The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-08
GOOD PLACE TO SHUN
INDUCEMENTS FOR AMER
ICAN SINGERS
EASY ENOUGH TO GET HEARING
Contracts, However, Under Which
SoIOists Will Be Given
Chance Are Very Hard
to Procure.

Alma Webster-P Powell. the American
soprano, is here for few weeks vacation
before she returns to Europe. She is not
going back to sing, however, in any of
the German opera houses as regular
member of their company, says the New
York sun. Mrs. Powell has to her credit
a remarkably successful debut in Berlin
and appearances of the same kind in
BresIau, Frankfort and Munich 1t was
in last March that her great success in
THE Barber of Seville" at the Royal
Opera in Berlin was made known here,
followed in a few days by the announce
ment that she had been engaged as
member of the company for the next five
years. Both of those announcements
were true. but Mrs. Powell is no longer
a member of the opera company in Ber
lin, nor has she any idea of ever associat-
ing herself with any German opera house
permanently.
In Berlin she had a sharp, quick col
lisiOn with the bureaucracy that admins
tiers with the greatest possible use of red
tape the affairs Of all the German royal
theaters 1t was then that Mrs. Powell
decided that her American spirit, her am
bitton, and her desire to make name
in her art would always prevent her from
becoming allied regularly with any Ger
result of deficiency in her opportunity
Gustaye Mailer invited her to become
first colorature of the company at the
Imperial opera house in Vienna and she
had the same opportunity ir Budapest
She might have accepted the engagement
In Budapest, as it was only for three
years mad she not at that time been
struggling to free herself from the con-
tract signed with the powers at Berlin
herself from that difficulty She is going
10 appear, however, as a guest next sea-
son ooth at Budapest and Vienna
Mrs Powell is still in the early twenties.
ghted with more than ordinary beauty,
and has high, brilliant soprano voice of
the kind that America seems to produce
SO freely. Her experience abroad was so
Illuminating that any American girl NAV
know what to expect when she attempts
70 win Iame on the operate stage in
Germany,
any American with a good voice"
mrs Powell said yesterday. "can get
nearing in Germany without any in
Huence or difficulty. There is in Berlin an
agent who is reliable and knows a, good
voice when he hears it. He is also in
relation with the directors of the German
opera houses. If an American girl SINCE
Tor him and he realizes that she has a
voice good enough to bring her forward
he Will get. her an opportunity to sing
before the director in Berlin or before the
dIrectors of amy theater which happens
10 need singers. He knows, of course.
What these theaters are, and just what
singers are desired in different places at
the time For his services he asks only a
certain percentage, 10 or 5 per cent as
tue case may be, of the contract. If q,
sifl cannot sing he will not waste his
time or hers. but tells her frankly that
ne mas nothing for her 1t was thro11eh
MIN that got the opportunity to sine
before Graf Hochberg, the fntendant of
the royal theaters. and Director Pierson,
OF the Royal opera house. They engaged
me Immediately for ten appearances as
a guest IN the company, and it was
understood that I was to be engaged
permanently if I was successful. This
was in October
1t was arranged I was to appear first
IN november in a revival of +Huguenots.
II was 10 be quite an elaborate affair
Win new scenery and costumes and 7
was to sing the Fart of the queen in
@hlch had made a great success at
bresIau little VIII lie before. Now the
present eolorature soprano at the opera.
nouSe mas sung there for fifteen Years
ana expects to sing for twenty more She
mas the. t1rst call on all the roles of the
fSHt repertoire. When she heard that 7
was 10 ne the queen in the revival she
qslnanoed OF Director Pierson that she
De allowed to take part at least in the
first performance. He had To consent
ana that delayed my first appearance an
other week. 1t was already the end ot
November then. After the first nerforno
ahce the same soprano again demande1
the role, and said if it were not given
70 her' she would exercise her privilege
OF refusing to sing in the comic opera
La Fhle de Me. Angot,' to be given dur
ing summer. She knew that this would
accomplish what she wanted. as tbasa
performances in the summer months Co.,
me strangers who come to Berlin must
always have one or two of the stars
OF the company to attract the public So
sue got the part again and kept If for
the rest of the season.
IL was already January, and had
peen waiting for two months to make IN
DEBUT promised me in November If wac
PIoposeo 10 put on Lakrne' for nv sake
as the opera had never been sung at the
royal opera house. and it would have
gwen me an excellent opportunity to an
pear 1t was then that 1 became aware
OF the hostility of the members of tba
company toward me. Every tenor who
was available refused to learn the music
Some said they could not. and others
Were taken sick, so all idea of that onera
had to be given up It was the same
with The Magic Flute and the Other
operas IN which 1 was announced to ap-
Pc ii was only cessary to put my
name up on the bull tin board TO have
the performance fall through for Some
reason or another. In this way waited
ulu! the lst of March without getting
an appearance. The director told mo 7
was impatient. Perhaps L was. but the
suspense of the constant postponements
was getting on my nerves until I eould
stand IL no longer l7o1c5E
FINALLY it was. suggested that
shouId sing Rosina in the sRarber ot
Seville" Nobody in the opera house com
pany sang that, so there would he no
soprano to interfere if 7 attemnta5 -
Inc role was not in my repertoire and
was 1ull OF dialogue, moreover. but
SCI 10 work to learn it, AMI finally. on
March 30, after having waited tour
months 1 got my promised first an
pearance Within a few days 7 received
contract by mail, which L suppose
Shoulo nave been very Gathering to auy
beginner By it's terms I could heconos
one OF the first sopranos of the company
Tor the term of five years. The paw was
not large for America, but n good dea
more than is usually given in Germany
Inc hrst year was to receive SS.uOO ar6
that increased gradually until the fiftr
year the salary was to be S7.5Ol. Tha1
is really large for Germany. 1 was SC
dehghted with the fact that the opera
mouse had invited me to become one OF
lts regular members after my debut thar
almost without reading it. T SIGNED ~
contract binding myself to sing there nm
til 1906. 'i-
1t was not until that time THAI I be
gan to realize what sort of a life I wouIf