The Washington times., 1921-11-03
2 OPERA STARS
|. BEGIN CAREERS
IN VAUDEVILLE
OrvilIe Harold and Rosa Pom
selIe Gained First Prominence
on Keith Circuit.

Those who sit in splendor in the
golden horseshoe this season must
render TO vaudeville thanks for the
discovery of two OF their greatest
artists, orville Harold and Rosa
Ponselle. who came from under the
Keith banner straight to leading
roles at the Metropolitan.
In celebrating it's Third OF Cen.
tury" Jubilee, the IL. #. Keith cir
cult OF vaudeville houses. feels thar
perhaps Its most important achieve
ment Is the influence which II has
brought TO bear in stimulating appre-
citation OF the best In music, through
out the country.
Significantly enough, the very first
move which B. +. Keith and Edwin
Albee made together. back In 1855,
at the little store show" In Boston
where Keith vaudeville began, was
along this very line. With an un-
Limited amount OF courage and $500
capital. they swept out the freaks
and the trained goats which had
formed the principal assets of the
Gaiety Museum, and organized the
Gaiety Opera Company Of forty
singers, with which they put on the
Mikado for ten cents. and ten more
rows.
Reaches Millions.
Opera and concert touch their
selected thousands. where vaudeville
reaches out to indiscriminate mil.
lions.
For the trained ear. vaudeville
provides such violinists as Frederic
Fradkin, concert master of the
Boston Symphony. Albert Vertchamp,
Manuel Quiroga, Ota Gygi. Vera
Barstow and Jan Rubbini. Elsa
Ruegger. Hans Kronold and Fritz
Bruch are cellists who have appeared
with marked success on the Keith
Circuit.
Among the great pianists who have
played for vaudeville are David Sapir.
stein, Herman Wasserman, George
Copeland, Tina Lerner, G.. Aldo Ran.
degger, Wynne Pyle. Claire Forbes,
Renee Florigny. Patricolo. Senor We.
tony and Alexander MacFayden. All
Of these have proved immensely popu-
lar features on Keith programs in all
parts of the country.
From grand opera, to vaudeville,
for successful tours. have come Nine.
Calvc, Marguerite sylvia, Henri Scott,
Carl Jorn. Carolina White, Nina Nor.
gan. Melissa AldriCh, Nine. Donalda,
Nine. Jomcli, FRITZ Scheff, Albert
Reiss. David Bispham. Ciccelin, Ner-
non Stiles and Nine. Chilson Ohrman,
And never has one complained of be-
ing forced to lower or cheaper artistic
ideals I'm order to meet the approval OF
the "two.a day" house.
Great Composers Work.
But more significant than the APP
of ~ n
short recital is the popularizing of the
best in music through the art of dane
ing. With the added charm of the
plastic art. music becomes comprehen-
sible, delightful, even to those who
ore not versed in its technique. When
such dancers as Maud Allan, Ruth st.
Denis. Theodore Kosloff, Lydia Lopo-
kowa. Nlasta Maslova, Adeline Genec,
La Napierkowska, La Arg entina, Al
hertina RasCh, Felyn Verbist, and the
Morgan dancers were added to the list
OF Keith stars, the management i'm
mediately took care that these artists
should have the musical setting which
their work demanded.
Thus, side by side with the latest
jazz and svncopat ton, the vaudeville
audience listened to the works Of Boro-
din. Rimsky, Korsokoff, Scpiabine,
Moussorgsky, Grieg, Massenet, De
lilies, Mozart, Schubert, Schumapn.
Chopin, Tschaikovsky. Wagner StTdi,
Bizet. SChmitt, Ipolitoff Iva noff,
Clinka, Dubussy, d'Indy. Ponchielli,
Saints -Saens, Meyerbeer, Halevy,
Weber. Puccini Mendelssohn, Rubin
stein and other equally great com
posers.
No medium had ever been devised
which can approach vaudeville in ef-
fCctiveness in popularizing good music.