The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-01-02
FIFTY YEARS A SINGER.
Charles santley Relates Some Interes

CHdIleS Sdluey Relates Some interest
ing Experiences
Ons of the events of the season will
be a great concert under royal patron
age at the Albert Hall next May, which
Lord Kilmorey is organizing in cele-
bration of the stage Jubilee Of the
veteran barytone, Mr., Charles santIey.
Though it was so long ago as 1857
that Mr.. Santley, then q man Of TWEEN
ty-three, made his first appearance as
a professional singer at the Crystal
Palace, the popular singer is still the
picture of health and good spirits. He
laughs to scorn the notion of retire.
ment,
I am" he said yesterday. to a Daily
Chronicle representative, "still as Wig
orous as Ne was thirty years ago. I en-
joy my morning walk as much as + did
when first came to London, and if a
man can walk VIII there is nothing
much the matter with5hims'
The public already knows d good deal
of Mr.. Sankey's personal history
through his autobiography entitled
Student and Singer" which was pub
lished some ten years ago.
When this book was published" he
remarked, II thought / had used UP
my antecedents and related all my ex-
periences, but things come back to one
in really marvslous manner"
In the course Of the ensuing CONVEX
sation MIR, Santley referred to the old
days of Her Majesty's, the Maymarket
and the Gayety, at which HOUSES he
sang in opera.
I'VE had good all-around casts" he
remarked. When Faust was brought
out in Italian at Her Majesty's in 1863
Tietiens was the Marguerite, Trebelli
the Siebel, Giulini the Faust and Gas
ster the Mephistopheles. / was the
valentine, but I had some trouble in
getting Mapleson to allow me to take
the part. His intention was to let a
crorus singiar have,it, until explained
to him that the death scene was one of
the finest sections or the opera. and
that thought might MAKE something
OF 1t. Happily. my ambition was real
lied, and Gounod thanked me for hav-
ing creatsd part which before had al
most passed unnoticed."
Mr.. Santley did not care to express
any opinion regarding present day con
certs, but he acknowledged that there
wers several very good conductors.
Occasionally have suffered from
the incoMa eteneyy of country conduc-
TORS" observed the veteran. II was
singing at provincial town some
years ago when the gentleman who
welded the stick bestowed a sharp RAP
on my cranium@ A few minutes later
he again hit me. He afterward be-
SLOWED his attention OIL the lady vocal.
list, whose chignon he controyed, with
a single flourish, to detach from ohei
head much to her annoyance and in,
| convenience, as she had I'd continue hei
solo holding the chignon in its place
with ona iland and her music with this
other. After this / Immediately re,
tired out Of harms way, to the grea.
amusement or the audIeYfce.
"a few conductors I have met have
desired to shorten the. performance o.
popular loratorios like Messiah ant
Elijah by cutting out some of thu
principal recitaives and arias. Not long
! ago one obscure Individual desired ms
T to leave out the number Is not his
word asked him his reason Wall
Mr. santley, it goes so quick, he re-
piled. Why do the nations would
have had a similar fate had he had hi
way, but in neither instance could
consent to the proposal. "-Londor
Chronicle. .