Evening star., 1924-10-27
M0DERN|ST MUSIC
HELD 'AALF-COOKED'
ChaIiapin Regrets Failure of
New Composers to At
tend to Details.

y
est singers of today, announced last
night that he will sing at least three
new numbers on his program at
Polls Theater this afternoon. They
will include an aria from Glinka's
Life for the Car" the aria of the
Tartar chieftain in Prince Igor ;
Romance" love song by Tschai-
kovsky. and a new French song, THE
Horn" by Flegier. In response to
special request. Mr.. Chaliapin will in
rlude the big aria from Boris
Godounov.'
Although the famous singer is in
variabIy advertised as the great
Russian baSso.'' he does not like this
limited designation. Il am not just
Russian singer said he. via his in
terpreter. Mr.. Serge Kournakoff. Il
am cosmopolitan, a singer OF the
whole world"
status OF Bass.
ELOQUENT gestures of amusement ac
companied the receipt of this tranSla-
tion and, leaning earnestly forward
his eyes twinklihg beneath bushy
hrows the singer laid his big hand on
the table as he added in soft. hesitat-
ing English. Il do not sing just with
my voice, but with my heart and my
brain. | can not help the deep quail
ity of my voice. which God gave me.
You know. when l first came to
America to the metropolitan Theater
they advertised me as Russian bass
Then. when l sang and the people
heard how much money | got for it,
they We're amazed.
II has not been the habit for any
but tenors to get big money. The
tenor gets the biggest sum; the bari
tone-he is sort of second parsonage.
YOU know, and he gets the next big
seSt amount; the baSS-he usually Is
x third parsonage. He must play
priest, devil or disgusting villain
But II got very great money, ike
tenor. The public thought 1t eN-
traordinary 1t would seem that for
so much money, / should be pecullar
in some way. sing to burst my ribs, or
something. But when they saw me.
nothing happened" The huge singer
laughed at the remembrance of his
early audiences in this country
Il think curiosity is the biggest
thing that the American audience
brings to me. | notice II in other
peoples recitalS as we'll as my own,
mused Chaliapin. The Americans
are so eager TO learn and listen so
keenly to all foreign languages,
like to sing to them.
Will Sing New Roles.
This year at the Metropolitan Opera
House. Chaliapin will sing at least
one and probably two roles that are
new for him in this country He Will
sing The Barber of Seville, during
the latter part of November and Will
give Don Carlos by Verdi as we'll
as his famous interpretations OF
Faust" "Mephistopheles,' and Boris
Godounov." The performances of
The Barber of Seville" will be the
first by Chaliapin in New York for
nearly "a score OF years. Eighteen
years ago. he sang that role under
the direction of Conrad.
Mr. Chaliapin has very decided and
yet lenient views on the works Of
the ultra -modernists among COM
posers. Art is infinite" said Chalia-
pin The old school and the new
school each has something that is
timelesS if it is good. The moderniStS
nf the old school however tmeanins
the pioneers of classical muSic), did
their cooking in the kitchen. as it
We're They experimental time and
again before they dared to try their
works before the public. The mod
ernists of today. however. do their
musical cooking on the stage right
before the public and it is ometimes
only half baked, not ready for pub
lie digestion. y great poet said that
beautiful music must be imposing
great but modest. This new music
10 not modest.
AnecdOte of MousSors>ki.
In citing an example of the patience
and perseverance of the old masters
before giving their works public
trial, Mr.. Chaliapin told the follow
ing anecdote about Moussorgski, one
of the greatest Russian composers.
He wrote and rewrote his music;
played it first over and over to him
self; then he went to friends, other
great musicians: he went with Shak-
ing hands and trembling legs and had
them listen to his music and tell him
If they thought il was good; then.
when they approved, he played the
music for the public. but the people
often did not understand and the
critics were harsh. These modernists,
they do not hardly play their things
over before they give them before
the public"