The San Francisco call., 1909-01-17

ulOLlGr CLOOl6O the uISN AuuC
slumber song to her restless baby,
singing has been the most IA
Vored and popular form of musical
expression. Even though aborigines
!. employed no words in their vocal mel
ody, they indulged themselves in that
D.: pastime long before they started in to
make flutes out Of tree twigs and clar-
: inets out Of split reeds. The develop
:ment OF the art Of song making has
always been apace with mental growth
and refining evolution. Song is mis-
tress in music's abode.
Thousands thrill TO this day at the
voice Of a great singer who remain un-
Ter Those whom God has gifted with
a voice are the favored ones always.
We give them diamond tiaras, as Nor
oica wears, and we pay them $4,000 a
night to sing if they are Carusos. Moth
:. ing is too good for singer.
While the orchestra has developed
into a complex instrument. far excel
ling in expressiveness and range a
chorus OF singers, and while grand
opera is called hybrid and an illigiti-
mate child Of the arts. the public,
swayed by the soul singing of a great
artist, prefers song.
Whenever nation wants TO honor
P: hero somebody writes a song about
kim. Tacitus. think that's the name,
tells how the mighty warriors Of the
northland put the exploits of their
leaders to music and shouted lusty
praises after battle. Even the Amer
Jean Indian has war songs. Professor
.Kraemer. over in Berkeley. has been
gathering them and making permanent
photographic records of them for the
enlightenment of future writer on
% the evolution Of song.
That's Introduction enoughi
>. Lambardrs singers are coming next
week. They are a goodly flock. and
. Sparks NJ. Berry. who is in town MAX
ing way for them to come. lowers his
voice and whispers something about a
surprise in store for US.
: 1T would be nothing new. So came
:. Tetrazzini, who is now world beam
:. ing star; so came also Salassa, who
, sang superbly and still does, L hope,
in sunny Italy-if, indeed, any one is
singing there just now. Padovani is
not TO be forgotten for her wonderful
artistry, and Parola. the tenor who
could act. is sharing honors with Caru-
d. so and Bonci in New York. Adeberto,
. Agostini, with the silvery, sweet tenor;
!; Olinto lombard, whose rugged but mel
low barytone. I'm told, is somewhat i'm
paired just now. and who is idling in
!. Italy; Collamarini and impetuous Rus
so, not to mention Pimszzoni. who was
last years sensation at the Chutes, are
. some Of the many who have been sur
D. prises in seasons gone by.
Before go any further in this story
about the Lambardi season which is
al hand be it said at once that there
.Swill be no presentation of Mascagni's
Iris" this year. We were promised it
:. Of course. but it is not to be given
The engagement. explains Sparks
!. Berry. is too short to permit the neces-
.sary work which would be entailed by
the size Of the Mascagni opera. There
would not be time TO get an enlarged
chorus and orchestra together, and the
massiveness of the production does not
says Sparks. indicate the worth of it.
Berry bade me console myself for the
absence Of Iris" from the repertoire
Of his singers with the comfortable re-
Election that Iris isn't much account
anyway.
Tt was played only three times al
together in New York" said Berry
and the critical opinion expressed al
the time was that Mascagnis iris was
a sort Of huge false alarm. save for
its gorgeous and barbaric hymn to the
sun and one or two other numbers o,
.-sser merit. The opera as a whole
failed"
So we viii console ourselves and ac.
cept for the time being at least the
unfavorabIe judgments of others in
lieu Of personal experience.
Mario Lambardi's experience as ar
impresario would iii a big book. but
he is not much given to "reminiscences
and seldom talks about himself. Some
call him Modest Mario" and the titI,
fts him with fine propriety. He has
been broke" in Chile; he has beer
aflnent in Brazil. and he has had man,
struggles in North and South America
during the more than 25 years he ha,
been in the business Of puryey1ng opera
and handling those sensitive creatures
singers. Yet Lambardi is no vocalis
himself He doesn't sing a note
However. that limitation doesn't pre-
vent him from knowing good voic.
when he hears it and from haviDs