The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-01-02

not stand them. They were the cause
of my quitting grand opera
Il could have remained with my
company forever. but for them." she
said My last season of grand opera
lasted 38 weeks Think of that. l was
favorably known here and abroad. and
had been chosen TO sing Eva and Eliza
beth at Bayreuth. 1t was all these
chorus people. They are slouchy and
without veStige OF. ambition. Like dogs
that try to tear the hard that feeds
them, they have no thought of others.
They are jealous of each other, Of their
star, OF every one. The manager VINO
pays them is their worst enemy. They
know no duty toward him, and SEEM
ingly 20 desire, save to ruin him.
When there is a big house. they figure
UP what it amounts to and grow mutt
nous. They think of his gains, but not
of his risks nor of his losses, and they
become sulky. Often, through spite,
they spoil a performance. They gather
in their little clans and eat sausage,
drink beer and breed mischief. That
is all they have to do. II they had con-
sciences they would have to walk
around the block once or twice before
drawing their salaries. There is moth
ing in their lives except German beer.
Like the lower animals. they have no
thoughts beyond getting up, eating
breakfast, drinking, eating luncheon,
idling, eating dinner, drinking, doing a
little work and then going to bed. The
musicians in the orchestra are just as
bad. 1 had my own company for three
years. l could stand the work and the
travel, but not the choruses.
''At rehearsal 1 would tell them one
thing, and at once they would do an
other. AS to slouchiness- we would
give them the best of costumes, so that
the effect would be splendid, and they
would come in like sheep half asleep
with their wigs all on one side, their
faces badly made up, and their clothes
gaping at every button. Their shoes
needed blacking and their hands clean
ing. They had no pride-none! In cases
where they appeared as soldiers the eff
feet was disheartening. Ny manager
carried hundreds of trunks of costly
armor, and when these fools got into
it they looked simply absurd. They
seemed lost. When there were scenes
where there was no singing, only the
chorus to look at, as in the intermezzo
in "Cavalleria Rusticana,' or the
throne scene in ''Tannhauser," the sight
offended the eye. Pleading did no more
voked anger. And the next morning
the papers would come out and COM
ment savagely upon the 'disreputable
looking chorus 1t drove me out of the
business-it drove Emma Juch Quit
drove Grau out. Opera is dead, and the
Germans have killed it.
American choruses are so very diff
ferent. They are composed of ladies
and gentlemen who have their. hopes
and ambitions and are willing to work
for them. An American girl would
sooner be dead than badly dressed
They always look chic, neat and natty.
They are full of life and dash and go.
l have often seen comic operas and
envied the stars for their choruses. You
cannot get Americans to sing grand
opera l had three or four in my en-
tire company, but even these showed
the difference in nations. If 1 gave an
American woman and a German one
a new costume at the same time, you
would think that / had been unfair
when they were returned-the one spot
less and the other unfit for use When
q gentleman from this country got a
spot on his coat he did not rest until
it was scrubbed off. They know what
is required of them, and quickly and
quietly they do it. But the rest
taught"
Harry Corson Clarke, in addition to
settling down as a married man, will
soon blossom out as a theatrical pro-
prietor. He expects to head his own
company in the near future, and has
already written to Salt Lake to learn
what the chances are of putting in
some time at the Grand.
@ @ @
The holiday brought prosperity to the
Lyceum, as we'll as to the theatre. and
it is pleasant to record that Mr. Lind
says matinee of "Shylock,' as well as