From another quarter came the report
that Mr. Gattl was much annoyed over
the fact that the old bugaboo of hired
applause had been stirred up. And the
end of the season so near!
"Something of a. Joke."
A person In close touch with Metro
politan affairs was willing to be quoted
If hla name was not used :
"It is something of a Joke," he said,
"to have Mr. Damrosch discover a claque
at the Metropolitan. There always has
been a claque or set of claques at work
there as long as the oldest opera habitue
can remember. And there always will be.
probably. Just as well try to stop boot
legging as stop the claques. How are
you going to stop them? As long as
artists have money to buy admission
tickets for their friends, eight or ten or
twenty-five, those friends are going to
be there and accelerate the applause."
William J. Guard, head of the Metro
politan publicity department, speaking
for himself and not for the company,
said: "When Mr. Damrosch was giving
opera at the Metropolitan twenty odd
years ago and I was a reporter for This
Nhw York Herald. I do not remember
that conditions were different from what
they are now. When he is present now, |
either as a guest of a singer or of the
management, I have noticed that no one
outdoes him in the enthusiasm and fre
quency of his applause. A'gentlemanly
tiling to do.
