Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-13
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completed And this preliminary educa-
ton, the training of the voice, the acqui-
| sltion of expression and artistic apprecia-
ton, can be gained just as well, and at
| less expense, in this country than in
| Europe. There are just many good
| teachers in this country as there are any,
where. And there is nothing about the
climate or air of European city which
| lends a magical aid to voice production.
| The real trouble with American stu
dents is that they go about singing back
wards. girl makes some success in her
home town. and then goes to teacher in
the city. The first question she asks is
Have 1 a voice for oratorio?' or Have I
| a dramatic SOprano?' or Have / a voice
| for concert work.
| These are questions that an honest
| teacher cannot answer for two or three
years. He must wait to see the develop
ment of the singers voice and the singers
| intelligence 1t is not enough that a singer
| has naturally good voice. She must
have also intelligence, the power to ex-
press through her voice her own feelings,
| the gift of artistic expression
| The great singer is more than vocal
monograph. Just as the painter on his
canvas sets down a scene as he under
stands and feels it, so singer must inter-
pref. through her own feelings and emo
lions, the song or oratorio she is singing.
Later in her education her teacher can tell
| her whether she is to be church or con-
| cert singer or go on the stage.
The student of singing should begin
WITH a thorough training of the voice, sup
plemented by broad training in music.
She should study languages and literature,
particularly English. She should have
an appreciation of poetic values, prosody
and metrical divisions in their applca-
ton to song. She should be able to ap-
preciate and crticise intelligently the pro-
ducton of Bache symphony, the sonatas
OF piano literature. etc. Three to five years
are none too long to gain this preliminary
training, and it can be had as we'll in this
country and under better living and moral
conditions than in Europe. After this
course she is then ready to specialize.
The gull1bility of many people in must
cal matters also initiates against their
success in this country, and makes them
easy victims to the mere word Europe
IN the first place, there are still girls who
thlnk they can study for one year under
a teacher and become great singers or
teachers of a method. One year under a
teacher Is practically useless. for in that
time the pupil cannot gain enough Of the
new method to do anything with it.
Many girls go abroad because thew
think musical advantages are cheaper
across the Atlantic. Suppose a girl goes
to Europe for four years Her passage
will cost her at least $16O for the round
trip on the steamer, or $40 a year. Her
board in Europe for cheap but decent
place will come up to $50 month, or $500
year; her fees at the conservatory will
be 500 year, or total of 500 as a mini
! r.,
or admission to concerts
If the girl wants to live in refined sur
round1ngs her board alone will amount to
| at least $500 a year. If she takes from
| private teachers her lesson fees will be as
| nigh as she cares to make them. In New
York, where the cost of living is high for
this country. a girl can live in very good
place for 81 week and get a full course
| under the best teachers for thirty weeks
| for $500.
This makes the course of her thirty
weeks $40. In vacation she can return
to her home and save her board or be-
cause she knows America can earn some
| money in the summer to held defray her
| winter expenses. She also can find oppor-
| tunlty for making money in the winter or
of working for her board at odd hours in
America. In Europe the American has
| little opportunity or no chance of earning
| any money at odd times because she does
not know the language and does not un-
| derstand the customs of the people.
IF she succeeds in getting employment
| she will find the money paid for such
work tritiing compared with what she can
| earn In odd times In her own country. In
| act in this country there are many am
| bilious students of music who are able to
earn the entire cost of their musical edu-
| cation.
ct will not be long, the advocates Of
American training hold before impre-
sarios VIII be drawing their singers from
| New York. There are several good schools
| there nOW-Onein lower 9th avenue, in the
historic old LenoX mansion, to which
James Loeb, banker, gave 100000. The
| music lovers fearing the sum might not
| be adequate have guaranteed to meet
any deficit to $4,000 a year.