Vol. XXXII. No. -20 NEW YORK SEPTEMBER 11 1920 ''·'" •" EDITE D . ~'"::>,--- l . ' 15 Cents per CopyY•~ J ~ - REVEAL BOK AS THE $2~000 ~ 000 RAISED SECRET HELPER OF TO PRODUCE OPERA PHILADELPHIA FUND IN SAN FRANCISCO Qu a k er City Amazed On Polacco Announces Details of Learning Identity of Man Ambitious Project of Which Who Kept Orchestra On He Is to Be the Artistic Its Feet During War Years D irector- Company De - Story Made Public in Ad signed to Rank with Those vance Sheets of Editor's of New York and Chicago Biography to be Published Drive Now in Progress to This Month-. Other Philan Raise Remaining $500,000 thropies of Similar Nature of Entire Sum Desired -Disclosed CHICAGO, Sept. 7.-A project, the HILADELPHIA, Sept. 4.-The "un importance of which to the musical Pknown donor" whose benefactions of world of America it is impossible to es a quarter of a million dollars literally timate, has recently been made public financed the Philadelphia· Orchestra over by Giorgio Polacca, who returned this· the lean "war years" when musical and week to Chicago from a trip to San other domestic enterprises naturally suf Francisco. It is the establishment in fered on account of the demands made on San Francisco of an opera company of the cheerful givers and liberal citizens major dimensions, to rank with the two by the numerous war philanthropies, was great operatic organizations already ex Edward William Bok. Musical Phila isting in this country and with any in delphia, astounded at the revelation of Europe. the identity of the mystedous anonymous Mr. Polacco,who will be general art istic benefactor, who has been thanked for his director, held. numerous conferences with generosity by formal minutes at each leading financiers and persons promi annual meeting since 1916, has not yet nent in the music~l world of San Fran recovered from its surprise and als.o its cisco, and reports not only the greatest chagrin at having been such a poor enthus'asm over the project, but, which "guesser." The secret came out through is more to the point, a tremendous finan receipt in Philadelphia of advance cial backing already available with the balance in sight. proofs of a noteworthy autobiography, It is planned to build an opera house "The Americanization Netherlands, whose indus carefully taken care of by prominent try and intelligence during half a cen authorities in t hese matters, and most tury has evolved Edward William Bok, of all, the technical equipment of the journalist, editor, publicist, citizen, stage, lighting and the entir e mechanism Ame-rican in the best sense of the word. will be up to date in every sense of the One of the chapters of his autobiogra word. phy is rich in material fHenry Adams dependent on the continued· interest and into New York harbor with Giulio Setti. means covered the yearly budget of ex in his "Autobiography." He says in part: life of a single individual. This does chorus master of the Metropolitan and penses. He saw that permanence de "The public support given orchestras not in any way depreciate the fine forty of the members of the chorus who pended on a sounder busines•s arrange greatly interested Mr. Bok. He was sur generosity of the magnanimous donors spent their summer in Italy. On Sept . ment minus annual appeals for footing prised to find that every symphony or who have supported these great -organi 7, the S. S. Presidente Wilson brought the deficit .a,nd superhuman endeavors of chestra had an annual deficit. This he zations, but the wisdom and foresight of W. J. Guard, publicity director of the the ever-faithful women's committees in immediately attributed to faulty man Mr. Bok are revealed in what has hap Metropolitan. Mr. Guard, shortly be Philadelphia and its e nvirons. He felt agement. But in investigating the whole pened in the case of the Boston Sym fore sailing from Italy, saw Giulio Gatti that the true solution of the problem lay question he learned that a symphony or phony, owing first to the Muck episode Casazza and his wife, Frances Aida, who in the establishment of an endowment chestra could not ·possibly operate at a and then to Major Higginson's death. are summering at the Lido near Venice. fund, deeming this better than the cur profit or on a self-sustaining basis be "Public participation and popular Mary Garden ·was also at the same re rent group footing of deficit s each year cause of the change of programs, the in sharing in the maintenance was there so:r:t and the two prima donnas gave a or subsidy by a single individual, as in cessant rehearsals required, a nd. the fore the keynote of Mr. Bok's idea for a concert for Venetian charities. Mr. Gatti, the New York Symphony and the Boston limited number of times it could actually great community organization devoted according to Mr. Guard, will sail for this Symphony. He therefore developed a play within a contracted season. An to the highest in music. But it needed side on Oct. 10, and Mme. Aida will pre a plan, with the co-operation of _Alex annual deficit was inevitable. cede him by nearly a month, sailing on ander Van Rensselaer, and one other di- "As already stated he did not think [Continued on page 2] Sept. 18. MUSICAL AMERICA; P ublished every Sa turday by The Musical America Company at 501 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. Enter ed as S~c~nd Cl~ss Matter J a nuary :l5, 1~0~ , a,~ ~J;u;; Post Office at N ew York, N. Y., under th.e act of . Ma rch 3, 1870. Saturday, Sept, 11, 1920. Vol: XXXII, No. 20. Subscnptwn Pnce $3.00 p er year.
