Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-20
M u ST c.
BY HELEN FETTER.

unable to gain admission to the
concert.
During the more recent years
Prof. Auer has been in charge OF
the violin department at the Cur
tbs Institute of Music, Philadel-
phia.
THE American march king
John Philip Sousa, has just
returned to this country from
England, where he conducted the
Royal WEIGH FusilierS in his
newest march, which was dedi-
Gated to them. 1t is reported that
while in London Sousa went To
Pagani's nous restaurant
where, much to his amaZement
he found on one of the walls a
fragment of musical writing which
he had scrubbed there 81 years
ago. He was so pleased by the in
cident that he added a few more
bars on this newest visit. If he
manages to make even one more
quarter OFFS -century trip over
SouSa will be more than 100 years
old and probably the "handwrit-
ing on the wall" will be a full
grown Sousa march.
X AZ
EVEN in these Summer days, oc-
casionally there is a bit of real
music news. The most recent is a
definite statement issued from
Deems Taylor's home, in Stamford,
Conn, to the effect that this
American composer has finally
completed his operate score
based upon the. book of Peter
IbbetSon." There is still some of
the orcheStration to be completed,
but all three acts have been fin
iShed, so that the singers assigned
to the leading roles already have
been able to start study of those
roles.
1t is not surprising to find the
prophecy suggested in these COL
umTlS a few weeks ago has been
fulfilled. Edward Johnson, the
Canadian tenor, who no longer in
this day of American musical
progress has to disguise himself
as Eduardo Giovanni to win the
approval of audiences prejudiced
in favor of the foreign artists, is
role made famous on the stage by
John Barrymore and on the
screen by the late Wallace Reid.
The charming LucreZia Bori is
to sing the role of the Duchess of
Towers, who was interpreted on
the screen by Elsie Ferguson. The
third important role will be sung
by another American, the Califor-
MIA baritone, Lawrence Tibbett.
This makes an admirable trio.
The libretto, of course, is in
English. Nine. Bori, who is Span
ish, has an accent-delightful, yet
definitely un-EngliSh. 1t has been
explained, however, that such an
accent will not be out of charac-
ter for this, her first role in Eng
lish. The Duchess. who is half
Irish and half Polish, lived in
Paris and, according to Du Maui
rier, author of the book, spoke
English with a foreign accent.
Peter IbbetSon" is the third
choice of Mr.. Taylor for libretto
for what is his second opera.
After his first opera, "The Kings
Henchman," had appeared so sue
ceSSfully, he first announced as
libretto for his second opera Hay
wood Broun's Candle Follows His
Nose" This proving unsatisfac-
tory at the time, was laid aside
and the second choice was Street
Scene" the play by Elmer Rice
which won the Pulitzer prize In
1928-29. In an interview with Mr..
Taylor in the Spring of 1929 he
evinced the keenest interest in
working out the musical score for
this play, but admitted that he
was not yet satisfied with the way
his many themes were to be han
died and blended into unified
score. AT last he laid that aside,
the Metropolitan graciously ex-
tended the contract for a new
opera from his pen and Mr.. Tay-
Tor began work on both the libret-
to and score of the Du Maurier
novel.
Rehearsals are planned to be-
gin in the Autumn, with the pre-
miere performance at the Metro
politan Opera House in either
January or February. The opera
has included in its three acts nine
scenes, laid in London and Paris
of the middle nineteenth century
It should prove fascinating mate
rial for the operate stage. Mr.
Taylor has announced that the
score will contain many arias as
we'll as parlando passages, and,
judging from previous works from
his musical pen, one may feel
confident that the orchestral
score will be rich and brilliantly
written.