Quaint Old Operetta Performed by Choirboys of Austrian Imperial Chapel By Ror Rewepicr Vienna.
Although. Austria has passed through a Revolution and become a socialist there not a Republic, and although Vicuna is
the bitterness manifested between the old and new orders which appears elsewhere. For example, the old insignia and inscriptions have not been effaced and wany of the institutions that were a part of Gburt fe have ben continued. Among the latter is the school for the boy choir which formerly sang in the Court Chapel of Franz Josef.
'These boys were carefully selecte' by Rector Schnitt, the Director of this boarding school. He made his choice on the basis of their voices, and also was careful to take boys from poor homes which would not otherwise have been able to give their children so thorough an educa. tion. Rector Schnitt was a man of large private means before the War and the care of these boys was pet charity. Now he has lost almost li his possessions, but he still manages to maintain the school, feeding, clothing and training these lads, fitting them for useful occupations, in the world.
While at the school they are very carefully jostructed in music and some of the voices heard last ing in Josef Haydn's operetta Apothecary," were except lovely. The performance was en in compliment to the faculty and students of the International Summer School which is being held in Vienna during September and a representative gathering of Austrian and foreign officials was present. Rector Scbnitt presented the operet*a and one of the Viennese patronesses of the Summer School provided the tea, The Opera's Setting The opera was presented in the Swiss Court of the former Royal Palace, in the suite which had previously been the home of the clerics of the Imperial Fam)
Now the palace tremendous place amazing number of interests:
ding Schools, Libraries, national handicraft works, offices, residences, a wine "keller," and various ex: hibitions. Consequently, as one peered dubiously about on the threshold of the Swiss Courtyard, it was a real pleasure to be hailed by a mall boy in a sailor suit: "God greet you, and what docs the: lady cook?" When we asked for Rector Schnitt he immediately took us in charge and conducted us across the court to another sentinel, who relayed us along sounding corridors and up wide staircases to a similar youngster who escorted us to the door of the reception room.
The walls of the large reception hall were hung with oil paintings of royalty and prelates and great ean-dolabra decorated with glass prisms tung from the high ceilings. At the informal reception held before the entertainment—Rector, Schnitt, a likeable young man of a sensitive, mystical—_countenanes grested his guests, who came. from all over the world. Many of the figures once prominent in Viesna society were there that evening, one elderly lady being pointed out as having been noted for musical evenings before the War, but who now rarely was sees outside her home. This deed, a very special casion, for the boys are not allow: t give many public perform an and this courtesy extended to foreig guests was therefore especially The operetta, "The Apothecary," had been adapted to boys' voices by Professor Heinrich Muller of Vienna, who presided at the piano, and Toni Schwandner of the Deutsches Volkstheater had trained the young actors in stagecraft. The youthful performers responded nobly, flinging themselves into their reles with all the absorption and naivete of which children are capable and singing with the spontaneity of skylarks. Unusually. gifted vocally they had received the. best of training so that their solo and ensemble work was a delight. Grilletta, the popular ward of the Apotecary, was represented by a lad of thirteen, whose soprano was sur-lover, Mengone, the young assistant to the Apothecary, Sempronio, the Apothecary himself, who aspired to marrying his ward, and Volpino, anther elderly admirer, were excellent in their reles. Not only the principal but the chorus of Greeks, notaries, shopmen and servants were thoroughly drilled in the niceties of acting as well as of singing and their ensemble work was a joy. The costuming of the young actors lent no little charm to the performance. The youngsters, decked out in white perukes and spectacles. the tiny Dlackamoor, the lovely, blonde-wigged heroine—all were doubling captivating because of their tiny stature,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.