The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 4, 1900, Page 10

10 y as a vc'ce a national he obsta- n New York flicial recognition the work and Iw to undertake abuses that exist in in very small percentage of »een on the stage. None " of ng there has ever n opera or had any expe- uld qualify him to teach they should do selves for the m can teach g But Conservatoire who have had zbove all, are able to give young students who want to learn how to sing on the stage the benefit of experience. who are proud of what they e in their careers would never to go through the amount of and ceremony necessary to get these places. They would not stoop to it. So the result is that those in the various departments are there more be- causre they are willing to do these things, and, moreover, to accept the small peay which the Government offers. The pro- fessors receive a sum which amounts in French money to about $20 a month. Im- agine & person willing to accept so little, en though his services are required three times a week for a few hours! they recelve et the e t I have always ot - ire Is a very small return of positions there give. They de- rive a prestige from the fact that they are professors there, and every pupil who a success helps them to gain more of the Conservatoire. The teacher of the Conservatoire pupil is always known after they make their debuts. If they are praised, that means %0 many more private pupils for this par- ticular professor. So that they can eas’ly afford to use all the red tape necessary and maneuver to get the places there in a way that artists who have made a rep- utation for themselv would never con- sent to do. The result of this is absence from the staff of teachers of any singer who hss achieved any sort of success on the operatic stage. g I have dwelt so far only on the teachers of singing. But voice alone would be of little value to the young student for op- eratic honors. A national conservatory that would b: of any use to beginners in the field of music would have to !nclude in its staff of teachers not only professors who knew thoroughly the volce and its proper care but those who could also im- part a knowledge of dramatic action, stage deportment and operatic traditions. I had almost forgotten the study of lan- guages. Now that it has become the cus- tom, especially in this country and in England, to sing all the master works of the great composers in the languages in which they were written, a proper knowl- edge of French, Itallan and German is almost as essential as a knowledge of music and voice culture. 1 am constantly receiving letters from cutside young women wno have good volces and who wish me to advise them as to the best way in which they can advance themselves as professional singers. To most of them who think of attempting the interpretation of opera roles as a ca- reer I should proffer Punch's advice— “Don’t.” That the advice will not be accepted as THE’ SUNDAY CALL. i A\ \ \ @ W\ i & basis of actlon—or rather of naction—I know by past experience, so probably the next best thing for me to do is to point cut the dangers and the difficutlies which mark the hard road to success, and in so far as one may show how they may be avoided or overcome. The great trouble with most.girls pos- sessed of some voice and much yearning for a prima copna’s career, nonors and rewards lies in their vanity and in their total lack of fixed purpose and indefatiga- | | trait of King O ! s0 pop | the World's Fair. ! produced as the latest portrait | popular monarch ule industry. Success as a singer does not come easlly, yet a great majority of young | women who e discovered vocal possi- biliti seem consumed with the they need is an opportun lea to blossom s among their personal endowments | that all | forth to an admiring world as successors | to Patti. Inju » and flattery, the complime s who know ab- eolutely nothir requirements o art, are too often accepted by vain and frivolous young aspirants for fame as gems of purest ray from the very bottom of the well of truth. Where vanity, self-consideration, friv- olity ard fickleness of intent rule there is left no place for that settled, dogged de- termination, that fixity of purpose, that stern sense of personal responsibility, that willingness to sacrifice every possible con- sideration of self and self-enjoyment to inflexible industry, without which volce, beauty and grace of whatever degree of { | perfection can never bring the aspirant | to the coveted goal—success. And much experience with many girls | who would become prima donnas—very. sad and disappointing experiences some- times—has taught me that there are only a few, a very few, ¥ho possess the char- acter and the equipment for the grim no- vitiate of art. Still, there is an answer to my. discour- agement In the circumstance that others have succeeded; and that among the suc- cessful ones who are now reaping the bright reward which art reserves for the patient few are a number of prima donnas of American birth. The ambitious girl will surely confute any attempt at dis- couragement by pointing to the fact that ' & majority of the principal sopranos of the