The sun., 1919-04-13
GDAllCE GENTLE, CD
wv CoNTRALro ~
Some Authorities
Blame Lack of
Operate Stages
for Failure of War
Period to Develop
Stars at Home
MARY MElllSH, SoeSAxo


chiefly to Mr.. Gatti's American singers.
or course there Is reason why the
prima donna OF the United States has
grown scarcer. There are persons who
say quite openly that the lack OF op-
portunity to make their first steps in
Europe is responsible for the failure Of
any stars to develop recently. Geral-
dine Farrar began in Berlin. Then she
followed up this training with seasons
of more or less duration in Paris and
Monte Carlo. Mary Garden learned all
she knows in Paris and came to this
country fully equipped artist. She
did not make her preparation in Mr..
Hammerstein's opera house in West
Thirty fourth street Emma Eames
learned in Paris, and it was in France
that Louise Homer made herself an
artist. Lillian Nordica followed her
operate training in Italy with tours in
Russia and seasons in Russia and
London. She is another American who
was a finished artist when she arrived
at the Academy OF Music, although she
did go back to Germany to train her
self in the Wagnerian repertoire. This
has been the tradition of all the Ameri-
Use Kellogg and Emma Nevada down
to Geraldine F'arrar. They learned
their operatio lessons abroad before
they returned to take their places in
the hearts Of their countrymen.
Views of GfuIio Gatti-Casazza
Giulio Gatti-Casazza, as head of the
Metropolitan Opera House, is more in
formed than most of the authorities on
this subject. He gave a SUN reporter
the other day this expression of his
views:
you ask II the American singer
needs the training OF Europe before
coming to the Metropolitan Opera
House. The singers at the Metropoli-
tan must have training somewhere: 1t
is not a place Of preparation. Its
standard is 80 high, its traditions so
exacting that its stage is only for the
finished artist. 1t is not that I as i'm
presario alone demand that the singers
who sustain the leading roles in the
representa- tons on the stage Of Amer
icas opera house should be artists of
the first rank. The American public
insists that only the best talent be en-
ployed there, and that this talent
should be developed by experience.
"And the stage of the Metropolitan
Opera House is not the place in which
that experience should be acquired.
There are smaller stages for begin
ners. Here they may learn to take
their first artistic steps. Here they
may acquire the familiarity with
routine which enables them to reveal
their natural talents at their best.
Here without the inspection of severe
judges accustomed only to the best
they may acquire the poise which alone
enables the singer to show his or her
gifts, musical and dramatic, in the
brilliancy that comes from all freedom
from the thought of the means they
employ. I intend by this to describe
come from the knowledge that they
can use every talent they have TO tho
best advantage without worrying over
the problems Of the inexperienced be-
ginner.
II would not say, therefore, that the
American singer needs Europe any
more than every singer OF any
nationality needs Europe, II by that
one means the place in which the first
steps may be taken with the greatest
advantage to the artist. There are
no facilities at the Metropolitan Opera
House for training beginners. II
would SO interfere with the report ,ire
as to be impossible. Suppose, for in
stance, a new soprano was TO appear
as GiIdd and had never sung the role
before II would be imDossihla IN
summon the company TO rehearsals
until she had learned the opera. It
would be necessary to interrupt the
regular routine OF performances and
rehearsals in order that the singers
could appear at sufficient rehearsals 10
teach the necessary acting and en-
semble singing to the soprano. OF
course such an institution as this
opera house could not be conducted
in this way for a season of five
months. Think Of the time that would
lbe wasted in teaching the beginners