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Lawyer Cravath's classmates at Columbia Law School called him "Cicero" because of his facial resemblance to the Roman orator. At 70, his calm, judicial expression, his enormous bulk (240 lb.. 6 ft. 4 in.) make him appear more than ever like some mighty Roman. As chairman of the Metropolitan Board, he may be less active than exquisite Banker Kahn, who used, Maecenas-like, to lavish his private time and wealth cultivating new talent, used to attend auditions, travel around Europe hearing new operas, making friends with new prima donnas. But Lawyer Cravath is likely to be more popular with the other directors and stockholders, some of whom clash with individualistic Banker Kahn.
New Singers and Operas. The Metropolitan will add seven operas and one ballet to its repertoire, present eight new singers. The operas: Jaromir Weinberger's Schwanda du Dudelsackpfeifer, one of the most successful of modern operas abroad, full of rustic comedy and Czech folk tunes; Italo Montemezzi's La Notte di Zoraima to be given with Rosa Ponselle; Suppe's Donna Juanita, a light opera, with Maria Jeritza; Verdi's Simon Boccanegra with Lawrence Tibbett; Franco Leoni's L'Oracolo with Antonio Scotti and Lucrezia Bori; Delibes' Lakme and Bellini's La Sonnambula, both with the newcomer, Lily Pons. The ballet will be Stravinsky's Petrushka.
The Metropolitan's new singers are Swedish Soprano Gota Ljungberg, famed throughout Europe; Mezzo-soprano Marie von Essen (Mary Kent of Detroit before she went to Germany to study); Contralto Doris Doe, a native of Bar Harbor, Maine; German Tenor Max Lorenz; Italian Tenor Francesco Merli; Italian Baritone Armando Borgioli; Basso Arthur Anderson, an Ohioan who worked with Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co. in Pittsburgh before he went to Italy to study; Basso Carlton Gauld of Bedford, Ind., who has sung for five years on the Riviera. Two new stage directors: German Hanns Niedecken-Gebhard and Alessandro Sanine.
Prima Donna. Two hundred years ago at a crossroads between New Haven and Hartford there stood a stone tavern which Connecticut puritans vigorously damned as a blight on their countryside. There was hard drinking there, gambling, and (it was whispered) accommodating women. Wives for leagues around dreaded the evil influence of the inn called Merry Den. The name spread from the tavern to the locality, in time shortened to Meriden, a town famed chiefly now for its silverware (International Silver Co.), shotguns (Parker Bros.), and for being the home of Rosa Ponselle.
Rosa Ponselle was Rosa Ponzillo, the third child of Beniamino Ponzillo, coal dealer from Naples. All three children were musical, like their mother. Carmela had a deep, lusty voice, earned the first money singing. Antonio (Tony) might have become a successful tenor if he had not abused his voice singing in Army camps. He settled down to drive a coal wagon for his father. Rosa at 3 used to pretend the window sill was a piano. At confirmation age Nellie Melba was her idol so she decided to take Melba for a middle name. When the priest refused to give it to her on the ground that Melba was no saint she refused to be confirmed, waited a year until the priest gave in.