Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-29
THE AMERICAN GIRLS
GRANDOPERACHANCE
Sterling Heilig, in Paris, Interviews Her.
bert Johnson, Director of Chicago Or
ganization-The Opera of France.

Yet we see them so rarely in any
put secondary roles at home in
There is reason. Take France.
France gives opera not only in
ParlS. but in number of cities, Bor-
oeauX, Lyons. Marseilles, etc, and
american AN singers can come over and
companies of France. In Italy. every
small city has it's own opera COM
pany. In America, we have no such
provincial institutions. no place
such training. Voice? Why. there
IS no voice like the American voice.
but 1t is the actual work on the stage
that counts. Take a company like
the metropolitan. or the Chicago-we
can aIord TO have two or three anna
teurS Che said amateurs) each season,
but our public is not prepared to hear
very many such amateurs. So it
seems almost necessary for Ameri-
perience. When there shall be more
opera. companies travelling around in
American, the sooner young Ameri-
cans can arrive through them to the
Metropolitan and ourselves"
But personality" 1 said
personality counts. certainly" he
acknowledged, with woman like
Garden. There are any number of
other artistes singing the same roles
as Mary Garden, but not successfully,
because they lack her personality.
Farrar draws more money than ever,
because of her personality"
considering that personality in op-
era is as important as, let us say.
voice, why has not personality made
more stars in America-since the
American woman has the greatest
personality in the world?'
Again 1 answer. lack of expert
ence. The ease. the assurance, the
authority which please the public are
Or, irn NV of
of the American girl, it seems to
me, is that she is not always willing
to buckle down to the hard work
necessary to make a great success.
She gives attention to social affairs.
She is. too, possibly "a little too i'm
haps. with less training than is re-
quired. Adolph Bohm, the panto-
mimist and dancer. told me he was in
the Russian school for years before
he was given the smallest part, and
that long preparatory work was
young fellow in his present school,
typical American, he said to Bohm
that he could not see why in six
months he was not ready to go out
and do the same kind of work that
his teacher did. l think that the
same applies to many"
But you acknowledge" I answered,
that our Americans can. regularly,
sing both in French and Italian. 1t
shows application, does it not?'
X X X
"They must get STEPPED in the
roles" he said. The parts must not
be learned as you skim over a text
book. l know girl who has a beau
tiful voice. She learns a role, be-
comes familiar with it, yet she has to
relearn it every time she sings it.
Isn't it like the superficial student,
who is brilliant and Skins over a
subject just sufficiently to pass an
exam?"
as it an American trait?"
Il do not want to be severe. We
want to do everything to stimulate
American art, but think it true. gen.
orally, that we Americans take al!
things lightly. Here, to learn a trade,
a man must pass through an appren-
ticeship. We Americans want to go
quicker. We count on our adapta-
bility.''
"Yet the great American opera or
CARNATIONS do want to encourage
American singers?"
1.-The more, the better"