Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-11-20
A THoRNY PATH.
THE olsHeARTeNlNe EXPERIENCES
OF AMERICAN SINGERS IN ITALY.

Fleeced by italian Operatic Agents.
Debutantes Whose First Appearance
A. Their Last-A Word OF Warning.
In the twelve years that have lived
abroad have known hundreds Of young
American girls who have come to Eu-
rope TO study singing. Three of the
number achieved a positive and durable
mccess-namely, Marie Van Zant, Emma
Nevada and Ella Russell. OF the rest,
some few are making a precarious Nv
ing, i'll paid, working hard Kissed In one
italian town II applauded in another.
Others have gone home, tired out with
the effort to gain foothold where the
ranks are already overcrowded, and have
settled down TO teaching or To choir sing
ing. A well known American baritone
once told me that when he was on con-
cert tour through the west, there was
scarcely a town to which the troupe
came in which he did not fall in with
some young girl, speaking Italian ad-
mrably and singing with skill and
finish the pupil Of some one OF the great
teachers of Europe, who had made her
debut in some one or other of the pretty
cities of Italy, and had then drifted home,
unable TO achieve anything further.
Such cases are the rule and not the ex-
ception The exceptional instances are
those of the successful singers OF the
day.
The American girl who pictures to
herself a beautiful vista Of triumphs on
th- lyric stage of Italy, to be won when
she has finished her studies, is reveling
In a baseless vision. Italian opera, even
In Italy. is practically defunct There is
not one of the great Italian cities that
has permanent resident opera COM
pany. as Paris has for French opera, and
Vienna, Berlin, Dresden, Munich, etc.,
Tor German. AS ID New York, London
and st. Petersburg, italian opera IN
Rene, Naples, Milan and Florence has
fugitive and precarious existence.
few months at the carnival season, or a
brief series of representations To bring
cut some one special work, form all the
opportunities vouc hsafed in this time to
the lovers of music in the great cities OF
Italy. And the tield thus limited is i'm
menselP overcrowded. The number of
American girls now waiting in Milan for
An opportunity to appear In opera has
been stated to lie 5000. This is probably
an exaggeration, but there are certainly
some hundreds of them. Now and then
an American singer makes her debut at
some such grand artistic center as Imola
D. Ravenna or Tortola or Rovigo and
thereafter is heard Of never more
But il il is hard to win fame and artistic
success Oh the Italian lyric boards, 1t Is
uiil harder to make any money. In
Tact, the one idea of the Italian impress
Aria and the Italian operate agent Is to
sxtort every penny possible out OF the
foreign aspirants for musical career.
The modus operandi is generally as fol-
lows The young embryo prima donna Is
engaged with the stipulation that she Is
20 receive no salary, the privilege OF
making her debut being considered
sufficient compensation. Usually an at
tempt is made to extort one, or two. or
three hundred dollars i'm addition, but II
the singer and her friends and guar
ia1s resist smaller amount, nominally
Tor the hire of the orchestral score Of the
opera in which she is to appear, Is de-
manded She must furnish her own cos
tunes as matter of course. Then the
chorus demands a pourboire of some $40
70 be distributed among them. II this is
refused their friends will crowd into
he upper gallery and will hiss the de-
butante without mercy.
AT last all matters are arranged. All
demands have been acceded to, and the
American girl makes her debut She is,
we will sas. young and pretty, has
pleasing and well trained voice and acts
wei She lakes an instantaneous and
thorough success. She sings for two or
three nights and then arrives the i'm
presario with d fresh series Of demands
hundred dollars for this, three hundred
for that. etc. Flushed with success. and
wear ed with these continued demands,
thr prima donna meets them all with q
positive refusal. On the occasion of her
next appearance she is driven from the
stage by storm OF boots and Kisses.
Another prima donna is engaged in her
p'ace. Before the new conner makes her
appearance the impresario again goes to
tn. American girl. Pay me what
asked aud your rival shall he hissed and
you shall be triumphantly reinstated. ="
Usually our young countrywoman either
has not the funds on hand or retires from
the contest, weared, heartsick and dis
couriged
The following incident took place not
long ago n Italy An opera company
was formed by a certain agent and sent
TO SPAN The impresario telegraphed
for prima donna of note and experience
to be engaged. to appear in one prominent
character The lady was engaged, the
contract was signed and she took her de-
parture to join the troupe. Then the
agent goes TO a young Russian singer, who
Is known to have money. What will
you pay me-" he asks, to have Mile. Y
hissed on the night of her first appear
ance, and be summoned to take her
place" Five thousand francs 81 ,O0O),
Is the reply. Very good il shall be
done" IL was done, as arranged, the
agent pocketlng $500 and the impresario
taking the other half OF the sum as COM
pensation for causing the failure of the
artiste he had himself engaged.
The italian operate agents are, in
fact, veritable bloodsuckers. No sooner
does an American singer make her an
pearance I'm Italy with view of obtain
ing an engagement than down they de-
scend upon her In swarms like so MANY
hungry mosquitoes. II she possesses
eJOO there win be 500 greedy cormorants
after Il. Their demands are not limited
20 a percentage or even a share In the
future salary; they require to be paid
beforehand In amounts from go to 500.
according to the importance Of the en-.
eagement. II the American girl is poor,
or for any other reason refuses to pay
over her cash freely, she piay as well
pack her trunks and depart forthwith
from Italy, for she will never obtain ar
engagement. Her name will be passet
from one to the other Of the agents a
that Of a person that there Is no prof
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