The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-16

| strong went to interview Mime. Calve on
| her ideas of the character of Anita she
| insisted. instead, OF talking during the
whole time OF Queen Victoria
Mr.. Armstrong went on the stage In the
opera of Carmen" one of the chorus
| in order to study Nine. Calye and he found
her Carmen one of immense actual physical
vigor her whole being swept by the emo
| tons she was interpreting. OF all the ar
| fists. MIR. Armstrong has perhaps better
known Nine. NoTdica than any other. She
/ is most industrious and is always study
| ing when others might be simply waiting
| In one of the interviews Nine. Nordca told
| him of the early struggle she had I'm her
art and of her first London appearance.
| One delightful thing about Nine. Nordica
| who can teach her. "Self-satisfaction closes
more careers than age" said Ihe speaker
Mr.. Armstrong gave a strong mental and
| physical character to MoritZ Rosenthal, the
pianist, whose career for this season was
cut short by serious illness. The lecturers
account of the friendship of Jean de ReskZe
and Nine. Nordica would set at naught the
tales that have come out about their troub
lie in opera during the season. Jean de
Reske has heart full of kindness When
others complain of dust and grip he says
dust and grip never bother him, and then
he laughs till he shakes the chandelier.
Melba and klafsky were each the subject
of interesting paragraphs and the finale
was tribute TO Damrosch and Theodore
Thomas. THE spirit of art is one Of sac
rifice," said he, and then he related the
story of Damrosch selling his home that
he might carry forward his life In art. and
OF the DuSY lie he leaCS. me tTltlCS VIII
not like his Scarlet Letter for they will
want to measure it by rule. but the people
will like IL and they will make the critics
like it, said Mr.. Armstrong. OF Theodore
Thomas. he said. mo man, in any coun-
try claim such career as his. He
has brought Wagner TO his prime to-day.
appreciated for twenty-five years" In clos
ing he said, I'VE cannot have Thomas al
ways, let us prize him while we may" Fol
lowing the lecture. opportunities were given
for questions and one was relative TO the
death of Frau Klafsky. Mr.. Armstrong said
that he had seen Herr Lohse in Chicago
Feb. Z, who told him of the sad end of the
great singer. But she did not die from the
effects of the operation on her head, but
An opportunity was given to the audi
ence to meet Mr.. Armstrong while the Ia
dies of the executive committee served tea
Mr.. Armstrong; success as lecturer
has attracted much attention that on
the advice of Madame Nordica, Mr.. n.
Vert. director of the Richter concerts In
London. England, has arranged with him
for lecture tour in Great Britain. He
will appear in London June Is, taking for
the subject of his first lecture. "A Group
of American Composers" Madame Nordica
herself will be with him and give the mus
ical illustrations. Mr.. Armstrong comes of
a musical and literary family He lives with
his mother. Mrs. BrueS, his two sisters and
a brother in Chicago and their coy little
home is a center for select coterie OF ar
lists and literary folk. His ancestors for
several centuries bacA were scholarly and
educated men and from his earliest youth
w lllam Armstrong mas Deen a lover OF
books. As a boy in his Maryland home he
had the run of the library OF the Rev.
DR.. McCabe, who gave his personal atten-
ton TO the boys reading. Here, also. he
became associated with DIR. McCabes
granddaughter, Kate Pearson Woods, aft
erwards the writer of John Metzerott,
Shoemaker" and one of the pioneers in the
writing of purpose novels. She was skilled
musician and largely through her 1T was
that the impressionable boys tastes were
turned in this direction. He then learned
to play the piano. on which he is q skill
full performer and read everything he could
find about musicians and composers. He
spent three years of hard study in Vienna
and Stuttgart and on his return to this
county established himself as a teacher Of
music in Washington.
His professional work, however, did not
utterly disbar him from occasional depar-
lures into literature and number OF con-
tributionS were sent by him to the Cen
tury and other magazines. He also wrote
''Thekla, a Story of Niennese Musical Life, ="
published in 1887 by j. b. Lippincott & Co.
At the death of his stepfather, Mr.. Burns
in 1892, the family removed to Chicago.
where Mr.: Armstrong continued in his pro-
fession Of teacher, and in the meantime
he wrote, "An American Nobleman."