The St. Louis Republic., 1904-08-21
So Declares Nine. Schumann-
Heink as She Takes Up Her
New Work.
LIGHT PART MORE ENJOYABLE.
Opera Comique Has the Delight
full Charm of Voice and Move
ment. She Discovers at
Rehearsals.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
New York, Aug 2o.-"Are you angry at
mo because 1 am going to sing in comic
opera? Tell me. IS the American peoples
angry at me? Tell me from your heart
up. is IT,
So spoke Nine Schumann-Heink in re-
sponse TO question as to why she had
deserted grand opera for comic opera
And also why she had denied the Wag-
uerites the pleasure Of hearing her mag
Iificent coutralto tones in Wagner's works.
Nine. Schumann-Heink off the stage is
even more fu.I OF magnetism than she is
on 1t. When she talks she Is always busy.
Unconsciously she acts with every sen
tence. and acts it with a grain Of comedy
that many comedians would bs only too
glad to possess.
In appearance the great contralto Is the
typical Austrian woman and evidence OF
the health OF the Austrian woman Of the
Black Forest. Her cheeks are rosy. her
eyes are bright. She Is agile. almost
slender. and she evidently enjoys nothing
so much as being constantly on the move.
There is piuuant touch TO her facial
expression which many a soubrette would
give years to possess. Nine. Heink speaks
English fiuently, as the saying goes, but
she reverts TO German unconsciously and
frequently.
GRAND OPERA EASY.
L do hope continued Nine. Heink,
that Tho American people, who have al
ways been SO good to me. will not think
because 1 am going TO sing In opera
coniiGue that ! am climbing down the
* a ia
yes. To me the grand opera is now the
easy work. Comic opera. or, as 1t should
be said here, opera comique, is condl-
ton for action. In tho grand opera there
is no action. There is only the voice: The
opera comique has this beautiful charm
to it-there IS the voice and the movement.
sess & voice It is an actress that should
have been: l would have glorihed in 1t.
because ] like the acting even moro than
l like tho singing Of the music.
OF course. IL the public do not think
that 1 am the right person TO sing in the
opera comique. why then shall submit to
their very good and better Judgment and
sing in the grand opera There are many
offers waiting for me over there In my
desk for me to put my pen name to. In
concerts this year In your country l have
been most delightfully."- successful. The at
tendance has been even larger than l
could have hoped, and my money returns
si. have made me feel very hap.y indsed Ieis
away already with one Of those long, sad
faces. He Is sad that way because / am
not going to sing any more In concert
He is very nice man. and l am sorry
for him that l am not going to sing any
more in concert yet awhile"
AS TO "PARSIFAL"
Have you ever thought OF singing Kun
dry i'll .Parsifal7'"
Il have thought Of It moro than any
thing else for the last year. But would
not do 1t; Never. I mean never except
at Baireuth; For MI; Co1ried IL, would no no
other dreadful thing. 1 would not sing
Kundry for Mr.. Conried or any other
American manager for piles Of money so
high; yes. SO high again as that" Nine
Schumann-Heink illustrated her words
with an upward sweep of the hand which
reached from the floor to the ceiling.
riches. have few riches and little money
it Is known in this country. To me
money is a very great thing. because !!
spent SO many years as poor woman. !
used to scrub the floor and wash the win
dows and work as hard as any servant
that YOU can know of. and each morning
pennies to buy my baby bottle of milk.
All my life until recently I have known
this pinch. this bite: this hunger. which
1 say that no amount OF moneys could
make me sing in 'Parsifal' in this country
you may be sure that feel right up
from my heart about IT, as It Is"
FRAU WAGNER'S AID.
And why is it?'
''It is because that very lovely. most
charming and most rememberful woman.
Frau Cosima Wagner. discovered that
had voice which would please people to
hear and take away the poison OF that
poverty sting. She has ever been one Of
the best friends Of mine that do exist: IT
To mt 1.r Yrfeh hat On fap eh hn
sung in America. Her wish is my law and
my command. From me will never come
the music Of Kundry's, songs anywhere
She She writes mo letters with the most
charming endearments. Even on the out
side Of the envelope she puts such nice
girl with her first sweetheart Her son:
Siegfried Wasner. Is Just as nice. and
more so. You see here this letter from
him css Tich came vo 6ut no,;as snort II tine so aso
his most best friend. don't know how
you say 1t in English; but it is something
very nice in German"
15. 1861. in little hamlet near Prague. She
makes no secret Of her 2 years, and rath.
er glories in them. Even her wonderful
by the way, has never been and Is not sur
passed by any woman in the world, Is not
to her such source Of pride or self-grat-
she proudly calls herself mother.
SANG TENOR SOLOS.
Nine. Heink was tho daughter Of an
Austrian army officer, a certain Major
Roessler. When she was II years old her
education was turned over to the care OF
the Ursuline nuns at the convent at
Prague. Nine. Heink herself admits that
she was a pretty naughty little girl and
that the nuns had their hands quite full
in curbing her boisterous spirit. Despite
Mime. Schumann-Heinks reverence for
Frau Wagner. II was really the nuns in
the convent who discovered her voice She
was installed in the choir and sang boys
parts in hymns-that is, tenor solos. Her
musical career really began then in that
little convent in Austria, as 1t was there
that the deep symphony and soulfulness
of ner rendtions of sacred songs first
manifested the fact that she was one of
the natural human songbirds Of the world.
After the child who sang tenor solos
had spent two years in the convent her
father and his regiment were transferred
to Gratz and there 1t was that she FIRST re-
ceived systematic musical education, un-
der Won teclair, and there It was that
Marie Wilt noticed the possibilities of her
voice and propkesied her future musical
greatness Impelled by the fire OF her
youth and with certain confidence in her
desire to be an aid to her father In his
straltened circumstances, with a large
family to support. Nine. Heink. who was
then only a wee bit Of a girl. attempted to
gain foothold in grand opera 1t was
g1l~ l>r h,ya ay1A . h0 ut,A