Evening star., 1933-11-12

maTVellng pubic 10 gasp ana
minds are able to grasp and the
)found artistry the music which
talented, find difficult to bring to
lg artists remain the great artists
st to the musical world when cir
Whatever their later
children interpreting music with
YER a moving one. This afternoon
title Gloria Perkins, violinist, will
the National Symphony Orchestra
come to its ranks of artists small
8-year-old wonder of the piano.
recital, playing not" as one European
reviewer says, like the charming child
she still is. but like a man who has
overcome the difficulties Of his pro-
feSSion."
When considering wonder children of
today or of the times past the striking
fact, aside from the phenomenal talent
of the children themselves, is the
energy and devotion of their parents.
Down the list from Weber, Mozart
Beethoven. Schubert, Liszt, Clara Schu-
mann, Busoni to Elman, HeifetZ, Menu
hin and the two little girls playing this
week, it is the shadow of the parents
back of them that is ever in the pic
ture 1t is not given to all musical
children, and perhaps wisely so, to
become prodigies, but it is within the
power of every parent to give music to
his child. A mother or father interested
in music, making music as enjoyable as
play for child and taking hand in
smoothing out technical problems, Is
making gift to the child that will last
throughout a lifetime and be source
of constant solace in vicissitude or
TDloa oV1d rlrn6t In oy1tc
No parent can measure the value or
the magnitude of musical education
well grounded in early years with the
finest knowledge possible to attain. The
performance of little Gloria Perkins
today should give parents of both
musical and unmusical Cif such there
be- children much to think about and
perhaps the result will be that many,
longing for music, will have their wishes
gratif1ed or other unknowing ones will
at last be permitted to enter the magic
realm where music stores its many
treasures.
THIS great Capital of a great Ma
tion will never be wholly rounded
out musically until 1t includes a reg
ularly sustained opera in its midst
When that day comes the name of Es-
telle Wentworth will spring to mind as
the generous and hardworking pioneer
who gave of her time and talent to
arouse and foster a love for opera In
this city. Through her efforts the
Younger singers of the community have
had an opportunity to know opera from
the close angle which participation In
actual performance brings. Under the
direction of one who has gained re-
fy, %1af AnfA ha~ L.,
been taught not only the specialized
technic of opera, but its finer musical
side as we'll
Coming here to live 10 years ago
after long public career in which she
was acclaimed one Of Americas finest
prims donnas, Miss Wentworth began
to teach for the love of it and with
the desire Of passing on her musical
knowledge. It did not take her long
to discover the deplorable fact that
none Of the singers who came under
her tutelege had ever heard opera or
much of the higher class operettas.
With energy and tremendous hard work
she set herself to remedy this state
of affairs.
In the intimacy of her studio she
trained the singers and had them sing
first the lighter operettas and then the
operas for their own pleasure Bit by
bit she prepared them for public ap-
pearances in such operas as Martha -
Bohemian Girl'' and the ever popu-
lar Gilbert and Sullivan comedies The
first opportunity for public perform
ances was given her by the East WASH
ington Community Center, and it was
in the Eastern High School about six
years ago that her group gave its
flrst production. Since then she has
developed the repertoire to include all
the operas which she presented in
tabloid form over the radio.
The opera group which she has built
up from these first efforts has grown
to be recognized part of the city's mus
ical activities, and so valuable to the
community at large that her perform
ances have the full cooperation of the
various groups, notably the Conmu-
nifty Center Department, who have the
musical progress of the city at heart.
Opera in English, whose prominent
advocate is Lawrence Tibbett, will un-
doubtedly some day come to pass, and
when Washington has its own opera
with local singers performing in it, 1t
VIII be due to the farsightedness. the
courage and the ability of Estelle Went
worth who first gave the young singers
an opportunity to know and under
stand opera