The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-08
ROMANCE OF NINE. NORDICA.
From a Poor Boston Shop Girl to One
of Americas Foremost SINCERE


None of the great singers was better
known or more popular in Indianapolis,
and the news of her dangerous illness will
cause a shock to her many friends here. 1t
was here that Nine Nordica and Herr
Dorme were married during the May music
festival of 1886, just after her great triumph
in New York. Her first husband was Mr.
Fred A. Cover, a wealthy electrician
whom she met in Paris in 1882. They did
not live happily and in 1885 Nine Nordca
began proceedings for legal separation.
While the case pending word came
that Mr.. Cover had been lost while at
tempting to cross the English channel in a
balloon. His body was never recovered. In
July. 1894 it was reported that he had been
seen in London but his estate of $500,0
had long since been divided among the
helrs, Nordlca receiving $4,000.
1t is perhaps not generally known that
Mime. Lillian Nordica was once shop girl
in Boston, and, being too poor to rent a
piano. did her first practicing with the aid
of a pitch pipe presented to her by her
teaching As has frequently been stated In
print. she was q native of the State. Of
Maine, Lillian Norton by name, and a
granddaughter of "Camp-meeting" John
Allen, of that State. 1t was while standing
in a store in Boston that the tide in her
flood, led on to fortune. She was in the
habit OF singing softly to herself of an
evening, after the store was emptied of Gus
TONER'S and she was employed in arranging
her stock" for the night.
1t was on one such occasion as this that
a late purchaser who happened to be an
apostle of voice culture, heard her singing,
and, realizing that she had a future be-
fore her, offered to give her lessons for
nothing She accepted the otter ana studied
under him for two years, practicing with
her pitch pipe during her meal hours, at
the end of which time she was able to ap--
pear in a concert, at which she earned
enough money to pay for the rent of a
piano. After three years more of hard
study she sailed for Europe. studied there
for two years, and returning made her first
appearance in Boston. But, possibly, be-
cause as yet she lacked the stamp of for
eign approval, she narrowly escaped being
Kissed off the stage in her old nome. She
was rather more warmly received in New
York, but being herself dissatisfied with her
work she wen: back to Europe, where she
studied the leading soprano roles in the
standard operas, and taking a new name,
self.
Her success at Beyreuth put the finishing
touch upon her singer of renown. She
was the first American prima donna to APP
pear in these celebrated performances, and
she was the first singer of any nationality
to elicit in that holy of HOLES public dem
onstration of enthusiasm 1t must be borne
in mind in this connection that the best art
lists of the world had sung there, and that
they had been rewarded with any amount
of silent admiration and the highest en-
comiums that the press could bestow; but
a public singer was, up to this time con-
sidered out of keeping with the religious
awe that inspired by these
unparalleled interpretations. On the
occasion when Nine. Nordica appeared as
Elsa in "Lohengrin,' a number of persons
in the audience were so moved by the
superb manner in which she led the i'm
mense chorus and orchestra through the
great finale of the first act that a score or
more of them rose to their feet and cries
of bravo were heard in different parts of
the house. This unprecedented proceeding
drew Kisses from those who were less in
clined to give way to their feelings the eff
plause until the cheering swelled into some
thing approaching an ovation.
This was Nine Nordica's first great
triumph, and when she returned to New
York to sing at the Metropolitan Opera
House with the De ResZkes Melba Eames,
Calve and Scalchi she was rapturously re-
ceived, both there and in Boston. The
spring and summer of 1894 she spent
abroad studying the leading soprano roles
in Wagnerian drama, but especially that of
Isolde, in which she was coached by Nine.
Wagner herself. living in Lucerne and put
ting in five hours a day of hard study upon
the one role.
The result of this stupendous labor was
abundantly shown in her work in New
York, when she sung in Wagnerian opera
with all of the greatest foreign singers that
American managers were able to secure.
Here she made a name for herself as Isolde
and repeated her triumph in "Lohengrin,"
which brought her American audience to
such a pitch of enthusiasm that they pre-
scented her with a magnificent diamond
tiara during a performance of that opera.