Page Sixteen

THE JEWISH NEWS

Friday, November 19, 1943

Jewish Artists and the
Metropolitan Opera House

By DAVID EWEN

On the sixtieth anniversary of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, which is at this moment
the last bastion of the great operatic traditions, David Ewen, distinguished music critic, tells of the
role of Jewish artists in the development of this great institution.

.. . THE EDITOR.

If present negotiations.
which are progressing
satisfactorily, material-
ize the Metropolitan
Opera Co. will be in
Detroit this coming
spring for a short
season.

T

HE Metropolitan Opera
House this year celebrates its dia-
Mond jubilee. Of the recognized half
dozen opera houses ' of the world it
alone will keep alive and vibrant the
great traditions of opera perform-
ances. War has silenced the Paris
Opera, the La Scala, the Berlin State
Opera and the Vienna State Opera.
Only the Metropolitan remains func-
tioning according to its highest stand-
ards, true to its noblest traditions, de-
termined to keep the art of opera
flourishing on a world-famous stage.

The 60th birthday of so great a mu-
sical institution inevitably encourages
memories. As we glance into the past,
it is of more than passing interest
that the Jew played such a decisive
role in the history of the Metropoli-
tan. On the occasion of the jubilee
celebration of the Met, it might be of
some moment to review the Jews'
contribution to one of the world's
great operatic institution.

Jewish Conductors

, Jewish conductors have been prom-
inent in the orchestral pit of the
opera house from the beginning of
Metropolitan's history. In 1884 — one
year after the founding of the opera
house — Dr. Leopold Damrosch, a
great Jewish musician, became its
principal conductor. It was Damrosch
who reintroduced the wealth of Ger-
man 'opera to New York opera audi-
ences; and it was Damrosch who
brought to the Metropolitan its first
great year of opera. The death of Dr.
Damrosch brought his son, Walter, to
the conductor's platform,

Between 1902 and 1915, two famous
Jewish conductors guided the musical
destinies of the Metropolitan. One of
these was Alfred Hertz, who was in
charge of the German repertory for
13 years and who was responsible for
the American premiere of Parsifal.
The other was the world-famous Gus-
tav Mahler, who gave his first Metro-
politan performance in 1907 and who
remained for a few seasons giving in-
comparable performances of Weber,
Mozart, Smetana and Wagner.

In 1915, the Wagnerian repertory
passed on to Artur Bodanzky of
Mannheim, who carried the burden,
with considerable glory, until his
death 30 years later. He, too, was suc-
ceeded by a Jew, the brilliant young
Viennese conductor, Erich . Leinsdorf.
When, recently, Leinsdorf left to be-
come principal conductor of the
Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, the
Wagnerian repertory was divided be-
tween two Jewish conductors, Bruno
Walter and George Szell, who will be
heard in these works this coming
season.

Other Famous Leaders

But I have thus far only scratched
the surface of the list of distinguished
Jewish conductors who have offici-
ated at the Metropolitan. In the
French repertory, we have had Al-
bert Wolff, Selmar Meyrowitz, Pierre
.Monteux, Louis Hasselmans; in the
Italian, Giorgio Polacco, Kurt Schind7
ter, Nahan Franko; in the German
(besides those mentioned above) Paul
Eisler.

• Among the tenors who have made
the halls of the Metropolitan ring

with immortal music, we find several
Jewish names of importance. Maurice
Renaud was perhaps one of the great-
est romantic tenors of his time. Ca-
ruso may have surpassed him from
point of view of vocal technique and
range; but in the interpretation of op-
eratic music, he was unquestionably
Caruso's superior. His performances
in "Don Giovanni" were without
equal for sensitive phrasing and for
subtlety of nuances and he was in-
comparable in the French repertory.

Hermann Jadlowker scored great
successes in the Italian and German
repertory. One of his greatest tri-
umphs came in the world premiere of
Humperdinck's "Der Koenigskinder."
Jadlowker retired from opera to be-
come a cantor in Europe. Paul Ka-
lisch, husband of Lilli Lehmann, was
famous in the Wagnerian tenor roles
and was one of the first 'of the great
Wagnerian tenors to be idolized in
America.