Maurice Grau Opera Company are American artists, % x A national cons proper lines wc young aspi ing her to f prefessional undertake. findi singer of strength and we gresses In her studies tag atory established on 1d do a great deal for the aut for vocal hongrs in assist- 1 out definitely K s a gradual what line of equipped to process—this she 1s out knes It is reer that a good teacher n be of gre: lue in guiding her steps. Phyzique, temperament instinct—all these mu choosing on this from r expericnce. When T went abroad to 1 tried my very'\best to take up my wor Who with a mind entirely open to such lates choice of specialty as developing condi- tions should leave open to me. I wanted to become a prima donna of the opera, of » very first course, but I resolv that if experience impossibility of tion I w my channel my e ol e ripment seemed be: I w concert si become an if I found that I was for one of se profes- for the hard ged for or a and line work first and 1 adhered to all the lor ha tory w £ to orator T atform I would wo as per- either as ecution and dramat are scme of the n gotten, neglected or set d fame h ide even after me to reward always, e toward inevitably go b with con ant me: ) It I have sa things about this a sing s art it is only because I w aspirant the she work, always courage any girl if she equipment and the proper undertake an artistio career. And and the spirit I ¢ scourage her if I tried ever so hard. LILLIAN NORDICA. S B e £ Like 2 King’s Poctry and Would Not Paint Ris Portrait In Uniform.™ HE most conspicuous object in the Swedish Pavilion at the Paris Ex- position is a splendid full-figure por- r II, painted in oil by ist, whose work was ountry during and after It has been widely re- of the later one by Anders orn, the ar in th There is the same artist, however, and an amus- ing story is told concerning it. When the portrait which now adorns the Swedish Pavilion in Paris was ed King Oscar was so pleased with it that he sent one of his chamberlains to Zorn with the message that he wanted the art- ist to go to work at once on a bust por- answered Zorn, tone, looking Yes, yes- in his usual anything tut 1 right! But tell his Majesty that I don't want to paint him in uniform. I don't want it. and I am not going to do it. Will you be sure to tell Is Majesty that?” * replied the chamberlain, with a smile, and then he returned to the castle and told the King that Zorn was over- joyed by the honor shown him and would be happy to begin work on the new por- trait at a stated date and hour. The King, who possesses in fullest meas- ure the politeness expected of princes, was more punctual at the first sitting than the artist. When Zorn, a little late, was ush- ered into the royal presence he discovered at once that the King was in uniform. “y " he exclalmed unhesitatingly in | pretty much the same tone he had used to the chamberlain, “I said I didn’t want to paint your Majesty in uniform!" “1 Heard nothing about it,” declared the King, with a glance of surprise at the indisereet artist. “Well. well well!” muttered Zorn while he put his easel In order. “But then I'll tell your Majesty something. If I have to paint your Majesty fn uniform I shall have to charge my large price.” “How much is that?" inquired the royal customer. “It s 25000 francs, your Majesty,” ex- plained Zorn. “But if your Majesty will change clothes I'll only charge my small price, which is 10,000 franes.” “Well,” mused the King, trying to look very serious, “that's a very big sum— 2,00 fragcs. Why, my dear Zorn, I'll tell you what I'l change « 1 think I shall have to The King retired to his private apart- ments for g en he ap- peared ag and w! was fin for % Kin, hou Councilor Boettiger out of the two vol King Oscar read al has and then the old anci overawed by the beaut and the King's poetry is b say the least. “But that sine is wonderf he would exclaim. “It is, indeed worthy of a monarch and “Don’t you exaggerate a lit dear Boetiiger?” tre King w looking pleased in spite appear indifferent. On one of t easions tke Incorrigible looked up from h “What" wrote th a.poett™ of his pair s work. that?* be brok “MF. Zorn,” the councilor expostulat in horror-stricken voice, “this is his Ma- desty’s own poetry I am reading.” “Well, well, well' Did our Majes really write ihat?” the painter rem: unabashed. “That is rather nice, say."” Whether the old King took the re: as a compliment In a rou; garded it as the uttera child, he only smiled I must gh form e of a nd aia Lord Rayleigh, in discussing our abill to tell the direction from whic proceeds, calls attention to an interes difference between the eyes and the ears with regard to the strike them. The of light is about one-ten-thousa the diameter of the pupil of the eye. ( the other hand. “the wav. suing from a man's mouth,” says L Rayleigh, “are about eight feet whereas the Mameter of the passaze the ear is quite small, and could not well have been made a large muitiple of elg feet.” One consequence of the min ness of light-waves in comparison wit the size of the eyes is that the lenses the eyes are able to concentrate r light upon the retina with gre: clency. & not rep