New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-07
SIMS REEVES.
THE FAMOUS TENOR RETIRES TO Mo"
ICAL PROFESSORSHIP.

| tenor singer of tile age, has retreh Ii"'
stage to the school He has accepted pr
fcssorship in the Guildhall School oil M"a'''
which Mr.. Joseph Barnby is Principal '' LIN,
not yet entered upon his duties there ""'
do 50 in September next, when, 1t Is cap ...;I,
a considerable class of students OF sihSihs
await him. Some years ago his son, MI nv -,
Reeves accepted profcssorship in thao in'.i'
| ton which he still holds, and it was unu'''
then that Mr.. Sims Reeves himself would w 20
10 do likewise He named as essential, novel,
certain conditions which the then principal w.
Hill. was unable to grant Mr.. Hill Is no"
dead ard las been succeeded by WI barn,S'
who will take charge in September, and under
the new administration it has been 1ou'u pU'-
sible TO make the arrangements required by ,he
veteran singer So he will henceforth be rIo-
fessor Reeves. formal farewell 10 the PUBIC
stage was said by him some time ago, ana 'hS
act reallrms it, so that he may be regarded as
finally and absolutely retired from the stage on
which he has had such unique career.
Seventy years is the age Of this veteran, anu
his public life as vocalist, which was brought
to an end three years ago, lasted just nall d
century And down TO the very latest years VI
that half century his artistic powers seemed
undiminished. Perhaps his voice had faled
lttle But the consummate skill with which ne
used it had not and what failure there was
passed unnoticcd by the enthusiastic audience
IN all other respects, too, he was marVelousiy
we'll preserved man, with the physical frame Oh
an athlete, and a constitution that put 10 scoIh
the ills that ordinary flesh is heir TO- DouDticsS
there have been greater singers. Yet IL must pc
remembered that in an age of the most brilliant
singers he weighted with an English name'
ranked among the foremost Italian opera singers
/ 10
a ballad singer his preemnencc has not been
challenged 1t may be added, too, that he has
been a brilliant and even a great instrumental
performer 40 we'll as q singer. Like nearly Ill
musicians he was the child Of a musician Ills
father was church organist in Kentlsh village
but he was not a good organist, according 10
Mr. Recvcss own testimony However, ne saus-
fed the people. and he discovered at an carry
day that his boy Sims had remarkably COCA
voice. So he set to teaching him to sing and
nlay. with the result that Sims knew his scales
before he knew his alphabet, and could read
music before he could read book. Az nine
years Of age he could read the most dlhcuIt
music at sight His father was his sole Instructor
then and il he not the best possible teacher'
he was at any rate strict master. He kept the
boy at work practising his scales for eight hours
day. Thus. at any rate, the muscular develop
!
his throat was rs strong as prize-fghters arm.
When Sims was fourteen he became himself
the orcanist and choirmaster Of the village church,
on a salary of $40 or $50 year. lie was, apart
! from music, a lazy, careless fellow Yet ne
ouiclily and thoroughly learned anything ne look
| in hand &c. under tie guidance OF the wear OF
the parish. he studied various modern languages,
and became 80 proficient III French ana Italian
n, to use them as readily as English lie also
gained much local fame as a musician singing and
/ PLAYING at village concerts. He was master OF
/ the organ piano. flute, violin, violoncello, OBOE,
and bas~oor. Eut he was. withal, tremendously
ambitious. Already he had determined TO DC Il
great artist SO he studied under Calcott ana
Cramcr and other masters with the utmost Possi"ie
/ diligence and carnesneSs
His first real public appearance was MADE IN
1889. II was at n benefit performance. at New
/ castle-on-1ylc and he sang the part Of the Gypsy
Boy in Guy Manncring, an opera which not
| many pcople Of this day have ever heard Inc
! performances went OF we'll enough, but wa, not
/ c.pccially notable, unless for two things. IN
the first place it was on" Of the very few occa-
,ion- on which he assumed a stage name, the name
being the unromantic one Of Johnson. And IN the
second place. which is more important he dlScov-
cred that his teachers had all been making a mis-
take They had regarded his voice as baritone
! In rTalty it was tenor, AS nature ana sell
consciousness taught him However, he had %
keep on with baritone parts for time, until he
could Get TO London and have his voice trained
for tenor work
When he reappcared as a tenor he promptly
engaged by the great Macready, to sing in the
operatic performances which be was managing at
Drury Lane Now Mr.. Reeves has put il on
/ record "a his solemn conviction that Macready
knew no more about music than pig knows about
electric LIGHTS And all the world knows that the
famous actor had harsh temper and was stern
and arbitrary in his treatment of subordinates 30
from the outset the two disagreed Reeves's sing
inc Of a martial air in Acs and Galatea' created
a perfect Juror But Macpady wanted him 10
stand with his back to the audience while he sang
II, and Reeves fatty refused. Finally they made
"A compromise, the singer standing with his side 10
the audience Woisc disacrcrments followed. how
ever. and Macready iEally discharged Reeves
under such circumstances that the singer was
greatly angered and retained his amnesty against
his former employer 10 the end Of the latter's life
! Several times in after years Reeves asked 10
sing at testimonial performances given 70 Mae
ready. but always declined to>do So even when
Macrcady personally made the request
While he was singing for and wranglins with
Macrcady, Mr. Reeves went through the romantic
passage Of his life He fell in love, he thought,
with Miss Clara Novcllo a young musician of high
promise She did not care for him, however and
could not he persuaded 10 do so, and the young
tenor was dsconsolate. lie had plenty OF al
mircrs. however. Every day he received many
notes from ladies whose slsceptibilitics had been
aroused by his appearance on the stage, and who
wished to make his closer acquaintance. lie
treated all such missves with scorn. But day
he got note from IL young lady who was Il stranger
to him. but whom he knew b. be a sincere and
promising student OF music. She wrote, asking
him to come and hear her sing, and sing in duets
with her lie did SO, and fell in love with her, as
she did with him. And So" as the stoiy-books