Evening star., 1938-12-30
Fostering Of Music
Urged by Johnson
In Address Here
Manager Of the Met
Cites Greater Interest
In Operate Classics
BY ALICE EVERSMAN.

IN OPer0tlc NloSSIcS
BY ALICE EVERSMAN.
ITO defend and cherish music, to
point the way, hold high the torch
that future generations may call us
blessed" was the thought that Ed
ward johnson, general manager OF
the Metropolitan Opera left with his
listeners as he concluded his speech
1t the annual banquet Of the Music
Teachers National Association, held
IN the Mayflower ballroom last
evening. Combining in convention
with the teachers association this
week are the National Schools Of
Music, the American Musicological
Society and the Phi Mu Alpha Fra
ternity. Last evenings banquet
with 500 present was the high light
Of the three-day session with Mr..
Johnson and DR.. Walter Damrosch
as speakers. Mr.. johnson took the
place of Lawrence Tibbett who could
not come, as originally planned, due
10 q performance at the Metropoli-
tan Opera.
introduced by the toastmaster,
Rudolph CAM, Mr.. johnson chose
to speak of opera and Its import
ance in the music of today. He
began by saying that opera has al
ways provoked interest and in spite
of the fact that pessimists have said
1t is decadent, it is not only flourish
ing, but this years subscriptions for
the Metropolitan, which subSiSts
solely on contributions of the Ameri-
can public, has had an increase of
~ per cent of new names. Among
these are many young subscribers
and children are being educated in
opera by the special performances
arranged through the Opera Guild.
y X &*
One of the major objectives of the
Metropolitan is working out the
problem of young singers. OF the
list of artists appearing at the IA
nous opera house more than half
are Americans and from among
those heard in additions a search is
being made for the artists of the
future The necessity of singing in
foreign languages is a handicap for
Americans, but Mr.. Johnson de-
clared his hope that the day will
come when opera will be given in our
own idiom. Great new patterns in
music are happening today, Mr..
johnson said, and on the radio music
occupies five times more time than
NJ c,,h
in particular, has been represented
as difficult, but through the op-
cratic broadcasts this idea Is being
abolished.
At the conclusion of the dinner
kilograms of regret from Mr.. Tibbett
and Earl Moore at their inability
to attend were read by Edwin
Hughes, president of the Music
Teachers National Association, after
which the speakers were introduced
In witty fashion by Mr.. CAM. DR..
Damrosch, whom DR.. CAM said de-
served to be the first minister of
fine arts, took the occasion to speak
of the bill for a Federal bureau of
arts, which he hopes to introduce in
Congress and to enlist the support
of musicians for it. In brief, the
bill calls for an appointment by the
President of nine trustees to man
age the bureau, serving without SAL
ary, with six of these to be distin-
guished members of their profess
sions.
DR.. Damrosch hopes that the time
will come when art of every kind
can be brought to the farthest
points of the country for the edu-
cation and enjoyment of those far
from cultural centers. He declared
that the bill must have no politics
and concluded by saying that art
must not be made football to be
kicked around by politicians"
A musical program by Rosa Ten
toni, soprano of the Metropolitan
Opera, and Benjamin Jones, pian-
list, preceded the speeches. Mr..
Jones played in brilliant fashion
Chopin's "Nocturne Op. 48, No. T.;
Debussy's "Toccata" from Pour lie
Piano." an etude by BortkieWicz,
prelude by Rachmaninof and
Prokof1eff's "Suggestion Diabolique -
Miss Tentoni's offerings were Schu-
bert's Gretchen am Spinnrade, -
.Wolf's "Heimweh," Hageman's THE
Night Has a Thousand Eyes," La
Forge's Retreat" Rossini's LA
DANA" and the aria from Giordanos S
Andrea Chenier."
Both artists made a deep impress
sion on their listeners, Miss Ten
toni's skillful performance even
bringing forth a hearty bravo
from Mr.. johnson. Several encores
were given by both Mr.. Jones and
Miss Tentoni.
Many distinguished guests present
' at the speakers table were intro
duced individually with an appro-
pirate remark or a clever story by
Mr.. CAM. The interesting points
brought out by the two guest speak
ers brought forth loud applause for
their pertinent relation to the OBJ
jective of the convention.
In the afternoon an organ recital
was given by Palmer Christian at
the Washington Cathedral as part
of the program of the convention
and attended by large crowd of
visiting and local musicians. Mr.
Christians program consisted OF the
introduction and allegro from Han
dels Concerto in B Flat" Fresco-
baldIs 'Toccata per lElevazione,' .
Bach's prelude and Fugue in B
Minor" De Lamarter's "A Gothic
Prelude" Doty's Haze" Sowerby's S
Passacaglia," Vierne's "Clair de
Lune" and Karge-Elert's choral i'm
provlzation on I'm Dulci Jubilo."
The rich sonorous tones of the
newly installed organ were brought
out to the fullest in DR.. Christians
playing. But more impressive still
IN the spacious Cathedral were the
oencately toned numbers such as