New-York tribune., 1920-07-25

ing of popular" has been somewhat
detected. 1t was decided early in the
season to attempt music of the same
grade as that given in the winter. In
terspersing the so-called popular
pieces with classical numbers was done
away with and high standard adhered
to. This good music, the management
found, was really popular" Even
gala nights were not necessary, al
though many of them have been given
in order to make the concerts a sue
cess. The orchestral concerts without
the added drawing cards of soloists
have drawn a distinctive audience and
have crowded the Stadium in some
cases to capacity.
The crowd itself has become one of
the interesting points of study. There
is always 8 strong Jewish element.
These people crave music and come
early and sit through the concerts de-
votedly. On Martinelli night and
nights when there have been other
stars of their nationality there is a
strong Italian element in the audience.
Wagner draws the Germans, AS we'll as
the usual audience, which is attracted
by plain orchestral programs.
Democracy and simplicity, relaxation
we might say, are the moods of the
audience. Evening dress is rather out
of place. The tired business man and
woman are much in evidence Listen
ers apparently worn out with hot days
at the Office, professional people, come
from the neighborhood and from down
town and Brooklyn to sit with closed
eyes, leaning back against the hard
steps for an hours music at the end
of a sordid day.
Although the concerts we're started
with the view of furnishing music at
low rates to persons who might not
otherwise have the opportunity of hear
ing good things, the cheap seats are the
| least popular. The center section
where seats are 81 on gala nights is
always filled before the outlying wings
where seats are so cents. The 25 cent
seats are never filed, except when the
Stadium is crowded to capacity.
1t was believed when the long list of
underwriters was procured that the
concerts could not be made to pay, The
Music League of the Peoples Institute
carried through the scheme of under
writing the season for $4,000. Mrs
Louise Ryals de Cravioto, financial
secretary of the organization, did
large part of this work. Besides the
list of underwriters, there Is long
list of contributors, whose names will
be published soon.
In discussing the halfway point in
the season Mrs. Charles S. Guggen-
heimer, one of the chairmen of the
joint committees managing the con-
certs, said yesterday:
Nothing has pleased me so much as
the knowledge that after four weeks of
these concerts New York has really
and thoroughly appreciated them. We
had the idea when we brought Mr..
Walter Henry Rothwell from Los An
geies and gave him carte blanche for
an orchestra of nearly 100 pieces that
music of the very first order, such as
Anton Seidl and Theodore Thomas
used to give in the New York of long
ago, was what New York wanted to-day
not the popular music, not music
| that would be a concession to movie
fans but exactly the same quality Of
music as that one goes to hear in the
great concert halls Of New York and
abroad during the winter.
when you come to consider that de-
| spite all the bad weather our audiences.
seven nights week, have averaged
around 5000, you will see, I believe,
that our ideas were right, that music
like this is what New York longed for.
l am glad that we could give it and
prove cur belief in both the music
and the audiences"
Of singers from the Metropolitan
Opera House there have been ten to
sing before the stadium audiences pp
to this time. Nicola Zerola sang last
night Other soloists have included
Rosa Ponselle, Martinell and Harold
Bauer. Many musicians attend the con-
certs and seem to prefer sitting in the
obscurity of the grandstand to making
themselves known by taking boxes or
having tables on the field
Directly a concert is over the thou
sands of persons attending crowd the
subways and surface cars of the
neighborhood. Buses carrying con-
certgoers back and forth along River
side Drive, st. Nicholas and Convent
Avenues have proved popular. These
| special stadium busses are an innova-
tion of the last week.
! Tonight Anna Fitziu heads the bill.
her numbers being an aria from Henry
Hadley's "Azora" and the "Vissi
d'Arte" from Puccini's "Tosca.o There
| are many other interesting solo
features for the week Monday has
young pianist Lucille Oliver, who is
pupil of Ethel Leginska, and Martin
/ Richardson, tenor. Tuesday likewise
has two soloists announced Sonya
/ fergin, soprano, and Fred Patton, bass.
On Wednesday Helena Marsh, contral-
/ to, is TO sing and Thursday is to have