The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-03-12
CITY NEWS.
All, ,,AIMEl /; Y
Manager Savage q. Castle Square
Opera Company Pursues a
Patriotic Policy.
Sketches of Principal Singers Show
That He Has Given Americans
the Preference.

-. ~ r. !! .a n r.
Voices are International, and in build
ing@up a grand. opera organization. 1t is
the usual procedure to take them where
they can be found, always provided that
they know the repertoire. When Henry
W.. Savage organized his grand opera
company some eight years ago in Boston,
he made up his mind that he would, SO far
as possible, give the American young men
and women who had voices the first OPP
portunity and keep his organization as
American as possible. He has adhered to
this policy and to-day his big grand op-
era company. which is reputed to be the
best English singing organization ing this
country, if not in the world, has but one
I foreigner on the roster. = S= T. -. .
: -, Home Vocal Trainings. s.:.< i #
Adelaide Norwood, one Of, the principal
sopranos, is a Baltimorean by birth. AL
ways, a musician and of a musical family.
Miss Norwood did not believe that she
wouldsever become q singer. until about
| seven years ago. At that time she was
! brilliant pianist and cornetist but she had
! given her voice but little culture and sang
| principally for her own amusement. 1t
| was her mother, we'll known teacher of
| vocal music, who persuaded her to let her
| try to cultivate her voice. The result is
that to-day she has a repertoire of fifty
| two operas and a voice which ranges from
| G in the bass to G in the altissimo, the
| G above high c, and it is not only a mu-
steal tone that she gets, but she can sus
| tain 1t in pianissimo. ~ She has never
| spent a dollar for her vocal training, and
! is of the opinion that American girls
can do just we'll at home as they can
! by going, to the other side Of the ocean
and spending a lot of money in study.
Miss Gertrude Rennyson, the second of
the prima donna sopranos, spent three
years studying in Paris with the best
masters. She is from Allentown, Pa
Her father was an editor and she herself
used to write for publication. Miss
| Rennyson has a very pure high soprano
of remarkable sweetness. -"
| Miss Norma Romano, another pri1lla
| donna soprano of the organization is a
new arrival in the company having been
a member of the organization for, the past
two weeks only She is, from Michigan
and for eight years has beer studying and
| singing principally in Italy.
Maude Ramey comes from Arkansas and
received all of her musical education in
this country.
The other soprano Of the organization is
Paget Watrous, an Ohio girl who is rap
idly making a name for herself.
The Minneapolis ContraIto.
Miss Marion WELL one Of the principal
contraltOs, is native Of Minnesota, her
birthplace being Minneapolis. Strange as
1t may appear, Miss Ivell started in on
her stage career as an actress with no
intention Of ever going into operatic work
The company she was with was playing
AS You Like IT, and Miss Ivell was
singing in the quartet. A musician in
the audience heard the deep contralto
and upon questioning, discovered that it
belonged to Miss Ivell. He advised her
by all means to study vocal music.
Ana
organization is Ethel Houston Du Ere
a southern girl. She, too, spent a. num-
Der of. years abroad in hard study. Miss
Du Ere is a niece of the late Sam Houston
of Texas and a cousin on her mothers
side of the Jefferson Davis family
: The New Principals.
Joseph Sheehan, whose beautiful tenor
voice has caused him to be referred to as
the American De Reszke,'- is a Boston
boy. MIR. Sheehan Is Of the few ten
ors IN the world who tevs11ranspose then
. music when it runs to til PIPER register
t half dozen high C's 49 as easy fol
MN as single one, and IN some of his
music, especially when he is in good voice
l and feeling we'll. he takes a D or an T
fiat in altissinlo without the slightest sug.
: gestlon of the falsetto-a pure chest tone
? Virginia has also contributed to the
principal tenors of the organization in the
f "
ing in Boston years ago when his oppor.
tunlty came. The Grau company was sing
ing at the Boston theater and Faust
was the bill. The entire tenor force, OF
the organization We're hors de comba
when this young man presented himself
and asked for an opportunity. He sang
Faust to Mime. Melba's Marguerite so vel
that Mr. Grau engaged him on the spo
and for three years he was a. member O.
the Metropolitan forces. Since then h,
has been singing in Europe with grea
success.
Gherardi an Italian.
The single exception in the matter o
native birth is in Piero Gherardi, the othe
principal tenor. Mr.. Gherardi is an Italian
who has been singing in England MI
Gherardi's voice is described as being n
@ beautiful quality, and while not wha
could be called robust, is still very power
full.
Wnfred Golf is a New Yorker.--He ha
Y sung in nearly every capital in the world
+ The other barytone, Francis Carrier
u is from Albany. N. Y. Mr.. Carrier is re
garded as one of the coming barytone
of the day. y.
Both of the BASES are Americans. ]
Francis Boyle is a Colorado product an
Parker Coombs Is from Maine Both c
these artists have had no instruction
away from this country but both ar
excellent musicians and have extremel
fine voices. 81 s&5 80. :. 80
Seeking Promising Recruits.
It has been wondered often lust VIII
the chorus of the organization is so goo
to look at in it's feminine membership an
so good to hear as we'll. Mr.. Savage
always on the look out for material an
frequently visits musical conservatorie
to hear promising and ambitious pupil
Aside from this there is no applicant fl
position with the company who is M
given an opportunity to sing for som
member Of the staff, and one afternoc
in the week in every city there are res
ular voice trials. The high standard
manners and morals which prevails in a
of the Savage organizations is ver
high incentive and the training which tt
successful applicant gets with the o.
be ganization is Of the greatest possib
nd value and at the same time enormol
OF capital to the young singer.
ed ed STATUS OF CONTROL BOARD