The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-01
GRAFTINGON The PRIMADONN
SOCIETY EXPECTS TO BE ENTER.
TANNED BY HER OFF THE STAGE.
II the Dinner-GIying Hostess Can't Get
One star. Another VIII Do--Bcgln nj
the Top and work Down is tho Rule
How SINGERS Feel About Going out.


the Top and work Down is tho Rule
| How SINGERS Feel About Going Out.
Ono phase Of her prominence which
the prima donna does not enjoy Is the
attention OF society. II Is agreeable to her
| to have the boxes crowded when she sings
| and to have none of the orchestra seats
empty. She knows, and her ger
| knows. however, that the test OF singers
popularity Is not to attract this public
only.
The most profitable magnet is the singer
who packs the galleries and balconies and
| fills the back spaces Of the orchestra and the
parquet. with hundreds standing.
| To make herself popular with society
| It Is frequently necessary for the prima
! donna to allow society certain OF the dis
| fractions which it demands from her, She
must go occasionally TO dinners and teas
| and do some OF the other things which most
| singers, for excellent reasons hate.
when | came back TO America from
| Europe said one of the women who are sup
/ posed 20 enjoy in large measure the friend
/ ship Of tho fashionable world, Il found
| myself invited about q great deal. AS l
| have always been careful OF my voice above
! everything else. l accepted very few OF
/ these invitations at the beginning, and
now accept still fewer.
1t is all very factoring to be invited
| out to this or that persons house until
| you have learned how selhah the motives
| OF your hosts really are. They like TO
| have all the well known singers from the
| opera at their houses. and 30 the dinner
invitations come pouring in
sThe inexper1enced ones who have Just
come TO this country feel that they are being
| highly honored. 1t only takes n little
while, though, for them to learn that there
! is no great honor in it.
If the hostess fails to get one prima
donna she will struggle to get another.
When abe does not meet with SUCCESS in
| that quarter she viii angle for contralto
| OF barytone, and. failing either, Ia perfectly
| willing TO have some member OF the opera
| school.
1.-THE prima donna who goee out most TO
dinner is likely to be the most amiable OF
them all, but the social success Of singers de-
Ponds in a large measure on their ability
to ray no to the persons who want them
to ornament their dinner table along with
the flowers and the plate
After d while come of the persons whom
she has been kind enough to favor with
\ her presence frequently viii want her TO
Z s}nx &a6 GONE charity, and 1t will be either
fslsH&S> ~ ebeTtt9 get out OF that or she
Y %Nl 49, ,tilod, 10 submit. For that
reason GSSssshs .uinst be wary of accept
ing in5..1tions.-
Most OF these women have been In the
world long enough to extricate Themselves
| tactfully from any disa greeable complica-
ton which may arise from the desire TO
get them TO sing for charity. There are
many excellent reasons, however, why
thew do not care TO accept the social at
tentions which New Workers are always
| trying TO shower on them.
Few prirna donnas are willing 70 sit in
room where anybody 10 smoking. To
some the least bit OF smoke is harmful.
Nine Rames was once unable 10 sing in
! Philadelphia because n man had smoked
In q room three days before she occupied it.
Then there is the danger OF hot rooms and
cool cabs and other complications which
lead ultimately to infamed throats.
-If YOU are always sure that these people
with whom Won dine, TO their great delight.
and generally to your own great WEAKNESS,
said the prirna donna quoted would always
| come to hear you sing and buy tickets
when you gave concerts. 1t might be worth
! while TO waste time with them. But that
does not always happen.
THE people. in fact. who run after you
most and are anxious to sTend money in
! entertaining you TO their own social az
P-andiZnment are the last ones IN the
! world in some cases, to buy tickets when
! you sing They seem TO argue that so
! long as they have given you dinner there
! Il no reason why they should BUY tickets
J to hear you.
/ Wiiet this may bc true Of the great singers
/ in the opera company it il certain that
/ the smaller ones owe much Of their SUCCESS
| to the peIslstency with which they pay
| calls and keep themselves friendly N many
houses. One BARITONE who Tor several
! years has given concerts in this city IL a
! most successful social worker and, fine
artist as he is most OF his s1ooess Is due
! to the interest he has aroused In women
! Gble to be of use 70 him.
| Such methods could not help person
who sings at the Metropolitan, although
| they do aid concert singer immensely,
| Several years GFo young woman who
| had not made great success at the Metro
| politan Opera House cams back from
| Italy in her second season armed Win
! letters which she was certain would make
| her the greatest card Of the season ut the
She scattered her lcttera right and Jeff
! and found the persons she met chaTmuGly
! bosuitable and delightful. She had on
vas tired and in poor voice hall tho time
/ Then tho friends in the boxes who had yiven
! her tho dinner the night belore would ob-
serve that she was such charming woman
| and II was too bad she sang 50 poorly.
The great public which did not have the
| orDortTritv 10 come in contact with her
| personally and could only Judge from her
/ t.crforrnances on the stage saw nothing
! attractive in her whatever, go she lost her
| ensa rernent at the opera altogether, and
] -, lraCk
Thrrn are few times vhan these women
arc able TO accept invitations Even Nine.
| SenFa4- Bettaque. although staiwart Ger
| man pritna donna. never goes out Of the
| house the day before she sings, or on that
! day Emma flames stays in bed oil day
/ rftc- she has sung and never goes out the
evening before or after.
Nine S4rntrich rarely leaves the house
tho night before she sings. and Just ss
rarely misses d long walk lasting two OF
] three hours In the open air on the davs
on which she "a 70 appear. Mme. Nordica
confines herself 10 the protection q ono Of
nor automobiles IL she ventures out the day
before she sings, Aino Ackte follows
! the example OF LIN Lehman and stays
I In bad the dsv she sings- This sort Of
regimen p rrnts little time for even the
fow social diversions that the average