New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-27
pI,IllNp THE SCENES.

FrAUE. s1NVtki or she Noul9 Nv Nv 'FUf fn,ds,
II, ~ Nvrnr tuostyttt 12mo lP 'sl '"'"'
ifowatd n Hubert
Atthonph the special pift of the author oi lnH
storv enr hardly hr called novel writing she ms
mndo am rtofouiinF aud IN many respects M 'n'''
tnluInp boot, The undihguiHod cfud'u'hH ~ W.
literary method Nc II can bo ana '" INV" "'N
rather onhnncon ita effect hy giving lno "pp'"
nnco of "a bundle of "Reminiscences nA'''' W W."
of myention. That. We presume, is Just what IL 'Fi
nnJ ms Ma ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS has had the Tor
,nno to see something Of u strange lI' Nh'p n"'
o,, if,sciu,tion, for her countrywomcn ana mas
morooycr. "A certain talent for reporting she may
COMMIT upon attentive readers Her heroine ia
Wisconsin ,-H who, hpying distinguished h'rs'Il W
tbe village choir ia sent to Europe to- hc tialn'd "'
- n,,,,, dornn. she studies hard, denies herself,
and after "A. few years of struggle ana misery hn'
fails Is ruined 10y false marriage ANA dl''' u'I
experiences We are told. are real We can 'hSlN
believe IT, The expectation OF operate mal'lW
from American villages to Paris and Milan ~ be
coming n great nat ional evil Not one IN thousand
Of The ambitious and desperately ignorant young
yirls whom we send 10 the European musical cen
tres ia ever heard from after the farewell tcsti-
moual concert which usually takes g, lace ON the
eve of the departure. What becomes OF the crown
who fail who not only obtain no position on th'
stape but do not even develop into tolerabIe con
cert-,ngcrsR 4 great many distressing Facts III re-
laton to the life of American girls studying Tor the
stage in Italy their wrongs hardshpS tilals ana
foundations have been made public OF late years
nut those who know all the circumstances are
seldom so placed that they can gain the pubic ear
| StaTe-Struck ought to be warning to ambitions
vounp ladies not TO 60 abroad unless they have
money enough to live ON while they are studying
and a suitable guardian to protect them ana Il
warning to fond parents and admiring friends not
TO spoil girls whole life by Ovelestimatins her
abilities
The entertaining parts of the book are the pie
| tures of the bohemian and upon tie WhoIc ralher
merry life of the American musical colony III Mllah'
with their pcrploxites, their poverty, their di"lI
expedients. their amusements and their occasional
| little successes The preparations for debut
first night at La Scala. a performance OF opera as
| seen from the prma donna's point of observation,
the weaknesses of tenOrs the tyranny of managers
and the characteristics of music-mastcrs are de-
scrihed with supcrtuoIs detail to be sure yet with
considerable vivacity. Celebrated teachers are
painted and discussed with a freedom of personal
| criticism which will now and then be found start
ling The remarks upon Wartel are III question:
able taste, and exception may be taken to the cen
sures upon some other WELL Anewn professors VINO
fpure in the story either under teir real names or
in slight DISCUSSES. The account of Lampertl and
his pamela method, based upon the theory that song
| comes from the stomach, is humorous, however,
that we forget its acerbity. The best OF the por-
traits are the sympathetic sketches OF IrlVulsl oil
Milan. and Manuel Garcia, the brother Of Mall0rdn.
We copy part Of the latter
| The sipnor was of medium height, but had an air
Of being much shorter His face was a long oval
! He wore a slight gray-black mu'tache' WIiJh
! scarcely concealed very earnest put moDIc
! mouth His dark eyes, once evidently piercing,
! we're now dimmed with the mist Of age stcdilhS
| over and yelling their sombre depths; Ia SpIte OI
! their faded color, they blazcd with almost I'M
| natural brightness, every now and then glanclne
n"\yard with an expression which betrayed the true
! Spanard. Ills forehead was Dlgh, narrow anu
wrinkled. His complexion was clear owe ana
! his checks were covered with a network OF minute
| lines Ills hair, of unusual huenrss, chung WIN
| scaut ceremony to his shapely head Anhabel hhcW
fiat he was over seventy although II was scarcely
| credible he seemed so much younger. HIS manner
was simplicity itself, and he had all the NNaGl'N %
a southern nature. lie was very spare ~ CtIli'o
! hung loosely about nm, anu Ills sIOuIuc-S 44"' .
There was a great deal of talk before the lesson
! br0an Mutual acquaintance 10 be HemncIed
tLr .onor's relations were Worldwide, the dliler-
| emf artists the Americans, their voices and the
necessary course OF sludes-aIl tHc'e fhIuES WI
cXhau,tIycy discussed before INC pI"Iv19ol h''''u
himself at the piano to hear the young giIIs voice.
! She commenced singing group % apTI l,I5 70 70
! show It's compass she sustained some notes 20
| show her power of lungs aud way oil taking bIcdlhi
! then She ran over the simple scale >, ,,......7
| rhe master laughed good-natuIedly. lie stopped
| her after the fourth note. 80
Let me hear that again he SAID. q" in ascend
ing the scale always accent the hul' WHich Is INC
! weakest and which Is the lkclest to slip. Sns
very s,oUlV listen to yourself, and stop when You
| prodnce tone which sounds badly TO yourself.
! Never persist ID n thing which Is wrong. even
| fine second note is weak, stop at the second, ana
/ begin again. 1t is only IN lending the ear 10 e3ch
sound a 1t cones oHt htt YOU Gun E@.i an ~ I
where the fault lies Your scale is very bad; me
fourth note being flat, the sixth sharp, the seNefh
/ weak and the eighth or first altogether unceTtHn'
| The intervals are not properly delhed.,
! Auuahcl recommended, but with Little better sue
| cess lie stopped her once more, tins time at the
! sixth note. she had remembered only the first part
she BEGAN again and again. With gesture he
stopped her, she was passing from the seventh 10
! the last note. This time he spoke.
When tell YOU " hat is TO be done, be sure that
YOU understand my meaning before you attempt To-
do it. Think well over what say ana Ret Wen
hold Of the sense Of my words People should sing
! with fine head as much as with the throat. They
must their brains q well as their voices .;,
that She was fool, but lie had made her feel like
They tried few more exercises, some with the
| shake and scales were abandoned for that day.
After twenty minutes singing the professor stopped
her. ~, -,
mencc. No voice can or should stand more than
twenty minutes consecutive exercises. II you Will
| permit me. will answer some notes While you re-
lie went to a long high desk or table and, seating
himself wrote three four letters Having sealed
and addressed them after the other he rang the
! bell. and they were sent away at once. lie had
concluded all with more dispatch than the secretary
of a Prime Minister could have done IN twice the
time lie was one OF those sort Of men with whom
to think was TO act.
! "Now. my child, have you brought any song with
you to singY
Annabcl handed him the grand air from d" Beatrice
dc Tenda" for Soprano" Ma la sofa omt son TO-
The master started. He was struck with the CO.
incidence, and murmured, The first time Jenny
Lind came TO sing to me, she brought this same air;
and at the first lesson she over had this was the
/ study"
Annabcl was radiant
"Oh dear master, how glad / am that my first
lesson recalls hers! | remember that she was your
! pupil DO tell me OF her.
! " Yes, yes, with pleasure all in good time Now
| for tie aria lie seated himself and they com