Daily inter mountain., 1900-12-15

no chimes there and after the opera Of
THE Bellies of Cornville," or 'Chimes of
Normandy" was sung in every city
where an opera company goes, collec-
tion was taken up for the purpose of buy
ing chimes. Sir Arthur Sullivan of Eng
land headed the list. Each bell is NAM
ed for the country which gave it. Amer
lea, France, England, Australia, all are
represented and the chimes will be rung
for the first time on New Years eve.
Mrs. Charles Copenharve had charge
of the programme as chairman of the
music department. The first number was
double quartette, Mesdames H. V.
Winchel, Chas. Copenharve, G. V. Full
ton, Eugene Price. 'McNaught, Hobbs,
John Mcintyre, and they rendered 1.-The
Arrow and the Song" charmingly, but
refused to respond to an encore.
Then came the discussion German
Opera in the United States. Mrs. Cop
enharve opened by reading an
article from the Minneapolis Times
touching on German opera and singers.
Some one mentioned Schumann- Heink
and as the club We're anxious to know
something of her, Mrs. Winchell, who
heard her often in German opera, told of
Mrs. Winchell spoke of her as the most
important cOntralto of the day and COM
pared her rich voice to an organ and
dwelt ON the remarkable compass of her
voice, of operas in which she had sung
soprano roles. She is not at all fussy
about her voice and caring for it, but be-
lieves in the morning cold bath and new
er falls to take one, as she thinks it pre-
vents taking cold and stimulates the
body. To this she adds a cold sponge
bath at night and rub down." She has
a firm, strong physique and a charming
color with the frank eyes of a child. She
practices scales and arpeggios at least
half an hour every day and in addition
| runs over the role she is to sing a night
Her method of practicing is to begin a
! simple exercise upon the middle tones of
her voice, generally between E fiat and
G, making the run in semitones and
again in full tones, the exercise being
lifted or lowered until the entire range
of her voice has been employed.
Mrs. Winchell added that Madame
Schumann-Heink was the mother Of
eight children and very devoted to them.
She spoke of other famous sing
ers who have appeared in America
inn German opera, Gadski, ETC., and
of Nordica. the only American girl who
| has achieved great success in Wagnerian
opera. She spoke of the leadership of
the DamrosChes, the younger one espe-
| cially, who is now conducting the Ger
man operas.
Mrs Kelley thought that Theodore
| Thomas should be given the credit for
first introducing German opera into the
United States. 1t had been the dream
of his life to have singers who inter-
preted roles according to European
standards, but with his orchestral ef-
| fects. She told the history OF the reali-
cation of his ambition, and OF the May
festivals and the seasons of German op-
era, 'S2, 'S3, 'S4 'S5, S6, 'S7 and 'SS, nam
ing the principal singers She also spoke
of the leadership of Antoine Seidel.
A discussion as to whether Adelina
Patti ever sang in German opera fol-
lowed, several having read that she did,
but it was decided if she did, it must
! have been in Mozart. not Wagner.
| The first paper on the programme was
| given by Mrs. Eugene Price-"ChOpin,
| and his relation to the French and Ger
| man schools She commenced with the
| well-known story of his early life, his
! ancestry and environment. She spoke
| of the effect music had on him at a very
tender age, and of his violent sobbings
over certain strains of music. She re-
! lateu number of anecdotes as showing
the disposition of the child. Chopin. At
his first concert, when only s years old,
his mother asked him what the audi
ence thought of him. They We're look
ing at my collar, mamma" was his re-
! ply. She spoke of the intimate rela-
tions of the boy musician with the no
bility of Warsaw. and even with roy
he should have something in addition
to music to depend on ana entered him
at the Lyceum, yet still encouraging him
in his musical aspirations.
She dwet on his perfect harmony, and
on his compositions; of the nrst teach
ers, who all agreed to let him study
in his own way, as he already had his
own methods formulated She related
many incidents of his wonderful gift OF
| improvisation under varied circum-
stances His hands were far too tiny
to reach the octaNes, and he invented a
| clever apparatus to wear at night which
would stretch his hands
Then came his graduation, and ther
the longedfor visit to Germany. Mrs
Price spoke of the concerts he attended
and the view he took of many things
the letters the quick-witted boy wrote
ridiculing the ladies' gowns and criti.
cising the performance of piansts ant
singers; of his- intense enjoyment of the
first operas he heard; of his rapture
over Paganini His two first concerts
in Vienna were successes, although the
critics declared he played too deicately
and yet that was one of his chic
charms. He asserted himself that hi
pleased the ladies'
Then came the return home, and Mrs
Price spoke briefly of his life in War
saw. until he departed again for Ger
many. She spoke of the famous silvel
goblet with the Polish song in it Which
was presented to him on his departure
his gloomy forebodings .thas he woult
never see his native place again, anC
his second visit to Germany. and hi
| disappointment when he found himSel