Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-06-27
The STUDY OF VOCAL MUSIC.
No Necessity for Going. Abroad kept
TO Perfect Advanced Opera
Students.

rs 1t necessary for a singer to go abroad
| to complete her musical education?" The
question was asked one of New 1orks best
known music teachers. Her reply TO the
Sun reporter was:
mo, it is not necessary, and, further
| more, instead of being necessary or a ben
EFT, II is a positive drawback in many in
stances. When a singer has been thorough
ly grounded in music and has gene a good
little distance toward grand opera, then II
Is necessary. and she should go abroad to
perfect herself. An opera, TO be perfectly
sung, should be studied ii the country
where the scene is laid and tho language
spoken. There, and only there. can one OBJ
tain the local color. By local color l mean
the same thing. that you do in
proper conception, expression, etc. Then,
too, If the SINCE is for the concert stage
and is ambitious to sing songs in languages
other than her own tongue. she may go
abroad and study those songs in the songs
country.
only consider IL unnecessary, but an abso-
lutte hindrance, to success. Why! Because
in Europe opera is the only thing a singer
Is taught. And why does a church singer
want to spend her time and money learning
how TO scream a Few operas! There are
very, very few persons suited to grand
opera-it takes so many qualifications. But
there are hundreds of voices suited for
church singing and for the concert stage;
l have never seen a church singer benefited
by going abroad, and ] have seen dozens Of
beautiful voices ruined BY a year or W
lessons with teachers on the other side.
II have had pupils leave me and go to
Paris, because 1 told them they were I'M
SClteu IOT opera LOT hist one T6dSOn OF al
other, and after a two or three years stay
come back with beautiful voices hopelessly
ruined. and, what is worse, they would be
so discouraged as to have almost lost their
ambition. They had : mt their money; in
many instances borro I'd, for, unfortunate
ly, Ii is not often thar a beautiful voice is
accompanied by a full pocketbook; worked
themselves to the verge of prostration and
finally come home feeling that they were
not only a source of modification to them
selves, but to their families and friends.
1T was only a short time since one of
my pupils returned to me with a voice
hopeiessly broken after a two years stay
in Paris under a reputable teacher. Every
time fancy 1 nave pieced that girls voice
together in one place it breaks in another.
l do not believe it can ever be cured, and
l advise her to become a teacher, for l
think the best vocal teachers are those who
do not sing themselves, having only the
power to impart. Then there is no tempta-
ton for the pupils to become mimics. and
lose their individuality"
How about music lessons being more
expensive in this country than abroad?"
THAT is all a mistake. Good teachers in
Paris charge exactly the same that they
do in New York. Of course, in Italy or
Germany they are cheaper. But no one
goes there any more. Paris and New York
are the musical centerS so far as real
music is concerned" Then, correcting her
self quickly, But when 1 say New York
don't understand me to exclude Boston,
for there are really some fine vocal teach
ers over there. The living in Paris is not