The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-11-11
THE PRIMA DONNA'S ENEMY.
srOVTNESS SEEMS 70 "a WIN A
BEAJTIIIL VOICE
v.,,ou, Methods by which Great Artsss
strive to Counteract This PROVOKING
N,tsrai Tendency-surprising Good For
.n os Poor NonnG Teacher OF MUSIC

fuue OF q POOT bOuns h'"'"''
Adlpose tissue has always been the prima
donna's enemy and few Of them have escaped
Il The Young American singer discharg ed
tho other day because her figure was con-
.idered too heroic for appearances in English
nnsro grew stout somewhat earlier in her
.s,aer than most women do. and that seems
10 have been her principal misfortune. The
rscent ideal Of the fat prima donna has been
rho German, although in former days II was
tho stout Italian who created 20 much am'ISe-
ment. Plccolomini. during IA" later years
nj her career, grew to enormous size. and some
NJ the other Italian singers were Just a. I'M
wieldv But 1t later came 10 be the German
SOPRANO who was regarded as the one person
certain 10 be fat. whatever els" 81" nhght De.
some Of the women who came here during
the DAYS OF the German regime helped 10
s,rensthen this popular impression. which
10 far as Germany is concerned rests on q ceT-
tain basis OF fat. Amalia Matcrna sang Isolde
At Vienna and Kundrv at Bayreuth when she
had become such a monster of flesh that her
sppcarance would have been ludcrous under
any other circumstances. But Ill" was adj
mlred for years In Germany. although II IL
doubtful il she could ever have mad" a rcpu'a-
ton here when she was OF such n ~" Rosa
Sucher had grown very stout during the later
DAYS OF her career and Theresa Malten Is also
assuming rapidly the heroic proportions COM
monty associated with the WdsucrIan heroine.
These women were examples OF IN" stout Ger
man singer striking enough to keep alive the
tradition that Wagner needs idi interpreters
or that the proper performance Of Wagner
rnx,c makes singers stout Whatever the
relation between cause and effect may he here,
n ia certain that the German women have
taken the prominence in avoirdupois a-o-
dated thirty years ago with the soprano from
Italy. None OF these women eyer come 10
the Metropolitan nowadays. because the pub
lie does not take kindly to them. They may
grow stout in the presence OF their admirers,
IN, they never succeed in maHihg friends
when they come hero already colossal. The
Latest example Of the disadvantage oi flesh
was a dra matte soprano who came to the Metro
pohtan FIVE years ago and made an excellent
I,otds and Brunnhiide in every particular but
per.onal appearance. She was entirely too
stout to be satisfactory in looks. ard the public
refused to overlook this excess and THINK only
OF her talents.
Tn. actress has a much better opportunity
than the singer 10 escape the burden %, i'-h.
She can reduce herelf by any one OF . r1lru'r
q, methods and suffer no disadvantage hut
the singer hcsitates to tribe with her physical
condition in any way. The body that is such
AWAY sSuTf 10 Ipuu' I'f ~ @''' '"'''
they are feeling well and in good voice. the
singers are adverse to doing anything that may
exhaust or weaker then in any way. Two OF
tho women at TN. Met Opolitan last winter had
reduced themselves markedly and recovered
their figures untilthey looked youthful ana girl
ish But neither of them was III good NoIfe
and the change was attributabl" wholly To 'he
means they had adopted to reduce themselves.
One took the most heroic methods and treated
herself with "A drug so powerIu!thai sh' sun cred
during the entire winter and wa, not able IN
appear more than half a. often a. SIC expected
90 The other got rid Of her flesh by exercise
and a very ~exacJing Diet and was 80 much weak
sned by the process tha, her health has be en
Door ever since. Both Of these women showed
their indisposition first in thelr voices anC
proved how well founded il the fear Of tie
others, who are no' willtfg 10 run TIE TI~t oi
imperilling their voices IA the effort 10 le'"nti
their figures. one other pTiml donna VINO
appeared last year more iretrehilF lhaii any e..
