The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-18
BIRD SINGING SCHOOL
UNIQUE ACADEMY WHERE CANA
RIES ARE GIVEN LESSONS IN
VOCAL MUSIC
STUDENTS OF VARIOUS GRADES


| Ertma Donnas in Feathers Have
Their Fofbles Like the Stars of
the operate sfage-sinsers Teach
Their Mates-Birds Execute With
Expression, and Learn to Know
Fundamental Laws of Harmony.
| A business plant OF more than ordinary
interest is installed in a Brooklyn dwell
| ing. The car conductors on lines leading
out. that way have become used now TO
strangers asking for its whereabouts, and
| locally the house is regarded as quite
show place.
MIR. Blank, the bird teacher? Yes, he
| lives there on the top floor. I'll show
| you says one of several youngsters,
playing in the street, and he bounds for
ward with such alacrity that you cannot
but suspect he wants an excuse to visit
Mr.. Blank himself. The top floor gained,
sounds strangely sweet issue from the
| bird teachers apartments, and the door
opens on a scene quaint enough to war
rant the small boys eagerness. There
are as many birds, in as closely ranged
cages. as one might find at an ordinary
| bird store, but there is none of the din
| and hubbub that assault the ear at such
places the confusion incident to so many
singers singing at once all on a different
key These are cultivated canar1es, the
senior class at this strange bird semi
nary, students versed in all the laws Oh
propriety and harmony, who would as
soon think of infringing on those laws
os q d;sc;nliped onera chorus would think
of singing out Of turn.
.'It is the bird organ that makes them
so gentle and tractable,' says the teach
er. "They take lessons from it uncon-
sciously and learn to modulate the1f tone;
and sing with expression. You often hear
people complain of a canary's singing,
that it is so shrlll as to be dearen-
ing, and more Of nuisance than
pleasure. Not so with trained
singing birds. They manage their voices
judiciously ana acquire varied roper
tory. One song will be tender and APP
pealing, another gay and infectious, an
| other brilliant as if the singer were car
ried away by his own fancy Inc plra
organ does not teach the birds this va
riety Of strains, but it teaches them to
| make the best use of their own powers.
NY best trained birds are worth $50, and
! sell readily. People are delighted Win
| them, and even those not so well gifted
! by nature sell for much IN excess OIL
| the price paid for an uneultfvated singer,
| which a bird dealer picks out OF MS
stock"
BIRD ORGAN
The bird organ Is a primitive, I'M
ir,ct
height Of a tall corner clock and consist
| ing of big water-flled cylinders. fitting
one into the other. The cylinders are
managed by rope pulleys depending from
a stout crossbar, and the seat OF the
music itself is contained in small ooN
affixed to the top. The music OF the OF
gan is low-pitched and unobtruslVe' the
the sound of a gentle brook running esei
the rocks or the winds motion IN the
trees. 1t is music more soothing ana ap,
healing than stimulating, but now ana
again there is a strain that suggests the
mining of the shepherds out on the hills
and fine tfnkIing Of cowbells in the mead
aw No wonder it sets the canarfes TO
thinking and summoning UP their sweet
est notes. They are birds hatcned IN d
cage and have never seen a leafy pousn
other than a manufactured mr. tree d.
Christmas, but this rustic music hihtihs
of waterfalls and wind-swept leaVeS sur SUITS
some memory inherited from their ances-
4o,-s fa,y away in the HartZ mountains ID
they listen and take the iiie's'eo
heart. 80. ,.,loo
| Three classes of bird students In three
| separate rooms share in the advantage OIL
! the academy And three organs are useo
| for their benefit. In one room are Tue
primary pupils, many quite young. IN tne
| first fire Of youths enthusiasm; otners,
| old heads at singing, but In neeo Oh cor
| rection in their method. Some have itus-
| Nv or uncertain voices and need indf-
! yidIIal teaching. In another room are the
! nI,nils of the intermediate or high school
| stage of proficiency, some few prohcient
| enough to merit promotion at Tie III 81
| opportunity; others somewhat backward
| recurring extra long tuition IN TINS SEE
ond stage of teaching. In the thlro fooii
| are the seniors, those whose repertory
| is regarded as OF assured showing III
| caliber. and from which rank prospective
/ purchasers will choose their birds. The
| organ used for rehearsing the highest
grade of pupils is operated by electricity
/ and is of finer workmanship than the oln-
er organs, though Of similar pattern. us
tones are richer and more refined al
| though following the same half-plalntlVe
monotone.
!
ting. A tall, make-believe fir tree serves
/ them for a roosting place, and they nave
| annie room to expand their wings and
! VOICES OF BIRDS
s.In order to have good voices the birds
i must have good constitutions, says the
/ master, $50 / give my females every
/ chance to exercise and keep healthy, SO
| that their nestlings will be Matched with
s. fnyy p
| males sing, but 1 do not encourage them,
although they get the influences of the
/ organ music from the other rooms. or
course, 1 get acquainted with the temper
| and characteristics of all my birds.
| know what they are capable of and can
tell from a f1edgling's first premonitory
! arias whether his voice has the right
quality and whether he will make val
liable singer Some birds have naturally
a very high register of voice, others have
the lower tones better developed, tones
that correspond with the voice of a bari
tone singer How did I know so much
about birds? Oh, my people in Germany
have raised canaries for many years.
and my wifes family were also In the
trade I myself am a tailor 1 had my
own shop in the old country and for
years have made and fitted coats Tor the
best houses here
"I only got into the bird business by
accident In our part of Germany no
body would put up with the singing or
an unframed canary They would as lief
listen to cat squalling or a parrot scold-
ing. Over here I've heard the birds that
were kept for pets singing in tones that
made me vince, and 1 sent for an or
gan and trained few birds. just to see
If the people would notice the difference
4 in their performance. Several bird deal
ers sent their customers and their friends
to hear my birds, and / got so many or