The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-06

ready, and preparing 10 go on the stage,
the door was slowly and silently pushed
open, and ono Of the biggest black eats
imaginable peeped In and looked up az
me. Oh! how delighted / wasl Yes, a
black cat has always been lucky thing
for me, and would welcome one at any
time.
"Slnce commenced my career | have
sung In some strange places. One of my
most remarkable experiences was In Rus
sia, at the royal lmarriage. In Russia the
singers arc all considered rs servants
Well, 10 was most strange. We were all
put in n sort tot balcony which looked down
upon the banqueting scene below, and as
each OF our turns came to sing we went 60
a little opening and sang through IL.
What amused me was this, that all the
time we were trying 20 sing our best and
produce our notes most effectively tho clat.
ter Of knives and forks s.ill went on, and,
TO make all complete, the singer might b0
In most Impressive passage and right in
the midst OK II, when, quite regardless of
tAe uncomplaining singers, there would
DO flourish OF trumpets and somebody
would get up ana propose n toast. i was
moro fortunate than Mime. Patti, for she
was interrupted i'm the middle of her solo.
Il haVo often had requests 10 sing be.
side deathbed or a person very Ill. / sang
To the old bishop Of Albany whom he was
suffering. The first festival ever sang in
was at Norwich, and when / returned TO
that place after six years, had letter
from an old gentleman who heard mo
there and who was now bcdridden. He
wanted To hear Tho Last Rose Of Sum
mer, and l shall never forgot standing
there by his side and siuging that beauti-
ful song. And many "a time have had TO
convert tho balcony of the hotel where |
was staying into 70 temporary platform
and appear at midnight, long after the
opera was over, and sing Home, Sweet
Hcme, or some such popular ballad 10
the people waiting outside. That was tho
case at Dublin some few years ago, when
the students there took the horses out OF
my carriage, and l was told that if / did
not sing, they would break tho windows
of the hotel. | stood on the balcony, wrap
ped up in great shawls, for il was bitter
ly cold night, and IL was 10 easy matter
10 sing The Last Rose of Summer under
those circumstances.
II have sung, too, in the quiet little
church at Braemar in the choir. and it
was there that / received what have al
ways considered ore of ny greatest com.
pliments. The speaker was ono of the
mountain folk. and had never even been
to Edinburgh. When the service was over
friend Of minc heard him say, / never
thought anybody could have such control
over ones voice That was all, but that
is the whole secret of a singers success
perfect control"
Mmc. Albani, like all great singers, has
one hard and fast rule which binds her
household. When rehearslng, nobody IT,
ever allowed 10 disturb her. Her soul is in
her work just rs earnestly In the drawing
room as on tho stage. She is "a remarkably
quick study, thing she attributes TO her
arduous though enjoyable training in her
early childhood. Nine Albnni studied and
sang "Lohongrin" in fortnight, and she
has been equally rapid in gaining her
knowledge of such lengthy studies as Mar
gherita, Ophclia, Mignon, Elisabetta, Lu
cia and other operatio characters which
will always be associated with her name
When she is about 70 take up new char
. acter she will first OF all sit down quietly
in the wicker chair in tho conservatory
or in some quiet and undisturbablc corner
about the home, and taking the score in
her lap run through the music. Then she
devotes herself 10 the words. Having
learned these, she now sits down to the
piano and commences work in earnest.
Having learned both words and music,
the services of an accompanist are called
in, and, as she plays, Nine. Albani will
take up her position in the room, and, i'm
agining the other characters about her, re-
hearse piece by piece. Tho morning pre-