The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1920-08-06

london, Aug. Am interesting re-
suit of the war has been the virtual
death of German opera in England.
Efforts to sing it have been accom-
panied by anti-German demonstra-
lions, similar to those which occurred
in New York city. Some success at
tended efforts at revival of Wag-
merriam opera with English singers,
but even these were qualified The
demonstrations have not been as
violent as they We're In Paris, but the
prejudice, it is plain, is not purely
temporary and a mere wartime
manifesto ton.
One of the inter sting results has
been the discovery that England
Possesses very good music of its<own.
A search of old books has revealed
Barkworth's Romeo and Juliet"
Nicholas Gatty's The Tempest Rut-
land Broughton's 1.-The Immortal
Hour Alick MacLean's Quentin
Durward,'' Percy Colsons PRO Pa
tria' and the "'Beggar's Opera" In
addition to these several new operas
by English composers have been pro-
duced and have shown extraordinary
merit Among these have been the
.-Dante and Beatrice" of Stephen
Phi1potts-
Encourages New Operas.
The Carl Rosa Company is en-
couraging the production of the new
operas by English composers and
GhrettiStS with all its enthusiasm and,
better yet, with capital. This is very
largely due to the conviction of Nine
Rosa, who is now at the head of the
organization, that there is much
music in the British soul and that
it is high time that it had an oppor-
tunity to express itself upon the
British operate stage. Dante and
Beatrice" produced with great sue
cess in 1916 During the air raid
.period) has grown in popularity
I MI Philpotts's music is distinctly
his own. 1t shows remarkable depth
Of feeling, a great ability at tone
coloring and vivid Imagination. Phil
potts, by the way is not a relative of
Eden Philpotts the novelist, but has
the real distinction of being the hus
band of England's most notable edi-
tress-the only woman director in the
famous Northcliffe press and respon-
sfble head of most of the North
cliffe magazines for women
Several other English operas are in
prospect, to be produced mostly by
the Carl Rosa Company, and of these,
two at least are founded upon the
plays of England's and the worlds
master dramatist- A Macbeth is
almost ready for production and a
King Lear is promised
Colorful and Lively.
| 1t is a curious fact that 1.-THE Beg
CARS Opera was not only wholly
| English but was the most colorful
and lively of all the recent produc-
I lions of classics of whatever school.
This is by no means because of
/, comedy or humor in the book. This
| 1ightness is innate in the whole thing.
What a surprise it must have been to
| thousands of Englishmen and women
| to find that one of their own country
| men, long since dead and gone for
| many years well nigh forgotten was
more airy, more tripping, more fe-
| licitous than the best of the French
| and the Italians.
| Nor does Britain wholly lack voices
promising quite we'll enough to sing
| the best that her composers will pro-
duce. Whatever it may have been in
| the war years that did so it is becom-
| ing apparent that for some reason
Eng1and's serious voices are just be-
| ginning to be heard
! Languisfsed 200 Years.
| That British light opera should
| have 1anguished for 200 years-'"The
Beggar's Opera" was first produced
| 200 years ago and should have been
suddenly brought back to life by the
terrific gloom of four years Of war is
explanations.
/ Those four years formed a period
| Of intense i nadonalism in the first
place. England was in mood to