One of the marvelous conditions of music in this country is that the
opera, the concert, the oratorio and the recital all seem to meet with
equal appreciation. The fact that most students of music in this land
play the piano has opened the avenues leading to an appreciation of
orchestral scores. In the case of opera the condition was quite
different. The appreciation of operatic music demands the voice of the
trained artist and this could not be brought to the home until the
sound reproducing machine had been perfected. The great increase in the
interest in opera in recent years is doubtless due to the fact that
thousands and thousands of those instruments are in use in as many homes
and music studios. It is far past the "toy" stage, and is a genuine
factor in the art development and musical education of America. At first
the sound reproducing machine met with tremendous opposition owing to
the fact that bad instruments and poorer records had prejudiced the
public, but now they have reached a condition whereby the voice is
reflected with astonishing veracity. The improvements I have observed
during the past years have seemed altogether wonderful to me. The
thought that half a century hence the voices of our great singers of
to-day may be heard in the homes of all countries of the globe gives a
sense of satisfaction to the singer, since it gives a permanence to his
art which was inconceivable twenty-five years ago.
[Illustration: HENRI SCOTT.]