The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-02-21
New York SUM-

Wbat thc womb Like TO DO In Her
Professional Life.
New York SUM-
Nine. Emma Eames has never been sus-
pected by persons who knew her of unoer-
tainty as to what abe wanted to do or OF
carrying out her plans with any lack OF
determination. She set certain artistic
goals for herself. arranged the problems
of her career when she was ut Its begin
ming, and then fulfilled her purposes with
success that has placed her today In the
first rank Of singers at an age Mt when
few women have ever gained such promi-
nence. This has been. Of course, the re-
suit of hcr natural talents in the first
place. Tho singers profession Is one.
however, In whi.h talent without art
leads to little progress II was Nine.
Eames Knowledge of what she wanted to
accomplish and her will to accomplish IL
In the right way that have brought her so
far in her artistic career. One drawback
In this rapid progress has already made
itself felt. She has already begun to
wonder what there will be for her to do
alttE ntI nlhbH lOI tht
have been fulnli cd. 1t may not be neces-
sary TO say that these include the rest OF
the wagnerian roles not yet In her roper
tore. Her final achievement in this d.
rection will be Isolde, and that will not
be reached for several years. 1t Is part
of the artistic future which she laid out
for herself when she sang the first of the
/ hat natnpally
enough Alsa. After this came Eva and
Elizabeth. This winter her Sieglinde
was heard for the first time. In the prog
ress which every one OF these parts
showed there was evidence of an ability
TO go still further. Mime. Eames Is quite
determined that she will go further.
When she achieves the final distinction,
Mime. Eamss will be the youngest woman
of her day to have gained such success on
the operatio stage The case OF the Ger
man singers Is scarcely analogous They
begin with Wagner, and their preparation
Is not comparable to that which Nine.
Eames has made.
II sometimes wonder what roles shall
undertake." Mime. Eames said the other
| DAY. L nave AnoiAus Ahbs ~
always taken to represent the climax OF
a dramatic singers career. As matters
are In the world of music today, there Is
no greater height | hope to sing all the
Wagner heroines before very long. Shall
have to keep on singing them or will
there be some new roles by that time
which 1 can undertake? 1 have bee n
4 .,,s rta hat
have heard of 1t. as there seams to be in
the work an Indication of an element that
may be new in opera. This work have
heard has q spiritual character that has
never been attempted before in the same
way that Mascagni has tried 1t. / have
often thought that might be the direction
of the new composers The spirituality of
wagners operas is always filled with very
different elements. Mascagni has, I'M
derstand. made the spiritual character of
the Japanese girl the predominant tone
| in his opera and done that in way that
has never been utilized before. / am anx-
| ious to study the results Of IL, for /
think that must indicate direction in
which something new is TO be accom-
plished In opera.
1.-THE French composers who are writ
| ing LouAy IN NdEutF ho Ohiy ca
| agperating his methods and there seems
| to De no likelihood that anything will
come from them. French music of the
| kind that Is written now seems to make
little appeal to the taste of Americans.
In French music today one notices more
| than ever the adherence TO the form and
the line rather than to any great breadth
of conception and feeling. That music
pleases the French sufficiently. Alexan-
| DIRE Dumas f1ls once said to me: We're
not a musical people at ALL looked at
him in asst enlistment, for l bad not been
SO long in France That Is true he
said. We like military music and the
ohansonette.' Those are the only forms
of musio which freuchmen really like.
In other forms of music they love to ad-
inire the beauty of a phrase, fine execu-
ton and exquisite Workmanship But
they do not love the music 1 have
realized the truth Of that the more have
come to know the French. ="
Mime Eames thinks that the public Is
more exacting than 1t realizes in Its de-
mands ON the singe in the opera
| instruments may get out of tune in
cold weather ur for some other natural
reason size said, but the singer is al
ways expected by the public to be In per
feet condition. A great many things that
would not affect another person may put
a singer into such condition that 1t is i'm
possible for him or her 30 appear to the
best advantage. But the public is not
patient with the artist under these cir
cumstsnces The singer who would win
fame today must do far more than was
ever expected In the past Albani once
told me that she could never have made
the reputation she did II she had sung
today. She told me that in the days her
triumphs wore made the orchstras We're
smaller and not SO loud. and that above
all things the singer was not required to
RDf NM ST 81
we'll That Is not enough. One Is ex-
pecued TO act just as we'll"
Nine. Eames Is concerned not only with
the parts which she may sing after the
Wagner rules are concluded in her roper
toire, but she Is also interested just now
In deciding which of the older Italian
roles she snail learn in the meantime. 1t
Is not generally known that she studied
LA Traviata,'' and was prepared to
make her debut in 1t, when Charles
Gounod heard her sing and selected her
for Juliette at the opera