The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-12-22

ming to realize what there was In the Wag
merriam muSic-druma.
The prima donna become acquainted with
Madame "Cusma' In 1892. She studied
with her Venus in "Tanuhauscr' with such
success that she was requested to be the
HaNreuth Elsa the following summer. Dur
| ing the New York season Madame Nord ca
studied German every day. She went 10
| i}ayreuth early In May and studied ana
| rehearscd there three months. She had
| twcnty-siX rehearsgls and posed over an
! hour In the balcony sccne-so thorough are
| they in Bayreuth.
| Her great success In the Wagncrian
| strol ghoid made deep impression IN OPP
cratic circles, and when she rcturnrd to
| New York in the winter she was able t"
! persuade Jean TO learn "Lohengrin in
! Com an. Seidl then suggested Tristan
| und Isolde" Madame Nordica went tn
Rayreurh to study Isolde with Madame
! "COsima," An inexperienced person can
| not Imagine the great strain imposed on
| an operate artist by taking up at certain
point In her career new role in an entirely
! new language.
The question Of physical endurance is an
important one From 10 in the morning
until I In the afternoon, and again from 3
to p. the prima donna studied with Nadine
Wagner iu a little loom, where she drilled
just as II IL were a stage. The pronuncia.
tion Of single word would DE gone over
rs often as 5000 times When the studies
for the dag We're finished Madame Nordica
was so exhausted she would retire mlne-
diatcly to her room.
The two De Reszkcs, who were to sing
Tristan md King Mark. were drilled by a
Buyrcuth professor, and when the three
singers met in New York with Anton Sedl,
who han secured room at Il hotel where
they would not he disturbed, and Nordlca
and jean started in with the great
scenes between Tristan and Isolde those
ittcd right In Ike hand in glove
81 never shall forget how deeply Seidl
WAS moved said Madame Nordica to me
in describing her experience. We all felt
thar we were starting out on this new race
and every thought on the alert. But
IL was a great strain, Scidl came to me
carly one morning to 60 over the role vii
me, and he left me about o'clock in the
} afternoon, having gone over the acting TO
the miuuteSt deiuil. ] had TO rest for two
days, EyGry noise eyer. every sound 6rouisn,t,
Finally the night. for the performance ar
! rived. Scidl came UP e, Madame Nor4ica
and the de iieszkes. and said, reassuring-
2 lv, Keep calm. Nothing can happen to
l You. You know what you have 20 do
= and | am down there in the orchestra.
, But having related this, Madame Nordica
, added Nevertheless no one ever can
know, and | never can tell, what 1t felt
, like to lie on that couch and hear the
prelude progressing bar after bar while ]
waited, with every nerye strained the
Sign given for the curtain TO go mp. They
, were awful moments"
4 With her Isolde triumph, which occurred
In November. 1895, Madame Nordica's ca.
rcCr reached It's high-water mark, and
there she has maintained herself ever
; the character. II is not amlss TO say here
o that her personal appearance Is a great
= aid to her complete realization of the role
a homcly Isolde matter how perfect
yocaly and dramatically. is paradox
b When In the second act isolde stands OF
the garden steps and waves her ven as q
signal to Tristan, the picture in Madame
, Nordica's impersonatiou Is one of graC,
. and beauty But in addition 10 this out
, ward realization OF the character she tll'
Nordlca's voice not only Is poweuu
S enough to sustain this arduous role, hu
e IT also has the disability to respond 10 th'
- many varied degrees Of emotion which
{ Wagner demands of his heroine, and he
r resources rs an actress are manifold Ma
dime Nordlca also Is great Brunnhilde
Don VlovannL" her Valentine or he
Aida. hut TO 90 10 the opposite extreme o
! the .apcratic pole, IN lmpaSsioned LeonoT'
L range NJ the repertoire Is hers.
! A school otopera has been established a
the New England Conservatory of Music
> BOSTON under the direction Of Sig. Crest
a Bimboni, a well known conductor.
. ~
The committee in charge Of the comin
: Worlds Fair AT St Louis is giving care
4 full consideration 10 the Question Of musi
lgnscc Paderewski, the pianist and CON
a poser. established some time ago fun
e Of $4,000 to provide prizes for original mt
steal compositions by Americans.
~ The FIRST competition took place this yea
! The prizes offered were $500 each for III
! best choral work the best orchestral an
= the hest chamber music work.
NJ SlNy-eight compositions were sent W
n The judges were almost unanimous IN thel
q decisions The prize for orchestral con
y position was won by the symphony, ent
, tied -Four Seasons, written oy Heni
e H. Hadley. music professor at St Paul
= school, at Garden city; the prize for chor'
composition is awarded to "A star Song
the work of Horatio w Parker professC
q OF music In Yale university; that for chan
N her music was won by Arthur BIRD OF 10
n ton. The Judges were Wilhelm Gerick
is conductor OF the Boston SYMPHONY q
le chestra; B. j. Lang, conductor OF the g
u celia society Of Boston; William - Al
'e thorp. musical editor OF the Boston Irai
" script; IL =. krchbic music critic OF 81
n New York Tribune, and W J Henderson
X, music critic OF the New lerk Times
al II IL understood that when MI. PaasEsN