Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-11-18
COSTS A MILLION.
The Expense of Producing One Sue
cessful Singer Like Ade-
liza Patti.
New Y ork JournaI.J

IL Is a sin, in 1iy opinion, to pay Patti
$4,000 night. That is more than the ma
Jorlty OF the human race save in a ifetime.n
The speaker was conscientious gentleman
In Wan street clearinghouse, thoroughly
experienced Ii matters of commercial supply
ana demand. The reporter started out TO find
the actual cost of the production of a prima
donna. A man thoroughly versed in the sta
tlstlcs OF the musical world figured as fol-
lows: There are not less than 800 or 500
young women in New York to-day studyin;
vocal music with the ambition and aim of
capturing some of the prizes which await the
successful vocalist. One goes to some famous
teacher, probably an Italian, and has her
voice tried: Vera fina voica; voica vera
mucha like PATHS That settles it, and ar
rangements are at once made for two lessons
week at 81 or S. lesson; piano is rented
at 81 or 81 a week. and our aspirant begins
literally to scale the ladder of fame.
Now, at the end of the first year LET Us
look at our 500 girls again. You viii scarcely
recognize them. They have spent $500, 900 in
the year, and all the return that is promised
SO far is S400 year which one of them is
expecting in a church position Some of
them have lost their voices through sickness.
Others through unskillful musical charlatans
have ruined naturally good voices Lack of
funds has forced some to abandon their mu-
steal career, encouragement has dragged
down few, but 400 keep on. They find a
year has only laid the foundation for vocal
method. Some seek new, and it is to be
hoped better instructors, and have to pass
year unlearning what they toiled SO hard to
acquire. ut the end of the second year S40O,-
COO more has been spent and as result we
have five voices which have been brought to
as high point of excellence as nature and
art combined will permit, and still there is
no one OF them SO marvellous or far above
many other trained voices as to command
more than $500 a week in concerts.
Think of the thousands of circumstances
that must exist in favorable conjunction to
produce great singer It is like those astro-
nomical events, when certain planets are in a
line, that only happen every century or SO; or,
rather, = singer is much like race horse in
many respects, the organism on which ex-
cellence depends is so dainty and easily dis
arranged. Then there are the hidden quail
ties of perseverance and courage, which may
appear or disappear, making or marring for
tune, providing everything else is favorable.
Think of the hours OF muscular training and
practice of the vocal organs; then again the
mental strain, the hours of Encouragement,
and even the gallons of tears the sentimental,
sympathetic creatures shed, and it seems no
more than right to pay the successful ones a
fair sum for their efforts.
"Now, out of the five girls who have
reached the end of their studies, the one who
sings in concert suddenly begins to develop,
for some inexplicable reason, just as horses
sometimes come to the front during q season.
Mind you, to be great on the stage she must
also have the dramatic instinct and a fine
personal appearance. She goes to Europe.
There she must, as Miss Fanny Davenport re-
Gently stated, most likely purchase a debut.
Suppose she is grand success, has it not
taken over million dollars in solid gold, and
ten or twelve hundred years of time-that is,
six or eight hundred girls studying a year or
two would consume that much t1me-besides
fund of natural talent and a fortuity of
events little less than miraculous? Five
thousand dollars an evening is cheap enough;
if it is not, why does not some one come in
and by competition bring down the price2
The manager who has a singer recognized on
all hands as the greatest extant may well say,
There's only one, and I've got it."