The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-02-17
THE OBSTACLES AND TRIALS THAT
BESET THE BUDDING SINGER.

Good Looks, Says the Manager, a
Factor of Prime Importance for
Success in Man as Well as
Woman-A European Education
and the Prestige Of a New York
Appearance Powerful Aids.
Launching an amateur upon a musical
career Is task that makes the labors Of
Hercules look easy by comparison 4
The speaker was New York manager
who has probably set as many musical
craft af1oat as any man in the business.
" 'Look at that he added, waving his
hand toward a pile of paper that COW
cred the office desk, ran over upon the
chairs and table and drifted across on
the floor. '"Those are all letters, letters
from budding genius. Every one of the
writer's is a phenomenon and wants to
know when he may give me the joy Of
knowing him and introducing him to the
world, which is waiting to pitch laurels
at him. We are positively showed under
with applications. Do I give all the APP
plicants a chance? I couldn't do it if the
year had a thousand days instead of
three hundred and sixty-fve. We go
through the letters and pick out those
that sound least impossible. One learns
to know from all sorts of little straws
how the wind blows. Now here is
young woman who writes that she has
soprano voice that has been much adj
mired. She has been singing in church
choir in Lonelyville, and has sung in
concert in all the little towns around
there. She incloses clippings from the
local papers. You know those clippings.
According to them Patti and Melba
aren't a circumstance to the girl from
Lcnelyville, and the spheres stop MAX
ing their own music and listen to her
when she sings. There isn't one chance
in ten thousand that we could do any
thing with that girl; so We'll write her
that our list is full and we cannot do
anything for her. Hard on her? Oh,
you needn't pity her. She's very happy
as she is-probably having a much better
time than she would have as mediocre
professional, even if she had talent
enough for the role.
1.-THE girl I'm sorry for is the one who
has studied hard under reliable masters,
who knows what good music is and has
lofty aims and ideals, who has given the
best years Of her life to preparation and
staked all her hopes and chances on mu-
steal success, and comes within an ace
of being equal to it-but falls just short.
That's misfortune. that even a hard
hearted manager can appreciate. I've
actually agonized over the effort to let
such a girl down easily. I'm not a senti-
mental man; but there have been times
when have felt like a public execution
sr. A girl came here last Saturday with
her mother. They were ladies. 1t was
easy to see that though the girl was
plain and hadn't any sort of a stage
first in Cincinnati and then in Paris.
Her father had died suddenly, leaving
them penniless. The daughter had come
home and hoped to support the family
by concert work. She was desperately
In earnest, but she didn't bid for SYM
pathy; not a bit Of it. she was just as
business like as she was pale, and all
she" asked was that should hear her
sing. Well, did. and she sang an aria
from GTraviata" fairly we'll. She had
evidently been we'll taught, but her voice
was hopelessly thin and without color,
and she hadn't an atom Of personal mag
netism. One might as we'll have been
listening to music box. There was no
use in trying to place her, but when she
mother looked at me, I'd have given $50
to slide out of the door, and send the
Stenographer in to deliver the verdict
told her the truth, though. There would
nave been no kindness in sending her.
around to other agents and letting her
hope die by inches. She took it like a,
thoroughbred, I'll say that for her.;
thanked me with her head up, and didn't
attempt any appeal from the verdict,
but the mother was crying behind her,
veil as they went out I wished I'd
gone into the hardware business.
There's another letter-Tn give this
woman an appointment. She studied five
years at the New England conservatory
Then she went abroad and studied for
three years with Lampert, in Dresden.
She sang at orchestral concerts both in
Dresden and Leipsic, and her newspaper
notices are good. One can usually rely.
upon German press notices--they take
musicians so seriously over there In this
country one must learn to catalogue mu-
steal criticism, especially in the towns
outside of New York. Our applicants
send us clippings by the bushel. and can
classify them at glance. There's the
personal friends variety, and the faint
praise that damns, and the evasive half
truth that doesn't want to give pretty
young woman black eye and the genu-
ne but unscientific enthusiasm, and the
From any Of them save the last it's easier
to tell whether the singer is good looking
and fngratiating than to find out anything
about her voice and method. After all.
personality has as much, perhaps more
to do with an amateurs SUCCESS as mu-
steal ability. OF course, there must be
some foundation Of merit, but it must be
tremendous talent that, without personal
attraction, achieves what charming per-
sonality can achieve without great talent
We managers gamble upon that quality
Of personal magnetism rather more reck-
lessly than upon genius. Just this sea-
son, young girl came to me, who had
had no foreign study, no public expert
ance; but after she had talked to me for
five minutes, took her into the music
coom and told her to sing. Her voice was
fresh and sweet, her technique fair. 1
had turned away dozens of women with
more talent that very week This girl
had no money to put into securing a
hearing. I told her I would back her and
get her chance. It was a speculation,
but I knew my market. I had to use all
my influence in obtaining an opportunity
for her to appear with a good organiz "a.
ton; but hadn't miscalculated She
wasn't frightened; but she was delicious
ly ingenious and pretty and appealing.
oue Wdlheo Out on the stage ana SInllei
confidingly at the crowd, just the smile
that's a sure winner. A little murmur
ran through the house and I patted my
self on the head. Her reception was a
foregone conclusion before she opened
her mouth, and she is one CT the most
successful debutantes of the season.
The personal element is just as great
a factor In a mans success. but it's hard
er to find. Men are so awkward. Per-
haps it's because they don't have petit
coats to hide their feet. But there arr
dozens of tenors and baritones travelling
around the country on manner and fine