Evening star., 1949-11-27
Music
Contests Fail to Bring Forth
Satisfactory American Opera
By Alice Eyersmon

The feeling that an American
composer of opera has slight
chance of having it produced may
have deferred many from expert
menting in this field. There may
be more to it, however, than meets
the composers eye. for effort has
been made from time to time to
stage operas of American creation
at the best opera houses. Further
more, contests have been an
nounced occasionally where a
financial prize and promise of pro-
duction have been offered. One OF
these contests was announced in
1946 by Charles L. Wagner who
brings the double bill. "Cavalleria
Rusticana" and "Pagliacci" toI
Constitution Hall on December II
under the Hayes management.
MI. Wagner sought a one-act
opera based on an American
theme for which prize of 81 900
would be paid and the work prom
ised at least Is performances by
picked cast. While it was not
specified that the composer should
be an American citizen. the New
York manager was inSiStant that
the subject be selected from the
history or based on the customs of
this country. Almost Immediately
he received more than $50 inquir-
les, many of them coming from
such far-away places as India, Au-
stralia, North Africa and Pales-
tine. In a short while. 100 manu-
scripts were piled on his desk
which took an entire year to ex-
anime. The result was nil.
He found a woeful lack of either
drama or comedy in the librettos
sent him and an equal lack OF
melody in the scores. Sometimes
an impossible American story had
been fitted in to music written
years ago. Again, story would
be splendid and the musical score
mediocre. He came across one
fine book with a hopelessly poor
musical setting. He had several
meetings with the composer in an
effort to better the music but with
out success. Control of the book
passed into his hands. however,
and he still is looking for some
one to write the music. He con-
tinues to stand ready to buy any
opera he thinks worthy of produc-
ton with those he has had on tour.
Sees Lack Of Operate Respect.
In report made to the Metro
politan Opera Association some
years ago, Edward johnson has
this to say from the viewpoint of
general manager Of the Met. In
termittently through the years
several works by Americans have
been produced at the Metropolitan.
But few of these have ever en-
joyed more than a passing in
terest. This and the fact that the
many scores submitted for consid-
Grafton have all too often suffered
from some weakness in operate
storytelling would seem to indi-
cate that American authors gen.
orally have not yet come to re-
spect the operatic libretto as a
suitable medium of their dramatic
ideas. Might not they. and their
colleagues the composers, gain
more from an opportunity to learn
the fundamentals of the operate
theater than from sporadic offers
Of prizes and special awards? In
deed. 1t has become our conviction
that an American opera. if 1t is to
be a valuable contribution to the
literature. should be born in the
opera house as the outcome of a
season spent by librettist and
composer in daily contact with
conductors, stage directors, and
others familiar with the problems
ana pitfalls of operate presenta-
ton"
| Sound as is this advice il does