Jewish Sopranos

Other Jewish tenors who have
scored successes at the Metropolitan
include James Wolfe, Armand Tokat-
yan, Mark Windheim, Max Altglass,
Arnold Gabor and Jan Peerce.

The great sopranos of the Metro-
politan cannot be discussed without
assigning a place of honor to
Alma Gluck (one of her un-
questioned triumphs was in
Gluck's "Orfeo" under Tosca-
nini'' baton), Pauline Lucca
and Sophie Braslau. Mention
should also be made of Marie
Rappold, remembered for her
performance of Sulamith in
Goldmark's "Queen of She-
ba," Nanette Guilford and Rose Pauly
of "Elektra" fame.

Among the baritones, the personal-
ity of Friedrich Schorr, who retired
at • the end of last season, dominates
the opera house's history. He was the
greatest Wagnerian baritone and his

interpretations of Wotan and Hans
Sachs created a tradition which never'
Will be forgotten. Other baritones and
basses who must be included among
the great operatic stars are Emanuel
List and Alexander Kipnis.

Stage Directors

- Among the stage directors, two
names are of especial significance.
The first of these is Samuel Thewman
who, single - handed, revolutionized
the tradition of Wagnerian perform-
ance in his long career at the Metro-
politan. Wilhelm von Wymetal, an-
other Jew, inaugurated a new era in
the staging of Italian opera, avoiding
stereotyped theatricalism and de-
pending upon subtlety of mood, at-
mosphere and detail. Their remark-
able work is now being carried on by
Herbert Graf, one of the foremost op-
eratic stage directors of our time.

I do not think that this 'survey of 60
years of the Metropolitan Opera
House would be complete if I did not
point out those operas, by Jewish
composers, which have been perform-
ed so successfully during this
period. They include: ,Halevy
(La Juive); Franchetti (As-
rael, a sensation in 1890);
Meyerbeer (Le Prophete, Di-
norah, Les Huguenots, Robert
le Diable, L'Africaine) ; Wal-
ter Damrosch (Scarlet Letter,
Cyrano de Bergerac) ; Karl
Goidmark (Queen of Sheba);
Offenbach (Tales of Hoffman); Erich
Wolfgang Korngold (Dead City, Vio-
lanta); Louis Gruenberg (Emperor
Jones) ; Jaromir Weinberger (Sch-
wanda).

(Copyright 1943 by INDEPENDENT
JEWISH PRESS SERVICE INC.)

From Tin Pan Alley To Carnegie Hall

George Gershwin's Life Story Is the Subject of a Fascinating Biography Written by David Ewen

A Review by SHIN FEY SAMACH

he collaborated in song - publishing
with his brother, Ira.

George Gershwin was the man who
gave status' to Jazz. He is said to have
been the first popular song composer
to make his way from Tin Pan Alley
to Carnegie Hall, and then to even
greater heights as an acknowledged
musician.

Ewen's biography of Gershwin may
well serve as a textbook on Jazz. One
of - George's ablest teachers, Charles
Hambitzer, pleaded with him against
this type of music. "Don't you see,
George," he argued, "that the people
who write these songs have no feeling
whatever for musical beauty, no mu-
sical instinct, no imagination, no
taste?" But this man, who exerted
great influence on George, was help-
less on the question of Jazz. "He was
crazy about popular songs, and he
was not ashamed of his passion," his
biographer tells us.

This rise to recognition as a musical
genius was the natural result of an
inborn love for his art which defied
all obstacles and discouragements.

David Ewen, one of the ablest mu-
sical critics of our time and the out-
standing Jewish authority on music
and musicians, describes the career of
this great composer in "The Story of
George Gershwin," which recently
was published by Henry Holt and
Co., 257 Fourth Ave., New York.

More Like a Novel

The incidents • in the life of Gersh-
win are so well knit together in
Ewen's story that this book reads
more like a novel than a biography.
From early boyhood, when Gershwin
first turned from street play and
sports to continuous devotion to the
piano, until his great triumphs as a
composer, as well as his tour of Eu-
rope and his triumphant appearances
in this country, the Gershwin suc-
cesses emerge from this story as an
epic of music-making in America.

