The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-28
Mr.. MULLER'S ANSWER
Editor State Journal:

Editor State Journal:
In Wednesday afternoons State
Journal L read a very interesting COM
position, Mr.. Dotterweich Says"
1t is true that 1 have found fault
once before with an artist who was
advertised as a concert singer \and
proved to be what Mr.. Dotterweich
calls primarily an opera singer. In
the criticism 1 offered last Monday L
said exactly what Mr.. Dotterweich
tries to bring out. 1 quote from my
criticism: Mr.. Chamlee has a very
good voice, and 1 am sure he is
great success in opera. He has been
in an operate atmosphere so much
and evidently has worked SO seriously
that it has become natural to him to
sing in an operate style and with the
attitude of the leading opera singer"
OF course, 1 did not realize that we
were going to have an evening of one
man grand opera when L went to the
entertainment that was advertised as
a concert.
Opera, as 1 understand it, is drama.
either tragic or comic, the words of
which are sung thruout. The words
of a drama are written and then
composer creates music for it. Thus
it is clearly seen that the music of an
operate song must conform to the
meaning of the words (Which, by the
way, are usually not written by the
composer, but by a ibrettist) or be-
come useless to the drama
AS yet 1 have not been fortunate
enough to become acquainted with an
opera or an opera air which is thofoly
effective in conveying the meaning of
it's originators on a basis of ignoring
words. For hundreds of years songs
have had both words and music and
this newly invented argument that a
song can be as effective without words
i i
cedure to the American lay-public can
be of no instructive value.
AS to Mr.. Dotterweich'S remarkable
experience in New York the other day
where he listened to a number which
was being sung in French, Italian and
German, all at the same time, 1 do not
know just what L would do were to
get into such pre- 1icament. But as
1 think of it now. L believe 1 would
walk right up to the counter, steady
my foot on the railing and call for
sandwich, crackers m everything and
I wouldn't be surprised if some of the
eminent" critics Joined me. A party
like that would be suggestive of a
Dutch lunch.
1t is still my belief that concert
singers should give American audi
ences at least half of their programs
are American operas. Why do not
these excelling opera singers use some
of them?
Mr.. Dotterweich asks, "Why does
the critic try to make people who
were not there think that the audi
ence did not like them?' This ques-
ton is misleading. 1 quote again from
my criticism: The audience evident
ly liked his voice very well because
they called for more and more
In the same issue of The State
Journal Bertha H. Campbell starts IA
comedy by making much fuss and
to do trying to convince State Jour
nal readers that people who attend a
voice concert" do not at all care
about words. She says, "It is to hear
the sweetness, the color, the range,
the dramatic power of the artists
voice, in its phrasing and shading of
melody" She says that Mr.. Chamlee
not only has a marvellous voice but
has actual dramatic experience" Now
| didn't notice anything wrong with
Mr.. Chamlee, his experience of the