The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-27
Turning Points in the Careers
~@<~@~@~@ of Great Singers ~~~~g~@~

show what I could do. He told me 60
come back the next morning and sing
Tor the conductor Of the orchestra.
L did not sleep a wink the night be-
fore. The next day I sent word 10
Nine. Laborde that I could not possibly
come TO my lesson that morning at IL,
and went in bus to the cafe. which
locked more disreputable and dingy
than ever in the morning light.
! 1T was extremely necessary for me
/ 10 have some money. however, and I
prayed that the conductor WOULD like
me. I sang for him several arias. and
/ I naturally selected those + thought
could do best. But ne was not i'm
I pressed.
So My dear child he said kindly, you
! might do very well some day for opera.
/ But yOu'u never do at all for a care
chantant It takes great talent TO sue
! coed here. I should say that you would
/ be best in a church or grand opera
L was terribly disappointed could
| scarcely keep the tears out of my eyes.
and hurried home to cry myself 10
sleep.
7 only learned later what good for
/ tune it was I failed to get an engage
merit in the cafe chantant. The salts
] faction Of earning money might have
I been 80 great that i would have given
up my study to devote my time TO the
/ lea me anywhere. Within a year 1 was
/ able TO make my first appearance IN
/ opera. But was almost crushed by the
/ disappointment when II happened
When Fortune Came to Melba.
/ Wher Nine. Melba. or Mrs. Arm
strong as she was called then, went TO
/ London determined TO become q profess
/ sional singer she was already a VIE
and mother. and, unlike Sembrich and
! Calve. she had never known the sting
I of poverty. But she was anxious TO
I start her career at OEce. So before she
went to Nine Marchesi in Paris, the
Australian soprano determined to save
the time il would take TO learn French
and Italian 10y appearing, If possible,
with the Carl Rosa company. Nine.
Melba finally succeeded in securing an
I appointment with MI Rosa, 20 whose
/ house she was TO go at q certair hour.
Nine. Melbd was Of hand. but Mr.
Rosa was not at home. She waited one
Z hour and did not lose patience. She
even waited four hours. Ihen~She left
without seeing the manager, who mad
forgotten all about the appointment
and gone out of town Nine. Melba has
sirce that day expressed her delight at
] the chance which prevented her meet
ing with Mr.. Rosa, although she wrote
! to her father i'm Australia that night
dlsappOintments were so great SHE
would never have the patience to be-
come a singer.
If Mr.. Rosa had kept his appointment
and heard Nine. Melba sing he would I'm
all likelihood have engaged her Tor his
opera company and her entire career
would in all probability have been differ
ent. TT g. the misfortune of English
opera to stand always on IL lower level
than opera in other tongues. Nine. Media
would never have had the opportunities
Of which she has aVailed herself so sue
cessfully at the opera in Paris and at
Brussels
But she could not know an this ON the
summer day IN 1885 when she sat wait
Ing four hours for the im0ressariO who
never arrived. and she says laughingly
now that the tears were streaming down
her face when she finally left the house
10 start homeward.
Emma Eamss' Darkest Hour.
Two years later Emma Eanes was a
fellow pupil of Nine. Media at AIathilde
Marchesfs school in Paris. Nine. Games
made her debut two years after the Aus
trallan soprano. Size was emgaged first
ComiQue. and it was settled that she
would appear there as NiOlctta in ''I4a
Iraviata, a role which she has, curious
~ enough never sung during her career.
M. ParaVey was the director by whom
she was engaged. it was impossible Tor
her, however. to make the manager fix a
positive date tor her appearance. There
was q satisfaction in having been en-
gagged. but the suspense OF having no
idea as 10 when She would finally get be-
fore the f0Otlights wore ON her until she
always been characteristic of the SOC
pranO. to have the date definitely eettled
or 20 try to make an arrangement with
some other director. Months had elapsed.
the day she had put her name 10 tho
contract.