Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-04

which they are portraying, and hence
are able TO make the emotions of the
opera convincing: and unless an
operatic singer does understand and
thoroughly sympathize with the char
acter which he is impersonating the
portrayal of that role VIII never Oe.e De es, :,
but IL wifi never make star out Of the
OF course, all this has to do only
with the acting and little with the
vocal part, except that a singer cannot
give a thoroughly good vocal presenta-
tion of a role with which he Is not IN
sympathy or does not understand.
There was time in opera when this
was entirely possible, but with the ad-
vance of the dramatic element, or
rather with its closer union with, the
vocal part, this can no longer De dohe.
TNHERE are a few great actors on the
i operatic stage. Of whom Miss Garden
and Messrs. Didur and Scotti are
notable examples, who seem to have the
facility of assimilating any role,
whether COMIC, serious or tragic, but
they are few indeed. And those roles
where they are at their best, such as
the Salome or That's of Miss Garden,
the Archibaldo of Mr.. Ddur or the
Scarpia or Chin Fen of Mr.. Scott, are
what might be called traditional
roles demanding very high order OF
dramatic ability. withouo the element OF
national feeling entering into them.
In the same way Charles Hackett was
at his best as Pinkerton in "Madama
Rptterfly," where he seemed to be able
to make the part at least not repulsive
to an American audience, as was the
representation of certain tenor who
sang the role several times in Phila- :
delphia. Mr.. Hackett's portrayal
showed that he had an understanding
of American tradition and feeling and
knew exactly what one of his own race
would do under the CHASTITY circumSan-
ces.
THE national element in interpreta
i ton is by no means confined to the
operatic stage. One has only to re-
member the greatest concertos of most
of the leading instrumental artists and
' then recall their nationalities to see
that they perform best the master
pieces composed by those Of their own
blood.
In this connection It must be also
remembered that the great composers
Of Europe have usually written alone
SLTNLN - ''"'' ~
impossible to mistake a Russian or 9
French symphony or concerto for
German work and the converse of the
rule applies as we'll Hence because
the composers have written the lif'
and the soul of their own nation int
their music it can best be interpreted
by one who was born to that sam
heritage.
1t is for this reason that Fritz krcis
Ter is supreme in the Beethoven ant
Brahms concertos and that Elman ant
| Iimbalist are at their best in tn
Tschakowsky. In these days Of enor
nous technique. when practically ever
orchestral player can perform techni
cally any of the great virtuoso con
, certos. the question of the ability {
: play the notes does not enter into tn
matter at all. 1t is all question o
Interpretation. and this interpretatio
goes farther than tn play concerto ]
a the manner in which the master taugh
it.
u THIS used to be the manner in whic
> i concertos wee taught and played
y But with the advance of technique an
the demand for originality and sin
p rerity in Interpretation, this method G
v playing became practically obsolete.
$ With this growth performers wer