The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-02-23

My good wife, though lacking some
what in physical endurance in other
lines, is able to stand lot of grand
opera Annually she breaks over her
habits of consideration for my feel
ings and insists that l go with her to
some yowlverein at some otherwise
well-behaved place of public assemb
lage.
Annually l go.
The other night had one Of these
seizures. 1t came upon me unexpect-
eddy just as | had been expecting it
would We were to go and hear some
nice old lady, cosmetically picked into
a long-distance semblance Of youth,
sing a few preliminary rounds with
some vocal welter- weight, catch at the
ringSide.
After we had struggled in from
Oak Park and had inserted ourselves
into our seats in full view Of the
elaborate display of bare floor on the
stage, man with horse-collar clothes
came forth from behind the curtain
and cheerfully announced to us that
we weren't going to see what we had
paid for Instead, we were to have
something he and his friends had Sc
lected for us. The holder Of the heavy
weight championship vocal belt had
been out skating. bare-footed, or some
thing like that, and had caught cold
in her throat, also in the height OF her
season, and could not even think
above B-fat whisper. Consequently
some of the hired help would come out
and quote a few pages from Roman
lyric dictionary for us.
The audience Kissed and applauded
with great enthusiasm. The hissers
went home. The applauders stayed.
We stayed with them.
Thereupon | saw great light as to
the inwardness of the grand opera in
dustry. In order to run grand opera
play it is necessary to have one we'll
known American singer to do the fire.
quent marrying that secures the prop
err amount Of advertising. Also she is
to do the sore-throating for the entire
outfit. Among her duties is being in
| terviewed and denying that she is en-
gagged to somebody else and that she
was not secretly married last night
between the third act and Jackson
boulevard. This she has to do, be
sides the arduous task Of having the
press agent print her name in the
score cards on certain nights.
As a rule, these duties SO exhaust
her that by the time she has got
! through with them she has no more
voice than a minority stakeholder at
| the annual meeting. So just as the
orchestra is beginning to make noises
like bee under tin cup. a man
comes out from behind the eighty-foot
portieres and announces that the bella
donna let her voice fall last night
! from upper c to F, breaking 1t so ii
would take several days to repair it
! and that Nine. Allegreti Tarantula
would sing the leading role Of some
! thing she had once overheard at q
choir rehearsal This delights people
so much that they go home to tel
! their friends if they have any. II they
have no friends they stay for the
grand opera.
| So, in addition to this great person
age. there must always be a large
collection OF Italians. These are fol
singing instead of interviewing. Some
body who can has 10 sing They sc
out and do the real work. while thu
top-liner has some well-known throa
virruoso play few choice selections
on her vocal chords with an atomizer
loaded with the kind OF .ermicid'