The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-27
ENGLISH GRAND OPERA STARS.

For our musical entertainment we
continue to draw largely from Europe
the best operate talent that continent
produces, but among the new impor-
tations of this season to augment the
forces of Henry w. Savage's English
Grand Opera company, we are merely
getting back home talent that has been
refined and rendered more valuable by
the foreign process of training. There
is a score of sopranos, tenorS, BARI
tones and basses in this company and
only two foreign voices. This certain
,ly speaks well for the progress of ma
tive singers in recent years.
1t is some eight years since Henry
w. Savage conceived and carried out
the idea of grand opera in English as
a popular form Of amusement for the
American public. To many people the
beauty of grand opera is lost because
of a failure to understand the lines,
and it is to this class that Mr.. Savage
has appealed with unvarying success.
This year Mr.. Savage has secured
from Europe a number of new stars
very close to first magnitude. Not
only are all the prima donnas Ameri-
can born, but the chorus is now made
up of all-American voices. This Is the
first time in the history of grand opera
| that any manager has been able to Sc
| cure an all-American grand opera
chorus. The Savage choral body Is the
result of eight years work in carefully
recruiting from the best Conservatives
and music schools Of the country.
In Mr.. Savage's English Grand Opera
company this year no less than seven
of his prima donnaS, tenOrS, baritoneS
and BASES are singing in America for
the first time Among the talented
prima donnas none is more favorably
known than that fine dramatic So
| prano, Gertrude Rennyson. Her IA
Vorite roles are Desdemona in "Othel-
in 'Lohengrin, and the title role in
| ''Tosca.'' Miss Rennyson is a Penn
sylvania girl, daughter of the late Capt.
Rennyson, editor Of the Norristown
Times. After preliminary concert work
Miss Rennyson went to Paris for three
years to sing and study under Koenig,
the great voice builder. Miss Kenny
son is one of the three American girls
to sing the role of Desdemona in
Verdi's "Othello," the others being
Emma Eames and Albani.
Marion Ivell, the contralto whose
| Carmen has attracted much serious
attention this season, is a Minnesota
| girl, who has had four years in Paris
under Sbrigia, the famous teacher Of
| the De Reszkes and Pol Plancon. Miss
| well is mentioned as the beauty of the
English singing prima donnas, and has
| the honor of being the youngest Amer
| lean girl to sing the role of Carmen.
Her voice is rich, velvety contralto
| of almost phenomenal depth and pow
err Miss well sings to "a" in alt.
easily and often gives a clear, strong
| high &C" with inspiring purity of tone.
| Her favorite roles are Carmen, Ortrud
| in 'Lohengrln," Azucena in 81 Trova-
tore and the Gypsy Queen in "Bohe-
milan Girl"
| Notable among the new importations
| this year is Miss Rita Newman, the
| California mezzo- soprano. Miss New
man has had eight years on the con-
| tinent, with three years grand opera
work in Hamburg and Berlin. The
| last three years she has spent in Paris,
! devoting her entire time to study with
| Marchesi. Marie Roze, whose former
American triumphs in English opera
are remembered by the older genera
| ton of opera goers, and Nine. Vein
schenk, the great nise-en-s scene teach
er of Paris. Miss Newman delights in
such roles as Ortrud in Lohengrin,"
Azueena, Santuzza and Siebel.
| Another of this class of more than
passing interest is Miss Jean Lane
Brooks, whose father, the late Gen.
Edward J. Brooks, and whose sister,
Miss Madeline Brooks, of concert and
oratorio fame, are well remembered in
army and musical circles in the coun-
try Miss Brooks is brunette beauty
| in her early twenties and Is a product
| of the West. She was born in Fort
Smith, Ark, and lived until she re-
moved to Denver. From childhood her
! training was the special pride of her