Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-05
Calves Battle With Poverty.

Nine. Calves dark hours came when she
was studying IN Paris with Rosina Laborde.
The French soprano went there late in the
'1Os to begin her musical education, and
she carried from the peasant home at Au-
vergne no large allowance for her ex-
penses. She was indeed very poor, and,
like many another singer, 1t was through
the generosity of her achers that she was
able to complete her musical education.
They were willing to wait for their recon-
pense, as they usually are IN the case of
such talented pupil as Emma Calve was.
But the struggle with poverty grew very
fierce at times and the Singer who has
been described by those who knew her then
as an uncommonIy beautiful girl felt that
she ought to be able to enjoy something in
her youth besides work and poverty.
ut seemed to me that / was waiting too
long" she said. ~ still had year of study
before could expect to earn sou, and the
struggles of my family to keep me in Paris
were too great. I thought, to be allowed
So I determined to earn some money at
once, whether II ended my study for grand
opera or not.
Unknown to anybody, I found out the
address of a cafe chantant in which 1
thought I would be able to get an engage
ment. 1t was small place of the second
or third class, where l had heard I could
appear In evening dress and not be COM
PEELED TO sing. comic songs or wear fantastic
costume. 1 saw the director, told him that
tunity to show what 1 could do. He told
me to come back the next morning and
sing for the conductor of the orchestra.
Il did not sleep a wink the night before
The next day | sent word to Nine Laborde
that could not possibly come to my lesson
that morning at IL. and went In bus to
the cafe, which looked more disreputa BILE
and dingy than ever in the morning light
1T was extremely necessary for me to
have some money, however, and I prayed
that the conductor would like me. I sang
for him several arias, and 1 naturally Sc
lected these thought could do best. But
he was not impressed.
My dear child he said kindly you
might do very we'll some day for opera.
But you'll never do at all for cafe chan
tant. 1t takes great talent to succeed
here. should say that you would be best
in church or grand opera
II was terribly disappointed could scarce
ly keep the tears out of my eyes, and hur-
ried home to cry myself to sleep.
Il only learned later what good fortune
1t was failed to get an engagement in the
cafe chantant The satisfaction of earning
money might have been great that
would have given up my study to devote
my time to the sort of singing that would
never have led me anywhere. Within
year / was able to make my first appear
ance In opera. But I was almost crushed
by the disappointment when it happened"
When Fortune Came to Melba.
When Nine. Melba, or Mrs. Armstrong,
as she was called then, went to London de-
termined to become a professional singer
she was already a wife and mother. and.
unlike Sembrich and Calve, she had never
known the sting of poverty. But she was
anxious to start her career at once. So
before she went to Nine Marches in Paris
the Australian soprano determined to save
the time 1t would take to learn French and
Italian by appearing, If possible, with the
Carl Rosa Company. Mme.. Melba finally
succeeded In securingTan appointment with
Mr.. Rosa, to whose house she was to go at
a certain hour
Nine. Melba was on hand. but Mr.. Rosa
was not at home. She waited one hour
and did not lose patience. She even wait
ed four hours. Then. she left without see
ing the manager, who had forgotten all
about the appointment and gone out of
town. Nine. Media has since that day ex-
pressed her delight at the, chance which
prevented her meeting with Mr.. Rosa, al
though she wrote to her father in Austria
liza that night that she was coming home
because her disappointments were SO great
she would d,n never have the patience to be-
If Mr.. Rosa had kept his appointment
and heard Nine. Melba sing he would in all
Likelihood have engaged her for his opera
company, and her entire career would In
all probability have been different 1t is the
misfortune of English opera to stand al
ways on a lower level than opera in other
tongues. Nine. Melba would never have
had the opportunities Of which she availed
| herself so successfully at the opera IN
Paris and at Brussels
But she could not know all this on the
! summer day in 1885 when she sat waiting
| four hours for the impressario who never
| arrived, and she says laughingly now that
| the tears We're streaming down her face
when she finally left the house to start
| homeward
Emma Eames' Darkest Hour.
! Two years later Emma Games was a
fellow pupil of Nine. Media at Mathilde
Marchesis school In Paris. Mime. Games
made her debut two years after the Aus
| tralian soprano. She was engaged first
by one of the directors of the Opera Com
ioue. and it was settled that she would
appear there as Violetta il La Trayiata,