Metropolitan opera

In the 19th century, New York City's freshly minted millionaires found that they were unable to buy box seats at the New York Academy of Music because the Old Guard had a monopoly on them. So they took matters into their own hands and built a new opera house. The Metropolitan Opera opened in 1883, and by the turn of the century, it was one of the world's great theaters, attracting such artists as conductor Arturo Toscanini and tenor Enrico Caruso. The Met became a national institution in 1931, when its Saturday-matinee performances were broadcast nationwide on the radio. The broadcasts were a crucial source of revenue for the Met and kept it afloat throughout the Depression.

From the beginning, the Met focused on bringing international stars, such as Fyodor Chaliapin, Kirsten Flagstad, and Renata Tebaldi, to its stage. It wasn't until the late 1930s that the voices of many American singers began to be heard; thus began a parade of native talent that would include Leonard Warren, Roberta Peters, Leontyne Price, Sherrill Milnes, Jerr Hadley. Since the 1970s, broadcasts on public television have featured both American and foreign artists, such as Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, Thomas Hampson, Cecilia Bartoli, and have brought the Met bigger than ever.

It should be mentioned that James Morris, one of today's foremost Wagnerian singers, made his debut at the Met at age 23. Maria Callas was noted for her superb musicianship and dramatic flair. She spurred the revival of 19th-century bel canto operas.

The national musical instrument of the scots

The bagpipe was known to the ancient civilization of the Near East. It was probably introduced into Britain by the Romans. Carvings of bagpipe players on churches and a few words about them in the works of Chaucer and other writers show that it was popular all over the country in the Middle Ages.

Now bagpipes can be seen and heard only in the northern counties of England, in Ireland and in Scotland where it was introduced much later. Bagpipes have been used in most European countries. It is also native to India and China.

In Scotland the bagpipe is first recorded in the 16th century during the reign of James I, who was a very good player, and probably did much to make it popular. For long it has been considered a national Scottish instrument.

The sound of the bagpipes is very stirring. The old Highland clans and later the Highland regiments used to go into battle to the sound of the bagpipes.

The bagpipe consists of a reed pipe, the «chanter», and a wind bag which provides a regular supply of air to the pipe. The wind pipe is filled either from the mouth or by bellows which the player works with his arm. The chanter has a number of holes or keys by means of which the tune is played.

Tony Awards

The first Tony Awards ceremony, to honor (distinguished achievement) on Broadway, was held at midnight on Easter Sunday in 1947 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. Best actresses Ingrid Ber gman and Helen Hayes received initialed sterling silver compact cases, and best actors Jose Ferrer and Fredric March took home gold money clips. Special recognition was given to Mr. and Mrs.Katzenberg, who were cited for having attended opening nights for 30 years.

Best play was not awarded until 1948, and it was not until 1949 that winners were given medallions, designed with the comedy-tragedy mask on one side and the winner's name on the other.

The Tony Awards were established by the American Theatre Wing and named for its president, actress Antoinette «Топу» Perry. Like the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Tony is a prestigious theatrical honor. Since 1967 the ceremony has been nationally televised and has, like the Academy Awards, become a high-profile, star-studded TV event. In 1968, the Tony Award was mounted on a pedestal to make it easier to see on television.