The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-24


aWorsi on, yes, ,nahal ~ them, Ths,s
Wefe lailefA from mit~icAl bHIfnalA 6ferna
I'VE feadine nu'ior4 ~ special rates, circulars
frusn m,iaig tsihllalefs oNetina NE dls-
op,ihta, anil ea0ia fruin sihalna leaehass
gReTins iWe lpus0na " mt fais~' A. wss
toul enough " pHt my eddrssa IN nv ~,
Wa tsafsftsl nv u wrak With visits ffntn
hitrs and HrntiHmen who wanted Nv place
my volcr a. train me In alaht fradlne, ths
Only ,thing dtint Rri wa 80 uHer ~ :
position net even ~ Invitation ~ ~ ~
sIloWrver, ADVERTISING uyasiI sst me ID,
fpNding The advertisements ~ ofaahisfs
whu verp w se9nh ~ ajharfa, ard OH n
that I dsveloted y rich fund ~ hhovleles
n osAtnis,a fits, ~ all there we're iEs
ohclra waa NJ own toward They brais~t
my vuice anil wefp WILING IL tAke me
WHEN Aahci Alu,N feFuWhofatlun thar aaAd
they Thought I should ~ C1hteut iu give
my herviccs frf tho ~'eSt~fience' and iha
,,cunhdentw' ] wuoild Ralii IN singing hrfr's
.'fhen ihcre was tho oreABIs, Who used hs
choir to. recruit his plpils. There wcrs
dupena ~ HIN. Hntne ~ thetn could teach
singing, bat the great majority c%oihint,
They cUtitd NIL charge tho aafne fatea ~
the two o. ,hrve ercat singing teachers ~
II remember ono casc In particular. Tbs
advertisement called for SOTO singers 10 MI
u quartet at 81 Oun a year salary for tenor
and soprano place not mentioned. had
the check to 30 10 the place sst for the trails
1t was In a studio building. found about
800 singers waiting 10 bc heard. | know
q good many ~ them by his time, but I
have never met one who got ono ~ the
positions. This Ia what happened In M
own Clse.
Il was privately told to call again and I
q away walking on air. I returned.
bursting with hope and pride, and was
received by the man who had conducted
the trials, u good musician of the upper
second grade. He went through the form
Of giving me a second and more elaborate
hearing. Then he put on a grieved look
and said wouldn't do; | had "A splendid
voice but no idea of how to use 1t. His
people wouldn't stand for Crude method
and unfinished style; but II I had a quarter
or two of really good training he felt he
could do wonders with Inc for me.
Il often Wonder how many pupils that
faker got out of that one advertisement,
He got me for a whole season, and i Won't
say that he did me no good. | gave him
up to accept tho lure OF another musical
bird Of prey. This was the organist who
gets a stated sum to run the choir on and
makes what he can out OF it. He's pretty
numerous, too, and he has more than one
dodge. For instance, there's the plan OF
having you sing for a month or so on trial
particular gam that was worked on me
was the lessons in exchange game.
After the usual compliments on my
voice and knocks at my teachers, Mr..
Organist handed me his professional cir
oular, giving his terms-$S for q forty, min:
ute lesson. He then proposed that ! should
sing a year for 1850, Of which 500 was to be
In cash and the rest in lessons. ! took II,
being both green and hard up and held
IN ~. tl~oA nNDtL, Than WA had a rAp
II Is one Of my most joyous memories;
l forced it on in presence Of the choir and
told him / believed he was the worst teacher
in the world, explaining a few Of his follies
and b%lunders, at which the whole crowd
sniggered.
game could be worked on me, but there's
a new crop Of greenhorns every year, l
don't want to he unfair, so ! will add that
advertisements by organists are
bona fde and good situations are often
obtained through answering them, but,
agency which / found had some under
ground way Of keeping track OF genuine
vacancies and which often gave advice
to the people it sent after them which went
far toward overcoming the difficulties OF the
preliminary trial.
sThese trials! How they do try the nerve
Of a man. It's to escape them principally
that In dropping out: First you sing
for the organist alone. That's not 30 bad
IL O have a hint as to his weaknesses;
but then comes the church committee,
and after you have passed h sight reading
test and sung something brilliant you
will be asked to sing a simple hymn, some-
thing to touch the heart Of the plain, ordi-
nary man. There's where you can make
your mistake. II you think they're soft
and you put all the tears you W into your
head tones, you may find that they were
hard as nails and won't have you because
trying to be dramatic. On the other
hand, l once sized up a trio OF deacons for
headed business men who wanted no
nonsense, 80 | sang them q couple OF hymns
With severe classical reserve. The organist
;old me later that they wouldn't hear OF
because 1 lacked devotional spirit,
Once I won by a luke with an organist
IN whom l had no pointers. She was a
sweet young woman mt quite as nervous
Ter to play the accompaniment saw a look
II dismay sweep over her face. 1t was
Tery difficult. But she was a woman and
'ecovered herself in a flash.
" Oh said she. Dudley Buck! Very
,ioe, but think I prefer something
And she urned over her own music and
picked up a piece in a casual way, as 1t
we're, and passed it over to me.
" Here's something by Willard, said she,
that l think will do. Suppose you try 1t.
IN make allowances
Il didn't think it necessary to tell her
hat it was the second piece in my own
music roll. l got the place largely on the
equation 1t gave me for sight reading
thing which, properly speaking, doesn't
'xist.
-Anything's fair in trying to win church
'hoir position"