Music: In Boston

Out of the retirement in Maiden, Mass., to which she had committed herself less than six weeks before, Ethel Leginska came ostensibly to the aid of the People’s Symphony Orchestra of Boston. The musicians wanted better pay, the public wanted more concerts, but the directors were deaf even to the pleas of the charming Leginska, who had been canvassing for subscriptions. Would the People’s Symphony survive the crisis? That question was answered last week by the announcement that there would be next season a new orchestra—its 100-odd members to be drawn from the old—to be known as the Boston Philharmonic, Ethel Leginska its permanent conductor.

Modern Cleveland

A cup of this, two cups of that, a tablespoon of something else, a pinch of salt—and a chef has mixed a cake. A Beethoven symphony or perhaps a Haydn, a bit of de Falla or maybe Respighi and a portion of Wagner—and a symphonic conductor has made up his program. And just as one chef is famed for his pastry, the next one for his meats, so is it natural for one conductor to excel in one style of music, be it classic, romantic or modern.

Last week the Detroit News published the results of an investigation of the programs played by the orchestras of six U. S. cities. They took the average date of composition of all works played during the season, found that Cleveland (1874) was most modern, New York next (1872), then Boston and Chicago, tied (1869), Philadelphia (1865), Detroit (1857).

Further analysis snowed Cleveland’s lead to be due to the fact that it played so little 18th Century music; that the Boston Symphony, under Serge Kousseviyzky, led in 20th Century music, with Chicago next under Frederick Stock, and the New York Symphony next. Chicago has played the greatest proportion of the classics, with Philadelphia next; and Detroit, under Ossip Gabrilowitsch, leads in the 19th Century. The percentages:

…………..1680-1800 ………19th Century……20th Century

Detroit…………10.6……………..71.2………….18.2

Boston………….12.1……………..47.3………….40.6

Chicago…………13.4……………..47.8………….38.8

Cleveland………..6.7……………..64.0………….29.3

New York………. 11.2……………..51.3………….37.5

Philadelphia…….12.7……………..58.2………….29.1

Forecast

A big, bearded Italian pushed his way through the dingy swinging doors of the Metropolitan Opera House stage entrance last week, sniffed the warm Manhattan air, lifted his face to the warm blue sky pierced by a hundred workaday buildings, decided it was time to go home. Whereupon came announcement after announcement, for the bearded one was no mere singer leaving for a European holiday. He was Giulio Gatti-Casazza, impresario, in the hollow of whose mighty hand nestles the fate of scores of such little folk as singers.

First came the statement that established his own position—a letter from Otto H. Kahn, in behalf of the Metropolitan Board of Directors, extending his contract until May 31, 1931, in appreciation of “his brilliancy of artistic achievement and resourcefulness of management.” So was Signor Gatti-Casazza honored at the close of his 18th season. Many knew that his old contract extended to 1929, saw that its extension was to insure his direction for at least three seasons in the new home, to squelch the rumor that a change of home means a change of organization.

Then spoke Signor Gatti. He drew up a new contract for Assistant General Manager Edward Ziegler, to run for as long a time as his own. He announced eleven new artists for next season—nine singers a conductor and a dancer:

Martha Attwood—Baltimore soprano of considerable European experience. Louise Lerch—Allentown, Pa., soprano, pupil of Marcella Sembrich.

Elda Vettori—Italian-U. S. soprano from St. Louis, heard with the San Carlo, the St. Louis Municipal and the Washington Opera Companies.

Joseph MacPherson—25-year-old basso from Nashville, Tenn.

Ruth Hope—U. S. dancer, one-time member of Pavlova’s company, especially famed for her work in John Alden Carpenter’s Birthday of the Infanta ballet with the Chicago Opera.

Editha Fleischer—German soprano who came to the U. S. with the Wagnerian Opera Company in 1923; since then a member of the William Wade Hinshaw Company.

Pavel Ludikar—Czech basso, also a member of the Hinshaw Company.

Walther Kirchoff—tenor from the Berlin Staatsoper.

George Cehanovskv—Russian baritone, heard with the San Carlo and Washington Companies.

Ezio Pinza—famed basso of the Scala Opera in Milan and the Colon in Buenos Aires.

Vincenzo Bellezza—Italian conductor of the Colon and the Costanzi Theatre in Rome, now conducting the Italian season at Covent Gardens.

A pale but audacious Greenwich Village householder, named Edna St. Vincent Millay, once wrote, among other things, an imprudent quatrain in which she distilled a favorite notion:

My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—
It gives a lovely light!

She concerns herself in her poetry with joy, not duty, brightness, not rationalism, verve, not meditation. She speaks with distressing boldness. A bespectacled small-statured man of 41, named Joseph Deems Taylor, has written many a musical composition, among the more popular of which is a suite for orchestral rendition called “Through the Looking Glass.” Onetime music critic of the New York World, he has attracted much attention to his commentaries because of his extremely readable but authentic criticisms. Signor Gatti-Casazza* is happy to announce that an opera collaborated upon by these two and named The King’s Henchman will be produced next season.

Placated

Some weeks ago Maria Jeritza filed suit for $25,000 against a pair of Cohen brothers, Bronx cigar manufacturers, for naming one of their cigars “La Jeritza,”

Last week the case came up in court. Counsel for the Cohens argued that the plaintiff is really a baroness, wife of Leopold Frederick Salvatore Baron Popper de Podhragy, that thus she is no longer Jeritza, has no more right to the name than have the Cohens. But Federal Judge Thatcher thought differently, decided in favor of “La Jeritza”, ordered the Cohens to cease using her name.

*Mr. Gatti is the first impresario who has succeeded in making opera pay at the Metropolitan.