The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-02-27


know could do it better than that:
I'm positive 1 could When got home
and tried it my sisters used to listen
and applaud me, but my parents, il
they heard, would stop me peremptori-
ly and say that was the effect Of al
lowing me to attend theaters and l
shouldn't go again.
s'When / came to Marchesi. / could
sing my three octaves from below
the staff up. as fuently as sing them
to-day. She corrected my one mistake.
and posed my voice accurately l had
been carrying my chest notes too high
and if had gone on / should have lost
NV -o:cc.
About registers, believe so firmly
in the immense care necessary that I
want to say to every young singer:
BE three times careful. Have your
voice properly posed If there be a
weak spot in any Of the register
changes, think it absolutely destruc-
tive to force it. Many fine voice has
been ruined this way under teachers
direction, the singer being told to
sing and sing and repeat to enlarge
the tone until, through forcing, her
voice is ruined. Better have slight
weakness if must be, than voice de-
stroyed. 1 believe, however. that by
varied and correct practice the voice
may eventually become equal.
81 sing from F below to F first on
the staff from the chest. From f sharp
to + natural I sing medium register
and from F sharp to in alt my head
tones. Oh yes; know singing masters
will throw up their hands at my car
rying my middle register SO high.
Never mind. do it.
Il never practise, that's positive.
All my singing is done in public. Ten
minutes on the morning of the day
sing try my voice, just to make sure
that it's in order. Ten minutes before
l go on the stage run few scales and
trill little, just enough to warm my
voice. That's all. When 1 have a new
role 1 practise it here (tapping her
forehead). Yes, for months; but don +
begin to wear my voice over it until
my memory has mastered the score.
When do begin to sing it 1 sing plan
issimo. If you practise pianissimo the
forte will come all right when it
should, but if you practise forte, it
ruins the pianissimo after. Always
practise softly.
81 make many sacrifices for my art.
On the night before / sing nothing
would induce me to go out anywhere.
On the day l sing dine lightly at two
o'clock, then keep perfectly quiet until
I go to the theater. This you know is a
huge sacrifice for me, for l would
always be flying about and chattering
if could.
Exercise! I take plenty of it.
have a horror of stoutness, and am
always glad to dance. because, aside
from my love for it, know what an
enemy it is to avoirdupOis. Stout !
will not become. When singer be.
comes huge, you might forgive the pub
lie for half forgetting lovely voice in
the presence of an unlovely personality.
And stoutness is certainly unlovely
and stands between many fine artist
and the gracious presentment of a
score of parts"
Melba's figure Is we'll rounded at
present, but slim-waisted and plant.
1t is just such that little more flesh
would mar its outline.
with breathing I had no trouble.
You see even without vocal teaching
knew what unbroken phrasing meant
with other instruments and had cul-
tivated the sostenuto instinctively. As
I played a passage l tried to sing it.
1t all comes to this" said the greatest
soprano of the age, good singers are
made from first the natural voice and
then good ear, mimetic power and a
knowledge of music generally. With
these the aspirant needs little from
professors. Without them voices and
styles are sometimes manufactured,