Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-03
BY Genevra Johnstone-Bishop

of the matter, and the intrigue was
stopped On the eventful evening the
air of hostile expectancy. The opera
was Lucia" The singer appeared
amidst silence which was interrupted
now and then by Kissing sounds. Hard
ly had the first notes been heard until
q change of opinion took place in the
audience, and the ovation which she
received after the mad scene was tre-
mendous. The press extolled her in
comparable singing, and her victory
was complete. Melba Is a great favor
ite In London, where this month she
celebrates the twentieth anniversary Of
her debut before an English audience
She has visited America several times,
and is always welcome and a great ia
vorite. She is simple and frank in man
ner, almost rude upon the first intro
ruction; generous by nature, and they
say not given to malice or jealousy
She was divorced from Mr.. Armstrong
about seven years ago and makes her
home in Paris, where she spends por-
tion OF each year with her only child,
son. This son married two years ago.
and Nine. Melba is now a grand
mamma.
Emma Eames was born in China,
but at very early age was brought by
her mother to Boston, where she re-
ceived her education. Mrs. Eames was
a highly accomplished musician and
was her daughters earliest music
teacher. AS her voice developed she
sung in church choirs and in concerts,
where her naturally pretty voice at
tracted attention. She then went to
Paris and experienced considerable diff
ficulty in obtaining an engagement.
The road to opera is full of intrigue
and machination. Her voice was of
hut Inf uyQ q
one of her great faults, and although
considered one of the beauties of the
stage she had little magnetism, and a
fault of extreme calmness in the most
vehement scenes, which often times
ruined the Interpretation of the role.
For instance. her Marguerite was never
a success In 1891 she accomplished the
difficult feat of singing the part Of Elsa
in "Lohengrin" after only one re-
hearsal. However, we must remember
that Jean de Reszke was the Lohen-
grin, and a great help to her in max
ing her role such a success. She can
not be compared in any way to Nor
dica, in my opinion the greatest artist
America has ever produced. During
the season of 1898 In London Miss
Eames caused a sensation by marrying
Julian Wetmore Story, young artist
OF much promise. The circumstances of
the marriage were rather romantic, be-
ing quietly married in an old church at
Bray, which dates back 1000 years. and
gave rise to a good deal of newspaper
comment, Mrs. Eames being very much
opposed to the marriage. During the
last year they have been divorced
Eames is living near Boston.
California added star to the operatic
armament in Sybil Sanderson (althoughf
a little starr, who made her debut in
1883 under an assumed name at The
Hague in "Manon" She was success
full, and in a few months came out at
the Opera Comique in Paris, creating
the role of Esclarmonde, which Mas
senet had written for her and in which
she had the advantage Of the COM
posers instructions. She was the
daughter of a lawyer in San Francisco
of high repute, who became judge OF
the supreme bench and later chief coun-
sellor of the Union Pacific railroad.
Probably no opera singer has ever had
greater advantages in the preparation