The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-08
Story Of the Recog-
ffnitio1 and Advancement Of a
L Musical Genius.
SOLD PAPERS IN CLEVELAND
Young Russian Changes Name
u to Italian, Joins Opera Com
"A pa,1v and Advances to Fame.
.fsncclal to The Times Dispatch)

: r
I I. Il NEW YORK, April Tin one OF the
II most handsome houses In West Fifty
n seventh street, there Is living ,o-aaS
d a. young man Of twenty three. VINO iess
than six years ago was selling news
& papers or backing boots IN the str s,s.
. 5f Cleveland, Ohio. His wonderfully
rapid rise fron, obscurity ana no., po ,,',,e
Il 10 fame and wealth reads very ni.'cn
n morn like some work Of fiction IMAM
Nanything else.
s3EFIBcrnard Landino is his name, and IN
X New York this name Is in the mlnd Oh
" every )oyor. Of music, whenever one
speaks OF the latest find" 1t IS need
K less to say that there is no end OF sehsa-
4 tion caused by the story OF his marvel
y Gus success, and there arc those VINO
arc predicting even greater triumpls LOT
i this renarka bic young man.
4 Four years ago, when Signors Mas
car1,y and Mancinelll were In this
I country, Landino was hard at work sell
Il Ing papers in front of the Cleveland
Y Press" office. About the time that Mas
\ gsaEny decided to take his opera COM
bany on a western tour, Landino had
adrifted into n cigar factory where nc
worked side by side with Miss Rose Har-
3 riet Pastor now the wife of ~. G.. Phelps
Stokes. who 50 nearly carried New York
LOT Inc MuuiClDhl sillp .i-NtiS ~
the last political campaign. Dissatisfied
with cigar making. and longing for the
open air. Landino again sold papers for
his living. He was nineteen years old,
and his schooling had been so sadly neg
5lected that he could not speak Engllsh
f1rtllcr than to make himself understood.
lie had come from Russia with his pa
rents, when he was six years old, and
had aided in the support OF the family,
who we're often in sore distress. The
family was large, and it was one con-
,tinuous uphill struggle to make both
ends meet. Often the parents were out
SSpf work, and sometimes they had no
home The charity OF their neighbers
almost as poor as themselves. saved
them more than once from the street.
Changed Name to Get In
III When Mascagny reached Cleveland his
chorus of singers had dwindled down to
such an extent that he had TO advertise
n or others to take their places. Among
5fhose who applied was Landino. He was
sHhe only one not an italian who thus APP
ssplied. His voice was heard and he was
5dtold that If he could think up an Italian
name, he would DO accepted. lie modl-
4 fled his own name, and the result was
Sks,Iandino." He stnid in tho chorus just
two weeks, for Mascagny was QUICK 10
Tee that he had a fine voice. Ihen q
{ ANAL role in "Irisn was assigned to him.
And this he filled until the company
i reached Chicago. In this city the com.
ssnany experienced such succession OF
sreb,1ffs as to have completely d!shcart-
5lencd the conductor. 1t is strange that
sSI4andino, who was tho only one not an
italian in the company. should nave
4 aieei1 the only ono with any Tuck. For
H1t was here that Luigi Manclncli, who
lAt-thls time was with the Grau Opera
II II Company, was also In Chicago, and had
s.-r1ft tended one Of the Mnscagny operas
This famous conductor, who has since
4 become recognized as one of the great
A est Italian operate composers CEro
8$sLeander'D, was at once Interested IN the
lad OF nineteen with such a fine voice,
8and when he learned that this boy had
never had n singing lesson, nc was al
most Indignant. "Sucl 4 voice, ana
8uo training. Such thing is more than
4 a Disgrace" is what he said.
8I Given An Education.
b 4. THO up-shot of 1t was that he came
4 East with Mancinclll, who. with the aid
2 Of prominent persons in this city, pro-
syidcd the means for such study as the
young man needed. Professor Greece
q took charge OF the studies. and Nine.
sI.illlan Machin assumed the RESPONSE
isbillty for his musical education. AS Il
result OF hard work. Landino now speaks
English, French, German and Italian in
III way which WOULD puzzle the best
Scholar TO determines from what country
The really comes. He has n fine memory.
and his answers are very clear on every
subject. He is an athlete, and can do
"stunts" on the bars While his voice
was his passport from the world OF
ldrudgcry into that Of luxury, and while
lit was his voice which received the first
attention. he has received an excellent
education, and he Is stil studying as
hard as ever. IF the boys knew what
Studying meant, You would never need
"a truant officer" is the way Iandno
puts It,
j, The success of Landino is assured. He
has gone through the most thorough OF
musical tests and has come out I'M
,scathed He has song before members
i.of Die Liedcrkranz, New Works. most
{ musical and artistic society, and those