Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-30
Music and Musical Notes

who have been brought before us this
season. Some have come trailing long and
naming European regulations behind them,
and others have come with focused fame
What is focused fame? Well, it Is fame
earned in one place. Geraldine Farrar'
enjoys q highly focused fame. She is cele-
brated throughout Berlin. She is the dar-
ling of the Kaiser Wilhelm's capital. On
the other hand, Eleanor Broadfoot that
was, Eleanore de Ctsneros that is, has
moved by successive stages upon Madrid,
Rome, Milan, Vienna and London and has
been acclaimed in every one of them. Yet
despite her reception in these various and
varied centers Of musical taste she did not
carry across the Atlantic One-tenth Of the
reclame made for the youthful and COM
paratlvely inexperienced Miss Farrar.
The explanation is after all not difficult
to find. Miss Farrar made her success in
Berlin, where the standard of operate sing
ing is extremely low In Germany today
two qualities are demanded Of opera sing,
ers, namely. plenty OF tonal power and
ability to exercise It from the beginning of
the opera till the end. In plain and inele-
giant language, the acme of lyric art on the
German stage Is lung power Every one
sings hard as possible from beginning
to end. There are occasional flashes of
pianissimi, but there is no middle ground.
beautiful, smooth, sustained cantilena
In the medium voice over a subdued and
mellow accompaniment is one Of the rarest
heard. AS for the finer ,graces OF vocal
art, their existence is not even suspected.
The Germans learn nothing from sembrich
But to return to the real point. Berlin
Is no place to determine the world standing
of an operate artist. Singing of a most
crude and uncultured type is accepted there
provided the voice be good and big. Now
imagine the sensations of these Jaded and
dulled Berlin audiences when Geraldine
Farrar, with her sinuous and svelte figure
her splendid dark eyes, her restless and
temperamentai action, her picturesque
appeared before them. Add to these quail
ties her genuinely fresh and beautiful voice,
with its youthful Vigor and its reckless
plenitude. Is there any wonder that Berlin
went into ecstasies over her and thought
Il had found an operate jewel OF the
Now what has happenedP Miss Farrar
has returned TO her native land, carrying
upon her fair shoulders the burden of this
20 live up to 1t in the Metropolitan opera
house. OF course she had no conception
Berlin she was surely told aIWays that
In America no one knew anything about
art In any of its forms, and that when she
the ignorant and benighted Yankees
Miss Farrar walked upon the stage of the
Metropolitan Opera house. where youth.
beauty fresh and glorious voices and the
highest lyric art of the world were no
strangers, and she created sensation
S By wsst IN X ct
one admired her beauty Every one was
delighted with her fresh young voice
Every one saw in her a splendid dramatic
able future But only a few easily in
fiuenced people accepted the verdict OF
Berlin and acclaimed her as a great artist
Since. the first night there has been little
enthusiasm about her Probably in her
opinion. which will be backed by her
friends" this means that the Americans
do not know a good singer when they hear
one. These poor, foolish Americans, who
adored Grisi and Jenny Lind, who wor,
SHIPPED Patti. who loved Gerster, who Law
ished their praises on Lehman. who have
poured adulation at the feet OF Sembrieh
and Nordica. these foolish Americans do
not know anything about singing.
Prophesy is no part of criticism, but in
tons are too plain to be mistaken. She
stands in New York at this instant at tho
parting of the ways. IL is open to her to
take one OF two paths. She may either stay
here and study such great singers as come
under her observation, learn how to place
fined, reposeful, finished style, and become
one OF the greatest lyric artists the world
ever saw. or she may break her contract
with Mr.. Conried. return TO Berlin ana
scream out narrow German career in ton
Years
If she continues to sing as she does now
she viii tear all the velvet on her voice in
that time and will have left only a dead
wooden. unmusical tone, She has not the
physique Of a Lehman. She is not a
with perfect art or she will blot out its
beauty. In Berlin that will make no differ
ence 10 her. provided she can keep its power
As long as she can scream she VIII do
well enough for Berlin. But the doors OF
La Scala Covent Garden and the Metros
politan Opera house will be closed TO her
A happy New Year and many Of them
MARY LEARNED.