New-York tribune., 1908-11-16

House. who was then an assistant conductor under
Slgnor Vianesi- Nine Sembrich was then a young
singer, in the second year Of her career, and with
Christine Mission headed the company engaged by
Henry E. Abbey open the rival to the
Academy Of Music where Adelna Patti and Etelka
Gerster were the TIVE stars. Nine. Sembrich had
made great success during the previous spring
season at Covent Garden under the direction Of
Ernest Gye
Mr. Abbey retired from the mana cement of the
company after one season. and German opera
gwen. Nine. sembrich sang that year in Paris
Spain and Russia, and did not return the United
States until the season of 1851 although after
the practical retirement of AdeliRa Patti she had
become the first soprano leggiero or Europe, and
appeared with success ir every important opera
-heuse of the Continent. After appearing here for a
few months III concert she came back during the
following season to sing her repertory at the
Metropolitan During the season of 1sOO-'61 she
singing here in returned the following
year to the Metropolitan. and has been there con-
tinUously ever since.
During this time she has sung her regular
repertory in addition to such parts as Eva IN
Die Meistersinger,' UIana in Paderewskis opera.
'Manru,' and Elsa in ''IOhengrin' (on tour. More
familiar to her New York public Tioletta
Giilda Elyfra in ''Ernani," Rosna, Susan aah, As
trafamente Zsrlina n Don Giovanni" Amina in
la Sonnambua.'' Norma in Don Pasquale" and
Amina in Il Elisir d'Amore," all operas that
we're placed in the repertory for her sake
Roles that she has sung abroad but in the
"Entfuhrung aus dem SeraiI' and Cost fan
Tutte' Bizet's Les Pecheurs de Perles" Rubin
STEMS THE Demon" and Tsehaikewsky's "Eugen
Onegin.'
After Nine Sembrich has said soodby to the
stage of the Metropolitan Opera House she will
go to Europe. where she has been invited to sing
in the European opera houses with which her
fame is associated. She will appear in Berlin.
Vienna, Dresdsn-where a series of Italian repre-
senations has been arranged in her honor-in
native cty-Hamburg. Munich and BUDAPEST
Nine. Sembrich will sail for Europe on February
10. Immediately following her farewell appearances
at the Metropolitan Her European season opens
in Berlin during the third week in February.
In the Chapters of Opera " by n. r. X, which
were printed in The Tribune last summer, Nine.
Sembrich's career ana art were described as fol-
lows;
OF the musicianly qualities of this charming
singer recognized this first acquaintance. we
TO have demonstration before her depart
ure which in the highest degree surprising;
sympathy for Mr. Abbey IN MS great IosseS, anu
admiration for the self crihcing manner in
as @si' we'll as to the public led the tors of the
Metropolitan Opera Company to offer nm q Deiie-
cessful beyond anything that local records had to
show up to that time, the profits amounting to
upon the sSge and played q violin obbllSaIo 70
Nine NilssOns performance OF tie taInllaL I baCILI
tSounod Ave Maria; again she appeared ana
this time played Chopin Mazourka on the piano
forte In every instance she was the complete
artist and the public who had charmed by
her vtcberies as Mozart's Zerlina and melted
BY the pathos of her singing in the last act OF
i a Ira viata" we're "A loss 10 say II she had
shown herself greater artist IN song or IN m
strlImenta music a pianist or FloHnist- IL
was not until many years after she had returned
To ErIrope to continue her operatic trlumphs IN ST
Petersburg Madrid Vienna. Paris and Berlin that
| learned the story OF her life. and with 1t the
secret of her musical versatility; now she had
started life as a player of the ptanoforte ana
violin with her father at dances in the houses Of
the wealthy folk in her native town in Poland
gone 10 the conservatory in Lemberg TO study the
oia noforte been taken the Conservatory at
Vienna by Professor Stengel Ghen her teacher
nov, her husband. because there was nothing left
in his system OF instruction from which she could
profit and rhere been advised TO study singing in
stead of the pianoforte with List. her proud
teacher had fondly hoped. II was Professor Ep-
stein who gave the world one of the greatest
singers of our generation. but in doing 50 he
robbed it of a panisI OF doubtless equal calibre
So far as I know. the story of Nine. Selphrtch Is
without a parallel