Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-15
M u S &c.
BY HELEN FETTER.

merriam works in Munich, Is to con-
duct the premiere. Mr.. Coates ex-
poets to conduct the second per-
Torrance.
A PHOTOGRAPHERS should
open q fairly fresh and profit
able field for opera librettos. For
instance, the life of Isadora Dun
can, the life of Chaliapin, and
Others of artists who have been
unusual individuals and won
worldwide respect for the great
ness Of their art, should have fer
tile possibilities. Surely the life of
Richard Wagner, the greatest
dramatiSt of music composers,
easily might inspire an opera.
4 X \
THE recent activities of Tito
Schipa indicate that. a good
tenor is turning opera composer.
He has written an operetta, "Prin-
cess LANA" which was given pre-
miere performance at the Teatro
Adriano in Rome June %. More
over, Mr.. Schipa did not sing the
leading role. He was merely con-
tent to be the composer and it is
said that the work was so success
full that negotiations are under
way to produce this work in New
York during the coming Winter.
Mr.. Schipa also acquired anoth-
er, more domestic title during the
Summer when he became the
father Of daughter. who was
given the same name as the title
role Of her famous fathers opera
Llama.
SPEAKING of opera singers, Ger
aldine Farrar has definitely re-
asserted that she does not intend
ever to sing in opera again. Also,
that she expects to retire from
! concert work when she is so. She
Is quoted in the New York Times as
saying: Life is so very rich that
there are great many things one
should do If one can, and after my
fiftieth year, am now At am
going to have better time than
ever before. But 1t will not be in
opera or on the concert stage"
Miss Farrar alludeS to her grief
over the death of Nine. Lilli Leh-
mann, her teacher. She says OF
her:
"She taught me marvelouSly;
she scolded me thoroughly; we
often disagreed violently, but she
knew how I adored her and that I
was as strong as a horse and al
ways willing to work. We had a
wonderful relationship. Consider
ing everything, she was extremely
patient but also capable of hot
wrath, very blunt and sometimes
very amusing. Once I was prepar-
ing for an appearance with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra with
group which included three
Wagner songs. 7 couldn't do them
to satisfy her or satisfy myself. I
gave up. I said would do some
thing else instead. She asked
why.
"'why?' You know perfectly
well why. You know I can't sing
them, in the first place; I know I
can't, in the second. That's why
ats true said Lilli. You
know and I know, but what's that
got to do with the public
The famous Gerry" also eX-
pressed her opinion regarding the
new mechanical music contriv-
ances, the radio and the sound
films. She says:
This mechanization Of music
goes on everywhere. People have
no longer convictions and they
won't work at music. That is why
art is becoming mechanical and
emaSculated. Mind you, I'm not
in the least against radio or any
other mechanical musical devices.
so long as people do not claim that
they are art. That's not art. Art
cannot be manufactured or forged.
Art can onlv be a slow growth. and
the young artists Of today will not
face that fact. Therefore, we are
short of singers and music.
"And where are men and women
today? How is such a generation
going to sing? To sing you have
to feel. These people are diet
tamil, in art and in life. What
have they to sing about?"