The Washington times., 1904-10-02
Comic VS.. Grand Opera.
FRITZ Schef Objects to Rusting in a
Vie Repose.

Really, comic opera Is grand" and
FRITZ Schen laughed merrily.
There. I've made a comicaI American
/ pun; isn't that grand? Oh, dear. I be-
( lieve 7 almost made d worse one. said
I Jhe little prima donna, as she assumed a
I look OF horror that would charm an
idol
/ Miss scheH. vivacious and charming as
ever. told the interviewer much about
( the comic opera which she adores. and
why she has changed from grand opera
+ 90 star in THE Two Roses in which
I she viii appear the coming week at The
Z National Theater
Comic opera" she said impetuously.
/ 81 love it, / adore it. / cOuI5 not do
my best work in grand opera, although
J have studied it aIl my life.
Americans treat grand Opera much
differently than Europeans Why I'm
Munich. for instance, the companies
which sing Faust 'Lohengrin.' and
'Tannhauser' also sing Fra Diavol0.
/ 'AIiguou,' La Boheme,' The Daughter
of the Regiment and other operas
which you call light here in America
Must Be Singer, Actor, and Speaker
There is much more opportunity ID
accomplish something In comic opera
Of high class You may be a singer, an
a-JoF, "a speaker-aU three-to the FULL
g extent iu comic opera ia grand
ia you need to be only singer. So
I feel free. ! feel as If 7 had room
when I am making the most of role
in opera comigue- There Is more scope
the f5eId is broader the work Is better
suited to- my personality, and my love
for Fl naturally results ~ my singing
end acting the better
'It was "a line iu q newspaper thar led
noe 20 make up my mind 70 turn from
strand opera TO comic opera / mad Ions
contemplated the step-in fact, my pres
eat manager Air. Dillingham;, Hrsl sus-
gesJed IL 10 me rEree years ago ln Lon
don He saw me in .EOheme,' az the
Coveut Garden. and wrote me for an
interview. 4 saw him and he proposed
signing me right there and tnen TO come
90 America at the head OF a light opera
COMPANY WAS in love with grand
orc~.t then. il being oaly my second year
ON the stage. and I would NOT listen To
the idea AT intervals during my eN-
fer5elce iu grand opera. Mr- Dillingham;
rtDeated his offer. and other managers
frfad 10 show me the possibilities OF sue
cess iu the line that I now know Is best
suited 90 me. but ] had been brough. u3
ia the atmosphere of grand opera and
il was hard FOR me 10 see my way 10
desert
but the constant appeals had an ef-
flCt ] didu realize. and one dag when
3 saw the same suggestion ia type iu
tHe papers. r came over me suddenly
that would like 20 yry the experiment.
aud / wrote Immediately 10 AIR. DIE
lUEnam that Z woulG see him and en-
tgrtaiu q business proposition when I
reached New York. And that is how it
came about Needless 10 say am happy
DOW over tEa change. For everybody
has been aWluuy ze0J 90 me.
Brought Up in Grand Opera.
"I have said was brought up m
srsHd opera My mC;acr was ara is sUr-
t.s-.ui lu Ihat Hyld and I studied all
the gTeat roles when I was yeJ a youug
GlrL never thought Of becoming any
thing else than "A CaIve, and YOU can't
dream how hard / did Woodworking.
noon, and night IL was piano, scales.
and lyrics, over and over again, Don't
ever think it is fun preparing for a
career Oh the operate stage
As / grew older, the love or the j5y-
GUS and lively seemed 10 develop ia my
nature and I found myself decidedly out
Of sympathy with many Of the roles
was called upon to study. There were
many parts in grand opera / liked but
others 1 detested. When I really g0t
on tlg stage / found I had 10 sing SOME
of The latter and ] naturally rebeII-d
One may .f-arFaFrrTE- 4rr4f77 a.. NO..