The record-union., 1898-05-04
Mt. jl)jN'5 Heidi
FIRST STEPS IN TIE CE--NITG
oF THE VOICE.
Points for Those Who Wish to Test
Their Own Capacity for
Operatic Careers.

am told, my dear girl, that you WISH
to become a singer-an opera singer;
In short. a prima donna-and that as
quickly as possible, of course.
Your idea Of the time required to ac-
complish this result is rather vague.
You think a year-in your heart you
feel that in your case perhaps even
few months-may answer.
1 wonder if a day passes in the life
of any successful singer when just such
petitions as yours are not brought to
her notice.
My Child, many persons nave told you
that the road to art is long and hilly,
that the way is not smooth.
You have listened and not believed;
but dear girl, these persons know
whereof they spoke. They told the
simple truth
All! you say that my own case re-
flutes the argument; that l am young
and yet a successful singer.
/ thank you.
Do you imagine my child, that / am
now resting. that my study is complet-
ed, that l am content with what l have
been permitted to accomplish?
Little one. there is no standing still
in art, and / realize we'll that l am but
at the threshold. True, I have studied
all my life-and l am now six and
twenty years of age. I have been be-
fore the public since l was eleven years
of age. but what I have gained in that
time has come by slow degrees and by
patient .unremitting toll. Art and ma
ture develop slowly. Each year l hope
to progress. This year l undertake
more than I did last Next year | hope
TO do still more But think you that 1
now consider myself ready to interpret
any role? Would 1 to-day attempt
Isolde or the Brunnhilde of Die Goet-
terdaemmerung?
No, no! 1t is disastrous to force art
Some time / hope that l may be ready
to portray these grand creations. Not
yet. Breadth of tone and dramatic in
tensity come with years and experience
l am ambitious. yes. There is no
progress without ambition. / look for
ward, but l step carefully. With the
voice ii is we'll to make haste slow
ly"
Bear that in mind, my child, at the
beginning. Prepare yourself for a life
of never ending work for many dis
couragements and for constant sacri-
ficeS. But if your love and enthusiasm
for music are greater than for anything
else in the world, and if your natural
advantages are sufficiently good to
warrant your choosing this profession,
then go ahead. and God be with you!
Aim high. and do not be content with
small results. Always strive for some
thing better than you now possess. You
find "a
your possibilities and that you will be
unable to accomplish your highest de-
shes, but the results which you do at
tain viii be greater than if you had
been content with smaller things.
As to choosing the stage, dear child,
leave that for the future to decide The
stage may not choose you. People talk
with unconscious arrogance of choos-
ing public career as if a matter of
no more difficulty were presented than
the selection of ribbon
Many actors are called, my child. but
few are chosen.
Later on we shall talk again about
the stage. Be content now to find ont
If 1you have voice, and then learn
how 10 usetit as God meant you should
Be patient. cultivate application. per-
severance and concentration: then we
shall see.
You ask by what method to stu1v
There, Liebchen, you have thrown ont
red flag, and into your little ears Will
soon pour torrents of arguments in
favor of the .so-called French or Italian
or German method. Let me whisper
something to you.f In my opinion there
Is but one method-the right method.
Perfect singing the world over. whether
II be by the French or the italian or
the German method, is produced in ex-
actly the same way. / know no meth
ods Study intelligently and apply what
suits your individual case best
one hears that the Germans can cnly
Shrek, and that continued singing of
Wagner music strains and ruins the
voice
What fallacy that is.
Some of the music written by This
great composer is indeed difficult and
some of it is as beautifully simple as a
child's song
The trouble a not with the music. but
with the singer.
unfortunately many singers with
beautiful voices rush into heavy opera
before they are physically or vocally
ready for such step. The result is. of
course, unfortunate. The voice becomes
harsh and unmusical, while modulation
and deiiacte phrasing are things un-
known to the forced singer of German
music
1T is sad fact that there are MANY
such upon the stage to-day. There are
also many who attempt the brilliant
anc fforld roles of the coloraturist before
the voice has become sufficiently trained
and controlled. The singer then loses
the good already gained. The voice ba-
comes thin and unreliable. and the com
pass is permanently impaired.
1oung and unframed voices are nat
urally rough. hard, of small COMPASS
and unequal in strength and tonality If
is only after years of patient study tina 7
dramatic work should be attempted. and
even then it is best to begin with tht
hghtest roles and gradually grow to the
heavier work
With proper development the waa-
merriam roles are no more injurious on
wearing to the voice than those of anv
other composer. Taken before the sin
ger is ready for them, of course the
voice shows the unequal strain. THE
back must always be fitted for the bur
den.
have myself sung three of the lighter
Wagnerian roles in two days-a thing
unheard-of in Germany 1t did not tire
nor inJure my voice in the slightest de.
gree, simply because l was equal to the
music
Should l attempt such a feat with
music beyond nay present state of voice
development the result would be un-
doubtedly dismal failure.
No no. The rnl1Sic nf W. er,,o.. Z. -.