her associates and was always IA good VOICE
kept herself down to a certain "ce"t u rAW-
else. Whenever she felt that ~" lhl s!lr
above n certain weight. she ln'f'I>ei ut
amount OF her daily exercise uiil -he G"t
down again to the llmi, tYed for her'ci; SIC
had also the aid Of I mild sy-tem 81 dieting
In this cndeavor, ono of tAr pri!na doniitr
who has been able TO TAX" very ltt!" exercise
since she was III three year, Az" keeps her
weight down entirely by means 81 Diet A.
she is unwilling TO make that o"N"I" Tor Lar
voice. she u increasing IN iir7n uHtl he IS
Pow much In adv1nGS %' XII a, "Ij 'aT Voice
she IS more s%a,i.fSdd han i. her nsuTs
were less heroic. II l. this lplut ihii the ar
list thinks Of most, and the public NAV ). mot
deeply Interested in tn" artistic III" ! a utT-
Torrance feels the same Ny ne ronli,
sings. tho intelligence and musical feeling
all these qualities appeal to ia" musical hc~i'rl
in which She i dressed. But the general i,u-
lie takes a different view oi the matter NJ
propriate. 4 not attract'vc Rr'|rI'","' az
tance. while details IN the manner "i -,hS.9H
and Interpretation ar" hot iho'ghl 81 a, hrnr'y
% significant IN d'teruiliug ~" RANK ni u
singer. II Is tina; knowledge winch ma once
OF, twice led women. from the desire !" alra,l
themselves. at the risk Of damaging Their
voices. In every case they nave lad rracoh
20 regret their courr"' in% y linn II u thee
kind, a no other city m lHo W"tlh INNS -
much Of the aPPeaFIn, siso Si i am ''" Enry. c .nG
tuning is also held Of greater iiln"rtanrc
than IL ls in any other lyric theatre N ihe world
Crying In a hotel pa-lpr in a Texan town
because she did not have money ".lolSh T." S',
back To her hrn-d as MOI seem lH' wv" ntIrl
sucoura ying starting point Wi'i@'l IpiI'E tHt
shal seek wealth. But showed H. Idvan'agc'
In the case of Nadine Parncrr, W. - - randi
making n fortune for her."lt IN We Nul, iN"'l
thai she ia alre ADJ spoken 81 a. MI Nl!uluh
She had been teaching music ~ an 'l.n town
and earning fne Ore - ~ 80 ''''' ~
this means when IN" invalid WI" 81. q mere
Oh ant living in the SIns MA - luNiI'i ne, 10
TO to the south with l'- ~ piIinu, Mo
Parme, went br,au-c u seemed Z" Offer n"g Il
long desired opportunity 80 iiuIr3>" l"F con-
dltion, and bee .use TIA" friend Wllh whom 'hc
was to travel was Interested IN hec aud would
In all likelihood seD that she wa nb}" To '>'ab-
hsh her aelf advantagepUsly AZ whatever place
abe decided 10 settle. 80 rlghf year AZ" ~"
started south. " san tntcHln. ~" invalid
died and ner husband, while he had "a" m"r"y
with which his wiir's body Wa 10 10" h."IEh'
back TO her home. quite forgot 10 man" any
provision for her companion :" Nil la'-
ner, after paving her hotel bill st down ~
the parlor to have a good cry and wonder " iHt
abe was 1oirg 10 d. next. ihl~ process l'~
brought comfort TO women ~. ia" past, M
there was meyer one thli owed ~ ill'i Too
II "a Miss Farmer. Sh" wa oh~or'-l nN
wealthy Texan, who l. sad - htN' addressed
her with these word. aiter H. liI. I"truvt
her story. We'll. uo%, L th1' De- III. IAN tel
you right hcre that you haven % 'riI- 'i "
world 10 cry about. ! have tir"" G,"tl. hIE
girls all ~ them jUs' dying for some. pf"''E
smart Young lady lbIjti N't~ ~,'e fud grid"
To come and learn them 90 '"I wiz" a''
cipher and pt1y on ~" p,tlN'". lHI just -.
vour duds toSeth"r and ~ o.rn ur p,f go my
broad Az ranch pn Zee" RIO GIlHi" ard lut
will be received win 'u"u 1"wn- H' three ~
the hards'ne-t ant ~].rrfr-t yiri- ip IeN1s.
Je.i YOU ask an' -. the bore E"l,.ur"u o.