The San Francisco call., 1904-09-18


Mozart in Dutch seems odd, n'est-ce-
pas? And the language is not so nice
TO sing in. 1t is cultural, rather harsh.
But everything. Wagner, French opera,
italian, is given in the native tongue"
How long is your season."
Eight MONTHS replied the singer.
Darling is to Romeo, again in
noisy evidence. you are a spoiled
baby, be quiet. Isn't he pretty?"
Mrs. Campbell had invited me to pre-
varication before on the same score.
So had others. So joyfully, with the
1iuency of long experience, 1 dubbed
the nO-tailed, pug-nosed, Afrikander
black little beast the most beautiful Of
its sex. Miss Francisco wasted a ten
der satisfied pat on his pink bow, and
then returned to Amsterdam.
She told me that they have there a
season Of eight months Of grand opera
at the Royal Opera-house, every year.
There are fifty-four men in the orches
ira. There is a tremendous chorus.
They sing every evening-no matinees
and sometimes change the bill every
night. Miss Francisco herself has
sung-on an occasion when a singer
please, very prettily she put it, my
friends did not enjoy her so well as
memo fewer than twenty-four times
in one month. Six times a week she has
sung not infrequently. The repertoire
includes all schools, with a special eye
TO the possible modern masterpiece.
'Zaza," Francisco tells me. is a great
favorite with the Amsterdam burghers.
I didn't mind that. Andre Chenier,"
too, is warmly approved. The dictum
had for me the fiattery of agreement.
But when I heard of their "Falstaff,"
their Hamlet" 'Herodiade,' "Sapho,"
Louise" and so on, of an opera of last
year La Princesse d'Auberge," by a
person named Blockx. who has the i'm
pertinence to be and write stuff that
people listened to for fifty-four nights
in one season, and never an echo of it
or him to reach here-well, I felt then
that We were a long way off from
things.
And they are really musical, your
Amsterdam folk?'' I asked.
Very musical" Miss Francisco
testified. You will hear your butch
er and your baker come up the steps
whistling bits of Die Meistersinger,
Carmen all the operas. It is so pref
ty much all over the Continent. You
see, the theater entrance fee is so
cheap. For 25 cents you can get a
good enough seat, and everybody
goes"
Rather ruefully I said: 1--WE heard
our garbage men footing Trovatore'
and "Traviata' and"-I Strengthened
up then to the faith Of California
we're going to make-'em here, Miss
Francisco
Gently amused she looked, but del
icately courteous If a little doubtful
OF her native State, asked: You have
much music?"
reminded her that mansions
where before there were sand dunes
was not the only change that twelve
years had brought; told her some
thing of the glories of our last musi-
cal season, and OF the art leaven in the
atmosphere. 1t was not pleasant to
confess that California, mother Of
much genius. was chary of reward to
it in its bloom. You are at home in
Amsterdam" 1 concluded.
ence in parts, Francisco had to hesi-
tate for a moment. II like so many
roles" she began, that one best usu-
ally that I am singing. I have had
good deal of success as Santuzza-'
But thought you were a lyric So
prano?"
Il have a rather useful dramatic
quality Also" the singer explained.
still, I am a colorature singer. vo-
cany suppose my best roles are such
as Lucia and Gilda. But have had
much success with La Tosca, Zaza,
Sapho-the Massenet, you know-a
little Wagner also.'
And what OF Wagner7"s
Elsa, Eva and very, very often 1
have sung Venus in the "rannhau-
SER" she replied. Wagner. 1 am
sure, would have mended his man.
ners had he heard the following in
that liquid jewelry that serves Fran
cisca for voice: Wagner, adore