The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-02-22

brought 10 The attention Of the rulers
OF f9@ gRians and they would reccg-
T Ftxe its potency and encourage in
s,e@A ~ discourage all such attempts
= volume Interesting 10 rnusis
lovers especially is a Quaker Sing
sr : RecolIections. - by David Bispharx
and published by Macmillan as :.
notable addition "a their excellent
group ~ books on music. MI Bisp-
E4Sn Is = unique figure in the world
90 music. although IL has not before
beer known generally that he Is =
Quaker. Ills hook ia OF absor big in
ttrest II reeounts his early progress
ard this is interesting because IL wac
David Etsrham who first wen forcigfs
y ricssl hoHers 'as a masculine avow Ell
american singer II lie even recalled
yhat when he made his great success
in London an ignorant OF witty Eng
ltsh journalist observed with dry HUI
NOR Mr., Hispham has disproyed the
prevalent theory that the ladies of
America refuse 10 permit the sterner
sex 10 win musical honors."
To read this autohiogra ply Is like
turning back the hands OF memory
10 period when men and women
lived and acted who are now but
recolleesions, and faint ones at that.
Every name Of consequence Of that
period fits through his book. They
are not altogether musical names,
eisker. Sarah Bernhard, Oscar
Wilde, Mark Twain, Ellen Terry.
Theodore Roosevelt---these are but "a
few. MI Bispharn writes Accordingly
of thesc famous personal es, and when
he recounts the fifty-eight operati
roles. zoo parts In oratorios. cantai =
and the like. and total OF more ths
1,4eo pieces with which he is famiiia r
our admiration increases tenfold He
is still a vigorous mentality, active
even now IN SO diversified a field as
opera--ha sang last year in THE
Daughter OF the Regiment"
Vile and concert.
OF the many good stories he re-
counts the best concerns the pre-
INiere II The Scarlet Letter" which
Walter namrosch made into an opera
and il was sung in English with many
foreign artists Presumably these
men sang by rote and had not the
slightest knowledge of the significance
Of The title Of the Hawthorne story.
because they rendered a dinner to Mr.
Darnrnsch and decorated him with a
81 arlet letter,
Music week in New York brought
forth one interesting fact: The theater
orehcstras are capable of much bet
ter music than is ordinarily demanded
of them. And. Furthermore. the con-
ductors, with perhaps "A few excep-
tons. prefer the better grade of music
to the popular trash most of them are
required by the theater managers To
give.
The Theatre Parisicn, one Of the
most inteliigcuuy conducted play
houses in the city. has also one of the
best orchestras. The conductor is
Oscar Lifshey. musician of inteli-
rence. who takes iustifiable pride in
his work and his men. The result is
that this orchestra Is more OK less a
model for the guidance of others, and
clearly Illustrates the possibilities In
this department OF public entertanng.
II believe the pubic that attends a
performance such as those given AZ
this theater will appreciate intelligent
music as we'll" Mr.. Lifshey declares.
What is true here Is true elsewhere.
The orchestra leaders themselves
have it in their power to do much
good if they will They can furnish
well~cAosen selections, and thereby
cultivate an interest In music Of the
better sort. And it can be done in
cities other than New York. The
theater orchestra is the most popular
medium for accelerating musical in
tcrest. and IL would be unfortunate If
this incubation was with the baser
music"
Ralph Inee and his company. which
includes Zena Kcefe. the so-called
1880 Selanick star" have started on
trip OF scv, raj thousand miles to find
"atsnosph. rtt FOR the forthcoming
Selznick - 'te.i The Law
Fingers This picturG is based OF.