Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-11-08

N%%M S'PS
 MME MELBA.
 her voice may have lrCCn subjected to, what training and practice she can possibly have pursued to attain such Cxtraordinar! perfection in delivery and tone.
 That is very simple, she said in her | own frank way. ''I always sang. When ! I went to MarchCSi in Paris without one 1 vocal lesson. sang well as do today | but for one break in my voice MarchcS !. corrected that Ht "ncC, posed my voice 1 properly. and if this had not been done l | should have totally lost my voice. That's | the reason why sn earnestly advise young | singers to look after the proper posing of i the voice above all things. They will | know themselves where the break lies in | their registers and if teacher tries to | fOrCc tho voice over break there Is surt | to bc r"mcthing wrong. IL will result | probably in permanent ruin of tho voice, | and many a voice is thus ruined in the first staa;,'s uf tuition.
 Register Changes. It iS quite possible to sing as an artist and vet lr an exception to the ordinary rule d. to the place of register changes. \ natural pcCuliarity in this should not be disrcgardcd. l myself carry my middle register to F sharp, half tone beyond the prescribed limit. If 1 were n teacher and advocated this in any special case, would have the whole fraternity sweeping down and abusing me. 1 know my own voice, however, and aII q living example that exceptional rGi.tcr changes may hc n sue cess
 MClha is, nS n fact, n moro attractive personality of tho stage than she Is on it. Her chief Charm-thC rarCst in n great artiSt-iS simplicity. Her manners are frank, huoynnt. carrying an idea of jolly good fellowship in temperament rather than the important rC>''INr in which Opcr- atic luuiinarivS often CuvClop themselves, and which iS So chilling to the average in diVidual. She gives you a hearty hand grip; tine solid English ring of her tone, which has no foreign veneer, is rCassur- ing, and Inc ElCam of constant good spirits, rcfUsing Ia take life too seriously, always flashing from her fine brown eyes, is che"ry and refreshing.
 M"Iha l"'kS far more n pretty, jolly wUn.an uf th" world than the typical great l arti i>t Lt'Vuur,Tl ' emotion or else falling | into luxurious rmbunpUint through let i ting the mind travel along while in dream land while tie hU.ly gets nothing tu do. '-~ccrrt No. , about the freshness of my voice. " she say: II save il all l possibly can, but I save none of my other muscles corrssrundinEly. I take lots of physical exercise and savc my voice for tho pub l lic'
 l Mciba's Personality.
 l Mclba iS sliSktcr than last season. No | phOtOSraTh of her ever taken gives even n | partially correct idea of her general ap- pcarancc. She usually looks heavy in face | and fiGurC. with stnlid, matrOnly cx- prcssivn. a dull eye and spiritlCss pose | She is in reality tall, alert and pliant, with | a charming iEur'. round and supple; reg l ular features in an oval face, always bright, happy expression, and altogether | an air Cf pretty dash and chic never hint cd at in her photograph. She dresses in perfect taste and probably knows how to | wear her clothes a> well as my woman on the stage today. Worth thinks so and puts forward his hest ideas to drapc her well poised figure Mclba has adopted | just enough of the Gallic flavor to add n piquant emphasis to her style.
 The break. she said, that Marchthi corrected had felt myself was wrong, but l did not know what to do for it. I car riCd my lower register to F sharp. I now sing from F below to F natural on the staff; change on F sharp to my middle register, which l carry to F natural; be. gin my head tones on sharp again and carry them tO the F natural above the staff. This covers three octavcs.'' | or course it is not given to every young singer tO produce the voice naturally, as did Melba needing only n guiding hint. The most valuable voices arc often ob- scured by difficulties which 1t is the teach CTS mission to rCmovc. "Oftcn," says Mclba, even when tho voice is properly posed, there is n marked weakness where the registers change. Bad teachers insist on prolonged practice in this particular section of the voice, with the idea of en- larging the tone Exercise the voice equal Iy all over. It will. in turn, become equal izcd in time. Even if there be n natural defcCtion, better retain your voice with n small spot of weakness than risk it's ruin through the bad art of taxing it where ma turc tells plainly enough that it is not fit for taxing.
 "Of course" Melha says, while the average voice is being developed scales, solfeggi and vocalism over its full compass are essential, but once the voice has ob- taincd its growth my experience is that If you sing in public you should save it com pletely in private.
 Saving the Voice.
 Melba was n good all around musician and pianist before she ever decided she was meant to he q singer. She played well and had been accustomed to phrase care. fully on n keyboard and commit music tc memory before she ever had opportunity to even hum it herself. Her parents wer1 rigid Scotch Presbytcrians, who repressed sternly every vocal effort she made, foi | sne sIc WhIIcu bo bt J an operatic artist, and they determined with equal positivcncss that she shouldn't l. so when, as an independent married wom an, Melha got to Paris and sang first fol Marchesi that greatest of living voices haC been accustomed to lift itself by stealth il secret places, and the music 1t sang t' such perfection had been faultlessly com mitted and thought out beforehand on thu keyboard of the piano.
 To this day Melba does the same, re garding the habit, and commenting 1t [, young singers. as the greatest economy O vocal freshness. When young artists ge a new role, they take it to the piano first ' true" she says, but they immcdiatel. ! begin to sing with it. They hack and hacl at their voices not for tho purposes of ex ecution, but simply to memorize wha
 they right quite we'll do with thei fingers on the keyboard. Oh, no, sai'
 Melba, you won't catch mo simply mem orizing on my voice what can be don quite as we'll on mechanical instrument
 When the music Is firmly engraved ol . Melba's mind, she uses her voice upon it not bcforc. When she does sing it, witt | the exception of her theater rchearsals, sh says she always practices pianissimo. Tn
 habit of forte practice Melba strictly depre