The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-14
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS
HOW LAMPERTI MADE CAMPANINI
AND TAUGHT AMERICANS.
stories About the Famous Italian
Voice Builder-The RUSSELL
D'ArviIle Feud.

greatest 1Lduan Iedc1eTS OF the art Ol SlHS-
ing, is now visiting friends in New York.
In the following interview she talks enter
tainingly about her distinguished husband
and his famous pupils, and, incidentally,
gives some good advice to American girls
intending to study abroad
How did Campaninf become one of Lam
perti's pupils? I will tell you," said Nine.
Lamperti to a New York Herald reporter.
Driven by an inward musical impulse,
Campanini had already left his black
smiths forge, taken some singing lessons
and secured a trial as second tenor in
small opera house. But the manager
thought him so inefficient that he was
twice dismissed from rehearsal-the great
tenor who became so famous. The bari
tone Collini. himself a pupil of Lamperti,
CHANGED to hear Campanini at one of these
rehearsals, and, recognizing that his mar
velous voice had grand possibilities, told
Lampert of him. Bring him. said the
maestro. Lamperti heard Campanini, was
delighted and for a year and half taught
him, without payment, Campanini offering
to settle the account when he had made his
way Campanini then sang during stag
lone di fiera lat fair time) in Cento, II
Duco in 'Rigoletto' to the Gilda of Albani,
who was also a pupil of Lampcrt at that
time. He made hit in the part but Cento
was such a small place that his success did
not carry much weight with the larger the
aters. So he returned and took another
course of lessons with Lamperti.
This was in 1873. During that winter Tt
bernin tenor at La Scala, became i'll.
Faust had been announced, and the i'm
presario was at his wits ends to secure
substitute for the indisposed tenor. In his
dilemma he came to Lamperti Have you
a tenor?' he asked Lamperti Immediately
suggested Campanini. The impresario al
most laughed in his face, but at last was
persuaded to give Lamperti's pupil trial.
Campanini had a hard time of it at the re-
hearsals, for both the conductor and the
other singers in the cast did little or moth
ing to make things pleasant for him. Three
days before the performance he complained
of hoarseness. Lamperti at once sent for
a physician. He knew it was nervousness,
not hoarseness, from which the tenor was
suffering. The physician Endorsed Lamper-
tis diagnosis. If he doesn't sing he
never WILL was his comment, and so LAM
peril fairly forced Campanini to go on with
rehearsalS | was then a pupil Of my fu-
ture husband. Campanni was a lively
young fellow. Every one liked him, and
all we pupils were greatly excited over his
coming debut.
"At last the night for the performance
arrived. Lamperti himself was so nervous
that he was afraid to enter the house dur
ing the first act and paced the street in
front of La Scala like a tiger. But in the
very first act Campanini scored a success,
and in the 'Salve Dimora,' which he had
studied for months with Lamperti the au-
dlence fairly rose at him.
The most famous living singers who were
pupils of his are Sen grich and Albani. He
had great admiration for both, which he
with them
the more talent he thought singer had the
more vehement the lessons. 1 have seen
Non Credea, in Somnambula That and
the Casta Diva from Norma Sembrich
studied with him every day for month
He used to say that whoever could sing
those two arias could sing anything for
between them they required dramatic reci-
tative broad and sustained phraslng and
know, is Hungarian, and Lamperti
had liking for Austrian and American
these countries had certain amount of in
telligence which those from elsewhere
seemed to lack. The English he did not
among his English pupils, but they seemed
timd and lacked fire.
1T is often surprising to me to see the
ups and downs in the circumstances of
many of the American girls who come to
him. One month they would be 'on their
uppers,' as one of them expressed it; then
remittance would come and things would
go on swimmingly again for a while No
matter how poor an American girl might
seem or how much she had to Scrimp her
self for a while, q remittance was sure to
come sooner or later. We called America
saying, a pupil should come prepared to
stay at least two years. She can secure
board in Italy for about 12of per month.
Lamperti considered that a pupil should
have at least three lessons a week.
There was time when talented pupil
of Lamperti could always secure an oper-
attic engagement through him. for the i'm
presario would come to him for artists.
but all changed even before his death be-
cause of the competition of American and
Russian singers. who are not only not paid,
but actually pay for the privilege of APP
pearing at the various opera houses. Thus
they often force out more talented singer.
operate affairs in Italy are in a sad state.
Two firms practically control the perform
given in Italy, and they charge varying
sums per season, according to the relative
Importance of the opera houses, for these
rights. The, sum thus paid by an opera
house is called 10 sparito.' Often a singer
who aspires to appear in certain opera
will go to an impresario and say: You have
So-and-So cast for that opera. Let me sing
the part. I'll pay 10 sparito.
'Diarmid' is the first of series of OPP
eras based by Lord Lorne upon the early
legends of the Scotch and North Irish and
no fewer than three legends have been used
in the present plot. The hero. noted STAY
er of Norsemen, is invulnerable save in the
soles of his feet, and is likewise invested
by the Goddess Freya with magic powers
which make him extremely dangerous
parsonage to the married ladies of his &C
uuaintance. Queen Grania, like another
C1unevere falls violently in love with him
and pursues him to the hut in the forest
where he has taken refuge. The royal lady
behaves, indeed so outrageously that Dsar-
mid eventually becomes another Lancelot.
The Kings cher husband) revenge is char
acteristic. BY craft he causes Diarmid to
walk barefoot upon the poisonous bristles
of a wild boar and refuses him the cup
choruses of Scottish and Morse warriors are
for male voices only battle scene in the
Norwegian camp being a highly dramatic
and realistic affair; but female voices are
effectively employed in the .choruses of
Freya's attendants, and also in the fairy
choruses which usher in the ballet danced
round the sleeping hero. There are solos
for the Queens stepdaughter, for Freya
and others and besides, long and pas
sionate love duet for Diarmid and Grana
in the third act. There is in the fourth
the deliciously fresh and melodious duet or
sThe Cherry and the Rowan.
A recent number of the London Daily
News has the following: There has been
a race against time in Vienna, says our cor
~osynordarr there between Signori Puccini