Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-05
MISS MARIE DECCA.
The Washington Girl Who Has Made
a Successful Operate Debut.

A recent Paris letter to the Boston Herold
says: "Are the people of America gone music
mad that they should take away from Europe
all her best singers?" exclaimed a gentleman
in my hearing at the Press club the other even
ing. This was said apropos of paragraph in
a morning journal, which stated that Miss
Marie Decca had just been engaged for an
opera season in the United States, and would
leave for New York next Saturday. That will
be tomorrow, 30 she will arrive with this letter,
and, as have the pleasure of knowing her
tolerably well, beg to be permitted to pre-
sent her to the American public. In her both
harmony and melody skilfully combined
and the last time heard her her voice was
very much as Dryden puts 1t:
80 great, small, yet in sweet note,
1t seem'd the music melted III her throat
The name of this, the latest recruit to the great
army of AR fists who are going to conquer the
new world this coming winter Is, as you will
notice, made from the second, the third, the
first and the sixth notes in the gamut, not re.
mi, do, do la, as they are called in Italian, but
d E c A.
She came to adopt such a good name for
posters and programs in this way: One of her
professors dedicated to her a song; she noticed
that the opening bar was composed of tine five
notes just mentioned, and spoke of il, where
upon he said it would not be bad idea if she
made a nom du theater out of them when ready
to become a professional singer. Later on she
acted on his advice and Mary Johnston became
known everywhere as Mile. Marie Decca. For
her family name is Johnston and she is the
granddaughter of Gen. Thos. l.. Hamer Of
Ohio in which state she was born, and not so
very many years ago, either. She passed her
childhood in Kentucky, was educated in the
Convent of the Sacred Heart near New York,
and then went to study music awhile in
Philadelphia While there she once sang an
air in which she threw out a note that reached
as high as A in alt. There we're persons in the
house who knew a great deal about music, and
when they heard this wonderful high note
they rushed into her room to ascertain if she
knew what she was accomplishing. That, you
see. was higher than Sibyl Sanderson sings in
'Esclarmonde" at the Opera Comique. as de-
scribed in this correspondence during the past
summer. The family stayed a while in Phila-
ton. Seven or eight years ago daughter and
parents came to Europe. she resumed her
studies under the best teachers and for the last
three years or SO she has been singing in
England and Ireland under the management
of Col Mapleson. The Irish people were en-
thusiastic over her, a fact which will very
probably be in her favor in the United States.
Nine. Gerster's husband once declared that the
Endorsement by the people of the Green Isle"
OF prima donna was sure to make her fu-
rore in the new world. AS Marie Decca is a
deserving young lady hope the Hibernian
boom of her career will be Of great help to her
in her own country.
She goes over as prima donna in the recon-
structed American opera company and her en-
gagement Is for twenty weeks. She will make
her debut in Philadelphia, most likely i'm the
role Of Mignon. She would have preferred to
make her first appearance in Washington. which
10 the home Of her family, but that was not
practicable, and SO the city Of brotherly love
viii have the pleasure of passing judgment on
her artistic ability before other towns. She
studied for years with Nine. Marchesi and sings
that famous teachers method splendidly. But,
as artistes must be unceasing in their studies
she frequently found it necessary to go to other
professors in search OF advice and recently has
been under the care of NJ. Tradadello, with
whom she has passed" several operas. After
"Mignon" she will be heard in ''Lakme," the
magic Flute, .'Somnambula." the bohemian
Cir" Hamlet" and the Marriage Of Figaro"
and this 10 the first time she mas ever sung pro-
fessionally in the United States Her high
notes are wonderful she sings with expression.
and in the magic Flute" q distinguished
French critic. referring TO the dagger scene,
pronounced her ''the Sarah Bernhard Of the
lyric stage"