The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-11
ROAST FOR SEMBRICH'
MUSICIANS RESENT THE DIVA'S
SLIGHT UPON AMERICAN
SINGERS
EVEN BOYCOTT IS PROPOSED
Suggested That This Country Has
No Time fer One Who Need
IeSsIy Casts SIurs Upon
Native Talent.

Apropos of the recent remark of Nine.
Marcella Sembrich that she doesn't want
american singers in her company, a cor
I respondent for the Concert Goer has the
following to say:
"On learning that Nine Marcella Sem
brich has again been employed by Mr.
Grau for the coming season of grand
opera we cannot but feel a spirit of in
dignation and an impulse to resent such
a step. If Americans receive her, as
heretofore, in the face of the statement
in last weeks New York Staatszeitung
that Nine. Senlbrich wishes no Ameri-
cans in her company cat present in Ber-
lin, Germany, this in answer to an ap-
plication made by baritone from Chi
cago, Mr.. Hartman. who studied in Ber-
lin, we must conclude that our people
have no national spirit, no national
PRIDE
Instances are cited Of American sing
ers whose efforts have been ridiculed in
foreign theaters, through the jealousy
and injustice of the native singers. But
there is no occasion for retaliation. An
American who can sing acceptaoly, look
pretty, pronounce fawlessly any or all
the languages of Europe will not look in
vain for singing engagements in that
part of the great, round world. The
first two conditions are. easily fulfilled.
The most beautiful voices come from
America and the women are undeniably
pretty as a race. The third condition
is the stumbling block over which many a
promising singer has fallen on the for
eign stage. The foreigners have a re-
spect and generation for their native
tongue quite unknown among US. They
are sticklers for the purity of their Ian
guage. 1t is not a question of acquir-
Ing the facility of it's speech, nor the
grammar of its construction, although
these are difficult enough, but it is the
faculty of pronouncing as the Germans,
French and Italians themselves pro-
b nounce that must be acquired. The
b piquant Strattforde alte BoWe French
does not obtain in the grand opera, nor
does the New York German pass muster
/ at Berlin and Dresden. There is a po-
etic revenge, however, Of which we
Americans could avail ourselves If we
would-that of asking our foreign song
birds to reproduce our English tongue
in it's pristine purity at the Metropolitan.
And if we properly respected the beauty
and splendor of our sonorous English,
we would insist upon this condition. But
1t would play havoc with the deadly Ger
man recitatives and the unmeaning
Italian cavitinas. 1t would probably
cause a multitude of native composers
to rise up and call US blessed in having
enabled them to establish a school Of
American music.
The oldest school of music in the world
in in Rome 1t dates back to the year
1866, and the great Palestrina was It's
first president. Gregory XIII. formally
recognized It's foundation in 1884 as a
congregation of the musicians of Rome,
under the invocation of st. Cecilia. 1t
still bears the title Of the Academy of
st. Cecilia" Its first centenary was cele-
brated with much ceremony in 1854 The
year ITO was remarkable for having adj
mitted wind instruments into the church,
and Ill is still more remarkable for hav-