The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-06

vincial town. The minute | was en-
gagged at CoVent Garden l had to sing
in Italian. So the best thing that
could have happened to me came in
disguise. 1t drove me out of the first
opera house in which l ever sang but
it gave me the opportunity for a ca
reer that would never have been pos
sible there"
Calves Battle with Poverty.
Mime. Calves dark hours came when
she was studying in Paris with Rosina
Laborde. The French soprano went
there late in the EOS to begin her musi-
cal education, and she carried from the
pleasant home at Auvergne no large
! allowance for. her expenses. She was
i indeed very poor and, like many an
! other singer, it was through the gener-
osty of her teachers that she was
! able to complete her musical educa-
| ton. They were willing to wait for
| their recompense, as they usually are
! in the case of such a talented pupil
! as Emma Calve was. But the struggle
, with poverty grew very fierce at times,
! and the singer, who has been describ-
! ed by those who knew her then as an
uncommonly beautiful girl, felt that
! she ought to be able to enjoy some
| thing in her youth besides work and
! poverty.
1T seemed to me that I was wait
! ing 100 long, Sne Sdlu. / SUN udu IL
year of study before I could expect
to earn a sou, and the struggles of
my family to keep me in Paris We're
| too great, l thought, to be allowed. So
! l determined to earn some money at
once, whether it ended my study for
grand opera or not.
! unknown to anybody, I found out
, the address of a cafe chantant in
] which L thought 1 would be able to
| get an engagement 1t was a small
| place of the second or third class,
where 1 had heard I could appear in
evening dress and not be compelled to
sing comic songs or wear fantastic
costume. I saw the director. told him
! that l wanted to sing and begged for
| an opportunity TO show what l could
do. He told me to come back the
next morning and sing for the con-
euctor of the orchestra.
II did not sleep wink the night be-
fore. The next day / sent word to
| Nine Laborde that | could not pos
sibly come to my lesson that morn
ing at II, and went in a bus to
the cafe, which looked more disrepu-
table and dingy than ever in the morn
ing light.
"It was extremely necessary for me
TO have some money, however, and l
| prayed that the conductor would like
me. I sang for him several arias. and
| II
could do best. But he was not inn
pressed.
MY dear child he said, kindly,
YOU might do very well some day for
opera. But you'll never do at all for
q cafe chantant. 1t takes great talent
to succeed here. 1 should say that
you would be best in a church or
| grand opera
I was terribly disappointed. could
| scarcely keep the tears out OF my
yes and hurried home to cry myself
% sleep.
Il only learned later what good for
| tune il was / failed to get an engage
fnent in the cafe chantant. The salts
| faction OF earning money might have
heen 30 great that I would have given
up my study 20 devote my time 10 the
sort OF singing that would never have
ed me anywhere. Within a year
vas able 90 make my FIRST appearance
IN Onera. But ! WIS almost crushed
by the disappointment when Il hap
pened.'