Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-10
Standard Numbers Chosen
For Addition Candidates

How well can aspiring sopranos sing
= one verse Of THE Last Rose Of
Summer; contraltos, dramatic and
mezzo-sopranos sing Kjerulf's Last
Night; tenors sing How So Fair"
from Martha" and bassos sing Drink
to Me Only with Thine Eyes?
These are questions candidates from
the District Of Columbia must determine
to the satisfaction of the local commit
tee in charge of the fourth national
radio addition before they are admitted
to the 1880 preliminary contests.
The announcement that the addition
preliminaries would be held Thursday,
September IS, and the last day for re-
ceipt of applications would be Septem-
her IS, was made by DIR. Albert w,
Harmed, chairman of the local commit
tee of the Atwater Kent Foundation, to-
day. This announcement also carried
the unique requirements for the singers.
I'VE are determined that the question
of how well the candidates for the au-
dition can sing shall be definitely shown
in a standard song" DR.. Harmed an
nounces. Each candidate-and they
must be between 18 and Is years of age,
of course-may come to the elimination
tests that begin Thursday, September IS,
with one song of their own choosing
But each candidate also must be pre-
pared to sing O. standard song. The
committee has considered this matter
very carefully, and We have selected
The Last Rose of Summer" for the
sopranos, Kjerulf'S Last Night" for
dramatic and meZzo-sopranos and con-
traltos, the last phrase Of SO measures
from How So Fair from Martha" for
tenors, and Drink to Me Only With
Thine Eyes" for baritones and bassos.
Only one verse Of the soprano, contralto,
basSo and baritone standard songs will
pranos may sing the Kjerulf selection
in a key not lower than G."
DR., Harmed states that his committee
already has received number Of appli-
cations from prospective singers, and
expects to have the largest turnout Of
candidates this year that has appeared
in q national radio addition.
I'VE have made up our minds we will
find another national champion" DR..
Harmed states. THE success of Miss
Hazel Arth, who won the national COM
petition in 1928, should spur our young
singers to greater efforts. Miss Arth,
as the entire country knows, won the
coveted position Of contralto with
Father Firms famous 'Medievalists,'
who sing in the coast-to-coast broadcast
of the Catholic hour every Sunday.
And she has had other honors In con-
cert in New York and elsewhere. Her
companion winner of 1928, Donald
Novis, tenor, of Pasadena, Calf, has
also made a spectacular success in sing
ing in motion pictures.
I'VE selected a standard song to have
the candidates sing because we want to
know what their ideas of music are and
what actual foundation they have for a
career as a vocalist. If each sings the
same song, we can make comparisons
on a definite basis. This requirement,
of course, will not preclude each candi-
date presenting song Of his or her
own choosing"
The preliminaries will be held at the
WRC studio September as, beginning
at 2:30 o'clock AS many days will be
occupied in the preljminaries as are
necessary to give each candidate a fair
of applications is September Is. All
applications should be filed and re-
quests for information addressed to DR..
Albert w. Harmed, 1917 New York ave-
nue., or Station WRC, National Press
Building.
The awards offered singers aggregate
$25, 900 in cash and 10 musical scholar
ships. The individual awards are 5000
each Zone boy and one girD and two
years tuition for the winner Of the first
place; second place, $4,000 each; third
place, 81. 900 each; fourth place, 81 500
each, and fifth place, $1,000 each. The
last four pair each receive one years
tuition in addition to the cash award,
the tuition being with the pupils own
choice of an American conservatory or
a teacher of recognized standing.