Evening star., 1935-07-07
Formation of National
Opera Appears Imminent
Hearty Support Being Given Bill to Set Up
Department of Science, Art and
Literature.
BY ALICE EvERSMAN.

That the time has now arrived for
q translation of years Of cogitation
and talk into a practical step leading
to the reality of the establishment of
q national opera is evident from the
hearty support being given the pro-
posed bill for a Department OF Sci
ence, Art and Literature. The pre-
liminary hearings, which are being
held before the Committee on Patents
In the House of Representatives, have
now run into the seventh week and
have attracted noted representatives
of the department Of music to help
plead the cause. Lawrence Tibbett,
Rosa Ponselle, Mr.. and Mrs. Edgar
Stillman Kelly, Deems Taylor, Ernest
Smelling, Frank La Forge, Ave Nor
rison Kicker. Paul Specht, Gene Buck
and Richard Crooks have come in
person to give their views, while many
other prominent musicians have sent
word of their Endorsement of the new
legislation.
Among Washington musicians who
have attended the sessions and con-
tributed constructive ideas are c. c.
Cappel, Amelia Cont, Mrs. Hugo Hes
selbach and Mary Cryder, while local
chapters of the Federation of Music
Clubs have been represented by Mrs.
Joseph C. Byron of Maryland, Mrs.
o. c. Hamilton of Asheville, Mrs.
Edward Lee EdmundSon of Tennessee,
Mrs. Walter A. Knerr Of Pennsylvania,
Ernest H Hull of New York and Ger
trude Lyons of the District.
Although to Representative Sirovich
goes the honor of energetically bring
ing the plan for a governmental de-
partment and building to house a
national theater. opera and symphony,
It is not the first effort in this direc-
ton started in Washington. Some
years ago Mary Alsop Cryder, then
prominent as a concert manager in
this city, succeeded in interesting
Oscar Hammerstein in project for
a national opera house with yearly
season of opera directed by this cele-
brated impresario. At that time Mr.
Hammerstein agreed to build an opera
house which would include a smaller
concert hall and studios and to give
opera here for a period of 20 years
provided the land would be given him
BY citizens of the city. After much
negotiation the plan fell through, due
to lack of cooperation from Washing
tonians who could readily have given
the required site.
I,to a vi
c. Seigfred and Mr.. Porter incor
porated to form national theater
which would also include opera. The
plan was as follows: The national
theater building will eventually in
clude three main auditoriums and
stages; a small theater for the pres
entation of intimate plays, theater
of average size and great play
house. Grand opera is a type of
dramatic art and belongs within the
national theater." A meeting was
arranged in GoldWin Smith Hall. Cor
nell University, by Mr.. Seigfred in the
Spring of 1880 for the purpose of
discussing the organization, and rep
resentatives from several schools and
colleges attended, headed by Prof.
Martin Sampson of the English de-
partment of the university of Cor
nell. On the board of managers
were Prof. Sawyer Falk, director. of
dramatics at Syracuse University;
Richard Miller Kendig. graduate of
Hobart and Harvard; Rose c..
Broughton. in charge of the Brough-
ton School of Expression and wife
of L. N. Broughton. professor of
English at Cornell, and others. The
changes of the last years prevented
the realization of this plan also.
While interest is universal in all
the branches of art to be developed
under the new department, the real
novelty lies in the final serious con-
sideration of national opera. Dur
ing the upheaval of the last few
years the public has become opera
minded for the first time. People
took time to listen to music and it
was proved time and again that
popular opera would be patronized by
the masses. The crystallization of
this newly awakened interest into
form that will lift it's direction from
the hands of individuals to the con-
troll of the Government is the great
step forward which Mr.. Sirovich has
accomplished.
Since Richard Wagner's day there
has been agitation going on for ma
tional opera. European governments,
cess of providing national support
for music and the drama. There are
the plans of Wagner, Goethe, Henry
Arthur Jones, Sir Henry Arthur and
Edwin Booth to refer to for helpful
working out of details as visionized
by these authorities in the theater.
AS regards national concept, these
eminent men agreed on a basic and
fundamental idea. that the institu-
ton must first be directed primarily
to developing national art as dis
tinct from international art, the lat
ter being secondary, and, secondly,
that to attain national art there
must be an alliance of representatives
of all the fine arts-namely, liter
azure, drama, IfluSlC, painting anu IIle
plastic arts. The excellencies of all
these arts are manifested in any
development of opera or the drama.
When the Bureau of Education,
now part of the Interior Department,
was created by Congress it was for the
advancement of education and the
mechanic arts" The omission of the
fine arts is significant unless it comes
under the heading of education, but
any concept of department of fine
arts must necessarily include educa-
ton. A precedent for the support of
the advancement of the arts can be
found in the large sums paid in every
State by the taxpayers in order that
art, and particularly music, could be
included in university curriculums.
The formation of governmental de-
partment will carry out on grander
scale what State Legislatures have
been doing for some time when appro-
priations were made for the art de-
r