March 13, 1920 MUSICAL AMERICA 5 EXPLORING THE ARTISTIC DEPTHS OF VAUDEVILLE

E. F. Albee, the King of America's Favorite Entertainment, Tells "Musical America" of New Musical Era in' Vaudeville-An Ultra-Exclusive and Highly Specialized Field­ Why Many Artists Fail on the "Two-Performance-a-Day" Stage-European Names No Longer Awe Booking Managers-Singing and Playing Before "A Cross-Section of American Life"-The Listeners Unafraid-Bridging the Gulf Between the Concert Halls and the Modern "Variety Show"-Arthur Lawrason Offers Some Practical Suggestions

By ALFRED HUMAN "I do not mean that legitimate musical Lerner, G, Aldo Randegger, Wynne Pyle, artists must lower their standard:;;, but I Claire Forbes, Renee Florigny, Patricolo, vAUDEVILLE is America's greatest do want to make it plain that on the· Senor Wetony and Alexander Mac­ pastime. Her votaries number mil­ vaudeville stage music must be singable, Fayden. They have been so popular on lions; not even the motion pictures and that melody is of paramount importance. programs in all parts of the country- and The beauty of the musical offering must not one of these artists has complained Sunday newspaper "comic supplement" be immediately apparent on the first that he or she was forced to lose dignity can boast of such a grasp on the Ameri­ hearing. It is best to present programs or lower standards. can habit. To ignore this powerful force, of the generally known and most popular "We have booked with success such to disdain to consider. the artistic poten­ type, such as the automatic pianos and violinists as Frederic Fradkin, concert­ the Victrola records have taken into the master of the Boston Symphony; Albert tialities of what Samuel Johnson termed homes of the nation. Much of the best Vertchamp, Manuel Quiroga, Ota Gygi, "a form of comic opera," would be the music of the masters has been so popu­ Vera Barstow and Jan Rubini. I recall merest affectation. During the French larized. Vaudeville audiences like tech­ also with pleasure Elsa Ruegger, Hans Revolution an orator was rushing wildly nical fireworks-coloratura especially, Kronold and Fritz Bruch, the 'cellists. through the streets. "Where are you and high notes in song. They prefer the In singing we of vaudeville have sent to fortissimi passages on the piano, but on grand opera Rosa Ponselle, Orville Har­ rushing?" demanded a friend. "Follow­ the violin like best the pianissimi parts rold and Dorothy J ardon. ing the crowd, following the crowd!" he and sustained notes. "Grand opera has sent to us for suc­ cried, and he was off. He probably "Keith vaudeville audiences want to cessful tours• Mme. Calve, Marguerita achieved his mission, he knew his people, hear the music that is played in lEolian Sylva, Henri Scott, Carl Jorn, Carolina: and Carnegie Halls, provided it has true White, Nina Morgana, Melissa Aldrich, he knew that aloofness meant defeat. entertainment quality, and as they hear Mme. Donalda, Mme. J omelli, Fritzi Let us take it for granted. that our it they will learn· to find entertainment Scheff, Albert Reiss, David Bispham, artist condescends to stoop; he will even in more and more of the finest pieces as Ciccolini, Vernon Stiles and Mme. Chil­ "accept," in ·the jargon of musical art­ they grow familiar with them. I think son-Ohrman. We have also had the that I have made it plain to what extent Paulist Choir. Yvette Guilbert was an­ ists, an engagement on the famous Keith concert musician artists need to modify other serious artist who succeeded in circuit. or readjust their work for vaudeville. vaudeville. I repeat, nothing is too good Picture the surprise of our friend "The musical taste of the general pub­ for vaudeville, and vaudeville has the when he fails to qualify for vaudeville. lic is steadily rising, due to opera, player income to pay for the best. E. F. Albl'e, the Vaudeville King, Who pianos, phonograph records, general "Rosa Ponselle went to success in the Gives His Artistic Views to "Musical Hf is an excellent. musicia~, a .pia~ist musical education, and the many other Metropolitan Grand Opera direct from America" of more than usual gifts, ·but m h1s bhnd influences that foster a fastidious tone success in vaudeville, where she had been haste he failed to recognize certain con­ sense. Vaudeville is bettering, too, in a Keith star. Would it have been possible ville as any musician in the country. siderations. After a preliminary "try­ this regard, and I am sure that the day for an .artist to have achieved such a Several years ago, se1.1sing the im­ out" before a benighted audience in the is near when we will book orchestras and phenomenal rise overnight, as did Miss portance of the great American diver­ despised Bronx, he is courteously given symphony organizations of suitable pro­ Ponselle, without the rich experience of sion and its potential influence upon to understand that he was not destined portions, artists in chamber music, and vaudeville? music, Mr. Lawrason stripped his mind for the Orpheum circuit. Our pianist is the greatest instrumentalists. "Many other artists have ste.pped from of . all prejudice, and concentrated his not only humiliated but pained; he had The Boston Symphony vaudeville to success on the musical and attention upon vaudeville fundamentals. some idea of "bringing art to the people" legitimate stages. They left us equipped He made many important "discoveries" and he has been checkmated by a dapper "Already the Boston Symphony Or­ with the best possible training; they in the matter of vaudeville technique,. young manager, accredited interpreter of chestra has contributed the pick of its were at ease in any place or situation mass-psychology, business administra­ the will · of his faithful constituents, who artists to vaudeville. For many sum­ that the ·stage· demanded; they had every tion, with the result that to-day he is confessed freely, when pressed, that he mers an orchestra of some twenty mem-. confidence in themselves, ana they went a specialist on the subject. In fact, he could barely distinguish Debussy from hers of the Bosto.'l Symphony has been into their new field prepared to dominate is now a practical director of artists Donizetti. But the manager guarded the organized to give concerts in Keith's their new audiences as they had domi­ who are qualified to seek glory in the portals and our chastened musician could Boston Theater before the. regular vaude­ nated ours. Miss Ponselle's beautiful "two-a-day" field, having associated with go no further; not even his Prix de Rome ville show. Every afternoon and even­ voice was fully appreciated in vaudeville, him as business associate H. W. Upton. badge would melt the guardian. ing in summer this condensed Boston and it was with· us that she gained con- Observe--we used the word "qualified." Now this illustration is not altogether Symphony has given concerts in the local . fidence and, if I may call it so, daring. Mr. Lawrason's experience has made fanciful. It is a fact that legions of Keith Theater, and, while at first only There is no experience on the stage com­ him scornful of the artist who speaks worthy artists are barred from vaude­ music fans came early for the entire con­ parable to that of vaudeville for giving condescendingly of vaudeville as a refuge ville every season, not because they are cert, the general public soon discovered an artist ease, precision and certitude. for the recital-platform failures. worthy but because they have a distorted the beauty and inspiration of these re­ There is a familiarity between audiences "There is no room in vaudeville for perspective of this realm. Vaudeville is citals and the early audience grew until and artists that teaches one to be at such people," began Mr. Lawrason, "for one of the most exclusive regions of en­ it reached capacity, and the vaudeville home anywhere. they are completely ignorant of the tertainment; it is a lamentable fact to public learned to appreciate and love "More and more the legitimate musical situation. Let it be heralded far and record but it is true that it is easier for great· music greatly performed. I am artist will turn to our audiences for a wide . that only artists of genuine gifts a tyro to pass through the eye of opera. told that many of our patrons became permanent, reliable and profitable pat­ and possessed of a knowledge of certain For this reason we have attacked the subscribers to the concerts of the Boston ronage. There are many first-rate artists essentials can ever hope to succeed in vaudeville situation in this article from Symphony in its winter season as a re­ who have not yet a concert public who this extremely difficult and highly two angles. First from the viewpoint of sult of hearing the concerts at Keith's, might be accumulating riches in v'aude­ specialized field. E. F. Albee, the god or king of American which proved so splendidly educational in ville if they would come to us in a spirit "First of all let us consider the vaude­ vaudeville, as you prefer. It was Mr. so much that is best in music. of honest investigation and study just ville audience. .The make-up is, it is Albee who lifted vaudeville out . of the "We have many experts studying the how far they could go with our audiences true, more representative of all types variety-stage depths and purified it­ music field and our booking managers without making artistic sacrifices that ·than the average concert audience, but with opera in English. Some months ago haunt the concert-rooms, opera houses would irk their consciences. Also there this does not