The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-04-23
Tessa Kosta Gives
VIEWS on Music
of Tho Countries
Viennese Composition Easier to
Sing Than Ours, She
Says.

MISS IeSSd hOSla mdndStu 10 stucc1S
IN an interview last week OH American
and-viennese music just before the eve
ming performance of THE Rose Of SIAM
boul," kindly chaperoned by Ben At
well. the rnahout OF the Century The
atre.
MY present role is at once easier
and more difficult than my preceding
one in The Chocolate Soldier" said
Miss Kosta, appearing from her dressing
room and making the corridor all fluffy
with her f,my costume and her fossy
hair. OF course she didn't burst right
out with this. The reporter had to drop
a diplomatic question first, after the
manner OF slick interviewers. Then she
began her talk with the aforesaid quo
tation. properly utering a paradox.
which is the way all interviews should
commence.
Her present role, as near as the In
terviewer can remember. is Princess
Tosh, or something equally good. So far,
so good. Miss Kosta was now busy
calculating her valuable paradox.
THE role is easier in that I'm not
on the stage so much. so you can easily
see | have less to do. used 10 think
i was on so much in The Chocolate
Soldier that the audience would rise
up and shout that they were tired of
seeing me.
"On the other hand" continued Miss
Kosta, 1.-THE character is slighter. so
have to work harder to fill in the gaps
with my own personality.
II like to play straight roles. 1t was
great fur to play comedy in The Choco-
late Soldier after the eternally sweet
roles I'd been putting up with. In fact
Id rather play such parts, and some day
/ hope TO appear in piece that will be-
mainly comedy, with a good plot and
with a few songs to stir things up bit
occasionally. Musical plays ought to be
more of that variety, instead of being
just bits of this and that"
Miss Kosta is of Hungarian descent,
said the helpful Squire Atwell. so she
ought to know her way about in any
operetta from Vienna"
Yes acknowledged Miss Kosta. "my
mothers people were on the stage and
in opera in Hungary for several genera
lions back. while my father was con-
nected with the scientific side. Odd, but
how true. So here am
did you ever sing abroad?" asked the
interviewer.
Nor said Miss Kosta promptly.
"That was mean of you to say No.
remarked the reporter. 1T spoiled an
other question you were to be asked
After sufficient coaxing from Miss
Kosta, the interviewer consented to pro-
pound this question: what is the chief
lean music?"
.yiennese music is easier to sing
replied Miss Kosta quickly. THE COM
posers over there know their subject
thoroughly and are writing for well
trained, matured voices. while here
composers are writing for girls OF ID
or 20 who have the leading parts but
who can't be trusted with high notes.
their voices aren't sufficiently matured
and 1t takes time to ripen anything.
american compositions to-day are
touched so much with jazz. and jazz is
harder to sing than the hardest classical
piece That's because jazz isn't music;
different vocal cords are used and it's
Just sort of syncopated straining. 1t
tears the best voice to tatters eventual
ly. Many American singers don't enun-
clate distinctly. but neither for that
matter do many foreigners. People
don't realize this because when they
go to an opera they don't understand
what the singer is saying anyway.
While clear articulation is largely an
Unborn affair. artists also enunciate in
distinctly because they don't realize
that singing Is only another form of
speaking" And Miss Kosta proved this
by shifting her vocal gears and gliding
into the phrase. "I-could-go-on-like-
this-forever," as II 1t we're the refrain
Of q song.