The Washington herald., 1907-09-29
BY DEXTER MARSHALL.

your two hands, and have fingers to
spare" said an enthusiastic Operagoer TO
the writer to-day.
Yet American aspirants for opeTatic
honors continue TO come 10 Paris, a SEEM
ingly endless but ever hopeful procession,
each Of whose members knows we'll
enough that 80 per cent of the sister
hood are doomed to failure, but believes
herself to be of the 1 per cent upon
whom fortune may be compelled 10 smile
I cannot understand It at all"
This mans point of view. say the stu
dents Of singing and their friends in Paris.
is too pessimistlc. Then they make out q
list Of the American woman singers who
have won recognition IN the French capt.
tai, but, OF the best. the showing Is not
very startling. Emma Eames always
IS placed at the head of the list, of course;
she is a great and shining star, by whose
light her aspiring sisters seek the path
to fame and fortune. After Eames comes
the late Sybil Sandcrson, whose success
here was much greater than Eames', but
whose temperament was too artistic" +"
not TO say erratic, and whose Operatic
career lasted only a few years. Emma
Nevada is sometimes mentioned, but she
doesn't belong, really, since she failed
IN Paris, although successful elsewhere.
Olive Fremsteds European success, al
most as great in Germany as in New
York, did not include a Partisan career;
but Geraldine Farrar and Miss Lindsay
both received Partisan training and both
have sung successfully here The latter,
indeed, has been a drawing card at the
opera for the past three years. She Is
Of Scotch blood. although known as an
American, where, it IS understood she
was born, but she has lived here ever
since she was a little girl Marie Van
Zandt, who also was trained here, was
highly successful for a time, but her
career was stopped suddenly by an out
burst Of her own temper. Something hap
pened one evening when she was on the
stage which so exasperated her that she
expressed her opinion about a lot Of
things IN words more direct than polite.
Mary Garden. opera cOmique prima donna
for several seasons. came here from New
York. where she was taken when only
nine years old, and so is spoken Of fire.
quently as American, although really she
is Of Scottish birth.
Lillian NorGiCa won great success
here and is in great favor with the Paris
ian opera public, as well as the American
contingent, but her European training
was received in Milan and her debut
was made there. and not here. as Eames'
was Pauline Donalda is a French-Cana-
dian. and not an American from the
No haa her
although she has been highly successful
IN other places on the European side Of
the water, particularly in Nice and Lon
don. EameS herself is a native Of Shaug-
hal, although her father and mother were
both Americans. Nine. Cisneros, who
was Eleanor BrOadfO0t Of New York
and the daughter OF a civil war veteran,
studied a. Milan and won the repute of
a high-gTade singer both there and In
Vienna, before going 10 New York. She
has also sung in London with success.
Marguerite sylvia, now and for Two or
three years a pTima donna at the opera
COmique, who, of the stage, is Mrs. Will
fam D. Mann, and whose husband was at
one time manager Of the Herald Square
Theater. New York. is Of European birth,
although often called an American. Jane
NOTia, a prima donna at the Opera
House. and who has sung Juliet there
with Alvarez as Romeo, is from St Louis,
where she was born LUdwig and christ
ened Josephine. Blanche Hamilton Fox
of Boston, whose stage name is Blanca
VOlpiRi, IS carving out for herself a sue
cessful musical career in Italy, but never
has attacked Paris as yet. She IS the
daughter Of Mr.. Albert Fox, Nell known
in half the big cities Of the States. Miss
Lucille Wasself, a New York girl, who
rFYt H. 2, Z
viii make her debut on the grand opera
stage next year after a long and severe
probation here. She IS a protege of Jean
de Reszke, who expects 10 be made di-
rector OF the singers at the opera, and II
IS understood that he will see that she
has contract after the new director Of
the Opera assumes his place next jan
uaTy. She has been in Europe five years.
one Of which she spent in Berlin and four
here. She sang at the Opera Comique
one season, and so will not be unknown
10 the Paris music-loving public when
she makes her debut in the "Huguenots"
early next year. She expects to sing,
also, IN 'LOhengTin" as Elisabeth, and in
The Yalkyrie' as GTuenelda.
Emma d'Egremont. VINO was Miss
Emma Estelle Potts, Of the Berkshire
Hills, and now is Mrs. H. F. Twining
the wife Of a representative Anglo |
American business man, sometimes resi-
dent on one side of the ocean and some
times on the other. won an engagement |
at the Opera House some years ago. bur
never was allowed to sing upon its stage. |
a fate which has befallen more than one /
American girl after she had devoted years /
OF time and effort and thousands Of dol |
lars TO Partisan training.
Miss d'EgremOnts case was not OF that /
nrF hos
years ago she was the soprano of the |
Church Of the Heavenly Rest In New 1
York. One summer she decided TO take |
a vacation in Germany After visiting /
two or three Teutonic musical centers /
she came 10 Paris Here Guilmant. the /
famous 0rganist heard her sing and was /
pleased He insisted on her singing be- /
fore the director of the Opera, and he /
gave her a contract after one hearing. 1
with the provisO that she should learn /
the French language TO his satisfaction
before making her debut For some rea-
son she never fulfilled this condition, and /
so never has sung at the Paris Opera,
although she has sung much and sue
cessfully In public, both in France and
in England.
French and American Training.
It isn't a new story that far too many
American dollars are expended upon the
Partisan singing teachers. but It can do
no harm TO quote Marguerite sylvia upon
that point;
There are as good teachers OF the |
voice in New York. Boston, Philadelphia,
Washington, and other American cities"
she says, "as there arc IN Paris. and no
American girl should think OF coming
here until she has gone as far as she