The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-07-26
SHE TRAINS SINGERS.
NINE. kiARcHESE OF PARIS DESCRIBED
BY ONE OF HER PUPILS.

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES GIFTS OF Every ma
tionality May Learn to Sing For the Pub
lic-Hard Work.
The most famous music teacher of'the
age is the Marchese de Castrone. known to
all the world as Nine. Marchese. To say
that young woman has graduated with
honors from Marchese's school Is sufficient
TO stamp her as painstaking and capable,
IL not great singer.
She Is German by birth and married
Sicilian nobieman, the Marchese de Cas-
trone, cho was a musician and composer OF
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 great mezzo-so-
prano. She herself studied of Garcia, a
brother Of the famous singer, Nine War
dot. She made several successful operate
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, but in
a very short time she was recognized as a
teacher of the highest order. The death of
her favorite daughter impelled her to leave
for Paris, where she founded the present
establishment, and, strange to say, every
one of her Viennese pupils followed her.
Nine. Marchese is a woman of unusual
brilliancy. She has a splendid education.
She is a diligent reader, profound think
er and q woman of clear, logical mind
She speaks fluently and without the slight
est accent the English, German. French,
Italian. Spanish and Russian languages
She is n woman of tirelcss energy. She
never rests, yet she never seems to be far
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 o'clock and are not
dismissed until In the afternoon. At Q
o'clock they are again called together, and
instruction continues until in the even
ing 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
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
voice. It 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 Conservatoire that /:
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 n voice that
promises well, to whom she makes an extra
inducement to enter, either by prasing her
voice and telling herof its possibility in the
future, or by entirely emitting the custom
airy fee of 25 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 Conservatoire.
the pupil begins in tho 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
Then IL she proposes to sing in concert, or
Is simply studying to obtain a finished
musical education, she will enter aHclass
where arais, 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. u
Is in this class that the pupil is taught some
of the rndimentary knowledge of acting,
- .l~A l. -.>lA H.
lation, a feeling OF confidence and ease and
grace. In this class the great teacher is seen
at her best. Her methods are very positive.
II there is no expression in the singers
voice, she unhesitatingly says so.
It Is noticeable that the majority of
French professional singers use their voices
well-such voices as they have On the other
hand, Americans and Italians usually have
good voices, but unfortunately for them
their methods are not artistic, and so it
comes that Marchese often has great deal
Of work to do to make them appear to ad-
vantage in public. 1t has been said, how
ever, that she can take girl with hole in
her voice and patch 1t up. She is great
believer In rest for the voice, and quite often
she recommends applicants not to use their
vocal cords in singing for at least six
months, and, unlike a great many other
teachers, she deprecates cutting the tonsils.
There are two classes for the study of
grand opera-one for French, the other for
Italian. 1t sometimes happens, IL the class
is unusually large, piano accompanist il
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 It
Is SO much easier to profit by the instruc-
tion given to three or four girls who are
studying the same roles, while at the same
time 1t engenders good natured spirit Of
rivalry.
American girls who attend Nine. Mar
chese's classes are kept busy all the time.
When they go to Paris, IL they do not un-
derstand French and Italian, they must
obtain teachers and study the languages,
and IL they intend going into opera an
other teacher for gestures and acting and
grace is required. Great singers are well
paid, to be sure, but the public sometimes
forgets the amount Of hard work they
must do and the expense that must be-