The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-09-02

her profession till the crowning tri-
umph came the evening when her grand
opera der Wald" CThe ForesD was
performed at Covent Garden. She was
born and bred in the fashionable mill
tary social circle of Great Britain. Her
father was an artillery officer. When
Ethel was twelve years old. she In
formed her family that she was going
to Leipsic TO study music.
But. no. no; you shall not. and that's
| an end of it; no, no." was the fam
| ily's reply. She urged and continued
to urge. but for seven years the answer
to her demand was like Carlyle's ever
lasting no. She grew toward woman
hood fond OF outdoor athletics, includ-
ing hunting. and dancing as well. Thus
she made herself strong and active
physically. Her life seemed happy
enough. and surely she ought 20 be en-
tirely happy, her parents thought. with
everything at her command that a girl
usually cares for, certainly everything
that a properly minded English girl
ought to care for.
Yet always was the ceaseless under
surge driving her onward, onward, 10
other fields. Finally she burst through
the conventionalities that are the prop
and stay of the commonplace mind and
actually went for a years musical
study TO Leipsic.
After a year she'll get tired of it
and come home and marry like well
regulated girl" said the commonplace
mind.
But she did not. To this day she has
never done what she commonplace mind
expected of her. and that most respec-
table authority does not yet know what
TO make of her and will not till she
scores a few more victories like that at
Covent Garden. Then 1t will fall at her
feet
Miss Smyth was four years at Leip-
sic studying faithfully and enthusiasts
tically Even then she began musical
composition. A string quartet and Vi
olin sonata of her composing were per-
formed at concerts in Leipsic by some
of the best musicians i'm the city. After
her four years there the girl composer
spent several seasons in Munich, Dres-
den and Florence studying and dream
ing. Now she goes every winter to
Rome. still studying and dreaming.
Twelve years ago August Manns.
England's greatest and most beloved
orchestral leader performed one OF her
pieces at a Crystal palace concert, and
shortly afterward a grand mass by her
was given at Albert hall. Then Her
man Levi a great musical authority
who has scarcely anything but a sneer
and gibe for woman's work i'm music
al composition. said to her:
you must write an opera"
Which she did; Der Wald" is her
second one. The first was Fantasia. :"
IL was accepted for the operate stage
In Munich and was given also at Wei
mar and at Carlsruhe under distin-
guished auspices and with success. But
the average Englishman has as high re-
spect for woman morally and as little
for her INTELLECTUALLY as any civilized
man. and Englishmen could not get It
through their brains that feminine
creature could write an opera. So,
though Miss Smyth had played a Sc
lection from her mass for Queen Vic
toria an admirable musician and critic.
and though her majesty had declared
herself greatly pleased, yet no British
impreyario would look at the young
lady's work.
Next Miss Smyth. undaunted wrote
Der wald." She evolved from her own
Imagination the stories on which both
operas are based. finding none I'm either
history or fiction exactly to her liking.
For several years the girl composer
brooded over the theme for her second
opera. The libretto part OF the work
was as much to- her as the musical com
position. and she created both the book
and the music. The keynote of Der
sWaid" Is the stately march Of ma
turcs eternal forces" which stop not
for. heed not. the human tragedy. Most
composers operas deal with human