The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-26

L
aIOT unconventional associations;
- full of vim, nerve and vivaci-
E&ET "; utterly determined to ar
EkEEU rive by force of persistence
as well as OF ability-this is
the type of girl who squirms past the
guardians of the impressario's office
presents half-hearted note OF intro
ouctlon, secures a coveted opporJuuity
10 Try to make good" in the chorus
or Robin HOOdSland" or ..MeRpv
from Madrid"; takes the fancy of the
Town INCLUDING the Johnnies in the
DoN); IS promoted to a leading part in
the latest musical extravaganza ''The
Slow Cum; is diligently written up by
10 a standing as an American celebrity
With the certainty that London will go
wild over her a little later
such girls are exceptional. Even of
those who begin the study of profess
sional music resolved to become sing
ers in grand or light opera, distfn-
guished ViOlinists or pianists or re-
nowned composers, the number OF
those who are ever heard from is neces-
sarily very small. 1t is truism 10 say
that peculiar qualities of temperament
as well as technical accomplishment
are needed for advancement in the Sc
rlous profession of furnishing musical
amusement to the nations; compare
lively few places are open and those
only 10 the specially gifted and the in
domitable.
What becomes of. those who fail?
bor the most part, according to Mr.
Ralph L. Flanders, manager of the
New England Conservatory of Music.
IL can be said safely that they succeed
IN less arduous and eXacting work a
book shortly TO appear, giving statis-
tics as to the wherea bouts and present
callings OF about 2.O0G graduates of this
MuslcaI institution, is revelation of
the native aGaptability of the average
american young person and of the ca
pacity of the American public to assin-
late specially trained workers and find
something for them to do. In spite of
the army of musicians turned out an
nualy by the very considerable num-
Der of American music schools. to say
nothing of the output from European
academies and studios, nearly all seem
eventually TO find places. The girl
who after finishing her course at the
conservatory spends a winter vainly
gardening the doors of metropolitan
hnpressarloS only to discover that such
talent as she has is all too plentiful
often finds out that by giving lessons to
the children Of West Side families she
can manage. to meet the monthly hold
up which is technically known as rent
in New York'S musical center: or, fail
ing that ever-present refuge of the
Gothamite musician, she applies TO a
teachers agency and secures a position
with at least a living salary attached
as head of the musical department of
a Presbyterian college in Alabama or
as vocal instructor in a girls finishing
school in New England
reaching, of course, is traditionalIy
the main reliance of the musician, man
or woman, who has not succeeded In
arriving at great popular favor as
performer or who does not care even to
aim for this kind of success. F,xami-
nation of the list of graduates of the
New England Conservatory, the oldest
or American music schools, reveals that
at least SO per cent of the women grad
yates either are now teaching or did
teach before their marriage. Many stu
dents enter such school with no other
object in view. Oftentimes they come
from cities or towns in which the op-
portunity to make a fair livelihood as
music teacher is already present
given only a sufficient technical pro-
iciency- \ girl entering the conserva-
tory with a view to preparing herself
Tor such place cannot be said TO have
1alled TO become NOrdica; she never
planned to be anything of the sort But
great many others start out with no
lower resolution than that of enthraIlinc
Boston. New York and London: and IN
a great many instances they fetch I'D
2s very useful and efficient musical in
eateles.
All sorts OF factors may initiate
against students accomplishing what
she had cut out for herself A certain
girl. for example. who came to Boston
from a village in New York state about
SIX years ago had a feeling for the
violin which made her masters predict
great things for her. She was a tire
less student-rathert too tireless for the
only criticism of her work was that she
frequently exceeded her strength. In
her daily exercises she was admira bile
But physical frailty. conjoined with ex-
treme constituencies of spirit. made pub
lie appearances a. torture. During the
latter part of her course opportunity
after opportunity was made for her to
exhibit before a Boston public the
talent which her instructors knew she
had developed; and on every occasion
she did wretchedly The newspaper
critics wOndered-and, to the young
PERSONS CONSERVATION, said so i'm print
why so feeble a performer had been
starred.
Still the girl chung TO the idea Of be
coming professional She needed
money but she declined two offers to
teach which presented themselves
directly after graduation. One. of her
instructors, feeling certaiE that the
young woman would never succeed I'M
less something of the sensitiveness and
shyness could be rubbed off by contact
with the everyday world. got her a !
chance 10 play in a woman's orchestra /
A. a Htkn grace metropolitan vaudeville !
house The conditions there were /
favorab BILE: strong musicians |
nave grown out OF just such an environ /
ment, for the nightly grind that dead /
ems the sensibilities OF some steadies |
the faculties of others. The girl was |
to no Unpleasantness of assoc |
ciation- Her fellow performers were \
generally retired. well educated and |
we'll trained. The work was not Excess /
sively severe The music played was /
good of its kind, and rather simple /
Yet the young virtuoso. though given /
2 fair trial by the patient manager
still could not conquer her nervousness |
and spent all her days in anguished ex- |
1ectation of the evening performance. /
At the end of two weeks she gave it /
1p, and was glad to take a place of /
special teacher OF the violin i'm a l
wealthy western family. That was I
nearly two years ago. She has since /
hen worked up a clientele i'm the city /
% which she went, is successful with !
her pupils and is earning a very hand /
some living. Incidentally she has not /
made a public appearance since she /
eft the orchestra and does not expect
a.