The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-10

suited only to certain kinds of music.
One may have voice Which would last
for long time in singing the music suit
ed to it. But If it is used in singing
Wagner or the dramatic music of the
younger composers 1t cannot endure.
There is only a certain quantity of it,
and if it be used up in two or three
years by singing music to which 1t is
rot suited only one thing can happen.
But singers often seem to forget that
with a voice suited only to certain kinds
of music it is impossible to succeed in
entirely different fields. That is thing
which the singer must learn for her
SELF
1t is known that Nine Sembrich-whose
name in Polish has a most weired and
gruesome sound, not in the least like its
pronunciation in any other Tongue
started her career as violinist and plan
ist. She was species of infant phenom-
enon and when DR.. Wilhelm Stengel, now
her husband, began to teach her the vio-
lin she was only eleven years old. She
made her debut in Vienna as a pianist
and was to have studied with List at
Weimar.
'aThen 1 summoned up the courage to
sing for two of my friends in Vienna,
one of whom had been teaching me the
piano, she said. "They were Prof Epp-
stein and Prof. Helmesberger. 1 had al
was never thought that L would ever
have voice enough to become singer.
Besides, my family never wanted me to.
Playing the violin and piano at concert
was one thing; singing on the stage in
opera was quite another and not nearly
SO desirable. Very little attention was
paid to the voice But my husband-he
was my teacher then-had often said that
he thought I might be able to become a
singer. So one day my two friends
listened to me while I sang. Immedi-
ately they advised me to study, and af-
ter six months / had decided that should
never be anything but a singer. But If
1t had not happened that / screwed up
my courage to singing that day for my
two friends, L might never have been
prima donna"
Nine. Sembrich is not an Austrian, but
a Pole, and she sang the first song in
the Polish language that had been heard
for many years in ST. Petersburg. She
sang as an encore once a song of Chop
ms. and to her establishment the audi
ence in the opera house heard 1t with
great enthusiasm. 1t was after this that
she went to the imperial palace to sing
for Alexander II. He asked her to sing
some of Chopin's songs.
But, your majesty, 1 can sing Chopin
only in Polish she answered.
why, sing it in Polish. of course" he
after that her Polish songs were regu-
lar feature of her appearances in st. Pc
tersburg. But in other parts of Russ a
they were not so well received.
On her way back to Dresden from ST.
Petersburg in that year Nine. Sembrich
sang at Wilma, one of the former Polish
capitals. She has sung there regularly
every year during the ten which have
passed since she began to go yearly to
st. Petersburg. But that first visit was
different in one important particular from
any other.
ITO this day." Nine Sembrich said. in
telling the story. children who speak
Polish on the streets of Wilma are pun
ished, and performances of any kind in
the Polish language are forbidden. IL.
William Pole. doctor of music of Ok
ford. but better known as "Pole on
Whist died recently at the age of elgh-
ty-seYen. He was an engineer by profess
sion and held professorships in India and
England for many years, besides being
busted with practical work. He was
made a fellow of the Royal society in
1861.