The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-25

persons appeared to be interested. Some
OF the prima donnas had CONF to hear this
slip of a girl sing, not 80 much out OF Curl
| osity as to the nature OF the girls talents
as from the desire to satisfy the friends
who wanted her heard by some famous
singers.
She sang Commas tU le pays from
"Mignon," and the surprising tempera-
ment she exhibited then made it plain that
il she ever did get on the stage she would
be an actress Of striking talent. whatever
her success in other ways might he. The
principal reauty Of her face in those youth.
full days was her wonderfully expressive
blue gray eyes.
There was enough confidence in her
future to make il easy to send little Geral-
dine Farrar to Europe when she had learned
all she thought she could here. sgd
Farrar, her father, had been in his day a
noted baseball player, and that is not the
way to save up a fortune. 1t was therefore
necessary to look elsewhere for the means
to cultivate her voice with European
teachers.
There we're more offers to do this than
the family could accept, and Mrs. Bertram
Webb of Boston was accounted fortunate
when she gained the consent Of Mr.. and
Mrs. Farrar to pay for their daughters
musical education. How good an invest
ment that was the great success OF the
young girl showed. She has been more
acclaimed in Europe than any other Ameri-
can prima donna. She has made her great
est success, moreover, in Germany, where
audiences, even IL they are accustomed
more to bad nging than to good, are
critical.
There il no place like Germany for the
girl who wants to make an operatic career, .
she told The sun reporter the other day;
for audiences there are more exacting
than anywhere else in Europe in the way
that is best for the beginner on the lyric
stage. The spirit OF the Wagner operas
has so dominated German taste that the
dramatic and musical features Of a per-
Torrance are inseparable.
at is not enough that an artist shall sing
this or that aria we'll. She must sing all
the music. and she must, moreover, i'm
~personate the character just as she would
in a play. The best German singers try
to fill a part just as completely as an actor
does in a play.
Think OF the discipline OF the Royal
Berlin Opera House. which makes it punish
able with a fine of 100 marks to acknowledge
the applause OF the audience even with a
nod while the opera is in progress. Such
a thing as an encore is out of the question.
That spirit impresses strongly on "A te-
ginner the idea that the dramatic side Of n
opera is not 70 be overlooked. l dom
know any other country in which so much
importance is laid on the dramatic seal OF
opera.
Miss Farrar has no faith in the familiar
theory that German discipline does much
TO break the lighter lyric voices that are
tried sometimes on tasks that are too heavy
for them.
at is the fault OF the singer" she said.
~if she allows herself to be called on TO do
work for which her voice Ia unsuited. Take
my case. once tried Leonore in II Trova-
tore and do not sing the role now because
it is too heavy for a young singer. In
every way the direction Of the Royal Opera
House in Berlin was as considerable OF me
as it possibly could be. For the first
eighteen months / belonged to the com-
pany / could not sing my roles in German.
/ was allowed, therefore, to perform them
in Italian until l had studied long enough
TO know the German language. Sc you
see I had no reason to complain.
Il was even allowed TO wear my own
costumes, which l consider more tasteful
than those provided by the opera house"
Miss Farrar smiled az IL the thought OF
those costumes awakened amusing
memories. There has nearly always been