Evening star., 1927-09-25
NJ i &c
BY HELEN FETTER.


munity, thus supplementing the ef-
forts in the concert halls. Local
committees will be appointed in
1000 American cities which will su-
pervise the activities in schools, col
leges, churches and civic organiza-
tions. Special attention will be given
to the smaller communities through
out the country which have no or
| chestral facilities. In these cities
phonograph and radio facilities will
be used, Rotary. kiwanis, Lion and
similar organizations will participate,
as business men are recognizing the
part that good music plays in COM
munity development"
**
THERE are many places in the
u United States where earnest.
gifted individuals are holding classes.
both i'll Winter and Summer, train
ing Young America in musical en-
deavors. as we'll as along other ar
tistic lines. There is probably no
Summer group, however. that iden-
tihes itself exclusively with the
teaching OF vocal music that is more
attractive or original than the De
Reszke Seagle Music Colony that is
located above Schroon Lake in the
.Adirondacks. Oscar Scagle. Amer
ican baritone of Southern birth and
American parenta2e, who claims
Chattanooga, Tenn, as his home
town" is founder and director of the
colony. Having spent II years as
pupil and assistant to the great op-
cratic and concert tenor, Jean De
Reszke, and during and since that
time having cultivated his own art
along experimental, constantly inn
proved lines, Mr.. Seagle may we'll be
looked upon as one of the real au-
thorities on the vocal art. There
are many talented young Americans
singing today in leading musical pro-
ductlons who are products of his
studio. Several leading Washington
singers studied under him in the
classes this Summer. and one Wash
ington girl, Ruth Peter, who has
been with him for several seasons, is
now singing exquisitely and is ready
for the training that only experience
can give. She is going abroad later
this season for two years work in
Italy and Paris.
Entirely aside from the obvious
musical merits of the De Reszke-
Seagle colony, the healthful. natural
life led there by the young American
students, who numbered as high as
80 in the group during the height of
the season, is real achievement in
this so-called "jazz age and speaks
eloquently for the number of young
people in this country who today
have sensible ideas and worthy
ideals. With the farmhouse that
combines dining room and music
hall. the Seagle home, Mr.. Seagles
studio and the girls dormitory form
ing the nucleus Of the colony, the
outlying smaller studio buildings and
practice shacks" give added oppor-
tunities for scales in every range of
the human voice to be heard nearly
every hour of normal day-mean-
ing from J am. till 10 pm. There is
the private lake for bathing and
boating. There are barbecues and
occasional picnic trips in surround
ing beautiful country There is op-
portunity for experience in informal
concerts at the Brown Swan Club IN
the village Sunday evenings. Just
yesterday the group still at the COL
ony, planning to be there till No
vember l, took an all-day outing to
Upper Lake, where they gave an
entertainment in the afternoon at
the United States Veterans Hospital.
Most of all. there are the impressive
yet simple vesper services each Sum
day afternoon in Mr.. Seagle's own
studio, when folks come from farm
homes and resort hotels for miles
around in the country to hear beau
tiful chamber music and choral num-
bers III an hours program. Some of
the students pay part of their tuition
and expenses by performing healthy
farm duties or secretarial work. All,
of them lead we'll regulated, healthy
lives. There is no Greenwich Vii
lage atmosphere; neither is there
any sanctimonious, semi-religious ors
academic quality present. There is
dominating everything Mr.. Seagle's
own powerful personality, and, as
result, the things a visitor to this
colony carries away in the memory
are principally the earnestness and
cleanliness of the mental attitude OF
the students, the youth of them and
the real intelligence in conversation
that is neither distorted nor imma-
ture. 1t is a real inspiration to be
with the Seagle colony group.
UST as this column is going to
= press Mr.. T. Arthur Smith, the
fine gentleman and artistic manager
who is SO popular in Washington,
comes forth with pleasant surprise,
indeed, in the form Of an announce
ment of professional productions of
standard hight operas not heard tor
many a day, if ever, in the National
lapital, to be presented here at the
President Theater during the COM
ing season. beginning in November.
The works Mr.. Smith is planning
to put on and the manner of his pre-
senting them should win the frmest
support from Washingtonians who
are interested in good music. plenty
OF melody and entertainment that IS
iull OF fun. in understandable Eng
lsh, and not in any sense of the
word "hlgh-brow." Moreover. Young
Americans who are qualified will he