Evening star., 1901-05-04
ALVARY FINISHED THE KISS.
QuelIed the Disturbance In the Gale.
ries With n Look.

QuelIed the Disturbance In the Galle-
ries With a Look.
From the New York Tribune.
a St Louis man. in speaking recently of
contretemps upon the stage, said:
"A beautiful scene may be utterly ruined
by some trifing mistake. and an error of
seemingly infinitesimal dimensions throw
out an entire company. Oftentimes, how
ever, the ready wit and presence of mind
of actor or actress may save the day
and turn what might otherwise have been
disaster into triumph. One of the most
difficult of all scenes to carry off success
fully occurs in the opera of 'Siegfried' You
will remember that Siegfried awakens
Brunnhilde from her long sleep with kiss
Wagner has 50 arranged 1t that the kiss
seems long to the audience as the i'm
mortal slumber itself
''In reality it lasts about seventy seconds
but it seems unending. 1t is a most try
ing situation for the singers, for the audi
ence is extremely likely to grow restless
Some years ago al performance of 'Sieg-
fried in st. Louis Alvary-poor chap,-was
singing Segfried to Nine. Sucher's Brunn-
hide. He had got about half way through
his lengthy osculation. when the gallery
began succession of smacks, constantly
increasing in volume. 1t was critical mo-
ment, but as the event proved. one that
was to add to Alvary's already large
wreath of laureS. Slowly he raised his
magnificently handsome head and turned
toward the audience and silently looked
the galleries into silence. In ten seconds
he had completely mastered them, and YOU
could have heard pin drop in the great
house. Then he dropped his face on that
of Rrunnhilde, and that kiss went on to its
appointed Sapho-like finish without fur
ther interruption from the audience It
was as fine an exhibition Of the control
great personality can exercise over an
audience as / have ever witnessed
De mortuis nil nisi bonum' For that
reason the name of the hero of this anec-
dote l shall not give you. for he has long
since been gathered to his fathers Let
1t suffice that In his heydey he was one Of
the greatest tenors who ever sang to q
breathless and enthusiastic audience He
had penchant however, for the red, red
wine, which in the end proved his undoing
and ultimately provided a pathetic ending
for an otherwise great career. In his
prime his drinking seemed only to affect
his legs. but never his head or voice He
could always sing, and sing true. but at
times he had no more ability to guide his
wandering footsteps than has a sufferer In
the last stages of locomotor ataxia At
one time. when he was singing Faust to
Emma Abbott's Marguerite. he appeared at
the opera house IN an apparently homeless
condition. The management were wild but
there was no one to take his place, and SO
they had to chance it with him as Faust
All went Well until they came to that
crosses the stage, and then, giving way
to an impulse. rushes back and kisses
Marguerite Yet once again ere taking his
departure.
Faust on this occasion got to the other
side of the stage all right, but trouble
arose when he tried to get back Mar
guerlte sits in the window Of her cottage,
and Faust comes back and kisses her
through the window. Faust measured the
distance with wobbling eye. but made
start when his cue was given. Then he
seemed to lose control of himself One
quarter way across he was trotting; one
half way the trot was q run, and three
quarters of the way 1t had become gall
lop. Up to this point Miss Abbott stood
her ground bravely. but that rapidly ap-
preaching figure awed her, and with
frightened scream she fed. Faust, poor
Faust, charged on He reached the place
he had last seen Marguerite, and essayed
to clasp the atmosphere in outstretched
arms. Then his impetus carried him
through the window, and all that the as
founded audience looked upon were his
waving legs. Somebody pushed him back,
and, absolutely undisturbed, he finished
the opera. singing in an unusually superb
manner. Not so with the unfortunate Mar
guerte. however. for from then on she was
suffering from a case OF 'rattles.' which, in
simple Justice, should have been the prop
erty of Faust"