The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-08-06
Il TRAINER OF SINGERS
Nine Marchese, of Paris. Described
by One Of Her Former
Pupils
Methods Of the Famous Singing
Teacher In Her Work OF
Instruction.
Whore Girls OF Every Nationality May
Learn to Sing for the Public
Hhrd Werk.

The most famous music teacher OF tn
ege is the Marchese de Castrone, known II
Ill the world as Nine. Marchese. To sa.
that a young woman has graduated Will
honors from Marchese's school is suficien
to stamp her as a painstaking and capable
II not a great singer.
She is q German by birth and married {
Eicilian nobleman, the Marchese de Cas-
trone, who was a musician and composer o
ability. Ten children were born TO them
but of these only one, the Baroness Pepper
wife Of a banker. is now living.
Nine. Marchese was o great mezzo-So
sprano. She herself studied of Garcia. q
brother of the famous singer, Nine. War
dot. She made several successful operatic
tours, but abandoned the stage finally and
went to Vienna, where she was offered the
position Of first teacher at the Conserva-
toire. Her methods differed greatly from
those employed by previous teachers, hutin
a very shor time she was recognized as q
teacher of the highest order. The death q
her favorite daughter impelled her 70 leave
for Paris, where she founded the present
establishment, and, strange to say, every
zone of her Viennese pupils followed her.
Nine. Marchese is a woman Of unusual
pTllil8lGy. oUe udS u SpiSllUiu S%tt4INtI SAf.
She Is a diligent reader, a profound think
err and a woman of a clear, logical mind.
She speaks fluently and without the slight
est accent the English, German. French,
italian. Spanish aud Russian languages.
She is a woman of ~tireless energy. She
never rests, yet she never seems to be ia
tigued.
There is no detail Of her vast establish
ment so small that it is delegated to an
other. In addition she personally super
intends her household affairs, besides Civ
ing some time to social duties. Her classes
assemble every day at Q o'clock and are not
dismissed until l in the afternoon. AT 2
O'Clock they are again called together, and
instruction continues until Z in the even
Ding, But it must be remembered that Mar
chese's pupils are so far advanced in the
study of music and vocal culture that she
does not have to devote every moment of
I this time to watching over them.
There is no one of such Importance or of
such wealth or influence that the smallest
rule or the least important one should be
modified in any degree. The first requisite,
of course, is that the applicant shall possess
a voice. 1t does not take Marchese very
long to find out about this. Then there are
so many names always waiting on the list
for admission to the Conservative that i.
may require some diplomacy to be ad
mitted, for only SO many pupils can be &c
>commodated in the school, and Marchese
often finds some poor girl with 8 voice that
promises we'll, to whom she makes an extra
Involvement to enter, either by p~raising her
voice and telling herof its possibility in the
future, or by entirely emitting the custom
airy fee OF % francs for each lesson. No pu-
pill is taken for less than this, except it be
as above described. 1t is necessary that
three lessons shall be taken each week. No
men are received as pupils under any cir
cumstances.
Once having entered the Conservative,
the pupil begins in the preparatory class,
where the voice is properly posed, and the
beginner is not permitted to sing anything
until the quality and character of her voice
are ascertained. The next step is to enter
the class where vocal exercises are taught.
Their il she proposes to sing in concert, or
is simply studying to obtain a finished
musical education, she will enter a class
where arals, songs and romances are studied.
Or if she be preparing to sing in opera she
Will form one in a class where she will first
be taught how to give the precise expression
to light airs and then light operas, arias
and cadences.
In the last and highest class grand opera
only is studied. The leading female roles
IN some particular opera are assigned to
certain pupils who sing the parts while the
remainder of the class listen and profit by
the instruction given the participants. 1t
is in this class hat the pupil is taught some
of the r~udimentary knowledge Of acting,
n also, what is quite important, gesticu-
1atjnp n fpali1p pf cpnflaDoa ~ anso ,rl
grace. In thiscl the great to- her is seen
at her best. Her methods are very positive.
III there is no expression in the singers
voice, she unhesitatingly says so.
1t is noticeable that the majority Of
French professional singers usetheir voice.
well-such voices as they have. On the other
hand, Americans and Italians usually have
good voices, but unfortunately for then
their methods are not artistic, and so il
comes that Marchese often has IL great dea
of work to do to make them appear to ad
vantage in public. 1t has been said, how
ever, that she can take a girl with q hole il
her voice and patch it up. She is q grear
believer III rest for the voice, and quite Otter
she recommends applicants not to use thei.
vocal cords in singing for at least 81,
months, and, unlike a great many othel
teachers, she deprecates cutting the tonsils
y There arc two classes for the study O.
grand opera-oue for French, the other fol
Italian. 1t sometimes happens, if the class
is unusually large, a piano ~accolnpanist is
required, but in most cases Marchese her
self plays for her pupils. She never gives
private lessons. Were she to do so, She
could increase her income 500 per cent. 1t
is so much easier to profit by the ~instruc.
ton given to three or four girls who arc
studying the same roles, while at the same
time it engenders a good naturcd spirit OF
rivalry.
American girls who attend Nine. Mar.
chese's classes are kept busy all the time.
When they 20 to Paris, if they do not I'm.
derstand French and Italian, they must
obtain tenchers and study the languages
and if they intend going into opera an.
other teacher for gestures and acting and
grace is required. Great singers are wei
paid, to be sure, but the public sometimes
1orgets the amount of hard work they
must do and the expense that must be
borne before they receive any reward.
To attempt to give a list OF the pupil;
who have become fafnousa after graduating
from Marchese's establishment would be
but to repeat the name of a large number
of the great singers of over II score of years
or the American girls who studied under
hfnrrhaCa I y, q VI include r1.,o ,F tia 49,,