The San Francisco call., 1908-05-17

EACRITICS, according to Ham
merstein, finally amounts to
MI something. and Martin Beck
lVA says so, too. because Madam
NIauricia AIorichini was born
there. The lady herself admits the
importance Of that event in her own
career. but opposes the opinion that
her nativity has done the little island
any good. She says that this lie de
France"-which was so poor a pile Of
rocks that even Portugal didn't want
lt-ls notable. as we used 70 say at
GChooi. only for its sugar cane and
fevers; its coral reefs and wrecks; its
epidemics, hurricanes and the dodo
! bird which does not fly at all
You would never imagine that such
& temperamentsl and alluring crea-
ture as Madam Morichini could be
born in so forbidding an island,
dropped and forgotten in the Indian
ocean, coo miles or so away from any
place-even Madagascar; and where
no bird. except the stork Of course,
can fly because there is no place to
ny to. But so it is: the lady herself
afirms the fact and that settles it.
She, then. with the altitudinous voice
that charmed Martin Beck and sent
Impresario oscar Hammerstein after a
blank contract, a fountain pen and his
check book, was born in Mauritius. not
much more than twenty years ago.
The blood that warns her olive cheeks.
however, IS q precious mixture from
France and Spain. which not only pro-
duoes a pretty tint. but is fine blend
TO make a singer Of
4 speak very bad English; is it?
Yes?"
But that didn't matter at all. What
with hands and arms as wavingly elo-
auent as Mrs. CampbelTs; eyes to
tighten up numbered phrase OF Eng
French extraction, and her husband
ready to explain when my stupidity
blocked the conversation, we speeded
nicely over the distances separating
England. France and Spain, and arrived
safely at the terminus OF understanding
For all blockades she blamed me very
properly. Il gave the choice" she said
of French or Spanish OF even Italian,
and you chose English. That is my
p-orstl"
Ny mother was Spanish" she said,
and my father was French, and when
I was sHll little girl sang with full
voice like a grown up woman. Ny
aunt said, She VIII be a singer and so
was sent to Paris to study"
BECK SEES HER FIRST
That's where Martin Beck heard her
two years ago. She was making her
debut on the grand opera stage at the
Theatre Chatelet Beck heard the thrill
in her voice-that indehnable quality
which is not a product OF any place or
OF any tangible forces-and went TO
hear her again. Then he took oscar
Hammerstein. who was then collect
ing his flock OF song birds to
nutter the Metropolitan cotes and
make vocal the Manhattan. Ham
merstein did the rest and after less
than a year Of professional singing in
Paris she was made a star in a night.
"Oh, yes, ] have a repertoire now. 1
sing Don Giovanni Faust. Romeo
and Juliet Rigoletto. Lucia Tray
iata,' Barber Of Seville PagIiacci.' La
Boheme, Norma'-but we won't count
that-Huguenots. Mignon, Massenet's
That's and Manon.' Hamlet Tales Of
Hoffman and think that's all"
It seems 70 me It is about enough
for a new star
Il see that Hammerstein next sea-
son is going 10 have Madam MeIba
and Tetrszzini sing in the same cast
.on the same night" I said. seeking an
expression about those two luminaries.
Melba" she answered, lis In London
singing -OtelIo.' When a coloratura
singer begins 10 go back, as ali must DO
when the time says so. they sing dra-
matte music. That's why Melba sings
-Otello' now. She never did before