Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-27

~ ONlNG tne coming week lOCA
endeavors in musical produc-
Il ! ton will provide the major
ity of the offerings. More
and more Americans are coming tc
rely on their own efforts for enter
tainments. Now that the greatest
artists, musical and otherwise. that
the world provides are readily and
even eagerly available for American
audiences, the people all over the
country arc taking more initiative in
developing our own resources III
music as we'll as other lines.
- At the Metropolitan Opera House
about 10 days ago the first definitely
successful American opera was given
It's premiere The work was written
by the American composer, Deems
Taylor, with libretto by an equally
American poet. Edna St. Vincent Mil
lay, and was produced i'll English
at the opera house that has the high
est standing of any in the world
with cast composed principally of
American or English singers.
- According to w. !. Henderson OF
the New York Sun: 1T had an
adequate presentation. which re-
Elected credit on every one con
cerned in the undertaking. * 4
The story of the opera, which is an
abridged version of a play by Miss
Millay, was found in the chronicles
OF the Anglo SaNons The poet did
not adopt the unwritten and absurd
theory that an American opera
should be on All American theme.
She discerned subtler call that of
the language iii which the opera was
TO be, sung. She took her legend
from the stories of the people who
spoke the Anglo Saxon tongue and de-
termiI1ed TO make the speech of her
actors archaic English as they them
selves were. Mr.. Taylors tai
ent is primarily meodic. His music
is tuneful, and while there is no ex-
posure of artificial methods. one per-
ceives that each act has a definite
plan and proceeds logically to a clear
ly drawn musical climax. The con-
struction of the scenes enables the
musician to alternate sharply cut
rhythm with smooth 1egato Thus
his score is happy sequence of
busting vivacity, with passages of
repose and even sustained dignity.
The harmonic plan is fundamentally
dlatonic. but the composer has not
hesitated to employ modernist dis
sonance where that was germane to
the matter. This, however, is Incl
dental. The old fashioned chords
are predominant.
THE composer has avoided one
OF the errors commonest in the work
i L.
not halted the action of his drama
while the orchestra plays long pass
ages supposed to explain, illustrate or
intensity the situation. The dialogue
maintains its progress; the action
goes. steadily forward. This is one
OF the most laudab1e of the good
technical points in the new opera.
The orchestration is luscious. 1t
is, in fact, exceedingly opulent. 1t
has gorgeous palette of color and
depth and mellow sorority not often
attained, but Mr.. Taylor is no novice
in orchestra The only fault to
be found is that there is, perhaps,
an excess of wind instrument voicinr.
There are pages in which the
voices are smothered If the
opera fails to please the operagoing
public, it will be because the broad.
sweeping melodic line which capti-
Yates the senses and lulls all doubts,
Is not the dominating factor in the
score. a second reason is the opacity
,of much of the orchestration."
Lawrence Gilman in the Herald
Tribune says: Thus we came to
The end of the best American opera
'swe have ever heard, and so easily
The best of the 10 produced by Mr..
Aatti-Casazza at the METROPOLITAN
that there is none other in the run
ming. Mr.. Taylor has woven def
and often lovely sounding score
about a superb poetic 'text-a text
plthy and glameurous and full of
character; rich in humor and dra-
matte force, rich in imagery that is
often startling in its beauty and its
swift felicity. And this text Ito
Adapt favorite phrase of the Eliza
bethan composesr) is apt for voices
pr tor viols.' 1t clamors for vocal
sutterance and for enforcement bv
the instruments of the mirroring or
1hestra. Mr.. Taylors score is. in
the worthiest sense, theatrically
planned and developed. 1t is obvious
that he wrote with his eye on the
stage, with his intelligence respon-
ssive to its tyrannous requirements.
Furthermore. he has given musical
voice to English words which. sung
drom the stage, are not only heard,
but are expressive, and fitting. and
often beautiful x What one
misses in it and what Mr.. Taylor's
admirers wifi wish that his second
opera may achieve, is a stvle con
Sistesntly self-sprung and independ
rnt"
X * n
"A S for Americans in opera, Mr..
n Albion is putting on his annual
all-American cast Saturday night in
washington. The local opera com
-pany has chosen Verdi's familiar and