raise from $4,000 to $780,
600 more, and install in it wonder
full pipe organi Why not2 Let us
look for a minute at Denver. Den
yer last year installed IN the Munich
pal auditorium an $4,000 pipe Or
gan.
The Municipal auditorium at Den
yer by the way, is remarkable
building which can be converted in
an hour from a, beautiful theater
seating 5000 people to great con-
cert hall accommodating 10000
This organ has all conceivable at
tachments. grand piano, xylophone,
chimes, glockenspiel, whistles, drums,
four vox humana stops, etc, over
and above wide variety of diapa-
son, flute and reed stops. 1t is
equipped to ravish the soul Of the
musical and the I'm usical alike. 1t
can be used in connection with any
convention which visits Denver, and
more than that it provides for NUM-
cipal concerts the year round. And
this great organ with all its variety
of effect and with a volume great
er than that Of great orchestra,
only requires one man to play It,
Denver has a municipal organist
at the salary of $1,000 a year. Or
gan recitals are given in the winter
10 dltcIIldtG Will Ddllu COliSCI 10 lClu
in the parks in the summer. Just
the other day l read an article stat
ing that Denver had appointed a
music commission, the first city in
the country to do this. Also that
over 1000 people heard the great
French organist Bonnet in recital
OIL this organ.
8
Omaha has had taste of what
it means to have fine organ in the
city since the many organ recitals
which have been so generously
given at the First Presbyterian
church upon the Willard memorial
organ installed there. In spite OF
the series of recitals given by Mrs.
Zabriskic last year, and those of two
visiting organlsts, interest in these
recitals continues, and the church
always finds it necessary to add ex-
ira chairs to accommodate the audi
tors.
Let us look again at Denver. How
did Denver manage to get this WON
derful organ, which continues to
draw crowds to its moderator priced
recitals? In the first place, Mayor
Speer had $4,000 appropriated by
the city some years ago and fthe