New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-03-07
UnRedged Prima DOnnas.

The american Register gives some ex-
sracts from letter to the editor from an
American girl in Milan, who is training for
81 prima donna. She says:
That have been thoroughly disappointed
IN everything must candidly acknowledge.
In the first place, by the advice of friends,
/ gave up a position at home in one of our
churches at 5000 per annum, because was
told by them that if l went to Italy and
studied six months or thereabouts | should
be q second Alboni or another Lucca, that
at the end of that time would be able to
get engagements anywhere, and that during
tiny stay in Milan ! would be able to live tor
q mere nothing. In fact, l was influenced
and led to believe that everything was to be
souie,v dc rose Now for the realization of
my friends prophecies lhave been in Milan
ak months. / have devoted all my time
60 study; have applied myself in every
%ay to further the object for which came;
am told by my teacher that | have made
progress, and yet / am long way from be-
ing able to make my debut. The truth is
chat this idea of coming over here and eX-
pecting to accomplish III the short space of
six months what it has taken Patti, Nillson,
yucca and many others years TO accom-
plish, is perfectly absurd Nevertheless,
there are tens, yea, hundreds of American
girls coming over with that idea. The no.
sion that people can live in Milan on next
90 nothing is another tallacy. In fact,
wherever Americans congregate in Europe.
.rices are invariably high, and my country
people have themselves to blame for this
state of things, for it is owing to their
foolish prodigality. / pay for my room
forty francs, and for my board 100
francs per month: fire extra, lights extra,
:vine extra and washing extra. In my case
the extras pinch. The price of singing les.
cons varies and depends entirely upon the
Teacher you may employ. The best D,aesbi
have eight, ten and twelve francs the les
con. Then one must have teacher for the
'ia,gta, and teacher for lessons in Scei.a,
ana unless one is good performer it is ne
sessary to employ an accompanlst, with
:shom to run through operas. All this costs
heavily, but you can not accomplish thea
erical education without it. After board
and instruction, there is still another i'm.
rortant item TO look after-dress. Cnfortu-
uately for people with slim purses, they
nave have to lay sum by. be it ever so
little, for clothing. One must dress, You
know.
We will suppose, now, by way of illus
tration, that an American lady has success
fully accomplished all that her teacher
sleemed necessary before she appears in
public, and that she is to make her debut
Her maestro dicoHta has obtained for her an
n
the case may be. She is informed that it is !
a small village, with a modest theatre, but |
not to mind that, for it is better to COM |
mence in small places, and thus work ones |
way up till able to sing at the San Carlo in |
Naples or at La Scala in Milan The the
strical agent then goes on to inform our
young American aspirant that for the first
course she thinks this unjust, but
makes no complaint. She completes her
spending considerable
amount of money in SO doing, undertakes
an expensive journey to v, S., or
D and finds the small village even
smaller and more insignificant than she was
led to expect, and the theatre merely a
rough building fitted up for the occasion
Put yourself in her place and imagine what
her feelings are at the outset of her operate
career A stranger, and Americans in par
ticular, have great deal TO contend against
IN Italy. The Italian singers look upon
american singers with very Jealous eyes,
and they do all in their power to render
their appearance before an Italian audience
A fiasco. That this is not only, ungenerous
but unjust, all Americans must feel. For do
we not pay Italian and other foreign singers
salaries9 Do we not receive them
yraeiously 7 And do we not laud them to
.he skies in our journals /! The money alone
that Americans eXpend in Italy on their
living and musical instructions, and that
goes to enrich the teachers and tradespeo-
pie, ought to insure them fair treatment
from Italian singers, when they make their
in public. The audience, which
Is not supposed to share the petty feelings
Of jealousy which actuate the singers,
should treat impartially, if not kindly, the
Young American singers that make their
debut before them. Instead of this, they
exhibit the utmost GOODNESS and indtfer
nnce in their regard even VIXEN their meyit
: andeniable