Evening star., 1929-12-08
NJ u S I c.
BY HELEN FETTER.


turned back gratefully to dear old
Victor Herbert. They agreed that
nowhere at this time could one
find so rich and melodic a score
as this one of his. Victor Her
bert'S music is already coming
back and it's coming back to
/ stay"
FEW melodies of the world have
the ingratiating quality that
| clingS as has Victor Herbert'S
Kiss Me Again" Undoubtedly
more hearts have quickened their
pace and more young people
obeyed the suggestion of that song
! than has been the reaction to any
one other song, in this country at
least. Who that has gotten be-
yond their middle teens doesn't
have at least one warm memory
of that waltz? 1t might be inter-
eStlng to know that this waltz,
like de Koven'S almost equally
popular 20 Promise Me-" was
not written in the first draft of the
operetta score.
Victor Herbert was in Saratoga
putting the finishing touches on
the score of Mile. ModiSte" when
Henry Blossom, who had written
the libretto, and Charles Dilling-
ham, the producer, came to him
and convinced him of the neces-
Sity OF an outstanding melody for
the operetta.
Mr.. Herbert wrote and discarded
scores of melodic ideas, and Mr..
Blossom returned to New York
after few days, leaving Victor
Herbert perturbed and still unable
to find the melody he wanted.
The next day the composer
spent many hours idly lingering
the keys of his piano, trying vainly
to catch a melody. He finally
went to bed and to sleep, and in
his dreams melody came to him.
He arose, turned on the light and
Jotted down 80 bars of melody and
then went back to sleep.
The next day he called Mr.. Dill
hngham, and the producer, Miss
Scheff and Mr. Blossom came to
Saratoga to hear it. They all
agreed that it was a charming
melody, but Blossom and Dilling.
ham thought that it would not be
adaptable to Mile. ModiSte." Miss
Scheff, however, agreed with Vic
tor Herbert that the melody was
ideally suited to her. The star and
the composer finally overcame the
objections of Dillingham; and Bios
som, and the latter wrote the
lyrics, which have since become
famous. The completed number
was put into the show and the rest
is a matter of theatrical history.
X x ~
r OSA Ponselle, the young Ameri-
can who has become the
dominating prima dona of the
Metropolitan Opera Co. in New
York, is represented elsewhere on
the page today with an article
that tells of the difficulties in
her reheasals for her first big role
that meant her debut and the
bloSSoming of a brilliant opera
tic career. At present Miss Pom
Selle is having to prolong a rest
neceSSitated by a severe case of
laryngitis, aggravated by her try
ing to sing before her throat was
sufficiently healed and strong.
AS a result, she has had to post
pone indefinitely her debut in the
role of Donna Anna in the re-
Gently revived Don Giovanni"
although it is reported that she
is expected to be well enough soon
to sing less exacting roles. One
remebers particularly the keen en-
thuSiaSm with which Miss Pom
selle wrote back to America last
Summer from Lake Como, that
she was studying this role of
Donna Anna and enjoying it
thoroughly.
Miss PonSelle's article is the first
of series which The Star will
print on the music page, giving
interesting and often amusing in
cidents in the careers of various
opera stars.