The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-05

chieyous IA pretension prevails, not ohiy
among those who can barely be SAID To
sing, but among the meanest instrumental
performers. who though they never sang
nor know how TO sing, pretend not ohly
TO teach, but to perfect, and find some
that are weak enough 10 be imposed on.
These observations Of the eminent Pier
francesca Tosi should be read with dis
erection. Tosi was no longer a great pubic
favorite when he penned them. Like the
rest Of lis he believed that he Jaw things
going 10 the demnition bow-wows wnen
| nothing serious was the matter except
that he was growing old He was sure
! that the singers who hourished in has youth,
| singers 10 whom he refers n "ancients'
we're much better than the half baked
pupils of the teachers who were trying to
rob him of his justly earned place as an
| instructor in the art Of song.
The great singers Of 1927 were great in
! deed Nevertheless there must have been
many bad singers and a plenty OF quaok
teachers. or else Tosi would not have writ
ten his pithy comments on the general
state of affairs vocal.
His words in regard TO teachers bring
us down to one of the causes of the scarcity
Tos had reason TO complain about quacks
certainly we have far moro. The pitfalls
that lurk in the path of the aspirant for
cultivation in the art OF singing are in
Vulnerable And what is more 10 the
point, they exist not only here, but In
Europe where all students Of singing are
advised that they must eventually go In
order to perfect Themselves in their art.
II was only n few days ago that the
writer listened to the sad struggles of
young singer TO emit tones This singer
had studied with some of the most famous
teachers IN Europe and had sung in public
in London and Paris for four years. Her
voice grew steadily worse. She went from
one celebrated master 20 another, TIL finally
she could not sing at all. She had given
UP in despair and abandoned her career
whom she was sent to certain specialists
in this city who hope to rid her Of tho in
cubus of artificial emission by which she
is now crushed and to enable her once more
10 produce the musical tones which nature
bestowed upon her.
This example is not the only one that
could be produced. As for New York, it is
abundantlv supplied with quacks, who
can ruin the best voice that nature ever
supplied, and falling that can at any ratio
teach a student 10 sing with wretched
uunlity of tone and with the taste Of
Thames bargee. Fortunately there are also
competent teachers in this city, and IT is
possible for n student 10 get the voice
properly placed before going abroad to
sat,iratc himself with culture which is
certainly not 20 10 obtained here II is
indeed indispensable that every student Of
music should for time dwell in the at-
moephero Of the art live in u community
where the cultivation Of music is the hourly
thought and where its practices IS regarded
a. the most important business. No such
community can be found in this country.
Above al things the student of singing
should be willing TO take time. II is no ar
eument against the expenditure Of years
on this study 20 say that Patti sang when
she We 10 or that Sembrich studied singing
only two years. This argument is apple
able only to a sec ond Patti or a second
Sembrich. Nature did for Adelina Patti
what she obstinatev refuses to do for
thousands of others. Sembrich was n
thorough musician, a virtuoso pianist and
violinist before she began the study Of
singing She had already mastered the
art Of phrasinR and nuance. She had
perfected tho eXactnes5 Of a naturally
fine ear. She had acquired an exquisite
sense Of tone color. In a word, she had
refined and deepened her musical sensi-
bilities To such a pitch that she was pre-
pared to critic-e her own attempts at tone
formation and delivery "a no beginner
of tie art OF singing unprepared as she
was could hope 70 do.
Her case ia somewhat like that Of tho
great Malibran. whose excellent father
Garcia had her thoroughly instructed in
piano playing. st the age Of II she was
able to play the principal claver works
of Bach. and it was after this that her
father began to give her elementary in
struction in singing She made her debut
when n mere girl and was successful from
the beginning
Most artists are more likely to have
career like that Of Pasta, whose voice was
always hard and refractory. so that she
never succeeded in thoroughly conquering
1t. Nevertheless, her splendid dramatic
instincts and her untiring industry led her
20 the top of her profession
Lilh Lehman. who Is 60 years old and
is still able TO astonish and delight Europe
with her beautiful voice and noble style,
says that students Of singing should be
willing TO labor for six, or. better, eight,
years before attempting TO appear in pub
lie. This is certainly an extreme view.
The pupil would be possessed OF very
stubborn voice or lack OF intelligence
who would require eight years Of study
to fit him for minor parts in opera.
Perhaps Nine. Lehman was thinking OF
the concert platform, that pitiless exposer
OF vocal deficiencies. To stand nlone
without costume or scenery or orchestra
or dramatic action and interpret the master
songs Of Schubert, Schumann and others
does indeed call for all the resources of
art. and no half-taught singer could hope
to succeed in such an undertaking.
If a person honestly desires to become
a great singer there are certain things that
he must learn. First OF all he must learn
how 20 produce a perfect tone, a tone that
has a musical character, that will carry
without laborious effort, and that can he
properly sustained He must learn to sing
this kind Of tone throughout the range Of
his voice, without disclosing to the hearer
any appreciate change of quality, or any
break between registers This is the be-
ginning OF all things in singing.
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