The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-02-13
Large Audience of Music Lovers
Hears William Shakespeare.
Tells Topeka People How to
Sing Properly.
FINDS AN ART CENTER.
Nowhere Has He Found More
Intelligent Discussion.
Is an Intimate Friend of Rich
ard Mansfield.

leu AOu0Ol VOCAL LSdS1ASIs lGCIQI6a ~
several hundred people at the Grand
Opera House last night on the proper
use of the voice. Incidentally he dem
onstrated the subject of his lecture by
several pleasing selections, playing his
own accomplishments with the art OF
an Instrumental master.
It was essentially a vocal evening, and
this fact formed a compliment to the
methods of the Ladies' Music club. the
organization responsible for Mr.. Shakes
peare's appearance. A month ago the
club provided a delightful instrumental
evening with Vladimir De Pachmann,
the eccentric but gifted Russian pianist,
as the all star attraction, and it was
only fitting that the vocalists of Topeka
should be as thoroughly remembered as
the disciples of instrumental art.
With Mr.. Shakespeare as an example
of English art, the American musical
public can not help but have the kindli-
est feelings for it, The celebrated teach
er carries his lack of assumption and
pleasing manners, at once evident in a
personal interview, before an audience
on the stage, and no better proof of his
desire to please was needed than the
way in which he responded repeatedly
to the applause of Topeka musical peo-
pie last night.
MIR. Shakespeare does not possess a
voice fitted for penetrating the corners
of large auditorium, but little if any
of his lecture was lost to his hearers at
the Grand Up to the time of his first
engagement in New Y Ork ne had never
appeared before an audience in the
role of lecturer. and consequently his
lectures are in the form of converse
tional instruction. His pleasing indi-
viduality was at all times prominently
evident during the evening.
To persons of musical education Mr..
Shakespeare'S lecture proved exceed
ingly interesting and instructive. It
was divided in two parts, the teacher
deVOting his time first to Breathing
and Voice Production" and later to
Execution" Pronunciation" "Phras-
ing Registers" and Intensity and
Expression" Vocal selections, in which
Mr.. Shakespeare displayed a finely
trained, voice, delightfully."- filled the in
PERMISSION between the two parts of the
lecture, and after the conclusion of the
second part, formed d pleasing ending
to the evening.
Mr. Shakespeare prefaced his lecture
with a few general remarks. He said:
Accustomed, as 1 have been from
my earnest youth, to appear before
audiences as a pianist and then as a
singer, as conductor of choral and or
chestral concerts and even as a COM
poser, my appearance in the capacity
of a lecturer is so new and strange to
me, that 1 feel strongly inclined, on
facing you tonight to take the advice of
our old friend Mark Twain who says,
When in doubt, speak the truth.
'.Well, 1 will; and 1 candidly confess
that come before you with some fear
and trembling
But when l call to mind the constant
! encouragement and support that have
| received from America for the last 20
years, and the sympathetic way in
which my ideas about the art of singing
have been taken up by professors, ar
lists and lovers of music over here, and
when think how many of your Splen-
| did American voices I have had the
privilege of training, feel far less
diffidence in coming before you this
| evening.
"Of one thing, at any rate, am con-
WINGED that nowhere are questions of
art more intelligently discussed than
| in this country, and nowhere are ideas,
| (Which, whatever their value, are
! honest and based on many years study
! and ref1ection) so likely to meet with
a kindly and appreciative hearing.
! we often hear it said that singers
| at the present day can not or will not
! give SO much time to their studies as
| in olden times and that composers de-
| vote their efforts more and more to
| the powers of the orchestra, and that
they have ceased to study the voice as
| q solo instrument and thereby encour-
! age young, immature singers to shout
rather than sing-and also that i'm
| presarios find difficulty in presenting
operas by Gluck, Mozart and others,
not to mention those by the Italian
! composers.
Il remember on my first visiting
/ Milan as a student of singing, that
the national theater La Scala was al
ready in difficulties through the i'm
| presarios not being able to find singers
like those of the old school, who were
| dramatically expressive and able to
enthral their audiences by the beauty
| of their singing.
but after all, the human voice is, as
| it always has been, most expressive and
| touching and capable of stirring the
chords of the human heart, SO it is not
! to be wondered at that there is every
where great enquiry springing up
relative to the secrets of the old Italian
/ school of lovely sustained singing and
1 this enquiry must, sooner or later, leao
/ us back to the right path, when singers
will be trained to sing any and all the
classics of the vocal art"
AS an illustration of Mr.. Shakespeare
attractive personality may be cited the
fact that he is one of the few men who
/ have been able to become Familiarity
| acquainted with Richard Mansfield,
the actor, in a short space of time. Mr..
! Shakespeare met Mr.. Mansfield shortly
/ after his arrival in New York, and the
/ great actor was at once taken with
/ the great teacher. During his stay in
that city he was repeatedly entertained
| informally by Mansfield
4 am free to confess that 1 love
/ Mansfield said Mr.. Shakespeare last
night, and I know he thinks a great
/ deal of me. The man may be a perfect
/ devil as far as stage management is
concerned, and you know they say he
/ is, but when you come to know him in
| his own home you couldn't find a more
| agreeable gentleman Mr.: Mansfield
writes delightful poetry, and during my
| stay in New York I heard Mrs. Mans
! field recite several of his selections She
/ does it beautifully
1T was through Mr.. Mansfield that
| became possessed of a great desire to
visit the west He loves the west while
he dislikes the east. Western people
| will accept art for what you try to
make it. he said to me. If you do your
best they will warm to you and ap-
preciate you for what you do. But here
| in New York they judge you after the