The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-11

singer who has come under my tui- ton"
 When did you learn to sing??' some one asked Mccormack. Tn my cradle was his reply. What he meant was that he had always had the instinct of vocal expression. He did not mean that anyone can be- come a genuine artist without care ful training He is a consistent ex- ponent of the gospel of hard work. Hour in and hour out he raay be found at the piano studying new songs, or making sure of his absoA lute mastery of the old ones.
 Today John Mccormack belongs to the world-he is universal-and is doing for song in America what Dante did for literature In Italy, and what Spenser did for literature in England. He has done and is doing more to make America na- tion cultured in music than anybody has done before him.
 America, few years ago. with re- spect to its music. was in mich the same state as Italy and England were in the time of Spenser and Dante, with respect to literature.
 We affected an undue admiration for music that is foreign, and espe- cially for song in other languages than our own. The majority of sing CTS of the first class who come toz this country, or who belong in this country, did not contribute their share to the musical education of the people. Most of the singers who have come here chose to sing most of their songs in foreign tongues, and the audience expressed an enthu- siasm which it was far from feeling, while scanty attendance indicated the real lack of popular interest.
 How different 1t is with John Me- Cormack. the first really great singer. who has deigned to sing an entire program in the English tongue. There are no cold audiences when McCor- mack appears. There are no empty houses when his voice is heard. His audiences are not composed of few exclusive persons devoted to an art that Is not and never can be na- tional. There come into the McCor- mick audiences all the really cultured men and women of the community, who listen spellbound while q great artist sings great songs which they can understand
 Art is but means of delineatins and initiating truth. IL teans Q. conveying high thoughts from one mind to another. To convey such thoughts, 1t is necessary that a me- dium of conveyance shall exist. So it happens and must always remain true, that great literature in the French tongue will not be great lit erature to him who does not under stand French. Nor can great songs be sung to those who understand only the English language, so that ttey will understand. save in Eng fish.
 One of the most attractive angles cf John McCormack's life is hls nome life" with his beautiful wife and children, bis boy Cyril, who has a lovely voice and recently in an amateur performance made his de- but as "Oberon," while Gwnedolyn, the adorable girl whom MT and Mrs. Mccormack lovingly call Gwen de- clares she is ambitious to sing Mimi with her famous father as the ku- dolfo" of "Boheme.n
 There is still another member or the family, little wee bit of a tot, who Is the "adopted' son of MT. ana Mrs. McCopinack--and his name IS Kevin Foley-the youngest of the trio-whom the McCormaeks adore and nothing gives the great tenor more pleasure than to get away from concertizing now and then at his beautiful country place in the com pany of his family-all of whom love music and adore his voice. ana just play boy again, forgetting the plaudits of the world for the time!
 "John Mccormack is forever seek ipe tbe Tost Chord of the purely human" writes Douglas Bird, di- rector of music, First Methodist Epis- copal church, San Francisco. Cal, in a recent tribute to the distinguished tenor.
 pIn his singing of the translation of Brahms 'Feldein- n-Samkeit." con- tinued Mir Bird, he plays upon delicately hidden string nd gives the violin of emotion more generous