The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-09-01
WARNS AMERICAN SINGERS.
oBsTtCLES THAT BAR THEIR
ADI4NCE IN GERMANY.
Alma wrl.ter-Powsn quotes Her Own
lNpericnce In Opcra - IN OBJECT
Ie..on Hostility OF Native Artists
and small salaries Are Inevitable

Alma Webster 'fONeu, TINS Afnericen
.rr,uo. Is here for n few weeks vacation
h.,,r, she returns To Europe. She IN not
so,,s back 20 sing, however. In any Of the
c.,nau opera houses A. 4 regular member
=, tbsi- company Mrs. Powell has 10
H. credit a remarkably SUCCESSFUL dsbut
4, gerlin. and appearances OF the sams
lt,d #, Brrslsu. Frankfort and Munich.
n yas in lnst March that her great success
a. The Barter Of Seville at the Royal
ot.r, In Berlin was made known hers.
follow ell In a few days by the announce
ueut that she had bean engaged ~ . msm-
he II the company for the ncxt Ave years.
p,tt Il tho-s announcements were true;
b., Ms Powell u no longer a member
a, the opera company In Berlin. nor has
a.. any idea Of ever associating herself
with any German opera house permA-
nent.v
r. Rerlin she had a sharp. quick collision
win The bureaucracy that administers
with rho gratss' possible use OF red tape
The Affairs Of all the German royal theatres.
n va. then that Mrs. Powell decided that
bar American spirit. her ambition. and her
t..r. 70 make a name In her art would
ll~ays prevent her from becoming allied
regularly with any German th-atre This
decision was not the result OF deficiency
N Iar opportunity. Gustave Mailer In
vt,ed her 20 tecome first colornture 81 the
comuauy ~ tho Imperial Opera House In
vi.nna, and she had the same opportun ity
IN Budapest. She might have accepted
the engagement In Budapest. m II was only
for three years. had che not az that time
ben struggling TO free herself from the
Contract signed with the powers at Berlin.
4 took Some time for her 20 extrioate her-
Ell from that difficulty. Sho In going to
srp-ar. however. as a guest next s.ason
both At Budapest and Vienna.
Mr. Powell IL still IN the carly tventies
elre with mors THAI ordinary beauty.
AMI Las = high. brilliant soprano voico
G! the kind that America seems to produce
o. frely Her experience abroad was -
Illuminating that any American girl may
know what 90 expect when sae attempts
- uin fame on the operate stage In Cor
manv.
Any American with q good voice. Mrs
Powell aid yesterday. can get q hearing
n Germany without any influence or dim
culty There Ii In Berlin an agent who
l. rcliahI. and knows = good voios when
he hears IL. lie IL also In relation with tho
directors Of The German opera housrs.
II an American girl singa for him and he
toaL yss tina she has q Volca good snough
b. bring her forward he VIII get her an
opportunity TO sing before the director IN
Berlin or before the directors OF any theatre
-hi"h hspp~r- 20 need singers. He knows
Of courre, what these 'heatres az, and
places at The time. For his ~servicvs no
1ks only n certain p~rceutase, 10 or $ Per
cen; a. the case NAV be, OF the contract.
II = gir. osnnot sing he will not waste his
time 81 hers, but tells b-r frankly that he
has nothing for her. IL was through hun
that | got 1e opportunity TO sting before
Graf Hoohherg, the intendRnt Of the royal
theatres and Director Pierson OF the Royal
Opera House They engaged me imlnedi-
a,ely for ten appearances AZ a guest In the
company. and II was Understood that I
VAS to bs engaged permanently ~ l was
succe@sfuL. This was In October.
1T was arranged | was TO appear hrst In
November In Q revival Of 'Huguenots IL
vas 10 b~ quite an elaborate Affair, with
new scenery and costumes, and l was 20
sing thu part Of the Queen In which had
made a greet success at Breslau q little
while before. Now ths present colora-
ture soprano at the opera house has sung
there for hfteen years and expects 10
sing for twenty more. Sho has the hrst
call on all the role. Of the light repertoire.
When Ahe heard that ] Was 10 b. the Queen
IN the revival she demanded OF Director
Person h sho H. allowed to take part at
leas' In the first performance. He had 70
con.ant. and that delayed my first appear
ance another week. IL was already tho
end 81 November then. After tho first
performance the same soprano again de-
mAnd@i the role, and said n u were not
given to her she would exercise her priv
lrge OF refusing to sing In the comic opera
La File de- Me. Angot, a. be given DURING
summer She know that this would ao-
comulsh what she wanted. as these per-
formances In the summer months for the
strangers who come To Berlin mus. always
hive ons or two Of the starr of the COM
pauy 10 attract the public. So she got
the part again and kept It FOR ths rest oil
the ssason.
Ii was already January and ! had been
waiting for two months To make the debut
promised me In November. IL VAS pro-
bo--i to put on 'IAkns' for my cake. a.
to uIefa had never been sung at the Royal
Opera Hou-s and IL would have given me
an excellent opportunity 20 appear. II
was then that | became aware OF the hos
tLliy OF the membors Of the company to-
ward me. Every tenor who was avail
aNle refused 90 learn thu music. some said
they could not and others were taken sick
- al Ides Of that opera had to he given up.
II IVES the same with The Magic flute
and IN" other operas IN which h was an
nourc'd to appear. IL Was only nece--
sary 20 put my name up on the bulletin
board 60 have the performance fall through
for some iea-on or another. In this way 1
wait"i until tho LIST Of March withou,
ktlANs an aiIparanceL Inc uucceoi toHu
tne was impatient. Perhaps i vas. Out
the suspense Of the constant postpone
inents wa- getting on my nerves until 1
could stand II no longer.
FINALLY u was suggested that ] should
sing R,sipd in the barber Of Seville. Mo-
hoiv In the opera house company sang
haf. ~ there would lie no soprano 20 In
i"-''ro II | attempted L. The role was
In' no NV repertoire and was full u dia-
lngue. moreover, but ] st 10 work 10 learn
J.. and finally on March ~. after having
waited four months. 1 got my promised
tr-' appearance Within q few days l
- ~iNei a contract bv mail. which ] sup
po-- should have bcen very hRtterins 10
Az beginner by Ia terms ! could become
90 - the first sopranos OF the company
Tor the term " five years. Tho pay was
uu' large for America. but q good deal
nor than h usually given In Germany,
lur Ne FIRST wear was O. r~cdve 5000
80 that increased gradually until The
mn wear the salary was Co lie o. 500 That
r's4y large Tor Germany was 90 do
tsh'~i With tho fact that the opera
L.-" had asked me 10 BECOME one OF tts
rgIsr momrcrs after my dfhut that
o without reading ~. ! signed tho
~o-'ragt binding myself % slng there until
isr
% wAs no, uutu that tim. hat ! terAn 20
Ng..Hm - - - 90 q AH. a.NHlA IwNam