Omaha daily bee., 1909-10-10
SINGERS BURN THE MONEY
Fortunes Won at the Footlights Van
ish Through Many Exits.
SPECULATION TAKES LARGE ROLL
some Also Are Prudent and Lay ny
a COMPREHENSIVE. Patti the
Richie of All h Prima
Donnas.

Is attributed TO the great expenses of
her way Of living rather than to speculs-
tlon, the usual means by which operatic
savings disappear. She had a house I'm
Park lane, London, which she built with.
regard to cost, and a home in Paris.
In recent years she has associated with
Titled aristoeracy OF England, and that
costs money even in the case Of a famous
prima donna.
There she has not sung so frequently as
In former years, although her expenses
to increase, notably after the
Of her son to the laughter OF
English general, a marriage that soon
ended in the divorce courts. How much
Nine, Melba's expenditures on the British
aristocracy helped her was shown by the
alacrity with which society established
her rival at Covent Garden.
1t has always been said that Aired Roths-
child who did the same for Adelina Patti
had invested Nine. Melba's earnings for
her In the most advantageous way. Her
father, a contractor in Melbourne. Is rich.
SO Nine. Melba will never know want.
Her career was different from that Of most
singers IN mat she never knew poverty.
Wilson's Ample Fortune.
Nine Patti is perhaps the richest of the
singers, although Christine Nilsson. who
sold her Boston real estate several wears
ago and invested the proceeds in Sweden
mas an ample fortune. 1t was surprising
10 learn years ago that Edouard de
heszke' Who received more than twice as
much as any other basso during the SUI
premacy of his brother, was so much in
heeu OF money that he had begun to teach
IN London. 1t was not unusual for Edouard
ue Reszke to sing five times a week at
Il metropolitan, and as he never received
,ess man SOo his earnings were large.
he used to threaten Mr.. Grau with law
yHs "heh that astute manager tried to
unit his appearance to a normal number
NOW he has been in financial difficulties
IN spite of his economical way Of life I'm
.Ne" YORK while Pol Plancon, the other
oasso OF the company during the Grau
uays' Is a man Of sufficient wealth to live
win comfort In france for the rest OF his
oays' He was a bachelor, while Edouard
de Reszke was the father Of five daugb-
ters' M. de Reszke lost money in unfort-
innate business speculation and in the at
tempt to farm in Poland.
1t was during the Ru~sso-Japanese war
that his misfortunes in this particular he
gan. His best servants were drafted for
the army and his best horses taken with
out compensation by the Russian govern-
ment, which is none to considerate of it's
Polish subjects. The result was that he
had to go to London to teach after Oscar
Hammerstein cancelled his tentative con-
tract with the Manhattan.
Jean de Reszke might have had little or
nothing when he retired, as keeping I'D a
racing stable and entertaining Russian
grand dukes are expensive pastimes. He
came out all right, however, as his wife
mas some fortune, and for ten months of
the year he earns $3.50 a day teaching.
NINE. Lehman, who is said to have
wiIled all her fortune to the Society for the
prevention of Crulty to Animals in Berlin.
made her substantial fortune here, although
she has not been I'm this country for seven
years. She must earn between $4,000 and
Slo'OO a year by her appearances in Ger
many. After she came to sing in this
country her success at the METROPOLITAN
led her to break her contract with the
Royal Opera house in Berlin. She lost
nothing by being expelled from the opers
houses in the Cartel Verein, however. fol
her earnings in America during one season
exceeded what she could have made IN
Ten years at the Royal Opera house in
Berlin.
She saved her money. invested in real es.
tate never speculated, and has always
lived with the greatest simplicity. So she
can well afford to give all the proceeds OF
her concerts nowadays to charity. Thi.
is her practice.
Emma Calve got ahead of her relatives
by buying a fat annuity, so she will moi
be one Of the prima donnas to be eater
allYe by her poor relatives. LlIIi Lehman
said that to her knowledge Lola Beetb
whose career ended much earlier than II
should have done, largely because sb,
was worried to death about financial mat.
ters' used to support an entire village OF
relatives in Poland.
NINE Nordica did not get into the list
OF the h~igh-priced prima donnas until much
later than many of the other singers. Dur.
ing the later years Of her career her earn.
ings were large.
NINE Gadskl's four years outside the
operate barriers must have decreased her
earnings although she is a popular singer
IN concert and there were never any signs
that she felt 1t necessary 10 decrease tbs
number Of her automobiles or the hosnI.
tally OF her home. Olive Fremstad's earn.
ings practically began when she came 10
the Metropolitan opera house and her CON
tract there made by Heinrich conreld
called for forty Representations at 81 OC
each, This was one Of the Conreid con-
tracts that 1t was found impossible to carry
out so Miss Fremstadt consented to take
half the number Of her guaranteed ap-
~pearanoes in concert, and It is not proba-
BILE that she lost anything through that
change,
Nine. Sembrieh's start.
Nine. Sembrich, who has had a long
career and was at the top Of the ladder
from the start, laid the foundation OF her
fortune when Henry f.. Abbey paid her
Sl5oOO and her expenses during her first
tour OF this country, Since that time she
has been one of the highest paid Of the
prima donnas and has sung every season
but one. She has invested her money and
Is the pricipal owner of a factory In Ger
many that turns out thousands Of postal
cards and other prints that are exported
to all parts Of he world.
Emma Eames repaid the money advanced
for her musical education and stayed off
the stage altogether for several seasons.
but she had been so we'll paid for the
two or three seasons preceding her retire.
ment that she will always be beyond the
need Of singing again unless she wants to
And she declares that she does not Van -