The Washington times., 1922-08-03
CINEMA PATRON
SEEKS CHANGE
F.. IN FILM MUSIC
Believes Audiences Would APP
preciats Excursions Into
Fields Of the Classics.

flelQS OF tne SidSSiCS.
The music editor ts N receipt OF
an interesttn1 cofa,suHtcGtson fron,, a
Wdshin 0tontqn, tchose name 70 totth-
heW from publication BY request, on
he subject of selections for over
utres by the orchestral com biAahons
y several local moving. picture the
Wfne ,paintoirtno an impartial
and on the question Of yhsther or
9ot these 0rchestrds are making
heir selections tO'th proper regard
d'vsrsify ana ~. "era; ,ca,thv ne o, eaaor saS,-
S,ovis audiences ,0hieh cores for
tine m4sto. sseossttoTs along ths hS
lines tndtcated IN me Ie,'er printed
beloto U0Rh be DeIoomed.
ITO the Music Editor. The Wash
ington Times:
"As a frequent patron of Wash
ington's larger moving picture
houses, and devotee OF music,
should like to ask whether you do
not think the orchestras in our
cinema palaces are disregarding q
golden opportunity to familiarize
the public with music of the better
sort?
There are at least four great
movie establishments supporting
orchestras of no mean pretensions.
either as to size or ability. The
musicians are carefully selected. are
paid in many cases on q scale COM
pairing favorably with that obtain.
ing IN noted symphony orchestras.
and are conducted by real artists.
Before each performance these or
chestras play an overture having
nothing to do with the incidental
selections during the reeling eff of
the drama.
Pseudo Classic" Selections.
These pieces are supposedly PC.
lected. in the main. from really
classic compositions. But too often
they are only pseudo-classic. and
far too often they are repetitions OF
what was heard the previous week
at another theater.
"The overture from weber's Die
Freischutz." from The Poet and
the Peasant" from wagner's
"Rienzi' Interesting only to stu
dents OF the masters development.
and not through true Wagnerian.
ism); Schumann's hackneyed Lie.
bestraum," Echoes from the Met
ropoiitan Opera House" selections
from Mariana" the intermezzo
from "Cavsliera Rusticana"--these
are as frequent an ingredient OF
the potpourri as boiled potatoes in
boarding house dinner. Il forgot
to mention the Light Cavalry
ovsrture.0
Variety Is furnished from week
to week by rendition OF selections
from the best.remembered or pres.
emily most popular light operas and
musical comedies. With these I
have no quarrel: many OF them
are tuneful and sprightly, and a
little French pastry or whipped
cream always sets off the heavier
part Of a dinner.
But as the conductors are evi.
IDENTIFY determined to give classics
or near.classics as overtures TO most
the moderns or range further
afield IN the older realms Of com.
positionf
Real Classics Appreciated.
The scores Of Beethoven and
Bach number sonatas and con-
oertos which can be beautifully and
effectively handled by the groups
Of musicians of whom I spoke.
heard the "Pathetique," most
oreditahly given one evening. re.
call. The audience was thoroughly
responsive: clearly affected and
long In It's applause.
The Scandinavian and Russian
schools are full Of material which
our moving picture orchestras
might use. Rachmaninoff. Dvorak,
Tchaikowski. Sinding, Grieg. Rim.
skl.Korsakow are to be mentioned
as few Of the better-known
masters. many OF whose works
could be handled by these groups.
There are modern italian and
French compositions in abundance
by no means beyond their capa.
bilities.
There is nothing to be sained
in a long recital of posstbilities-
they are endless.
THE question may be asked
does tho public want such music7
The answer 10 written for any oh.
server in the massed throngs at.
tending each and every ma jor re.
cital and concert given hero during
the winter and following the Ma.
rine and other bands from concert
place to concert place during the
NOmner-hH CnlluTen the fled ripper
Washington thirsts for music, real
music. Are we 80 much less ar.
tistic than the italian, French and
German public that we turn from
the inspiration OF the greatest OF
arts7 I think not; think Il one
Of the most resrettable fallacies
now cumbering the spiritual de.
velopment of our nation.
IT should like to know what
other readers OF your interesting
music section think in this matter
Perhaps II communications were ad,
dressed to manasements of moving
picture houses maintaining orches
tras or to the orchestral conductors
asking that certain compositions bt
played, It would become apparent
that public interest was engaged
and there would be some effor,
made to broaden the field of seleo
tions.
IT have not mentioned oul
American composers in the above
letter. do not mean 70 slight
them In the least. We have al
least a dozen music writer's whose
works abound in pieces worthy OF
~ hA