New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-01
L1LLI LEHMANN,
HE'D ursToRy AND HER TASTES.

LII Lehmann tho favorIte prima DONNA lives on
the top floor OF tho Hotel Normandio In very pleasant
rooms that command fnesSicw OF the Hnoson' INC
Palisades and the Orange Mountains you sec''
she said, as she greeted reporter =" lke 10 eet up
high in both singing and living The lookout rom
those windows ~ constant delight to me, and tho air
seems so pure and bracing am great believer III
fresh afr and plenty of IT, and also in exercise Every
day when II isn't raining hard 60 out for long Walk
In these cold mornings must look like big bear on
her travels after food put on high warm poo's'
furs about an inch hick and away tramp f"or-
cise for the body s think as necessary ior INC s"s
as exercise for tho voice. great many s"BofS
nurse themselves II they were othouse no"ors'
believing that exeron of any kind will in)ure tner
vocal powers The consequence Is that thcy gro" iS'
and weak Now, have been singing for twenty-ono
wears and it IA only In about tho last i've that my
voice has grown full and strong. You, perhaps can
soarcey credit Il that IL used to be light that never
attempted tho more dramatic roles. My musical si'S
arc hereditary, when my mother was o"y 'o'o"
teen years old she began her professional career a.
harpist Her father had becn wealthy merchaht'
but no Impoverished himself in prosecuting scen'no
researches that 1t became necessary for my moher "
earn something After little while she discovered
that her voice was good enough for OPERA and she Cd
tanned an engagement at Casse under spohr, who was
then the director Sho remained with him many years
have had any other teacher than my mothcr'
nor has my sister, who also operatic prma donna
In Vienna Her voice IS light soprano something
like mine used to be. My first appearance was maze
at Prague I'm 1866 in one Of the small parts OF tho
three attendants In tho Magic Flute had sung
only few nights when the Pamina was taken sua.
denly ILL., and volunteered to sing tho part had
never studied It, but had, Of course heard It Often
and have always had a remarkable memory IL went
very well and from that night my success dates. inc
next under tho management OF hfhs'
Fischer at Danzlc and afterward went to Heinrich
r,vbe at Leipsic There remained several seasons
III I was at last engaged at Berlin That city was
Il homo till the first time came to Ncw-York' three
seasons ago. | like singing hero very much The
audiences seem 10 quito as enthusiastic as those
CT Berlin. Aud then like the Opera House. IL Is
very largo, but find 1t easy to sing I'M
"What IS your favorItc role, Nine. lehman"
81 really don't believe have favorte, though
Leonora Ia 'Fidcll) has been one of my greatest
Successes and am the moro proud OF this because
slnoo Tlctens death, had been we'll received
In It, Maplcson told me that ought to be the ono
TO follow her in that great pal was very anxious
to have sung Norma here, but there IS am afraid
no chance this season also wanted to have sung
in the Hugucnots,' both the soprano roles, Valen
tine and Marguerite DO mean on the same
nlghtP Certainly You need not look SO surpr'std.
have often done 1t, and so has Frau Wild, IN Vienna
Tho two never appear in the same scenes, and there
dress. Such performance would, fancy, have boon
very interesting, and although Marguerite Is gen
orally sung by light soprano think It IS one OF the
| best things l do. all, daresay have appeared
| in nearly a hundred operas. This season have sung
in Sicgfried and Euryanthe for the first time, and
| / have yet to study Aida and Gotterdammcrung'
| | am able to accomplish much work because de-
vote myself entirely to my art. never go Into So
cIety and only very rarely to tho theatre The part
| in Euryanthe like very much, and am glad the
| opera has been so successful Aida do not yet
care for great deal but probably will grow on me
as study 1t moro. sti 1t Is not as dramatic part
| as / like"
do you find tho Wagner operas very fatigulng y"
"Not If they are interpreted with the woys OF
other composers but had an almost too constant
succession ~ Wagner at tho beginning OF the season.
and too much OF any composer Is fatlguing. Wag
ner s hard to learn account of the intervals being
so unusual, but the words help one with the music
In Mozarts OPERAS and indeed. In nearly all the older
works. one has often to stag tho same words over ana
over again and then 1t becomes difficult to remember
third repeats. To prove to you how quickly can
study let me tell you the four operas learnt In one
month while singing Pesth They were Fidelio.'
| Morlin' Norma and Lohengrn' was so sue
cessful there thai the manager gave me Dank con-
tract signed by him, which am to fill In al my own
terms whenever want to go back Al the close OF
our season here IN July shall go back 10 Europe
and take a long rest, for last summer mace TOUR
and had scarcely any holiday ! have not yet made
any arrangement to return next season. but certain
| ly hopo this Will not be my last visit here