Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-06-18
SCHOOLS FOR PRIME DONNIE.
The Skilled Professors Of Vocal
Music in Europe.
American Musical Aspirations The
Scarcity Of TenOrs High Prices
Of Foreign Teachers-The
Italian and the
English.

English.
New York Star tf.lHs
Within the last eight or ten years
American singers have felt a strong
desire to visit Europe for the cult
yation of their voices. If fortunate
enough to have rich relatives, they
go quietly to Italy and there place
themselves under the care of a mu-
sic master. If less fortunate the
complimentary concert is invoked
to aid them in their musical studies
abroad. For time it seemed that
only ladies went to Europe. The
embryo contralto and soprano were
sure that once in Europe, with a
home on the banks of the Arno, or
in Milan or Paris, they would soon
become a Oatalini or Albani. This
impression has taken SO deep a root
that to-day the musical pupils in
Italy from this country number
about four hundred, besides a large
number who are in Paris, Vienna,
Brussels and London. ~.
This summer will see another
batch of musical pilgrims to this
schoolo Of Cecilia. Musical instinct
and genius do not belong to us as
nation. The aspirations of the
American soul are rot aesthetic.
The practical turn of the American
mind precludes a cultivation of
taste for the sublime, an attribute
which belongs only to the higher
class of vocal and instrumental
music. So far in our history we
have had no national music no
songs Of the people, handed down
from father to son; no songs for
social circles, distinctly Ameri-
can. There has sprung up among
Americans a strong desire to
attain musical fame. This desire
has been stimulated by the enor-
nous salaries received by those who
have already reached the highest
eminence in their profession, Son.
tag being paid $4,000 for one
night; Nilsson, Patti and Lucca
$1,000 a night; Patti for one little
song earning $3.50; Malibran max
ing in ten weeks the sum of $2S, 900.
Dreams are indulged in that they
will one day be able to demand
these large salaries, and while en-
tertaining these hopes the heads of
many worthy young ladies have
been turned, and they forget that
in some instances the organ of the
singer is phenomenal and a long
application to study is necessary.
Of those exceptional voices were
Oatalini, Persiani, Basterdella, Far
inille, Bernucchi, Pistochi, Braham,
and of male sopranos, Crescentini,
and Velluti Tarquinus. At one
time an artists merit consisted
generally in a finished style, and
the high cultivation Of the falsetto
register in tenors' voices, but there
is not a tenor in this country to-day.
If you hand him Rossini's +" Stabat
Mater" and ask him to sing the
aria " Cujus Amman" he viii i'm
mediately take the pencil and cross
out the three upper notes OF the
last bar aud only sing B flat. Yet
singers Of the latter part of the last
century usually sang two notes
higher than this score. Farinille
took + in alt, so did Braham, Incle-
don and Bernucchi. While tenors
are thus scarce, sopranos and con-
traltos are scattered over Europe as
plentiful as leaves in Vallambrosa.
1t would seem as if the isothermal
line served to class vocalists. The
climate and food of the Italians
seems admirably adapted to the
full development of the voice. The
fine sopranos, male and female,
came from that country. Sweden,
North Germany, North Italy and
the north of France have been the
birthplace Of the finest sopranos =
Nilsson, Sontag, Persiani, Jenny
Lind, Damaneau, Cinti and Nine
Demeric. De Murska and Mile
Gerster were from Hungary. The
finest tenors have come from the
heart of Italy and the south of
France-Nourri from Montpelier
Rubini from Bergamo; Duprcz
from Toulouse; Maria, Bettini and
Gordoni from the center of Italy.
Salvi, Benedetti, Mirerate, Tam
burini and Beneventano were
Italian.