The herald., 1896-07-05
MUSICAL COLUMN

by the writer one day last week III tHs
charming company of Ellen Beach faw'
the songstress that Los Angeles is proud
to call her own, who has already scaled
many rungs upon the ladder of success
in the musical world. Miss Yaw was
found in her sunny home on ADAMS
street, in which quiet retreat she Is
thankful indeed to find herself once more
after four years of travel and hard work.
Her last season was peculiarly arduous,
lasting eight months, often embracing
as many as six concerts week. alto
| gether too heavy task when combined
with long and tedious railway journeys
| A very successful season was wound up
at Minneapolis a month ago, ana un-
happily California was disappointed IN
not hearing her wonderful voice alter
many assurances from too Jealous ana
| complicated management. Miss Yaw
| has no manager at present; she mas
parted company with Victor Thrane,
| who for several years has looked alter
her business interests, but declares that
personally she is still on the best OF terms
with him. Her chief anxiety now is 10
find manager in whom she can place
the fullest confidence, for, said MISS
Yaw, Il want to be perfectly free from
all business cares and anxieties ana
devote all my time to my music; nothlnS
is so harrassing or distressing TO me as
having to be bothered about business
arrangements. l want someone TO take
charge of all such matters as concert
tours and dates, and / think shall ma
| him. l am at present in correspondence
with some of the best concert managers
| in the country, and they are all good
enough to declare that they are anxious
to engage me'-this with sunny smile.
One of the great charms of Miss Yaw's
attractive and interesting personality is
her native modesty. A large measure or
success and loads of adulation have only
served apparently to intensity this. IN
deed, it Is difficult to induce her to talk
about herself or the marvellous voice
with which she is gifted. although she is
a ready enough and very bright conver-
sationalist on all other topics. Miss Yaw
especially deplores some of the compar1-
| sons made in circulars sent out by press
| agents, and in particular expressed her
| dislike of q very pretty card bearing a
vignette portrait of herself and showing
| the compass of her own voice ana that
| of Patti. Such comparisons" declared
| Miss Yaw, ARE positively painful TO
me, and 1 do not believe they could do
| me any good"
| AS to her future movements. the song
| stress said: Il intend to take a thor
| oughly good holiday and do not mean to
| sing in public until October. Then hope
| to start my tour in California and work
| eastward, but only for few months, as
| l am making arrangements for a Euro
| pean debut next winter. I love London.
| where l studied for long time with Sig
| nor Randegger, who is also very dear
friend"
And you will love it still more when
| you have scored your triumph there:
IF that be possible unused Miss
Yaw. referring both to her love for Lon
| don and the dream of triumph there.
| but the dream doubtless will be real
| lied.
mo, I have never sung in concert in
London or Paris yet; my contract pro-
| hibited that"
Miss Yaw has already begun to work
| on an entirely new repertoire for her
next season, and her method of prac-
tice is as ingenious as it is novel. "Oh,
! said she, Il don't often sit down to the
piano. Tn afraid I sing anywhere and
| everywhere; all about the house, just
when and where the fancy moves me, bu
I practice hard all the same. No,
don't use written exercises much, for
improvise them for myself. What 1 lik,
best is to sing out of doors. 1 am goins
either to the beach or to the mountains
for, you know" she said with anothe
sunny smile, Il like to get up as high a
possible. However, 1 never sing m,
highest notes in practice. I know the,
them too much. Many think they ar
the result of very hard practice an
great effort, but it is not so; they ar
Just there naturally"
Miss Yaw is the baby of the family
if the great year-and-a-half-o houn,
Keats. her constant companion be ex
cepted, for she is the youngest of fiv
brothers and sisters, each of whom sings
apparently a hereditary gift, for bot
Miss Yaw's father and mother wer
musical.
The soprano has many amusing an
interesting anecdotes of her experience
to relate, and though she rarely read
notices about herself-in fact she wa
surprised and grieved to think that sh
was known by such horribly ugly it'll
as the phenomenal altitudinous so
prano'-said that she had often bee
annoyed by the persistent and sill
stories that go the rounds about hel
'They will have it that my name is nc
really Yaw, but that it is transforma
ton of the name Way, and all sue
stuff"
Miss Yaw can sing higher F sharp an
hold it for eight seconds, then run up tn
scale to G. The cadenzas in altissim
are, of course. especially arranged fo
her The scientific explanation of sue
tremendous vocal altitude is that Mis-
Yaw's inferior thyroarytenoid, or tru
vocal cord, makes 204S vibrations eac
| second.
AS the writer bade farewell to the tai
graceful and spirituelle looking girl wit
her deep, dreamy blue eyes and classics
: features, surmounted by the fairest hal
he caught sight of piece of music lyin
> upon her open piano.
'Sing away, bird. I shall not let thee rest
A sentiment that will be echoed b
; every music lover in Los Angeles.
The Zingari are making arrangement
: TO give an elaborate musicale at tt
a Nadeau hotel on the evening of the 15t
:, inst. The occasion will be in the natu1
: of farewell to Prof. William Putt
a | who shortly leaves for San Jose to a.
sumo the duties of dean of music at Il
University of the Pacific. About thirt
. prominent musicians from San Fral
!, cisco are expected as guests of the clu
g and over 500 invitations are to be i
> sued.
. The musicale given last Tuesday ever
7 7 ing by the Los Angeles Free Kinderga
: ten association at Casa de Rosas was
: every way an enjoyable event TT
program was in the capable hands of NJ
= B. S. Stoneman. Mr.. Colby played. Ii
tie Hazel Bryson whistled and Mi
Beresford JOY, Miss Delphne Todd al
Mr.. ]. Fl. Zinck sang. The most inte
esting feature of the program was
. duet The World Sleepeth Still, sung
e the first time in public, from F. '
" Blanchard's new opera Costa. TT
opera when completed will be a plea
: ant and gratifying surprise to M
| Blanchard's many friends, and the sc