The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-05-07
MISS ANNIS MONTAGUE
An Interesting interview With
Talented Hawaiian.

in q large and airy sitting room, I
which has been set apart for MISS
Montague's use, and the interviewer /
was most cordially welcomed. MISS
Annis Montague Is young lady OF /
most vivacious temperament, brImful I
Of life and humor, captivating III 1
manner, and possessing fund OF
anecdote that makes her most /
highly interesting conversatlonallst. I
With so many attractive qualities III
private life, one can easily under
stand that with her great vocal and
dramatic talent she should be one OF
the greatest favorites on the operate
stage.
Am to be put upon my oath ="
Miss Montague asked, smilingly, and
the query having been replied to IN
the negative, the celebrated vocalist
proceeded.
Well, was born in Honolulu-of
poor but honest parents that's the
usual thing, is it not
| Yes, but it does not convey much
information, does it ? Your father
Well, my father was clergyman,
/ and came to Honolulu from Dan
bury, Connecticut. Ny father and
mother were amongst the first mis-
! sionaries who were sent to the Sand
witch Islands, aud there l was born.
Then you are OF Hawaiian birth,
and l presume you speak the native
language?
Yes, ] was educated in Honolulu
till | was Of the age Of fifteen, and l
speak the Hawaiian language. l can
make the Maoris understand me too,
speaking in the Hawaiian dialect
land Miss Montague proceeded to re-
late an incident in proof Of this fact).
l was on board steamer on which
were some gentlemen homeward-
bound from New Zealand. My sister
and myself were discussing the pecu-
liarities of our passengers in the Ha
waiian tongue, when l observed a
peculiar expression on the face Of
one of our fellow passengers. Later
on the captain asked me to be intro
duced to this gentleman, and then l
learnt that he, being acquainted with
the Maori language, understood every
word we had said. We laughed
heartily over the incident
| VIII you kindly explain how you
were attracted to the stage?
| Certainly. l always had strong
attraction towards it. / have taken
my mothers name of Juliet Monta-
que. My mother was a beautiful
reader, and read a great deal to US.
My musical talent is inherited from
my grandmother, and also from my
mother. My mother was, moreover,
a highly-educated woman, and have
her to thank for much of the love
that / now have for the drama
I presume you completed your
musical education on the Continent
/ had gone from Honolulu to Balti-
more on visit to my uncle, Mr..
Henry Stockbridge, very eminent
lawyer. He heard me sing, and in
sisted upon undertaking at his own
expense my musical education. He
took me to Paris himself, and ]
studied there for four years.
4 Your masters?
I was under the celebrated War
tell, German by birth, but gradu-
ated in the French school, and was q
student under the celebrated tenor
Mario. / was also under Nilsson
and Irebelli Bettina, England's great
contralto. made my debut in Paris
at the Rossini theatre, my master
singing with me for the first time
Then I made an engagement, by
cable, with the Kellogg Opera Com
pany. Then / had two years with
Mari Rossi in Italian opera, and
then / sang with Emma Abbott
Then my husband formed the pres
ent Montague-Turner Opera Com
pany.
You were married, then, recently
Yes, we were married at Homo
lulu in 1880, and King Kalakaua was
present at the ceremony.
The company was formed in sgd
ney, was it not?
Yes, in Sydney, ten years ago.
We have travelled all through
America, Miss Turner added; had
four years in America and four years
in Australia. We have just finished
a season in Sydney. At Brisbane
we played two seasons within the
space of six months, and had packed
houses every night.
1 suppose you have your favorite
operas?
Oh, yes, there's Lucia de Lam
mermoor," "Mignon," Marguerite in
Faust" and ''Leonors;" these are
, my four favorite operas, and l hope
to appear in each of them here.
Can you recollect in which opera
you made your debut
Yes, it was in Les Huguenots,'
in the part of the Queen and it was
the most difficult role I ever played
l have a repertoire of over thirty
seven roIes-but the four operas ]
have mentioned are my favorites.
Are you fond of ballad singing?
Yes, very, but am more fond oil
i tragic opera than anything else. ]
never will forget lesson that Nils
son gave me. I was singing in my
masters rooms, when she asked me
to sing the " Last Rose of Summer. y
My master made me put in many
variations in the second verse. Nils,
son stopped me. She said Mon.
tague, when you sing a ballad, the
more simply you sing it the more
effective you can make it. You have
chance for all that filagree work
and execution in italian music, but
when you sing a ballad, sing it as