The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-23


as singer. She, however, was ambitious
to become prima donna, and the fact
led to considerable trouble between
them.
At this opportune moment the real
life Svengali, M. Boscha, appeared on
the scene. He was Bohemian by birth,
his talent as musician was as marked
as that of Svengali, and an aversion to
soap and water and strange German
French English dialect were two more
of his marked characteristics. The harp
was his pet instrument, and by the adj
dition of pedals he had SO perfected it
that they could play in many keys there
tofore beyond the reach of harpists. The
moment he met Anna Bishop he obtain
ed great influence over her, and under
his instruction and management she be-
came a world famous singer whose re-
nown at the time was second only to
that of Jenny Lind.
She left her husband and started on
a tour of the world under the direction
of Boscha. Their relations were purely
platonic and professional, it is said, but
so far as her artistic career was con-
cerned she was a mere puppet in his
hands She could do nothing without
him, and seemed to sing m erely because
he desired her to- When he was COM
PEELED to relinquish the leadership of
the orchestra, her singing lacked force
and sweetness and lost its style, tone
and fidelity of execution. She did not
break down as completely, it is true, as
Trilby did the night Svengali's hypnot-
ic eyes were robbed Of their power by
death, but she showed plainly to the
members of the orchestra that her in
SEPARATION all came from Boscha. When
the maestro was i'll, the members of
the orchestra were wont jokingly to re-
mark that Bishops brains were sick
abed. -
Frederick Lyster, the we'll known
author, composer and operatic manager,
who was Boschas assistant conductor
and chorus manager during Nine
Bishops tour of America, is confident
that the character of Trilby, SO far as
the musical phase of it is concerned,
was drawn ON the career of Anna
Bishop, and that Svengali was a some
what colored picture of Boscha- "Bos-
cha, I" he says, taught her all her songs
and taught her strictly in private.
Even I was never admitted to these
mysterious lessons. She was a sweet,
amiable oman without strong feelings
Of any kind, and she sang as if in a
dream. Even when Bosoha was pitting
her against Jenny Lind, in New York,
she seemed to take little interest in the
rivalry and allowed Boscha to do all the
fighting. Boscha was a tall, portly,
handsome man with somewhat the cast
of countenance attributed to Svengali,
except that he was better looking"
Like Svengali, he spoke many Ian
guages, but none correctly, and he used
to say: ST vos porn zu Prague, ind
cannot spik Chermanl lif many years
zu London, und cannot spik Anglischel
In Paris pass, OIL ferry long taime, und
I cannot spik Vrentchl hat no lang
witch. I cannot spik nozzing at all but
une. deux, dhree, Tower und dam. !"
Like Svengali, too, he was very eccen-
trio and usually got the best of every
one in money matters
So much for the prototypes of Trilby
| and Svengali, and now for Du Maurier's
connection with them. The young artist
was a friend and pfotege of Sir Henry
r. Bishop and knew both Nine. Bishop
and Boscha. He heard the stories of
Boscha's strange influence over Nine.
Bishop and was always the woman 8
champion. claiming that Boscha's infu-
ence was spiritual and not of character
debasing to the singer. It is said that
he often remarked that the career of the
| strange pair would furnish the ground
work for an excellent plot for a novel.
That actual personages were described
in the book is proved by the row James
MacNeill Whistler made over the char
acter and picture Of Joe Sibley, the
idle apprentice.