Evening star., 1928-06-10

" waves of Summer weather
a are Stroking the awning
n browed windows of Wash
ington and the student recital
season is rushing to a close
Musicians are packing their piano
lids with moth balls, Subletting
studios and rushing around wise
ing passports to go abroad for rest
and travel or study in the Old
World, so they may return in Sep
tember to take up the new season
with all the vigor and inspiration
that only such a vacation can
provide.
The outdoor places of musical
festivities throughout the u. S. A.
are putting the final touches TO
arrangements for a bigger and
better Summer season than ever
before enjoyed. Stories printed
elsewhere on this page carry the
details of the plans for Summer
opera at Starlight Stadium, New
York: Ravinia Park, Illinois. and
Municipal Theater in st. Louis,
Mo. Also the famous Hollywood
Bowl concerts, with noted orches-
trail leaders, have been scheduled
to run from July 10 into Septem-
ber. and then the grand opera
season for California will begin.
Even at Atlantic City, on the
famous Steel Pier" the weekly
Sunday concerts are taking an
operate turn, and. while several
of the programs will be by sing
ing and instrumental artists in
usual concert style, a notable in
novation will be the presentation
of several operate scenes from
famous works or the lighter
operas in complete performance.
Jules Falk, internationally known
viclinist and a fine musician, is
IN charge of these programs. it
is interesting to see that the
American Opera Co., composed of
Young and native artists, is being
featured by Mr.. Falk in some of
his programs, including the OPEN
ing one this afternoon. Again
opera is the password of the
Summer musical interests of this
country, even as it was the dom;-
nant feature during the formal.
professional season" that closed
in April.
John ERSKINE, the author who
became famous as the biog-
Iapher of the private life of Helen
Of Troy. and later proved a fine
musician and won the limelight
increasingly in musical as well as
literary fields, made some inter
eSting remarks at the convention
of those interested in the music
industries, held in New York dur
ing the past week, according to
the New York papers. It seems
that his topic was This Silence"
and he referred directly to the
human voice as lifted in song. He
indicated, according to the New
York Times editorial page, among
other things, that:
In America we do not sing. We
dance, play the piano and the
drums, and the ukulele, and we
listen appreciatively to good
music and Jazz. We are a musi-
cal Nation, with plenty of talent
in composition and much Ell
thusiaSr1, but no voice except for
screaming.
Perhaps 1t is because An1eri-
cans have a good natural ear for
music that they do not sing. They
cannot endure the squawks ut
tered by their own mouths. In
France, Germany or Italy and
among the negroes of the South
II is the usual thing to hear men
End women singing at their work.
Soft voices and old folk tunes are
the natural accompaniment Of
certain kinds of outdoor labor.
Pressing grapes or picking cotton
are occupations congenial 10
music But try to run a riveting
machine or a steam drill while
hufnn1ing q tune. Or perch on
the high framework Of a sky
scraper under construction and
triil an aria"
AS the Times saws, II is per-
hsps just as we'll that when SO
r7uch noise Of mechanical origin
is 10 be heard, the human voice
makes q small contribution To the
causc Of silence"
Yet authorities abroad have
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