The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-11

.'Tannhauser. ensembles and a resonant
volume OF melody that Is wonderfully full
OF wagnerian color. over and over again,
with tireless patience. Maestro Schenck
leads his unwearied butterflies in an in
volved fight OF melody. Up the eraggy
peaks OF Wagner's score they go and down
into eavernous depths of sombre melody.
which the master has written as a back
ground for the wonderful solo work OF Eliz-
abeth and Wolfram, Venus and Tanna-
hauser. Or If it happen TO be "Otello' or
Aida in rehearsal, Chevalier Emanuel is
having his troubles. Nothing seems to
please his exacting ear. For three hours
the embryo prima donnas struggle with
vocal vigor through the difficulties Of the
score and then are dismissed with a sharp
admontion to return at 4. Fun? oh, yes,
1t is all one protracted jolly joyous joke
this chorus girl business. At the stage door
you may meet Miss Rennyson at the close
of her rehearsal of Elizabeth, or Miss
Brooks, who has been wrestling with the
lyric maze of the Ethiopian princess in
aida" They are looking tired, but very
happy.
NOT HARD WORK
Hard work. echoed Miss Rennyson in
response to a sympathetic inquiry. "Oh,
really. this isn't what we call work. When
we get as far as the final rehearsals of an
opera. the hard work is almost over. We
seldom rehearse more than three four
hours at a stretch, you know" This idea
OF pleasant recreation startles you and if
you ask the prima donna her idea of real
work she replies:
1.-The real hard work which a girl must do
who hopes to win worthy place on the OPP
cratic stage is the long, dreary, uninspired
task OF training her vocal organs into flexi-
BE responsiveness. She may be born with
a heavenly voice, but unless she is willing
10 give hours OF daily practice to acquiring
a correct method of using that gift she can
never hope to become an artist She must
make I'D her mind TO abandon the gayeties
Of girlhood, and to practice deep breathing
and right voice placing while other girls
are playing golf or chattering over o'clock
tea. She must practice trills and phrasing
for hours every day, to the deep discomfort
OF her family and the immediate neighbors.
She must eschew late hours and avoid as a
pestilence even innocent amusements that
would distract her mind from an undeviat
ing pursuit of vocal perfection
Standing for hours at work over singing
exercises will make her awkward and of
ungraceful carriage. To mend these faults
she must practice dancing and the exercises
OF Delsarte. Then she must also study act
ing. for the stage business OF Marguerite
and Leonora is quite as important as the
lyric performance. She must study Italian
and French and German roles, as well as
English ones. and she's lucky girl indeed
Il she finds time TO eat and sleep in the
twenty-four hours Of each busy day. 1t
takes the hardest kind of hard work to pre-
pare ones self for work In opera, and when
IL comes to the time when singer has only
four or six hours OF rehearsal and practice
she feels that the lyric stage is really one
OF the restful professions"
With a springing step the Drima donna
returns to her rehearsal, and you pass out
In Montague street. where a group of school
girls are listening to the volume Of song
floating out from upper windows and think
ing how nice it Is to be chorus girl.
-. FRANK c. PAYNE.