Show i I FAMOUS PRODUCER OF OPERAS IS DEAD I I Oscar Hammerstein Genius Impresario Passes Away After Short Illness By Associated Press NEW NEWS YORK Aug 2 Oscar Ham Harp Hammerstein Hammer and producer r mer theatre builder ane of or grand opera died In a hospital here last lut flight t a a. complication of- of i r- r diseases after an illness of ot sev several r l days Oscar Hammerstein Hammerstein's s chief claim to fame as an nn and th theatrical manager it has S beep been said ald will rest in inthe inthe Inthe the fact t that at he set new records for presenting grand operas of composers never before h heard Juard in itt America and that h ho he Introduced to the tile Western Vestern musical world who afterward won great names fr t themselves Mr Hammerstein was born in Berlin perlin erlin Germany Geppy Y h jp 1 1847 47 and game came to the United States in as MJ he e late later i wrote to be free Arrived In New NewYork NewYork NewYork York he became a apprentice ap ap- ap- ap prentice He lie always had a great love for the theatres Early In life he became as associated associated associated as- as with Adolph manager manager manager man man- ager of a bowery theatre a He Ife wrote three plays about 1870 all aU of ot which were produced here I ENRICHED BY Y INVESTMENTS Before this Mr had made pae a little mUe money y in harlem real es estate estate es- es tate and invested it wisely Later he hebe became be arpe a silent partner of Neuendorf In the control of or the Fourteenth Street Streett t theatre where German plays were pr- pr The first theatre h built bunt in Harlem lost in three years but the promoter never lost heart He another ope one and made money Similar ventures were undertaken ken and were successful II In 5 he pall paid 1000 for th the site of Df th the Olympic theatre and put another million into the building build build- ing Yvette Guilbert opened it and for fora a time It was a big bg money maker macer but 1 failed at last While engaged in writing operas and finding new pew prima donnas and men plen singers he e utilized his spare lipare time as asan asan asan an inventor some of his labor saying saving devices bringing him handsome royalties al royal ties Ues The Harlem opera house he built in 1880 This was toll followed owed by the e erection ec- ec tion of the Columbus theatre Manhattan Manhat tan Opera House Olympia now New NewYork NewYork ew York theatre Victoria theatre Belasco Belas- Belas co theatre and the New Opera House For many years the Ule Metropolitan Opera company had nad a clear field and land landon andon andon on Decem December er 3 1906 when Mr Ham I Hammerstein lm began as a competitor with the Manhattan Opera company he was he was met with many prophecies of failure The r e premier was s I I Purl Purl- tan tani Carmen sun sung later scored ed a distinctive artistic triumph and nd before tile the end of the season it had been presented presented presented pre pre- I twenty times Then followed I Aida and oth other r grand opera operas new I and old to American audiences NUMEROUS PRODUCTIONS The Manhattan produced a wonderful wonder wonder- ful tul Ui repertoire including puch uch operas as Rigoletto Lucia Lucja Boheme Bo Bo- Boheme heme Na in au all of which Emma Calve sang Don Giovanni I I and Melisande Melis- Melis T Thais ais Louise Hoff Hoffman nde ande Siberia The Tales lales of man The Tise complete catalog of ot Mr Hammerstein Hammerstein's s operatic offerings would make a good sized book pook Among th opera singers he engaged who were stars stars of the first vocal magnitude magnitudE mag mag- at itt t the time time or became so later partly as result of or Mr Hammerstein's leadership were Edouard and Jean de deReske deReszke deReske Mary Garden Louise zini Eleanor de Cisneros Maurice Renaud Renaud Re- Re naud Mario Nellie Melba Lina Llna Cavalieri Jeanne Reach fleach Charles Char palmor s John MacCormack M M. and others In III 1910 Mr Hammerstein sold out Philadelphia opera house and scenery Scenery cen- cen ery and costumes of the Manhattan to together together together to- to gether with all contracts with his singers singers sing sing- ers era for a sum said to have been beep 2000 to the Metropolitan Opera company company com com- pany and as a result of ot the agreement entered into at that time and which later was the subject of lUg litigation the tle famous impresario was enjoined from producing opera in New York until April 26 1920 |