Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-02-07
FRAU oADskI AT HOME.
(From the New York SUM

Nine. Gadsli ON the stage is one per-
son, and in her home quite another.
Those who know her only as Elizabeth.
Elsa or Seuta would not be apt to think
Of her as an uncommonly domestic,
home-loving woman. In private life she
Is Frau Johanna Gadski Tauscher. Her
husband, Herr Tauscher, was for seven
years an officer in the German army
but that's a story che likes to tell her.
self When the Sun reporter called on
her the morning after she appeared in
1.-THE flying Dutchman," she had just
sent her little daughter out for a walk.
It was hard to believe that this woman,
with her very pronounced and practical
ideas about giving children regular ex-
ercise in the open air every day, was
the same one who had made so effective
a plunge into a watery grave the even
ing before.
81 do not speak English WELL" she be-
gan, 80 / think shall call my hus-
band. He Is helpful" But all the same
after he appeared she went on talking
without his assistance. you ask me II
I am not practically unknown In Ger
many and II have not made my career
in this country. That is true and 1t
isn't true. made my first public ap-
pearance in Germany in concert when
only IL OF IL years JIM W. oAO SNA
prised? But l sang very well, for be-
gan to study tones, to cultivate my
voice when 8 years old. / was born at
Stettin My father was a government
off1cial-I think you call it here; he was
at the head of the post Office many
years. and my mother-well, my mother
is my mother, and she is here"
stretching out both hands to tall,
graceful sweet-faced, gray-haired
woman entering the room.
II was in school," she continued, af-
ter seating her mother In the Coolest
corner land took singing lessons in a
class with all the other children. One
day lady heard me sing and she was
so struck by my voice that she went to
my parents and said 1 must never be
allowed to sing in the class again; that
the children were allowed to shrek and
sing so loud that I would destroy my
voice Then they sent me to study with
Frau Schroeder Chaloupka- AS l said, 1
made my first public appearance two or
three years later and made a great hit.
My father didn't dream that 1 would
ever go on the stage for he was OPP
posed to 1t. My family are not any
more musical than German families usu-
ally are, so I don't know where my
voice came from. In 1889, when IS years
old, I went to Berlin. The director of
the Choral Opera heard me sing and
offered me contract, and I made my
first appearance at the end of 1891 OF
course I did not begin with such roles
as Elsa or Elizabeth, but started in
lighter operas, such as those Of Weber
and Mozart. Oh! I learned so much
there, for I sang with all the great sing
ers and learned from them. I was in
each opera, so l could see what was
good and what was not good"
Had you never taken any lessons in
actingT asked the interviewer
Nine. Gadski shrugged her shoulders
and exclaimed: "No, have never had
any lessons in acting. The director of
the Choral Opera told me at the outset
that 1t was better to act by feeling when
singing than by instruction. If one
studies only acting and singing, one is
not always natural. That is the rea-
son why one who does not speak Ger
man does not understand the German
people and their spirit, is not German,
and In short cannot sing the Wagner
roles. One must have the German
spirit. Sometimes you write here in
your papers that German singers can
not sing. I think they sing German
roles very we'll" with a frank and ami
able smile. FOne must sing act, and,
above everything, feel at the same time,
and then one can speak to the heart
of the listener. After my first appear
anee in Berlin, l sang during the win
ter Tor several seasons at Bremen,
Mayence and Frankfort, returning to
the Choral Opera in the summer"
nrst heard her in 1891 at May
ence," interrupted Herr Tauscher.
And was it then that she captiyated
your suggested the visitor.
That very night" he answered, with
great show Of enthusiasm, and his
wife blushed prettily. "But we
weren't married for two years" he vol
unteered, for I had many things to
do"
When asked if he was not AN officer
IN the German army at that time, Herr
Iauscher exclaimed: You Americans
You lind out everything. How did you
know that? Yes, 1 was for seven years
an officer in the army until I met Miss
Gadski. But you know how supreme the
emperor is in the army, and no army
officer can carry on the stage, and So'-
He Is no longer an army officer" put
in his wife with a triumphant laugh
but he is a reserve, and that means
more, L think, than a member Of your
National Guard. He serves eight weeks
every year, and Is ready to fight should
war come. I was telling you about my
career, though. Finally I began to sing
in the Royal Opera at Berlin, and in
February, 1894, Mr.. Damrosch heard me
and engaged me at once. So my first sea-
son here was in 1895. I've gone up up
up, since coming to America, and nearly
all the critics say fine things about me,
now"
do you read what they say?'
"Oh, my, yes, and often when they say
/ did this or that or the other thing
wrong, l think about 1t and say, Per-
haps they are right, maybe can inn
prove that and I do try; but sometimes
they say such absurd things that
know are wrong and have to laugh. It's
very hard to improve by criticism when
no two critics agree, I can tell you. I
think 1t Is better for an opera singer or
an actress to know the critics, because
they feel her personality then, but /
could never, never do that I've only met
two in my life
'$These Americans / like and this
country I love; but there is one thing
about the people that we cannot under
stand. A singer comes here who knows
only two or three roles and you say she
is grand, magnificent; you say her act
ing Is so--what is the word I want?
Some days English flows from me and
others it comes SO hard and this is one
Of them. You say her acting is so real,
so true to life. The stage is not the
place to protray human beings as they
are, but to idealize them. America has
been most kind to me, however, and I
owe great deal to her. but l would
not like to live here all the year"
"How do you spend your time when
not singing?" asked the interviewer.
81 am so very busy" she replied. 81
have time for nothing but work. had
an eight weeks concert tour before the
opera season began, and / have eight
more of concert after the season. Then
take the first steamer I can catch for
London, where l sing In Covent Garden
until the first Of August. I sing there
in italian for the first time, and 1 have