The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-04

zinc Eames-Melhn-Cnlve Anair.

to tell the truth about the grand opera
singers who are now the rage In New York.
In the main he says. Apparently nothing
is so capricious as the favor of an operate
When Abbey & Grau gave their
first season with the present company at
the Metropolitan the chief prim donna
was Emma Eames. This sopranos popular
ity was then unbounded. She was the
Marguerite in the "ideal cast of Faust
Her appearance on the stage was marked
by thunders of applause and after each
act she received a garden OF flowers. She
was our great Juliette, our Incompatible
Elsa. Those were the nights when Nine.
Eames received a small salary. but atoned
for her lack of wealth by the extravaganza
of her popularity. She revisited her own
country under contract to sing at $3.50 a
night, but such was the Juror she created
that, for the ensuing season. the impressarii
agreed to give her $500 a night. During
her second engagement Mime. Eames had
to encounter serious rivalry. Calve was
here with her dramatic Carmen and
Melha had introduced us to the sweetest
voice and finest art OF modern opera. Still,
the admirers of Nine. Eames clung to her
and refused to acknowledge that her tech
nique was in any way inferior to that of
the great Australian. Last year all might
have gone we'll with our lovely prima donna
II she had not ventured into a quarrel with
the fiery French woman. Calve is implac-
bic in her resentments. She liked America
and she wanted to come bacn to us. She
said in her speech on the last night of the
season that she hoped to sing for us this
winter, but she could not, would not. be in
the company with r1anes. This stipulation
ana, as they are in the habit of managing
their own business, the impressarii very
properly refused to be bound by the whims
of their singers.
NOW. what is the consequence? Mile.
Calve STOOD by her vow and refused to be
tempted ms winter to America unless it
be engaged. Mime. Games was engaged, and
the audiences have blamed her for depriving
lc of all singers. Therefore this season
Emma EameS is out of favor. Nine. Nor
dica has again proven her usefulness. Sam
oerson has been received with applause,
and Mira Heller is rapidly growing in pop
ularity. Nine. Melba, who last year was
Calve. has this winter become the principal
soprano of the company and is held in the
favor that is accorded to Jean de Reszke.
Eames. who used to be our fayorite Elsa,
sang that role for the first time this year
last Wednesday. Melba has supplanted her
III almost every opera with which Eames's
reputation is Identified. During the past
two seasons the box office would have
Juliette, Marguerite, Elsa and Michaela had
not been sung by Eames. This year these
characters have been given very frequently
to Nine. Melba, and the auditorium has been
full of people and enthusiasm. Nine.
Eames is evidently much distressed by the
distract nowadays. She does not act so well
nor sing so well, and she lacks that buoyant
good humor which used to be one of her
chief charms. 1t is hard for a prima donna
to yacate the center of the stage in favor of
a soprano who hates her. Between Melba
and Ealnes there has always been i'll feel
yrr Thnc 0rNnf rft ~ " aver hoyyn 0n1
probably never will speak to each other.
When by some accident the American and
the Australian meet In the Metropo.itan
lobhies their noses go up in contemptuous
scorn, and they pass by without any sign
Of recognition. For the past two years
Eames's star has been In the ascendant, but
this winter Melba gathers in almost all the
lowers and plaudits, which shows that a
prima donna's lot is not always a happy
buffet of fortune as well as its smiles.
However the rivalry this year is between
competition with them. Nine. Nordica is a
good singer and conscientious to a degree.
Blu she is wanting. in magnetism and has
passed that age when female singers stir
the blood of an audience. Sanderson has
qualities of greatness. She is apretty wom-
an, although by no means 50 beautiful as
Eames, and in dramatic ability she sur
passes every singer in the company. Her
comedy is delightful in finish and sponta-
Paris renown, Sibyl Sanderson will never
become a supreme favorite in New York.
Lucille Hill, the Newark prima donna, has
not many qualities to win our applause.
This young singer Is fair to look upon, but
her art is still immature and the manage
ment has wisely allowed her to sink into
the background of the metropolitan stage.
Libia Drogg has no more chancs of winning
our favor. Mile. Drog has a very good
voice, but its training is not OF a quality
which commends itself to an audience SO
fastidious as our own. Mira HELLER seems
to be the only soprano VINO gl give, promise
a passionate fire in acting and temperament
and has ambition, and much vocal ability.
Her SatuzZa is a performance which was
excelled in merit only by the splendid art of
Calve and Mr.. Grau is so much oura ged
by the young Polish artistes success that he
has decided to introduce her in me char
acter of Carmen. This role Is the one
that acquainted us with the grand opera
abilities of Miss Zelie de Lussan. But
our fair -nrrywom was SO much dis
couraged by the ~disapproval of the critics
that she has steadily fallen back since her
first performance and Is now entirely out
of the competition. In spite of their great
preparations for our musical entertainment
Abbey & Grau possess only two popular
for poular applause is engaged in By only
Emma Eames and Nellie Melba, with the
Australian first and our lovely country
woman, somewhat disconsolate, in the rear.
"a Gaiety Girl, Tonight.
There is no discount on the high char
acter of the performance to be given at the
Grand tonight and tomorrow night. a
Gaiety Girl" who, by the way, IS the crigi-
nal rosy posy'' nymph, is one Of the
bright entertainments of the season. II
| combines the charms of ccnsic oye1a and
| comic drama. There is a thread of a plot
but the thread is unusually fraii. Nina, a
French lady's maid, loves the hero and at
tempts to diseredit the heroine by dropping
a. diamond comb in ner po .xst and theT
! accusing her of theft. This emissary OF evi
is carefully placed at each criucal moment
and goes about ner trOubte-maktnE as
| methodicllly as she w.uli ner days wcrk
| Miss Margaret Fraser, the leading cancer
is said to be 1.-THE and supple. Maud Percy
and other English dancers are in the cast
| The words have been written by Over
| Hall, the lyrics by Harry Greenbank, ant
the music by Sidney Jones. The spirit II
| caught from the Interpretation of its char
acters, and herein is the chief source o.
the success of the Girl" There are tive
| acts, the scene of the first being a pleasure
| grounds with a view Of Windsor Castle
while the second represents Nice with
view of Monte Carlo In the distance.
EaiIen and Hart Mt English's.
Tt is now two years since that fun-mak
ing team, Hatlen and Hart. appeared ii
this city, and the great favor with whicl
they were received is still a vivid ~recollec
ton. Their farce-comedy. Later On" wa
the attraction at that time, and this sea
son they will appear In a revival of thei
-,noa-rFtrf Slrit AGiHo Fpcro ha;nn or,ar