Sunday, October 20, 1957 THE MICHIGAN DAILY MAGAZINE PageThvn
The Universities Have Played a Rig Part
In Its Growing Acceptance
Among Americans
By HARRY DU.SCOMBE The responsibility for cultural life
47PERA WAS, in the first place, did not become an integral part
an accident. Like so many in- of our government as it did in
ventions that turn out to be some- Europe; therefore we cannot count
thing entirely different from what on state support for opera, theater, f
the inventor intended, it began as and ballet. Consequently, for years
an attempt to revive ancient Greek we had only one professional opera
company in all the United States
drama. Instead, the small group of -h erpltnOeaAsca
Florentine artists and philosophers -the Metropolitan Opera Associa-
tion of New York, and even this
created a new form. Where they , 1''
set out to produce drama they pro- group has not been without its
duced a hybrid art which came to difficulties. But in the last few
be dominated by music rather years the situation has b e e n
than drama or the dance. changing rapidly. A snowballing
movement has already brought
As one might expect, an art of opera to millions and revived in-
such manifold complexities pre- terest in the form-an interest
sents many problems to those who closely connected with the aca-
practice it and those who enjoy it. demic community.
In an age which tends toward cal- 1
lousness and disbelief, an age IN EUROPE the
which which is sometimes cynical. E great universities
and unfeeling, opera tends to be were never called upon to con-
ridiculed, for it is by definition, cern themselves with anything
like even the most representative outside of their particularly schol-
of the arts, unrealistic. For some, arly pursuits, for the life of the
the fact that we don't go around student was easily r o u n d e d
singing arias to each other in our through the multiplicity of cul-
daily lives is a serious deterrent tural activities he found round
to the appreciation of opera. about him every day. As a result,
Also, opera, like symphony or- European universities still treat
chestras, ballet and drama, is ex- the arts only in a scholarly fash-
pensive, though the problem is ion; artistic skills are taught in
perhaps a bit more acute, since conservatories or schools.
opera requires the services of so On the other hand, because of
many groups at once. This factor the dearth of artistic endeavor
is especially discouraging to the around them, American schools
American business genius who may were compelled from the beginning
conclude that if it can't make to provide as best they could for '"
money, then it isn't any good. the cultural development of their
students. Consequently, schools of
F OR CENTURIES the secular fine arts were directly incorporated
aarts were pastimes for the pow- into universities, which now confer
erful and wealthy, especially the even the highest degrees in the KINESCOPING a scene from Aet IV of "Aida" at the University Television Offie. Featured are Maw
more complex and therefore more applied arts Mattfield as Amneris and the chorus.
expensive arts. When opera was In the past few years, however,
born, about the year 1600 in Italy, opera has shown a far more than their places in professional opera
it quit naturally was a thing s normal activity in the academic somewhere in the world.
licited and paid for by the nobil- community. Opera workshops have
ity. Indeed, for years an opera was sprung up everywhere, producing SUCH HAS BEEN the case in WISPWEIGHT NO-IRON
a thing to be produced on some everything from isolated scenes on Ann Arbor. In the Temporary g i SPWE I GHTaNOIRON
great ccasion and then to be put a bare atage with a piano for Classroom Building one can see Dream pretties in luxurious Petao ire
away and forgottn. It was under accompaniment to the most ela- posters advertising operatic pro-
this sort of patronage that oper borate productions of complete ductions which date far back into Schrank's exclusive No-Iron blend of
grew fro it gngs th operas. In many scnools opera de- the history of the University and Orlon Cotton- Dacron and Nylon.
grew from its beginnings to the partments which began as cul- the School of Music. In 1952, Prof.
art we now know. tural adjuncts to a university have See OPERA, Page 15
Thus all over Europe, opera, now b e e o m e operatic training - -- -
through a long, patient process, hools of professional caliber,
came rather deeply rooted in and are beginning to turn out
the life of the people, even though artis who will doubtless find
it was made possible by the riches ai w w MILKMAID
of the high-born. The gradual de-
velopment of democratic thought LI PST I C KS
and the final overthrow of autoc-
racy did not destroy it. Where the -
Snew democratic governments as- "
sumed an obligation to the cultur- . an 6xCzting
al life, of their various peoples, NEW COLOR '
opera was included. And so opera
became a natural part of the
European democratic tradition.
HOWEVER, things took place
somewhat differently in the 3 r f
New World. The exploration and
settlement of North America took -
place during the growth of demo-
cratic ideas in Europe so that when ;
a government was formed there, it
partook immsediately of a demo-
cratic tradition fostered in a place
where the struggle for survival had
tended to displace all activities of ~
leisure and to level off social stra-
ta, depriving the arts of their noble 51
patronage.
Thus America was endowed with
all the equipment necessary to ph+ 1x
become a great nation in many 300 PROJECTOR
ways, but was spared centuries of milkmaid Lipsticks are 15% Pure
struggle toward democracy which Quick push-pull of the slide- sweet, REAL Cream, giving
might have permitted the devel- lever shows, changes and a dewy-fresh, naturally moist
opment of a native artistic tradi- stores slides automatically. alluring silky finish to thipi
tion. We have rather assimilated Aluminum slide magazines preventing drying or cracking, R>
the already existing European tra- with individual frames pro- keeping them youthful and luscio ..
dition and begun only now to test slides from dirt, dust, Sixteen lovely colors stay true
elaborate on it fter our own finger-prints or damage. in any light . . newest is
fashion, But Insofar as artistic Single magazine holds 36 "Redberrie," vibrant, light bright Smart sleepcat with -
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