New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-29
SINGERS AND INSTRUMENTAL
lists.
From The London Spectator.

From The London Spectator.
A correspondent, who should know his subject II
anybody alive knows IT,, indorses all we sau loas
night ago about the wild wh!ms OF the great SINGERS h
and the pardon extended 20 them by the PuDno oup
asks 10 explain why the great are
so different from their rivals The very greatest IN
limited knowledge extends-arc. as RUE, distinctly
able men and women people with minus wnosc co r,
verse has charm who sane in all their acts ana
Thoughts aud who are Just capable OF setrestrant
as other selfiespecting people; my hovp e"e..
engagements they are not mad about their paceS on
bin posters and IL they sometimes grow faddy about
the quality of their Instruments they are no more
81 Mr % speson reports Of senor Gugni than other
profes sional men and VINO have achieved sue.
of the singers is the cause of the difference for the
instrumenalists just as devoted to ther ART ana
occupy about eight times as much OF their lives In eui
waiting II. Then what is the cause! ,.
We should say there are three reasons OF accumuat.
always great actor actress Also and shares in t.at
sense of the unreality of most things, ana especially
of the unrcality OF apparent conduct which haDituai
acting almost necessarily begets. Plenty of actors
and actresses are good mon and women put II Is I'M,
person, and always an exaggerated peIson-for hours
OF every day, and retain the ordinary i sense OF re-
sponsb That admirable actress mrs isi y, o.
time she felt II she could not tell whether she were
Mrs. Bouccault acting the Colleen BaWn-in the best
melodrama written yet-or tho Colleen Bawn act
ing Mrs Boucicalt and just far as that was rde,
must the atmosphere of reality have pressed lightly on
or less under that innence-Jenny Lind, sanest and
soundest OF them all, atcrly avoided opera-and to
Is added another. Great instumenallsis work much
harder for their great singers. The latter
are as a rule carefully trained-thongh Mr.. Mapleson
tells story of stupid man with magical glit;
who said sincerely and not as joke, that be would
learn music as soon he had done earning money
not work too hard They might strain their threats,
and the health of their throais-whioh. curo ,,
found in the pit when the tanner died. and with
others delicate babies dgestIcns7is lis. worth hun
untary Incidence, broken by performances which re-
quire long attendance, but actual effort only Tor por
lions of two hours day. Tho instrumentasts. on
the contrary, work every day and all day all their
lives, work like students or professionals. al wna.
upon which no two are quite akcis most fatiguing
and occasionally even exhaustng labor WORK OF
that sort takes the nonsense out of all women and
most men-has that Is, the effect of continuous and
severe training in personal selfrestrant Your fin
gers may ache. and your head be racked. and your
nerves go to fddlcstrngs with the strain but you
must practising. or be pronounced by some critic
" falling away from peUect FORM which means twenty
pOundsicss night the expiration OF your contract
There IS cure for whms like the treadmill. espc
ciay If the sufferer sets it going for himself:
Tho third and greatest reason for the difference in
character between singers and instrumentalsts IS we
take 1t, this All artists or peascis OF the pnhc who
are conscious that their power their popularity.
or their means Of earning fortunes. depend mainly
upon gift" tend to remain childish-we do not mean
chdllkc, but childish. That which banshcs childish
IS not merely natural growth. but pressure. tho
heavy weight of experience and difficulty and suffer
Ing which, sometimes unconSciousy, sometimes with
full consciousness. trains ALL The great singer
IS nearly exempted from this discipline At an early
age just when most men and women begin to realize
IS heavy as Wen as sht that in short effort is inds
pcnsabe, the great singer sonssress released from
effort finds himself or herself I'm possession of an I'M
earned and undeserved Gift which is almost magical
in its power, which makes II rain gold. which brings
wOrshppers, fateIcrs lovers. In sireams-thcy say
Mario al one time had dozen Offers month-which
lifts thousands of cultivated their feet pant
ing with emotion, quivering with rapture Of enjoy
ment al once intellectual and sensual court forms
round the successful primo tenorc prma donna in
an instant, and hencefOrward. till their thr0atS gvo
ont eager hands lift from them the very burden of the
re 9S dc he
OF kings How should they get experience. or train
princes in Asia or prlnccsses in Europe They are
from the first where severe effort lands few of the
they have suffered in achieving eminence. from no
passing or general dslihcs; have never in all their
intercourse with the world. that world look any
passage in the Queens Diary wherein she. just for
moment. and as it were with suppressed sigh notes
altering the age little but not the inexpericnce is
the lot of every prma donna. She. and her compan-
lon on the stage, the tenor too have cOmpuson
to be childish and childshness enjoyable so long
as all whlms are grafed they tend to remain in that
nothing? Why strive. when all IS obtanabe without
eHorti Why, above all, be sclfrestrained. when no
may DO as painful brceches 10 savage or fine eti
Quette to street rough? Unsuccessful or haf-suc-
us, hardly recognize how they have grown to bear self
restraint as they have grown to bear leatherboos by
fncessant repeitions Of small cndurances II is not
only that the first burden of life. pecunary care is not
Tor the great singer Most heads turned by sud
bear more mental shocks than tha-suddcn popular
fty, sudden alteration sudden affection often real and
Deep al drawn TO him or her by something internal
involuntary and incommuncablc. Talk OF genius
what Is It in intoxicating power to the possession of
glft like this UNIQUE 1t NAV be- through all nc singing.
houses OF the worldF No wonder its possessor re-
mains til it departs. enjoying unrcsirained al
most irresponsible. and sometimes very naughty child
The instrmen,alist has neither this JOY nor ibis
temptation He. too. has his " gift" the something
magical which learning cannot yield or labor produce
but II Is not given gift. lie Las to nav a rrice
usually full price, for its development and when
ty strenuous toll il IS developed II produces neither
INC same rain OF gold nor the passion of adora
ana even to him, supreme in his art the necessity
OF me cnort which trains TIE mind as well as the
myers never end Did Mario. who cam a,ra,-
in his life? "'' o''or'