Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-05-14
AMONG NOTED SINGERS.
The Effect of Eating Upon Prima
DOnnas-What They May Eat,
and What They May
Sing.

ten by Clara Louise kellogg, appears in
the Critic: The recent trial of the suit OF
M me Scalchi against Henry f. Abbey,
has provoked more or less discussion OF
the question: Under what conditions
may singer sing? Ny testimony on
the witness stand in that interesting case
showed that believe the singer to be a
creature of conditions, and l have been
asked number of times since then to
give fuller expression to my views on the
subject. may say at once that, al
though the public see a great deal of a
singer, they really know very little OF the
inner life-the life which she has led to
become singer, or the life she must
lead to sustain her reputation on the
boards. 1t is hard for people outside the
profession of music, or the kindred arts,
to appreciate the requirements of a
singers life, and, for that reason, they
are not always ready to make allowances
for the occasional shortcomings. Let me
tell you something of
THE LIFE OF A SINGER,
And you will see that it is not a path of
roses. Roses are scattered at her feet
before the footlights, to be sure, but
there are great many thorns in the
path she treads before they are won. A
singer begins her preparations for a life
of song at a very early age. When other
young people are amusing themselves at
balls or routs, she is running her scales
and taking care of her health. She must
not do this, and she must not do that,
for it is bad for her voice-and that is the
one consideration of her life. After she
has entered upon her career as a public
singer she has even more sacrifices to
make, for upon her care of herself her
reputation depends. Everything must
give way to her art, and she must go into
training as rigorous as that of pedes-
trian, or oarsman preparing for race. In
THE CASE OF NINE sCALCHI
The question was: Could she sing so
exacting a role as Fides in 'sThe Pro
phet" either after eating hearty meal,
or upon an empty stomach. l contend
that in either case she could not have
done herself justice. A singer cannot
sing after eating, because when you sing
you draw the blood up to your head;
your motions are excited, and that car
ries the blood away from the stomach to
the brain, before the stomach has done
its work. Managers over here have not
sufficient respect for singers organlza-
ton. They expect that an artist can do
equally we'll under all circumstances. In
Europe, where art is better understood,
less is demanded of a singer in respect to
quantity, though more perhaps in respect
to quality. Here the audience and the
box office are too often more account to
the manager than the reputation of his
prima donna. / argue that singers should
not be obliged to sing when they cannot
do their best. They are not machines
that can be set running by touch. A
singer does her
WORK BEST UNDER INSPIRATION,
Yet she is expected to be inspired to or
der, and is the only artist OF whom this
is required. A painter goes to his can
vas when the mood is upon him. The
poet takes up his pen when moved by
the divine affiatus; but the singer must
find inspiration in the turning on OF the
footlights. 1t must be admitted that she
does find good deal in this simple pro-
cess. There is certain excitement about
the very atmosphere of the opera house
She arrives at the stage door feeling out
of sorts and less like singing than any
thing in the world, but by the time she
reaches her dressing room and the prep
arations for her appearance in the mimic
world have begun, she is ready for her
audience-that is, IS far as nervous force
is concerned, though her voice may not
! be in the best condition.
ADELINA PATTI
Is brilliant example of what may be
done by care and training. To take care
| IF g, ookr1I xy Of of
| least that of the people around her, and she
makes sacrifices to her profession that the
women of society would stand aghast at.
The result is that she seldom or never
disappoints an audience from indispo-
sition. She is always ready, for her
whole time is spent in getting ready.
You may observe that she is not willing
to wear her voice out by singing four or
five times a week. She has European
ideas on this subject, and they are the
best for the singer. 1t is pity that they
are not more common over here. Ii
would be better for the singer and better
for the public too, if they were. Singers
have the reputation of being capricious,
because they are exacting in the matter
of food. The average landlord thinks
that what is good enough for one OF his
guests is good enough for all, making no
exception of the artist. Nine Patti has
encountered this landlord, so she travels
with her own chef, who
PREPARES HER MEALS FOR HER
This is not caprice; it is necessity. 1t is
not that she wants such a variety OF
elaborately prepared food, but that she
wants what She has to be thoroughly nu-
tritious and digestible. If she suffers
from indigestion it affects her voice
Colds are not the singers only enemies
lily prepared and unsuitable 1000 is as
injurious to her voice as a draught Of
cold air. A celebrated professor IN Rome
told Charlotte Cushman that there were
three things necessary for a prlma donna
to do-eat, sleep and sing. Not very
intellectual programme, you say and
quite agree with you! When singer /;
| singing she has to live the most regular
and systematic life. She eats her dinner
of 3 O'Clock in the afternoon, or al
the latest, and it is two or three hours
before she goes to the theater, anc
another hour and half before she sings
or four hours in all between eating ano
singing. .s-.s-r
/: AFTER THE OPERA
She may eat little supper that is s.
HIGHLY priced by all professional PEG
HE not because of its conviviality, for i
p must be very simple and light; bu
,atber because it can be eaten with thu
knowledge that there is plenty OF time 10
dioast;oS Sweets, highly-spiced food Q
opy hind and nuts, must be CAREFUL!
svoided by the singer, and even ice wate
49, of the very worst things for the