The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-25
Copyright, 1898, by The New York Musical Echo Co.

sisters used to listen and applaud
me, but my parents, if they heard, would
stop me peremptorily and say that IL was
the effect of allowing me to go to theaters.
and l shouldn't again.
When l came to Marchesi, | could sing
my three octaves from F below the STAFF
up, as fuently as l sing them to-day. She
corrected my one mistake, and poised my
voice accurately. / had been carrying
my chest notes too high, and if Ihad
gone on l should have lost my voice
About registers. believe so firmly in
the immense care necessary that l want
to say to every young singer BE three
times careful. Have your voice properly
poised If there be a weak spot in any
OF the register-changes, l think it abso-
lutely destructive to force it, MANY a
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 a slight weakness if
must be, than voice destroyed. | believe
however, that by varied and correct prac-
tlce the voice may eventually become
equal.
~ sing from F below to f first on the
staff from the chest. From + sharp to +
natural l sing medium register and from
f sharp to f all in my head tones. Oh
yes; l know singing masters will throw
up their hands at my carrying my mid
die register so high. Never mind. !
do it.
II never practise, that's positive All
my singing is done in public Ten min
utes on the morning of the day sing l
try my voice. just to make sure that it's
in order. Ten minutes before 60 on the
stage | run few scales and trill little
just enough to warm my voice. That's
all. When ] have a new role practice il
here Tapping her forehead). Yes, for
months, but l don't begin to wear my
voice over it until my memory has mas
tered the score. When do begin to sing
it 1 sing pianissimo. If you practice
pianissimo the forte will come all right
when it should, but if YOU practice forte
it ruins the pianissimo after Always
practice softly.
II make many sacrifices for my art.
On the night before l sing nothing would
induce me to 20 out anywhere. On the
day sing dine lightly at 2, then keep
perfectly quiet until go to the theater.
This, you know, is a huge sacrifice for me,
for would always be flying about and
chattering if l could.
Exercise! l take plenty of it. /
have horror of stoutness, and am al
ways glad to dance because from my love
of it, know what a enemy il is to avoirdu-
pois. Stout ! will not become When a
singer becomes huge, you might forgive
the public for half forgetting a lovely
voice in the presence of an unlovely per-
sonality. And stoutness is certainly I'M
lovely and stands between many a fine
artist and the gracious presentment of a
score of parts"
"Melba's figure is well rounded at pres
emit but slim wasted and plant. Ii is
just such that little more flesh would
mar its outline
with breathing ] had 10 trouble. You
see even without vocal teaching l knew
what unbroken phrasing meant with
other instruments, and ] had cultivated
the sostenuto instinctively As played
a passage / tried 10 sing 10. 10 all comes
10 this" said the greatest soprano OF the
age, good singers are made from first
the natural voice and then good ear.
mlmctic power and knowledge OF music
generally With these the aspirant
needs little from the professors. With
out them voices and styles are sometimes
manufactured but of what good arc they.
never reliable, always unsatisfactory
Don forget what said about register
GOODBYE