The San Francisco call., 1908-12-07


about the reception that San Fran
cisco will give to Nine. Nordica
next Sunday when she sings at the Van
Ness theater. A crowded house is as
sured. it would seem. from accounts at
the box office. Manag ger Will Green
baum feels sure that this engagement
at least viii prove profitable. and the
public may be assured that it will be
artistic and fine. A full account of the
artists who Will appear with the Ameri-
can priTaa donna and of the programs
which they will present will be given
in due time; meanwhile Few notes
about the remarkable woman who heads
the company will not perhaps be an1iss.
Nine Nordica was born In small
town in Maine She was the sixth girl
10 arrive in the family, and, perhaps,
as she has said. that is why she wasn't
even baptized However, her name was
Lillian Norton. When she appeared
during one of the first OF PATHS fare
well seasons at the Academy OF Music
in New York her name was still Lillian
Norton, and her success was somewhat
limited because she was obviously
American She was even then prima
donna, however, and needed only to
Latinize her name to be great sue
cess. This she did. and the public ap-
plsuded more intelligently- Her first
tour was with Gilmore's band, but that
preceded her appearance in opera and
was after choir experience and some
study in Boston.
Gradually she rose in her operate
career. and though for a while, with
the Metropolitan company in New York,
she did not see her name IN the largest
type she was called upon to sing more
often than any other of the stars. for
there was hardly soprano role which
she did not know. During the years OF
her early struggles she had studied the
operate masterpieces of all countries
and times-she studied roles which then
it seemed she would never have occa-
sion or opportunity to be heard in. But
her tremendous capacity for work, her
sensitive musicianship and her fine
presence accomplished wonders for the
American girl in crowd of foreign
sonEstresses, and the prophecies at
length achieved honor in her own coun-
try.
As an expression of their appreciation
OF her beautiful voice and splendid art
her country men and women during one
season at the Metropolitan presented
her with a diamond tiara and stood in
long lines for the privilege of buying
seats to hear this American singer
Work and worth had won. and she has
DSGn n IdNOiltt anu 4dNOlSQ pTlfnd
donna ever since.
Nine. Cosima Wagner. widow of the
immortal composer of the music dra-
mas, heard her sing and invited her to
Baireuth. Lillian Nordica stayed with
Nine. Wagner for three months, study
ing "Lohengrin' She was to create
at Baireuth the role of Elsa. She was
the first woman to sing this wonderful
role in the music center which Wag-
IND ho-
lished. Since that time Nine Nordica's
operate career has been devoted mainly
to the Interpretation of Wagnerian
roles San Francisco has good cause
to remember her wonderful Brunhilde
at the old Grand opera house. She
is one of the few women in the world
who can sing the role of Brunhilde
through the three music dramas of
Wagner's trilogy. Isolde is another
role in which she made musical his
tory She appeared with Jean de
Reszke in Tristan and Isolde" In New
York and shared even lonors with the
great tenor in one of the most notable
productions ever given this work any
where.
It is not understood that Nine Nor
dica has abandoned the operatic stage
permanently. The American public will
probably not permit this loss to opera:
but for this season she is touring and
we. out west, should be grateful, in
deed, for otherwise we would not hear
her at all unless we Travelled across
the continent.
Anyway. we'll get two weeks of
grand opera. We're far to the west
and Hammerstein has only got as far
as Philadelphia with grand opera
house and an assured annual season.
No doubt our great grandchildren will
enjoy regular yearly plunges in grand
opera by the Golden gate when Wagner
has become a classic and Strauss is
called second Mozart. In the mean