The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-11-18
SINGER IN
MUSICAL GERMANY
Alfred ]. BIackman Meets With
Most FIattering
Prospects.

weeks ago for Germany to study voes
nj sic, viii be glad to learn that h
has met with the greatest encourage
nlent, and has most fattering out
look. In a letter written to Mr.. R. d
R. Bode, dated from Berlin, Octobe
Is, he tells of his experiences and hi
hopes. He says;
At last have something of real in
terest to write you.
Two days ago, at the Royal Opers
House at Weimar, had my voice test
ed as to whether, in the opinion OF
these opera leaders, it was good enough
for me to practically give my life up
for. Well, at the appointed hour of
4:30 p. m, went with Mr.. Voss-
hFs is a German noble and one of the
leaders in literature here, many of his
plays and poems being famous in Ger
many-with this gentleman I went to
the place and, of course, met the two
head men of the opera, the musical di-
rector and the first lady singer, and
they were my judges.
was on the stage and sang the
first, No. /, vocalize in my Spicker.
Of course, sang with a piano. These
good folks, my judges, were in the
audience, or, rather, were the people,
sir, during performance. After a
got half through my solfeggi, the in
tendant stopped the music and then
all four of the persons aforemention-
ed held conference for about FIVE
minutes, and then their verdict was
that the material of my voice is excel
lent, but IN have to do much hard
work. This is exactly what you told
me and what / knew. But how ner-
yous I was! I simply trembled. First,
because I am not used to singing i'm
such places, and, secondly, / knew that
L was not at my best owing to irreg-
ular practise. However, L pleased
them, and from Weimar proceeded
here (Berlin), and upon the recon-
mendation of His Excelleney the In
tendant, as he is addressed, am 60
ing to study with Maestro Franz
Emerich, Berlin, and am assured by
my friend that this teacher is most
e2 cellent, many of his pupils now
singing in the royal operas. l am to
receive a letter of introduction and
from the Royal Opera
House of Weimar, so, you see, this
will carry weight. / have been quite
a while getting started, but if it had
not been for Mr.. Won Voss, who knows
all the difficulties of the stage-and
his name amongst these people is some
what a Roosevelt might not yet
have been here. He practically guided
me; saw different people for me, and,
in fact, did all he possibly could for
me. He was so anxious that l start
with the right master. And now for
a brief outline of my trip from San
Francisco to New York and Bremen.
The trip across the continent was very
trying and took me about six days,
because I went by way of North Caro-
lima and then to New York. L was in
New York two days and one night,
or1 u,uco1f cav fGrFba
Merry Widow" and it is great sue
cess. Music, action and plot are fine.
On Wednesday, September p, at 10
a. M, / sailed from New York on the
Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse and enjoy
ed every minute aboard this splendid
liner. For three days the sea was as
smooth as a river, and the last three
were somewhat rough.
One day, off England, in the morn
ing about o clock we nearly ran
steamer down. was awakened by the
footing and blowing of the whistles
and mostly by the vibrations caused
by the reversing of the ships propel-
lers. I jumped out of my bunk and
looked out the portfolio and could just
make ont, through the dense fog, a
ship steaming by our bow. 1t was a
close shave, but very few of the pas
sengers knew anything about it. We
reached your dear old England about
9 in the morning, and it was mostly
enveloped in fog; only occasionally
could we make out the green hills.
France was quite different, her beauti-
full green hills showing themselves off
in the brilliant sunshine. After that,
about in the afternoon, we arrived
in Bremerhaven. From the distance
we could make out the peculiar house
tops and the picturesque old windmills,
and then, on nearer approach, the
solid sturdy appearance of things.