The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-15

an ex-officer of the Italian army,
decorated by the king of Italy. In
- his studio this connoisseur of fleet
and fading sounds has a collection of
great historical and artistic value. 1t is
not a collection of paintings, of sculpture.
of porcelains, of orchids, or of dwarf Jap
anese trees, but a collection of beautiful
voices. The voices of Eleanora Duse,
Sarah Bernhardt. Ellen Terry, Calve, Nor
dica. Sembrich; of these, and many great
actors. singers and well-known men of the
day. Lieut. Bettini is the custodian OF
these famous voices for posterity.
OF course, one may hear the voices OF
ballad singer and broad comedian in any
monograph for a penny; but these are of
somewhat fugitive interest. 1t Is the dis
tinction of Lieut.. Bettinis collection that
II comprises voices which will interest all
time Future singers will hold their ears
to listen to them. If a prima donna
wishes her notes to float to the borders of
the earth and linger to the end of days she
takes her silvery voice to Lieut.. Bettinis
studio. If an ambitious actor desires to
be Hamlet when he ia dust, he drops into
the Bettini school of immortality.
With the early phonograph the voice
went In silver and came out brass. Golden
speech was returned in copper change. In
1889 Lieut.. Bettini devised diaphragm
that took away the metallic resonance. 1t
now became possible for the photograph
to render the song OF a prima donna with
out creating the impression that she was
accompanied by a village brass band.
That the voices of the great actors and
singers might not fade with them, Lieut..
Bettin began TO collect those that thrill
the theater or charm the opera, for other
tines TO hear across the centuries. Sarah
Bernhard visited his studio. She bequeath-
ed her siivery voice in two selections.
Passage dams le Drama IzeyF' and "Un
Peu de Musique." by Victor Hugo. Some
thai, the great German tragedian, came
and gave TO the photograph a selection
from Schiler's ''Wallenstein." Nine. Re-
jane repeated for the instrument the "Ti-
rade dams Divorcons," by Sardou. Yvette
Guilbert sang for the gayety of future cy-
cles II Want You, Ma Honey" both in
English and French. and also three viva
cious French songs The great Tomasso
Salvini left his mighty voice to thrill COM
ing generations. Eleanora Duse and Ellen
Terry gave records of their voices. Pre-
served here are the voices OF Mark Twain,
John Drew, Nat c. Goodwin and Henry
+ Dixey.
Many of the actors and singers heard
their own voices, for the first time In the
microphonograph. with intense interest.
Sarah Bernhard listened !ntently to Saran
Bernhardt; Duse fingered on the words Of
Duse Sembrich heard Sembrch sing. Each
one herself The photograph is 10 the
voice what the mirror is 20 the form, and
stage people have sometimes awaited them
selves of Il TO study the character and
quality OF their voices. When the writer
recently visited the studio an assistant
placed a wax cylinder In one cf tho micro
Photographs and the instrumen. poured
forth the rich voice Of Campanini The
greet Italian tenor has lost his voice. and
In all To world there is no place he may
ind It except in Lieut.. Bettinrs studio.
Many an actor. or singer, may drop into
this studio. IN his old age. and pay visit
90 his vanished voice. He may listen %
the tones that thrilled In his youth; and
In Imagination he can place himself be-
hind the fou'lights when the audience
broke into applause AT some high and eN-
quisite note: or Was held spcliboupd by
some dne dramatic passage.
A song imported from China was rem
dcred. II had perhaps. been sung In some
theater or tea garden OF the F1owery
Kingdom. and was accompanied by an or
chestra OF Chinese musical Instruments.
Il was in a minor key and sounded ike
the waiting Of Cat. The strinecd iustru-
rnsntS could be distinctly heard. There
was q strange but genuine. melody In ~.
and prrghance h WAS a little master
piece, which had produced a furore IN the
Chinese opera houses at the rural circuit.
rs sQrlnging up The notes Of the great
singers q. unfade1. 70 every part % the
world. The nnr dramatic speeches Of the
actors echo across distant seas The mol
ody sung al New York Is heard az the
Antipodes The lines OF the actor that
earned him an encore IN Broadway echo
In China Lieut. Bettini exports voices
20 Europe South Africa. India Australia.
New Zea.and. China ard japan Voices
are also imported by him from Europe.
ms and soon We may have the Bssuto
singing on a glacial mountain In Terra del
FNlego
The Be;tinl device knows all languages.
II is a rolyglot. II can discourse ia san
scrft or Y.iiish. Zinga-i or ZaIg. Burmese
or Bulgarian. In the collection are span
ish songs. Russian melodies. hymns IN
songs In italian. German. French ard
iers the music ~ many instruments Bot
the music of the plano. the violin. The yin-
the brass band. the coruet ana the banjo.
lions by Signora Eugenia CaSteIlano. FOR
merry plAnis, 10 the queen OF Italy.
The wax cylinder bearing the rcc1rd Of
before the end ~ that time the record may
oe duplicated on another cylinder. with
out d.mial.ou BOB volume or change ia
quality, 4yd 50 handed DOWN 1ggm :! ia
asx - As1Aa-sx.