Gershwin knew that he wanted to
be a composer, and - he was set upon
accomplishing his aim in life. He had
sufficient vision to accept a job as
song-plugger in Tin Pan Alley, but he
also knew when to quit. when the
time arrived for him to make his real
contributions to musical art.

First, he wrote songs for Broadway
productions.- - He was 21 when he
achieved success with the music for
"La La Lucille." At 22 he wrote
"Swanee" which was made famous by
Al Jolson.

Greatest • Triumphs

His greatest triumphs,
however, came with his
"Rhapsody in Blue," which
he composed for Paul
Whiteman; t h e "Concerto
in F" which he wrote for a
Walter Damtosch concert
in which he appeared as
soloist, and the folk opera
"Porgy and Bess." Later

Subject of Controversy

Incidentally, Mr. Ewen speaks of
the derivation of the word Jazz as re-
maining a subject of controversy to
this day. Some, we are told, derive
the word from the French "Jaser"—
meaning to rattle or chatter; others
trace it to a familiar term in minstrel
shows—"Jasbo"; and there are those
who believe that there must once
have been a dusky musician in the
South named Charles or James, and
that the contraction of his name
("Let's have some more of that music,
Chas or Jas!") produced the word. In
any event, even men like Walter
Damrosch have come to the defense
of Jazz as Gershwin conceived it. In
the program notes Damrosch wrote
introducing Gershwin's Concerto he
wrote:

"Lady Jazz, adorned with her in-
triguing rhythms, has danced her way
round the world, even as far as the
Eskimos of the North and the Poly-
nesians of the South Sea Islands. But
for all her travels and her sweeping
popularity, she has encountered no
knights who could lift her to a level
that would enable her to be received,
as a respectable member
in musical circles.

Accomplished Miracle

"George Gershwin seems
to have accomplished this
miracle. He has done it
boldly, by dressing this ex-
tremely independent and
up - to - date young lady in
the classic garb of a

/Carl Krueger will conduct the Detroit
Symphony. Orchestra on Wednesday,
Dec. 1. In a nrogram featuring the
- works of Gershwin, - Kern and Foster. -

concerto. Yet he has not detracted-
one whit from her 'fascinating per-
sonality. He is the prince who has
taken Cinderella by the hand and
openly proclaimed her a princess to
the astonished world, no doubt to the
fury of her envious sisters."

Mr. Ewen relates an interesting in-
cident about Gershwin's Concerto. He
writes that the gifted singer, Mar-
guerite d'Alvarez, was enthusiastic
about this great Gershwin composi-
tion, at a time when the Rev. John
Roach Straton of New York was con-
demning Jazz as "intellectual and
spiritual debauchery, utter degrada-
tion." To which Marguerite d'Alvarez
retorted: "When I die, I want nothing
better than that Gershwin's Jazz
piano concerto be played over my
grave."

Great Names Mentioned

The names of the truly great in the
entertainment and musical worlds
pass in review. in Ewen's biography of
Gershwin. Among Gershwin's friends
were Irving Berlin, Damrosch, White-
man, Eddie Cantor, Jolson, Serge
Koussevitzky, and scores of others.

The author of Gershwin's biogra-
phy was among his friends, and his
personal knowledge of the great com-
poser helped him in the writing of a
fine biography.

One of the finest tributes to Gersh-
win came on Nov. 1, 1942, when Ar-
turo Toscanini included his "Rhap-
sody" in a nationwide radio program.
Only last Sunday, Toscanini again di-
rected a program of Gershwin music
in a nationally broadcast radio pro-
gram.

Thousands of admirers paid honor
to Gershwin when he passed. away at -
the age • of 37, on July 11, 1937, and
Dr. Stephen S. Wise paid him a glow-
ing tribute.

Mr. Ewen's biography is a deserv-
ing evaluation of one of America's
greatest musical geniuses. Lovers of
the classic as well as Jazz music will
thrill in reading this . splendid story of
the man who made a princess of Jazz
and whose musical scores continue to
delight the hearts of all who thrill at.
the, sound of good music.

