The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-09-30
%FRESHENING THE CHORUS.
HoUNG AMERICAN SINGERS IN
TRAINING At THE OPERA no USE.
TIE veterans Nave Bees = WEAKNESS. hut
the Tsupr People Bid Fair TO ne n
eaecess Vow They Are Chosen.

TIE Veterans Have Bees q WEAKNESS. m
the Touur People MIA Fair to ne
Success - How They Are Chosen.
The vast auditorium Of tho metropolitan
Opera House Is dark during these autumn days
and great white elects Of canvas foil from thu
balcony over the two tiers OF boxes and look
CHASTITY substitute for their brilliancy during
the season. The more democratic parquet II
wrapped In checked blue bingham, and awhile
washed background stnrcs from the rear OF
the stage. From the flies dangle the base:
Of marble columns and Italian castles waiting
for the singers to come and for the command OF
the stage manager before they drop into their
places and become a part Of that marvellous
world In which E1su and Marguerite, Lohengrtn
and Faust, live for our pleasure.
The gloom Of the great building Is accented
now by q bunch Of gins lights that stand In the
middle Of the stage. In front of IL Is an upright
piano. and before that stands every day from
morning until late In the afternoon Louis Saar,
the director Of the chorus at the opera. Around
him are the singers who are TO make up the
American wing Of the chorus which will sing
this year.
THE SuN told last summer Of the answers to
the managers advertisement for young singers
to Join the chorus. From the hundred or two
that applied enough were found promising to
tnCOuTHRb III management 10 peTStNtTc IN InplT
plans to instil into the phlcgmatic veteran some
new American blood. Secretary Rubcns and
Signor de Novellis tried their voices, and kept
those that they wanted until Director Saar came
back from Europe two weeks ago, TO start their
training in the chorus music of the operas in
the repertory of the company. When n sun re-
porter heard them last week they had already
mastered william Tell and before the sea-
son opens In six weeks Herr Saar expects them
TO be up in the music OF twelve operas.
There are ~forty-six now in the chorus. and
twcnty-six Of them are women. What effect
these young women will create when the curtain
rises on the first night Of the season Il would be
difficult TO tell. The women in operatic choruses
have passed into a convention. Most spectators
try not to see them, but their usual avolrdupois
makes this difficult. and probably Mr.. Finck's
advice to hear music with the eyes shut had its
original suggestion In the aspect of these female
They are never young, rarely slightly.
and invariably inanimate. They were tolerated
as long as they kept in tune, an ambition which
most of them have long since outlived. No
stress Of circumstances could ever move them
to the slightest expression OF interest in their
surroundings. Elsa might pray and wait for her
but II was no matter Of theirs. The woes OF
Lenore and the passion of Don jose were no ar
foot OF the trouble, but they never worried their
minds about It,. They sang what they had to
and then got off the scene as quickly as possible.
To their singing, moreover, they brought neither
Interest nor freshness Of voice. They were tho
chorus that had been brought from
Garden in the spring, and they knew that no
other singers were available. Secure In this be;
i heir .e esss d IN ss,o p,,h,s as nse When soq stsg "n Mo onsnsd
bly, every once in a while. ,"Aetf" they would
to sing. We sing. That is all we are re-
iuired to do.'' Then they sang. sometimes well,
~, m mem ens wS Sueiddt not ma oSIv te u cases to- ave- very SS Ssd ~
Parry had to struggle to get them to shave:
Now. in place OF these familiar figures Of past
studying now with an enthusiasm and interest
that nothing could ever have aroused in the vet
II them a are hG nss snnseTs ede IN an SUens' a aItbn most
hey are all trained singers. One at least has
already shown that, she possesses q voice equal
-Four OF the singers were pupils OF Mime.
De la Grange, and several studied with Nine.
! sSrsfHeNf ioot,I Teey Ia, are az az ex xonD wSn at,
md Their heir rapid pr9Ersss in learning the one
ne 'Sef interest snes n s,"y S hars b rs .sg oT 10 tS9ir WSr Or
Many. OF them sing now In some OF the city
churches: The men are for the most part
he women, and take the experience OF long
iours of rehearsal, and study with n much en-
4 the unfortunate American Opera company
The p%rettiest of the women In the chorus is a
ark-eyed girl with a skin like u gyrsy and
Hack hair, brushed carclessly back from her
row. She Is dark enough 10 sing aida without
he customary makeup" aud she would lie an
ophisticated. Tho most enthusiastic Is n girl
vho was employed until q short timeago in ono
Z thc large retail shops. She had u voice. and
hing which offered. She Heard of 'H the nrW
eng enough TO go up to the opera house and see
hat her chances were. She sang for them ard
the result Of her trial a few d nv 'h later 10 10
'aked ont that, she had been discharged from
he shop in which she had been employed. The
nnt from work for two hours, although her
tends in the store had tried to shield her.
pera house while awaiting her turn
D have her voice tried. But it came
~ right In the End. She was engaged, and now
nts, and others." She sings the hardest While While
ons, and sits smiling to herself. when there is
DthIng else TO do, over her happiness al the
he has engaged an Italian teacher, moreover
nd IL pegging away with him during OF hours
men come In the morning at about 10, aud
icy have learned their music. At il Tho
omen come and sing for another hour. In the
use Of both the men and women. though. this
Iur is likely TO be very much extended. At is
clock the entire chorus sings together, and
Ter II de ny St On o. how u n xsl, 1nsa considerably
ey have done. "HA
When. the singers are all seated about the
ano with their scores in hand, Herr Saar pIays
the piano the introduction TO the chorus. ,
zen ne turns about sometimes waving his
ton with one hand while he drums on the piano ,
m the other, but most OF the time he PLAYS
It'll both hands, and leads with his voice by
,eping up a running fire OF comment and
Sometimes the effort pleases him
"a sometimes II doesn't, so the chorus Is re-
ated. In the concerted numbers Herr Saar /.
the soprano or tenor or bassO 4
rts inditrcrently until the time comes
r the chorus TO sing. Herr Saar is !
German and sometimes he becomes 5
Then he Is likely 10 drop into Ger !
an. The other day he wanted the chorus To I
peat, and they did IL twice, but not To his =
He tried them again. "Once '
lre,' no shouted, when the singers had fin q
The next time The mu siinrSltsn inr q