El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-09-11

GIANT LnTIS closes her second season Of outdoor sum
- mer opera with balance Of $4,000 ABOVE expenses;
$4,000 paid admissions yielded $4,000 gross reeps 5ut
tbs total admissions 10000, including hnea nee
admissions to schools and institutions ana 10 ehoIen
Fortv-sight performances given In eight weeks
Besides several Of the always popular Gll1eIL 9
oueras the repertOry included Robin Hood Babes IN 10y
and FREELY Waltz Dream, Mascot Katinkas and other
old favorites The MkadO and the Gondohers prooaOy
received the largest audiences Of the season
While the undertaking was called the nunicpai opera
the city had nothng8o do with It except 10 IuIsn me
a and the outdoor theater All expenses were guaIan
feed BY public spirited citizens who paid II hall tnelL
guaranty received back their money at the close OF
the season.
stadium and It not self supporting Saint LOUIS gave
gt opera and the people expressed their approval BY an
average attendance Of 1000 persons each
me- Saint Louis effort was enthusiastically praised BY
many citizens and visitors, and the newspapers are very
vel satisfied But musical critics are not 50 keeny oe
lighted with the in which the Saint Louis hgnt
o1er was managed The principal grievance and II Is
justified is that operas IN the repertoy were not pre-
scented written, but were modenzed BY nterpoations
al Of songs and dances ana even Jazz oos l1o
duced Many Of the musical critics, who warmly approve
of me enterprise IN general feel that the people would have
been fully as well pleased If the performances had followed
the correct lines and the original music and that the eou
cational and artistic values would have been greater
saint Louis for many years been active II providing
outdoor entertainments large scale for the people she
has tried grand opera, pageant and DRAMA but Until TINS
year and its light opera the seasons have never
paid their expenses Other cities may well profit by this
The managers frankly say that in their opinion before
asassic" standards music and drama can be firmly
established in Saint Louis the people must st be haolFn-
ated to coming the theae and the enterprises must be
made self supporting Many other centers N this country
and Europe have proceeded the opposite line that the
educational and artistic values must be Kept 70 me IoI
though subsidy must be PAD 10 meet the pIooucoh
hs true principle lies between the two; it exemp
fed hest IN country by Theodore Thomas DUNG the
IN sr of his splendid career as symphony orchestra con-
ducor Thomas never departed from his high stan
darzs OF artistic perfection; his programs were choice and
Traae rrrH
IN selection Of played and took such pains to
develop the public taste be vent along that his audiences
were always limited only BY the seating capacity OF the
auditorium, and BY far the greater part OF ms auallos
were Of the wage workers and salared folk who dearly
loved the music who tiled the low priced seats, and who
cared nothing for glitter and show, but came for pure en-
joyment Of one Of the greatest Of the fine arts.
One thing certain: the Saint Louis public liked what
It got it is probable that 1t would have liked it better It
had been set at little higher standard, but th box Office
Is telling argument AID as one Of the papers says,
permanent deficit is & deadsner Of enthusiasm
few wears ago. New York tried popular priced grand
oprs IN the winter time. good many useful lessons were
1sa-s but the venture did not pay and abandoned
for the time being. 1t VII be revived, now that
conditions ETs past
ced NJ to 81 were sold out for most performances out
the s. seats went begging. II deduoed that people VINO
are wiling to pay s. seat for opera are disposed 70 oe
mand much costly stars ana oreesl1as tnn Tan D'
# e o-tF remembering that the matinees the New
YORK popular opera season. when the highest prieea s
were ST. ways sold out and that according 70 Otto
Kahn one o. principal organizers and hackers OF the
Century venture che anees at reduced prices brought
higher average monetary yield than the performances al
fun prices"
Ts attendance at the Century for popular priced opera
vas srer IN the aggregate than the attendance at any
other New YORK thsater during the same period The OBJ
jet Of the undertaking to give the people generally
chance to enjoy opera and to faaze themselves with It
at prices they could afford It well meant and vel
planned effort give souls airing but there vas NJ
disposition to apasronze1 the public try any @upl
business It was Just effort to recognize opera as
necessity IN vel ordered hfe rather than luxury
Responding the expressed wish Of majority OF tn
ticket subscribers the operas were sung IN English IN SPIT
Of the opinion Of most musical people that opera should b
sung II the tongue Of the original book since music canno
be safely modified to suit another language.
to musical taste It cannot be classified according t
the ability Of people to pay much little for seats.
has been the universal experience that the keenest enjoy
eut and the best musical taste found at least ot
among the poe-er groups IN a community among tn
elto5o and probably oftener. There IS such thing
educated taste but those who have the best opportne
to receive such education too often ignore them Will
native taste artistic matters often goes with comparative
poverty and lack Of opportunity It is serious mistake
think that to peass "ths people, "ths masses" It
necessary to lower the standards The opposite Is
nearly tue
city situated as is E Paso must necessarily depen