New-York tribune., 1908-08-02

Theatre engaged her for series OF represen'@
tons, but met unexpected obstacle In the loiiii
of refusal of the Intendant of the Court Iheatre
to restore her the privileges which she had 1or
feited by breaking her contract 1t was long oeiore
she succeeded in making peace with the govern
mental administration of the Court opera anu III
the public discussion which accompanied her eIl0ftS
she took part in eminently characteristic way
The newspapers were open to her, and In the ber-
lin ."Tageblatt' Il think it was) she defended her
course on the ground that America had enapleo
her exercise her talent in field which the moe
bound traditions OF the German theatres Wouio
have kept closed to her. Once hor1d singer al
ways a forid singer. was her complaint and she
added: 'One grows weary after singing nothing
hut prncesses for fifteen years" Though she began
in Carmen" and followed with Faust, Miss Len
mann soon got into the Wagneran waters IN Whlch
she longing to adventure. and In them SET
some channel buoys which the New York public
still asks Brtinnhildes and Isoldes to observe 1t
was then however and still is. characteristic of
her broad ideals in art that. while winning the
highest favor in trsg gic parts. she preserved not
only her old skill. but her old love for good singing
in the old sense. When at the height of her Wag-
merriam career. she sang at performance Tor her
own benefit she chose Norma
From 1885 till the time when her operate exper
ences had become the exception to her rule of co
work the greater part of her career was spent
in New York; and during the whole of the period
she was in all things artistic inspiration and
zeal and unselfsh devotion in preparing an opera L
have never met an artist who could be even re-
motely compared with her When ''Siegfried was
in rehearsal for its first American production she
took hand in setting the stage Though she had
nothing TO do in the second act, she went into the
scenic lumber room and selected bits of woodland
scenery and with her hands rearransed the set
so as to make Siegfrieds posture and surroundings
more effective. When the final dress rehearsal of
.Cfotterdammerung'' reached number of the
principal singers still uncertain of their mu-
sic Miss Lehman was letter perfect usual.
but without demur repeated the ensembles over
and over again, singing always, was her wont,
with full voice ami intense dramatic expression
This had been going literally for hours when
the end Of the second act reached. When she
came into the audience room for the intermission
ventlred expostulate with her:
My dear Miss Lehman, pray have care. You
are not effecting your debut in New York, is
You will weary your voice. Why do you work so?
Marhiren sic doch!"
mark!ren thu Ich nie!' (''Markiren" it may be
explained is the technical for singing in half
voice or Just enough TO mark the cues) AS for
the rest rehearsals necessary if not for one 9
self then at least for the others. Don't be alarmed
about my voice. 1t is easier TO sing all three
Brtinnhildes than Norma You carried
away by the dramatic emotion, the action and the
scene that you do not have to think how to sing
the words That comes of itself. But in Bellini
YOU must always have a for beauty of tone and
correct emission. But L love Norma and Mozart s
'Entfihrung.' "
Very different this from the conduct of Max AL
vary after he had begun 70 grow into public favor.
He was son of the Dusseldorf painter, Andreas