The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-01-28
MUSICAL EVENTS

America has witnessed epocha musical events within the
stage Of Maurice Maeterncs Blue Bird by the Metropolitan
Grand Opera company New York and the other the first pres
entaton of the late Reginald de kovens rip Van Wrinkle BY
the Chicago Grand Opera company.
Maetenck, the author OF the Blue Bird crossed the At
antc to witness the production and he shown signal hono
The ship which he arrived BY apane dressed p
70 represent an enormous buebird and for time the color
scheme OF New York blue The opera magnicently
staged the OF the Metropolitan spared neither money
nor pans IN his preparations Everything possible done
make 1t 1t society and the boxes the
great theater adazze with rich jewels splendid orchestra
interpreted the music and the singers carefully selected
In spite OF it all the cities treated the production without
enthusiasm and with cordaty Many OF them were dis
posed find fault especially with the singers who were said
70 have been not themselves and appeared amaeurish VOLTS
score said to be vvacoS catchy euphonous sweet but
this not enough The opera proved to be more or less
failure New York critics always nab Judges either
OF the drama the opera and their judgment final When
Gerhardt Hauptmanns play Die Weber instance was first
presented ago. the critics pronounced it socasc
drama written by anarchist This nonsense The pay
presented strike and the mees which occasoned the
mseries which 1t occasoned with strong argument showing the
solidarity OF the people insisting that Il my brothers keeper
Hannele by the dramatist the same fate but
ume mas shown the error of the critics and time their
verdict on the Blue Bird What Maeterinck thought of the
production he has informed the public Some are OF the oDn
ION that he secretly reoices in its failure Maetenc music
eccenrcy of greatness no means uncommon The GREAT
DR. Johnson felt that he had great concession when he
said that music is the least unpleasant OF noises Edmund
Burke constituted that music inflicted pain on him CAR
rick could not give hearing Alexander Pope
who ped in numbers would rather hear barrel organ the
or Maeterincks Peeas ct Melsande which fame and
fortune for both author and composer and Maetern would
never treat him civly afterward
The first production OF the Blue Bird was social but not
musical event but different Chicago When an Aner
can grand opera based American theme and sung chiefly
Dy American singers presented the long demand genuine
American opera had been met De koven weknown Aner
who had endeared himself the hearts of the American
PIE by his previous efforts which he selected foreign themes
IKE Robin Hood with its never-to-be forgotten Promise
Me- Here was an American grand opera words music bv
an American and the music not imitation the music
any other country. 1t been ideally American or
II bepin rrnfe
thing that doubt destined grow expand and flourish until
we develop an American music for the as we have done
Tor the lyric stage This will give native singers and native
teachers an opportunity to show what they can do
German and Austrian musical productions are not in favor
on this side of the Atlantic the present time and the Italians
produced IN that land OF melody Other nations the same
thing and opera by Puccn gets New York London and
Petrograd as it gets Milan or Venice
The world has depended long Tor its supply Of
hghclass music that home development retarded With
the initial success OF rip Van Wrinkle" start has been made
operas Many American themes have been handled by fr
brettsts and composers Victor Herbert among the nuh
herbert an American citizen but born and bred an ,hnan
The opera OF the future this will home production
ana national music likely be created and developed in hc
near future "
Which reminds that when Memphis COMPLETES her oro,
auditorium capable Of seating 5000 1900 people we can hear
these great productions musical dramatic for small miro
OF admission Only the fortunate few afford t hear these
productions at the time because the limited CAPACITY
OF the theaters EN- thousand people dollar apiece will
the biggest productions the road and many s,eri
tons will if 10000 attend at y cents head Ono tI
helps another and all together clsprc build IN the city
Some OF these days great American productions will Omen ~
Memphis, real American CITY rather than in New York ar chi
cago, which are cosmopolitan