The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-17

How do I come to be musicale" re-
peated Sembrich recently, as she smiled
at question which she had heard so
many times before. II think it must be
hereditary. 1 can explain it in no other
way. 1 might possibly have studied
quite as long as did and quite as hard
without results, if 1 had not inherited a
talent for music from my father. He
was music teacher in Wisniowcyzk.
He taught the piano, violin, clarinet
and organ. He taught them all well,
too, although he had never had a music
lesson from anybody in his life. His
name was Kochanska, which was my
family name. But / took Sembrich,
my mothers maiden name, when | went
on the stage There We're too many
ks in Kochanska for a prima donna.
For the same reason l took my middle
name Marcellino, in place of Paxede,
| which would not have been SO easy for
people outside of my own Galicia to
pronounce. So 1 finally became Mar
celia Sembrich. But that was long
time after l began to study music.
Indeed, l can scarcely remember the
time that l was aot studying music. At
four, l was playing the piano. AT six
took up the violin. l never thought of
singing. Ours was musical family
but it had never produced singers. All
our talents seemed to be instrumental
when l was II years old, my father
had taught me all he knew about the
piano. After a family consultation, it
was decided that 1 should go to Lem
berg and study there under we'll
known teacher of the piano. He was a
young man named Wilhelm Stengel. No
body ever thought then that he would
afterward become my husband. But
was too young then to think of huS-
! bands of any kind. / was a child that
had to be sent away from her family to
study and all he thought Of was the
easiest and best way to give me the OPP
portunities my father thought [ needed.
Lemberg was selected as the best place
and Herr Stengel was the best teacher
for me. My father took me to Lem
berg and introduced me to the teacher
he had selected. played for him, and
he consented to take me for a pupil
hoped some day to be great pianist,
or, il not that, a teacher possibly. The
last future possible seemed to me the
life of a prima donna.
after l had been in Lemberg a year
it is not modest to tell this, but
must-the pupil knew almost as much
as the teacher. Wilhelm wrote to my
father that he had taught me all he
knew. he recommended Epstein or
Vienna to my father, and went there to
see Professor Epstein. He heard me
play, and | soon became one of his pu-
pills. There remained for three years.
l had never given up the VIOLIN all
though [ intended to make the piano
my speciality. Two years after l went
to Epstein I discovered that I had a
voice, took the advice of my friends and
gave up the violin and piano. I stud
led first under Hans Rokitansky, who
was then a bass in the Imperial opera
house in Vienna and a teacher in the
Conservatory. But I soon went to Mi
Ian and began my studies there under
Lamperti.
Il studied for several years with
Lamperti," Nine. Sembrich said, when
the history of her work as an instru-
mentalist had been told, "and then
came the question of debut I wanted
| to sing in Italian, Of course, and that
| was impossible for an unknown singer
in Germany. The impressario Of the
italian opera at Athens was in Milan
! at the time that / thought of debut