Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-29
MISS MYRTLE oUELLET

Martin, Allan Hinckley and Herbert
| Witherspoon. The orchestra players,
who manage better for themselves by
having a union, which sees to it that
no money gets into foreign pockets
that might get into theirs, walk off
with 10 per cent of this sum- Five per
cent will go in administrative salaries.
The remaining so per cent will be
pocketed by Italian, French, German,
Russian and Scandinavian fingers, con-
ductors, managers, coaches. stage di
rectors, chorlsters and ballet dancers.
These foreign artists are notoriously
averse to spending or investing their
money in this country. They will have
nothing to do with American securi-
ties and they patronize our banks only
as channels of transfer to European
repositories.
Allow for the doubling of this enor-
nous salary list within the next five
years, and we will be confronted with
an annual withdrawal of $S,000,O00 from
the wealth of this country. The eco
nomic menace of our operate develop
ment is apparent, should existing con-
ditions remain unchanged. The seri-
BUSINESS of. the situation is somewhat
relieved by the success of our American
opera singers in Germany. In the
promise that situation holds as a fu-
ture source of supply for our increas-
ing operate needs lies an avenue Of
hope that all the spare change in this
country will not find it's way eventually
into the pockets of foreign artists.
s.
Melba is announced for a concert tour
of four months in America next year,
sailing from London in August at the
close of the grand opera season. Her
season will open in Halifax, Nova
Scotia, and her engagements will in
clude principal points in Canada and
Mexico. She will receive a minimum
guarantee of 100000 for the tour. De-
cember 1910, will be devoted to a rest
in California, where her concert tour
will end, and in January she will make
her operate rentre in New York. With
a superb orchestra directed by Landon
Ronald as her sole support, Percy Har-
rison will star her through the English
provinces in March and April of 1911.
IS
when I went to Europe last winter
was honored with an invitation to
sing privately for the kaiser" writes
Madam Schumann-H Heink in the Bo-
hemian for September. HE was enter
taining the queen of England, and. l
was asked to the palace to sing while
they had tea. There were none present
but his majesty and the empress and
Queen Alexandra. l sang several Ger
man songs, and then like good Ameri-
can ClllA6n L sang nc INpoeiS' ilO
kaiser is not only a good musician but
composer, and he liked The Rosary
immensely and asked me to sing other
American songs. l was happy to be
able to sing him Chadwick's 'Danza.'
How did he enjoy the Tilt of it! He
asked for more Chadwick, and 1 sang
him % Let Night Speak of Me- He
enjoyed all the American songs thor
oughly and made inquiries about the
composers and their works. He was
much interested in Nevin, and it is a
peculiar coincidence that the American
opera 'Poia by Nevin's brother has
since been announced for production at
the Berlin royal opera"
-
The Ohio male chorus, now touring
the Pacific coast and scheduled for a
concert in Simpson auditorium the
evening of September 4, are said by
those who have heard them to be an
unusually fine company. The following
incident concerning their singing is