The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-22
AME ER|CAN SINGER. |s FINDING FAVOR
Beginning To Vie With Ger mans And Italians For
 0peratic H0n0rS

NEW YORK, Dec 21.-(By Associ- ated Press.)-American singers are beginning to vie seriously with Nal- lans and Germans for honors on the operatic stage. according to musical critics, who declare that Americans have won spurts of stardom not only with opera companies abroad, but also with the Metropolitan Opera company, which for many years has been stronghold of foreign talent. ( Five American singers are making their debuts this year at the Metro- politan, which recently began its fortieth season of grand opera at the famous Broadway opera house, where were heard the finest vocal eff forts of Garuso, Melba, Calve, Scotti, and many other internationally fla nous singers.
 Miss Nanette Guilford, IS years old. of New York, who made her de- but in part in ..Rigoletto," is one of the youngest sopranos ever to come to the Metropolitan. Two other American sopranos are Miss Louise Hunter of Middletown, O., who studied In Cincinnati, and Mrs. Phradie Wills, who sang various op cratic roles while teaching music in the State Teachers college at Kirks- vile, Mo.
 Other American Newcomers.
 Other American newcomers are Miss Merle Aleock, also of Missouri, and Lawrence Tibbett of .Bak ersville, Cal, who made his concert debut in Los Angeles and won a prize at the San Francisco exposition in 1915. Miss Alcocll is a solo contra1to and MT. Tibbett a baritone.
 The presence on the boards of the Metropolitau's stage of Americans, who have joined the company dur ing the past few years, evoked mem- " HQrnna sway there.
 Veteran opera goers recalled the first opening night of the Metropolis tan October p, 1883, when Christine Nilsson sang the principal role in Faust and Adelina Patti was sing Ing downtown at the Academy of Mu- sic. From then until the early nine ties German opera and German sing erg held sway. '@
 During that decade artists whose names were to become household names throughout the world sang there-Melba, Calve, Eames, Nordfca Scalchi, the brothers de Reske, An coma, Plancon, Vignas, Castlemary Sembrieh, Homer, Reiss, Scotti, Jour- ney, Fremstad and others.
 And then in 1903, Caruso, the in comparable, came and swept all be- fore him and shortly afterWard Far rar joined the ranks.
 o O O TwinkIel Brightly For Years.
 These twin stars twinkled bright ly in the operatic Armament for many years. {and then came the la mented death of Caruso and the re- tirement of Farrar from the Metro- polftan to the concert stage. The public has not acclaimed their sue .cessors The roles made famous by Caruso-Rhadames Don Jose, Cavar- dossi-are now being sung by Mar tinelli and Gigli while Farrars. Tosca is being sung by Jeritza.
 The cost of presenting an opera to the audience of the Metropont tan opera house is almost one third greater this year than it was the season before the great war, and it is nearly twice what it was two decades ago. weeks season of opera this fall and winter will represent an aggregate cost of from $13,000 to $13,000, while before the war the cost was $9,O00 to Sl0,000. Twenty years ago the expense was about $7.o00 per formance. 'Opera-goers who flock to opening nights of new productions face the consummation of long weeks of work representing financial outlay of from $5O,000 to $70,00O.
 ..,uc;denta.s, snow Big Increase.
 Although the stars of the world famous company are being paid sal aries commensurate with the general increase in expenses. officials of the company said the greatest increase in expenses had been in "incidentals," or in the material appurtenances of the operas both on and off the stage.
 The season at the opera. once 16 weeks, is now 24, one week more than last year. The program for the current year includes seven re- wivals and three entirely new operas. while more than 50 new scenes have been added to the back stage prop srties at an expense in proportion Mith the increased cost of labor. ' The sway and popularity of the opera among music lovers and social Readers is on the increase rather than the wane, It was declared by an opera Official. who said this years subscription list was $75,000 greater than that of last year.