New-York tribune., 1919-11-09
Music By and For Americans
81 R%R @H0<o

years to learn the American language
had he desired to do so. Nine. Ober
made her debut at the Metropolitan
Opera House on November 21, 1918;
Carl Braun his on February 8, 1918,
and Hermann We'll his on November II.
1911. Nine. Ober sang in Mr.. De-
Koven's English "Canterburv Pilgrims 50
and so did Johannes Sembach, who was
associated with Goritz, Braun and We'll
IN their efforts to give German concerts
when the people were first aroused
against them Mr.. Sembach was men,
Der of the Star Company, though he did
not take part in the four performances
given under police protection. Had it
entered into the purposes of these peo-
PIE to remain permanently in America
1T is plausible theory that they would
have sought to acquire an American way
OF contemplating the world and not
maintained their isolation as mission
ers of Teutonic art.
We do not say that it was their duty
to learn to sing in English, though
1T might have been wise of them to
DO so. What kept them out of the
metropolitan pale was their exclusive
Ieutonlsm. Mines. Matzenauer ana
Hempel remained in the company be-
cause they were useful in other fields
than the German, though both were by
nativity enemy aliens. Nine. Kurt, who
lost her contract with Nine Obcr and
her male colleagues, has retained the
respect which the others have forfeited,
because she maintained a dignified re-
tirement during the days of military
ectivlty and returned to Germany as
soon as she could. She did not pro
claim from the housetops that Ger
man opera in the German tongue is
the sole hope and medium of artistic
salvation for America. Nine. Matte
nauer is singing Wagnerian scenes and
German lyrics in English on her con-
cert tour. The propaganda which she
IS making is for good art, not for
the narrow German conception of art,
and when she returns to the Metro
politan Opera House in January she
will be as cordially welcome as she
has been during the war period, which
did not end her activities.
The operate problem will be worked
out satisfactorily, no doubt, by the
Metropolitan directors and Mr.. Gatti,
even though a considerable period of
time is consumed in the solution The
introduction of opera in the vernacular
composed by Americans was in the
last instance a necessary war measure,
but we believe that the purpose
to put English opera into the in
ternational scheme as conceived twelve
years ago was an honest purpose. 1t
is pity that it was not more con-
sistently, persistently and wisely pur-
sued in the interim which elapsed be-
tween "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "The
Canterbury Pilgrims" but the inclu-
sion of English works is bound to be a
part of the company's policy hereafter
There Is nothing novel or revolution
airy about it in either of it's two phases
the production of English and Amer
lean compositions, or Of performances
of foreign works in the English tongue
Both are as old as the cultivation of
opera in America.
German Opera a Century Ago
Had the Star company performed
"Der Freischiitz" the incident would
have served to call attention to the fact
that Wcber's opera in an English dress
antedates the performances which
mark the beginning of Italian opera
in America. Garcia's troupe came to
the Park Theater in November, 1925,
but "Der Freischutz" was performed
in the same house on March 2 of the
same year. The opera was only four
years old at the time, and it is inter
estlng to know that one of the operas
which has been performed at the Met
ropolitan Opera House is a German
work which had performances in New
York in English thirty-one years be-
fore it was heard here in its original
tongue. Der Freischiitz" was brought
forward for the first time in German in
New York in 1856. Evidently there
was nothing amiss with the apprecia-
tion of "Deutsche Kunst" on the part of
American or English managers and
singers ninety-fve years ago. But this
has only historical and sidewise bear
ing on the question in hand.
A Trial Court for American Composers
The circumstance has been deplored
by this writer that the operas by ma
tive composers which have been ad-
mitted to the repertory of the Metro
politan Opera House were shclved
after q few hearings without giving
the authors an opportunity to amend
their deficiencies by revision. Had
this been done we believe that "Mona"
and "Cyrano de Bergerac" would have
had longer career and would have
helped to create standard by which
American composers could gauge what
is demanded of them. How the Amer
lean operas Of the last two years were
chosen we do not know. 1t Is, of
course, not practicable to give ade-
quate. trial performances to operas,
though music and text might at least
have an audible reading. Mr. Gatti
lent his stage and forces for such a
reading OF one act of "Natoma," which
had been written for Hammerstein.
We do not believe that Mr.. Gatti's
Judgment was worse than that of Mr..
Dippel., who succeeded in creating
more interest than the opera deserved
when he brought 1t out with the Chi
oPhiladelpha forces.
1t Is different matter with in
strumental works and Mr. Bodanzky
deserves we'll at the hands of American
musicians and the public for having
planned a work of trial rehearsals for
such works by the New Symphony Or
chestra. The conditions of these ex-
perimental performances may be read
elsewhere in this journal One ex-
cellent result may be predicted in ad-
vance. Ambitious but inexperienced