Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-12
BY ERNO RAPEE.

A MONG the many things do poorly
is guess, so don't guess any more.
I merely adjust my glasses, frown i'm
pressively, and in q firm and even voice
state my personal anticipation as q
prophecy inspired by the high heavens
Of the music world. This fools lot
Of people, including me-
In q way, I find that the amateur
play-acting Is more than an affecta-
ton: It has obtained results. A prophet
Is not without honor except In his own
country, and the only way could prop
erly impress any one with my predic-
tons about music and sound pictures
was to stand afar OF, try and create the
appearance Of having no connection
with q sordid music for-money world,
and let loose my fairly reasonable OBJ
servations. gained exclusively in the
music-for- money world itself.
Now, I find myself anointed with
more than three months of intensive
Hollywood experience. During my pre-
vious career / watched orchestras grow
from 10 to 10 pieces in theaters. I
have seen them struggle from the days
when changing picture did not neces-
sarily mean changing the musical score
to the time when a New York theater
definitely sets aside three-quarters of q
million dollars as its music budget for
the year.
Future Of Music.
This lengthy preface I insist on, be-
cause feel that 1t Is now, for the first
time, that ! can authoritatively state
exactly where America Is meandering
IN the matter Of music. For the last
year the questions that have flown
about the lecture platforms and concert
halls and printed pages have become too
provocative to remain unanswered by
any one who finds music closest to his
heart.
viii the classicists write down to q
movie level? Will the movie level come
up to the classicists? Will music for
movies copy the stage? And what will
the new form be?
Very tricky questions, those. Will the
claSsicist write down to a movie level?
No, hardly-the classicist cannot write
down. And why should he, when there
never has been so popular an apprecia-
ton Of good music In the history Of the
world? In october Of last year a New
York newspaper ran a poll to discover
which radio feature was most popular
with its readers. Fifty hours COM
peted, and the winning program was
Roxy's Symphony Orchestra, an hour
Of classical music played on Sunday
afternoons. Second was the True Story
hour, featuring dramatic incidents in
the lives Of two characters, Mary and
Bob. How utterly incongruous this
seemsl But 1t Is not so. The True
Story was well done, and anything well
performed will be popular. More per-
sons listened to the orchestra which I
conducted with such pride land in the
beginnings, confess, with q pardonable
nervousness as to the number Of its
listerners than have listened to any
single body of men since the time be-
gan. Where do these classical people
come from? More important, where
will they go, with good music in their
picture houses?
Betterment in Music.
VIII the movie level come up TO that
Of the claSsicists? This naturally fol-
lows. 1t is inherent In mems nature to
progress and better himself-in taste,
IN living and in civilization generally.
AS the best is exhibited, the public
turns away from the inferior product
The moment the screen offered a huge
symphony orchestra through Vitaphone,
the six-piece orchestra fell by the way
side-another casualty of natures own
elimination contest, the survival Of the
flttest. The large metropolitan theaterS
are still able to retain their orchestras,
because their music is supplied by
organizations almost as good as can be
collected anywhere, either in Vita
phones studios or the great concert
halls. And this Is what will keep Amer
lean symphony music jogging ahead Of