Evening star., 1946-09-01
32W
World
Awaits Advent
Of TeleviSion
Educational Plans
To Benefit by New
Training Facilities
By Alice Eversmon

by AllCe eVeTSmon
During the war, one of the great
compensations for the material
privations necessary from the almost
complete stoppage Of manufacturing.
was the glowing promise Of improve
ments that would follow the knowl-
edge obtained In war experiments.
It was believed that with hostilities
at an end. living would take such q
squirt forward into new paths that
all the old ways would be discarded
as being outworn. Naturally some of
this progress could be expected to
creep into things musical for by the
laws Of nature nothing is static.
There has been much speculation as
to which direction the new change
would go.
Practically the only real promises
that have been made in the music
world, have to do with television
and when that has been perfected
for general use, the question Of Just
how it will influence music produc-
tion can be estimated. Television is
the next logical step in the new
inventions that brought the public
the monographs, the radio and the
sound films Since Baron ions Jacob
Berselius, the Swedish pharmacist,
discovered selenium in 1917, the work
has gone on slowly but surely to It's
final perfecting. Lately great strides
have been made in lengthening the
area Of projection and in the repro
duction of more complicated action.
Television's possibilities are now fully
apparent and it's desirability as an
other adjunct for home consumption
and pleasure cannot be disputed.
The division Of music that will
lend itself first to television con-
sideration is opera. This is
natural" for such INSTALLATION and
when it becomes popular, the long
fought battle for opera as part of
American cultural interests will be
at an end. More people will know
about and like opera through tele-
vision than could ever be possible
with the limitations and expense of
travelling companies or the costly
seasons in the few regular opera
houses Of the country.
1t will not be feasible to transfer
the bulk Of the present opera reper-
toire to the television screen-only
those that provide, as they do on
the stage, plenty of action and a
colorful setting will be used. These,
however, will be supplemented by
new works and the impetus, so long
needed for American composers to
write opera, will operate and the
great American opera may finally
be born. When its direction is or
ganized, and assistance given the
composer by technicians who know
what they want and need, the in
spiration may be started that will
result in opera taking precedence
over other musical events in the
publics favor.
1t will be discovered also that
English is not such an impossible
language for an opera libretto. The
difficulties of translating what is
reasonably sensible into silly sound
ing English will vanish and with
it will be found language as excel
lent and to the point for a musical
setting as that enjoyed in the
drama. No more will sounds unin-
telligible to the majority of people
accompany the thrilling music and
engrossing action of opera. The
time spent by singers in mastering
a good diction in foreign languages
will be concentrated on English. A
new acting technique will have to
be learned and the real art of opera
Will come, finally, into its own.
With the gain that seems indi-
Gated in the opera development,
what about the recital field? Will
the concert public prefer to sit COM
fortably in big chair in the home
living room watching and listening
to Heifetz or Rubinstein play. Does
the person-to-person contact, felt
undeniably in the concert hall, rate
Of more value and will the same
demand that now insists on seeing
radio and movie stars in the flesh
be as potent in television. It is true
that many Of the finest artists are
not photogenic in the best sense.
but Lily Pons or Bidu Sayao should
be as charming and decorative as
always.
The pattern of concert giving has
been the same for many decades.
Some new features could be injected
into it that would not be contrary
to an artistic STANDARD. Such inno-
vations will be welcomed provided
they are designed to further the
understanding and appreciation of
music. Perhaps television can help
also in this field and devise more
interesting setups for the concert
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