Show English But Odd Very fr 4 1 l t 2 1 A 1 A 2 4 4 DeKoven De Koven Issues Warning Bj DJ Universal Service Chicago o Feb r rA A A warning was Issued to by Reginald de deKoven Koven composer of or Rip nip Van Winkle shortly before ho died tiled three ago not to expect o that tho the new American opera will be Intelligible in Its entirety The Tho advice of tho noted composer Isor is of or peculiar interest Just now no Dont get tho the Idea Ide l. l th that t bC because e an opera Is sun sung in English Ene youre you're going to understand er e every word of or the tho text because youre you're not said dir Mr tr do be lucky I if you OU get e-ct halt half of oC it Even Italians listening to opera In their own language say CO GO per vcr cent centIs nt Is lt about all they can understand of what is sun sung The uThe pronunciation of ot words In n aln singing sing sing- In ing is hi different from lom the conversational con pronunciation mod and th that t applies s to English A as welt well a Q I Trench rench and Italian Hut W wo believe c e the Iii 11 liah 11 vernacular can cn bo ho made to serve the purpose of oC up opera Ta as artistically and andas andas as ns satisfactorily ns as any language Mr do Coven Koven who 1 made his world worle premiere at lt the Auditorium hero bore wIth tho 1 presentation lon of or Rip lUp Van Winkle predicted that the native art born Just before the world war will bavo a flourishing car career lr The Tho movement movement- said Mr r. do 10 I Ioven making for the Intensive cultivation of or ofa a a. native growth o of grand brand opera really dates from a period Ju Just t before t the tho Q war var At that time Ume six sia American composers including m myself el got ot together and prepared prepared prepared pre pre- pared a a. weeks half bill of ot native opera op op- era Including my own on Canterbury Pil PH- grims On approaching some somo of or tho the biggest big t men in New York to see sea if It such uch an enterprise could bo ho financed tina wo we found tho latter moro more than willing willingto to come corne to our assistance Of If It six composers thc they jokingly 1 told UP us can be found Cound to n agree on anything any any- In- In thing it mutt must be all right Our plans were cro int interrupted by the hc war not however before I 1 my myself bad had made a thorough canvass of ot the countr country from Mama Malno to California with a 1 view to ascertaining popular senti ment The result of or that canvass was high highly encouraging I found that the let less 3 metropolitan centers of or population population tion arc aro actually hungry hunn for opera and arc are able ablo and willing to pay pa- for It IU What hat they want however howe is rs nativo nativo na- na tivo ti American opera and not i A. foreign transplantation There Thera certainly is no valid reason Vh why America like Uko other nations should not nol have ha its opera in its tL natty native tongue The Id Idea of opera in a a. foreign n language e eIs Is unheard of ot anywhere any else French Germans German Spaniards and Italians alike would consider It rl ridiculous And that brings us to another point If It 01 opera c were dono done In the vernacular it would come conic I believe c far nearer to being Ingo a supporting self institution Aa IS to nip Kip Van Winkle kle there is not nol a great deal to be added to what I have already said about it I have already explained why Mr Ir and I have havo chosen to call it a folk opera opera opera-In In order that people ml might ht not bo bl tempted to throw stones at us for writing a n. pretty lyric now and then or an occasional bit of or melody You Youcan Youcan can do that you ou know in a folk toile opera of or the and type Right night here however r tho tiro American composer runs up a against aln t a hard lem duo dUe to the fact that there In is practically no native e folk melody among amon us I have havo been forced to In Invent Invent invent In- In vent my melodies and other composers for tor some soma time to co come w will w lit have havo to do the same sarno In dealing with similar themes |