imply that our vaudeville we told this story in connection with Mil­ and recital halls. The new tendency for · are many recognized musical artist who audience is not as thoroughly discrimin­ ton Aborn's narrative of early native better music is shown by the enlarged might be with us year after year re­ ating. opera, explaining how opera "rescued" orchestras in Keith vaudeville theaters; ceiving princely incomes if they' would "The concert audience is self-conscious vaudeville. Mr. Albee explains the new by.the condensed operas, tabloid operettas disabuse their minds of the fallacy that and critical and, supposedly, analytical in tendency and shows distinctly that the now before the public, and by the appear­ they are too good for vaudeville. We its consideration of the · offerings. The old era of performing elephants and ance in our .houses of first-rank singers welcome all true art, provided it is vaudeville audience, a cross-section of gyrating fiddlers has happily passed, that and musicians. human and immediately interesting. typical American life, is less decorous, the modern exploiters of entertainment "Superb music accompanies the danc­ "The field is enormous. Every city of. perhaps, but it is receptive, it is human, will welcome serious artists. · Then to go ing stars who appear in our theaters, and importance has one or more prosperous it is demonstrative to a Latin degree, more into the practical side, we have our audiences appreciate it to the ut­ vaudeville houses which can afford the it is particular, it is so .frank, perhaps questioned a specialist in this field who most. We have heard Borodin, Rimsky­ ·highest salaries for artists. The Keith brutally so,-but so are European opera is prominent in the musical world. Korsakoff, Scriabine, Moussorgsky, Circuit alone covers New York, Boston, audiences. Arthur Lawrason's suggestions should Grieg, Massenet, Delibes, Mozart, Schu­ Syracuse, Washington, Philadelphia, ·prove invaluable to artists. bert, Schumann, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Dayton, The Direct Appeal "Nothing Too Good" Wagner, Verdi, Bizet, Schmitt, lpolitoff­ Cincinnati, Louisville, Indianapolis, "Without going into any discussion as Ivanhoff, Glinka, Debussy, d'lndy, Pon­ Portland, Lowell, Atlantic City, Jersey to the whyfors, the vaudeville audience Mr. Albee's statement follows: chielli, Saint-Saens, Meyerbeer, Halevy, City, Pawtucket, Providence, and other is personal; the artis t who fails to under­ "What are the facts about the relation Weber, Puccini, Rubinstein, Mendelssohn, cities. stand this intensely personal feeling of Keith vaudeville to the high class and the other great composers, as we "In New York City alone there are 11. must .fail utterly. The vaudevjlle audi­ musical artist? My first statem!lnt must watched Maud Allan, Ruth St. Denis, dozen Keith theaters presenting bills of. ence wants to hear about itself, its de­ be that nothing is too good for vaudeville Theodore l(osloff, Lydia Lopokova . . Vlas­ the highest class artists for metropolitan sires, its emotions, and the artist-let us but that, as in every mode of expression, ta Maslova, Adeline Genee, La Napier­ entertainment. Then there is Chicago assume she is a singer in this instance-­ the medium must be strictly suited if one kowska, La Argentina, Albertina Rasch, and the great cities of the Middle West, must make the direct appeal by singing is to expect success. The prospects in Felyne Verbist, the Morgan Dancers and the Coast and the Northwest. A suc­ at her listeners and c.oncerning them. vaudeville for musical artists of the first the Spanish Dancers. ·certainly the cessful feature for vaudeville may count "If you will examine. the successful rank grow brighter every day. The great luscious dance music of these supreme upon two years of 'time,' as we call popular song you will find in it this direct names appearing upon our programs evi­ artists was enjoyed to the utmost. booking, and great excellence or a good appeal. The slightest assumptfoir of ,in­ dence this fact. We are drawing heav1ly Some Successful Artists new act insure repeat engagements on sincerity or affectation. ·is fatal. Only ·upon the grand opera, concert, and in­ top of this." · recently a certain arti~?t; . promin~nt in strumental fields. Splendid permanent "Among the pianists who have regis­ Lawrason Divulges Some Secrets the concert-field, faile:cL ingloriously, oe­ incomes are awaiting really fine· artists tered success in vaudeville are David cause_she had the notion that she mus who will study vaudeville audiences and . Sapirstein, Herman Wasserman, George Arthur Lawrason has as shrewd an give them what they want. Copeland, Arthur Friedheim, · Tina insight into the inner worK:ings of vaude- [C'ontlriued o'h "page. 6)