The sun., 1919-03-16

~PP w hiiiA ~ hO IIleu 10 get nj
these ladies.
II would not get them at ALL" |
Now to the reader of musical COM ,
ment not in the least interested in the |
technics of music this will appear to |
be strictly mechanical matter. That
IL true, but on the other hand this |
drawn down mouth Is the outward and
visible sign Of a wretchedly poor quail
tty of tone 1t is the danger flag which
the altered character Of the voice in its
upper scale hangs out to explain why
the change takes place.
Among the male singers the wide
open mouth is the similar sign. 1t
need not be accompanied by SO much
drawing back OF the corners. Now
there are some highly paid and ex-
travagantly praised singers who pull
their mouths open in this violent man.
ner and yet who would be greatly as
tonished If told that every time they
do II they put nails in the collins of
their voices.
OF course singers do not lose their
voices. That Is to say they do not be-
come voiceless. The total loss of voice,
unless through laundering opera
ton, as in the case of Miss Bori, is al
most unheard Of. But the destruction
OF the original beauty of the voice. or
to be more precise the loss Of its quail
fly, Is so common as to pass almost
without notice.
There Is no voice among the list Of
Metropolitan Opera House favorites
which has not changed in quality in
ten years. Those which have been
most Ill treated have made the great
est change. And this kind of altera-
ton is always for the worse. 1t would
bo cruel and could serve no good pur-
pose to be more definite. But let the
younger generation Of operagoers keep
their eyes on the youthful singers
who are now singing their upper tones
by sheer brute force and observe what
- deterioration these voices show In five
years.
The violent drawing back Of the cor
ners of the mouth with the accompa-
nying pull on the muscles of the throat
Is the outward and visible sign OF the
production of the high tones by mere
force.
They do not have to be produced
that way, and when they are so pro-
duced they lack the natural beauty
found in the medium of the same
voice What a pity! And it makes
singing so laborious to do 1t this way,
whereas to do 1t the right way is not
half SO much effort and the results
are so much more beautiful.
One wonders why operagoerS do not
more insistently demand beauty of
tone. They go to the opera principally
20 hear great singers, and they ac-
cept them as great even when they
are singing most unmusically. Why2
Are operagoers tone deaf? One can
not believe that to be the case. Yet
there must be some mysterious power
in sheer loudness. When the audi
forum Of the Metropolitan shakes with
piercing screams OF some desperate
soprano OF vibrates with the brazen
trumpetings OF some rash tenor the
people respond with glad acclama-
lions.
When the general manager, unable
to unearth more operas built on the
power plant system. reverts to Gluck
Or Mozart and the singers begin to
deliver themselves OF long. smooth,
elegant phrases couched in accents
Of dignity and breathing the soul of
artistic repose, the people heave signs,
squirm in their seats and clap their
hands alphabetically and merely be-
cause It Is the American custom to
applaud.
One often wonders what the people
regard as beauty. Possibly they have
accepted the sophistry OF 'Voltaire,
"Le tout est beau, parce que tout est
vrai." This Is a most evasive asser-
ton, which permits a commentator to
argue the beauty OF a brownstone
house as an indisputable fact and TO
demonstrate to general satisfaction
that a bag OF Degas is as good as a
muse of Romano.
Beauty What is It? A hundred
philosophers have~Iefined n, but the
average man believes It to be entirely
matter OF opinion, and as for the aver
age woman. she knows it is. For what
does she say to her sister woman when
the twain are dissecting a third sister:
DO you think she Is pretty2"
And there you are. It is just a uues-
zion OF What one thinks. which in this
case must be translated by the obsolete
verb "opines" In song there is as
suredly no standard In the mind of the
general public. One may sing an en-
tire act Of opera out Of tune and vet
be applauded TO the echo. He may