Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-03
NJ u SIC
BY HELEN FETTER.

such charms last year when sing
ing MaSSenet'S score. Consistency
at least was strictly maintained
by having the same DeS Grieux In
the person of Beniamino Gigli and
the same LeScaut in Giuseppe de
Luca. According to the reports
from the New York press, all the
principals deserve extra laurel
leaves in their wreaths and the
two new members of the COM
pany'S roster who participated.
Eleanor La Nance and Alfredo
0andolfi, did paSsably well.
Quite a few Washingtonians arc
interested in the career of this
young mezzo- soprano, "Nell'' La
Nance. She won much local in
tereSt with the excellence Of her
! singing as Alan-a-Dale when the
Washington Opera Company pre-
Sented Robin Hood" She also
had been heard here with Hin
Shaw'S Opera Company. She was,
for several seasons, student I'M
der Oscar Seagle before going into
practical operate work and later
studying extensively in Italy. The
metropolitan critics have been
kindly but generally non-commit-
tai in their attitude toward Miss
La Nance in this trying debut last
week. It will be interesting to see
how her next appearance Is re-
ceived.
A GAIN one is invited to comment
on the universally of desire
on the part OF musicians to write
operas. Opera writing is appar-
emily increasing its fascination for
the musician usually associated
with other fields in musical pro-
duction.
George Gershwin, whose name
is in the highbrow music cata-
logue for his Rhapsody In Blue"
has announced that he is writing
an opera on the libretto of 1.-THE
Dybbuk," that very gloomy play of
Jewish life. This is not Mr.. GerSh-
wins first attempt at writing an
opera. He wrote q one-act opera
of Harlem life that Paul White
man presented on some Of his pro-
grams, but it did not seem to have
made much stir.
MFR. Gershwin is not the first
composer to be inspired by "The
Dybbuk." Last year Aaron Cop
land wrote q chamber music trio
based upon the theme song" as
the movies would term 1t, OF this
play.
TN nearby Baltimore, too, q COM
poser seems to be intrigued by
the idea OF writing an opera. This
composer is a musician who also
has studio connections in WASH
ington and is we'll known locally
Emmanuel Wad, Danish pianist. it
has been learned recently, has
written a romantic opera of Amer
lean Indian life, entitled "Tag-
wawa." Report has it that this
Will be produced in the Royal
TheRter and Opera House of
Copenhagen next season.
A most ingenious interview.
written by Anne KinSolving in the
Baltimore News, says in part:
'Those who have watched him pIv
between the University Club and 6io
Cathedral streets these many years.
crooked stick In hand, cigar in mouth,
req whiskers dropping in the breeze.
never guessed he was writing an opera.
ThoSe who knew him when his was A
triangular course, including the Pea
Dody Conservatory, where he was pro-
lessor Of piano for rs years foresaw a
budding Paderewski but not q budding
wagner. And none is more sur
prised than Mr.. Wad.
WHO would believe saws he in the
most genuine establishment that u
would wake up 1t 60 to md myself the
father of an Opera2 I can't imagine
how 1t happened
"Mr. Wad always had q twinkle in
his eye. But now he has a veritabIe
solar system in both of them. Sitting
nae down in the best chair in his studio
he told me the whole tale II it is long
you must remember that little operas
are long time in coming. He ex-
plains:
1T begins way back when I was q
youngSter. on my way to- Vienna to
study with LechetizSky. To save my
fathers pennies I took O dirty little
steamer, and she rolled until my natural
love for life was almost exhausted.
=
friend more. And found one. A
young doctor OF my own age was on
the ship and we talked OF many things
and became friends forever.
Many years passed and 1t came to be
1924. spent the Summer I'm Denmark
and on the ship coming home met my
doctor. We began mutual confessions as
to what we had done with our lives.
I had spent mine In America, play
ing and teaching. He had lived every
wherein East India, in Siberia, in
Europe and even two years in Chicago
And, finally, he blushingly confessed,
he had written an opera libretto for a
composer at home, and 1t was to be
produced.
IT said I wished he would write one
for me. and he promised he would. 10
and behold, the next year the first draft
OF 1t came, and I fell in love with 1t
Immediately.
1T was taken from an ancient In
dian legend, and full of poetry. DR..
Dyneley Prince, then the American
Minister to Copenhagen. had made 1t
into a book, and my friend. Norman
Hansen. wrote his libretto from that
In English. 1t is called 'Tagwawa'-
Indian for Indian Summer
For three years worked on the
music. Then, when I had finished the
piano score took 1t to Denmark. The
KappellmRster of the Court Theater in
vited me to dine at his country villa.
1t was beautiful place, and many in
teTesting people were there.
THE dinner was very splendid, beau
tiful linen and silver, wonderful food,
excellent wines. But all through It
was In misery, aware Of nothing except
that I had an opera under my coat
and it might be very good, but 1t might
be very bRd.s
AT least I knew It wasn't mediocre,