Evening star., 1932-03-06
NOTED BRITISH MUSIC PATRON
HERE TO CONDUCT PROGRAM
Sir Thomas Beecham Has
Given Million Pounds
to Opera.
Recalls Two Previous Visits,
One to Lead Orchestra
Four Years Ago.

Sir Thomas Beecham, distinguished
British musician and patron OF music,
an energetic "musicminded" million
aire, will come to Washington Tuesday
to conduct the third and final program
here this season by the New York
Philharmonic symphony Orchestra:
Sir Thomas is not we'll known here,
as he has been In America only twice
before. The first time he was but Is.
The second time, four years ago, he
made a flying trip Of two weeks oura-
tion as guest leader OF the Philadelphia
| Symphony Orchestra. He appeared in
Washington leading that orchestra at
the Washington Auditorium.
Sir Thomas, whose father made a
fortune "by making the inhabitants of
Albion pill-consciouS" one New
York reporter put it in an interview
with Sir Thomas last Sunday, has been
keen student of music since his
earliest days. Both his first school and
his college at oxford found him spe-
cializing in music studies. Then he be-
gan his career as musician in earnest,
conducting for touring opera company
in 1902 and having his first concert Of
symphony music in Queens Hall, Lon
don, three years later
Has Neat Goatee.
Sir Thomas is dapper, short person
with neatly tailored goatee. He is
unusually responsive to the music he
conducts. He has lost as much as a
million English pounds in the cause of
opera. His chief hobby is his Imperial
Opera League, which, he told reporters
last week, 'has a membership Of 10000
and considerable money"
On his previous flying visit Sir
Thomas created a definite impression
that he felt the British to be generally
an unmusical race He was consider
ably quoted to that effect.
He gave real news to Americans gen
orally in the statement that opera today
is subsidized by the British government
to the extent of 100000 a year, a plan
started by the Labor government. OF
the famous Bach choir of Bethlehem,
Pa. he said
Does your Bach choir ever sing
Bach? The reason I ask is that in
England we have Haendel Society.
So far as I am able to discover. they
sing ANYTHING and everything but
Haendel."
Haendel Festival Pictured.
His description Of the annual Haendel
festival at the Crystal Palace was
amusing.
There are 1000 people, all singing
away for dear life," he explained, under
q glass roof, surrounded by some &C, 900
auditors. 1t always takes place on the
hottest days of the year. You can i'm
againe what effect the rays of the sun
must have, beating down on that glass
roof. And you can also Judge for your
self from the fact that they have to
have 80 or 40 trained nurses in at
tendance
1T is most embarrassing for a con-
ductor, because the performances are
constantly punctuated by singers faint
ing all over the place. No sooner have
they dragged out an unconscious
soprano than one of the contraltos col
lapses with much commotion. 1t is an
| amazing spectacle; you really should
see 1t some time. And so English!'
Sir Thomas will conduct an unusual
program of three full symphonies here
Tuesday. He presents works by Haydn,
Mozart, his favorite composer, and Cesar
Franck.
Mrs. Robert Low Bacon is chairman
Of sponsors Of the Washington COM
mittee arranging for the concert, which
will be held at 4:30 o'clock at Constitu-
| ton Hall.