The San Francisco call., 1909-05-06

1893" said Leahy ''She never was
really in the chorus, but played small
parts. We were putting on Lucia in
1895. Ida Valerga. a great favorite at
that time who used to be an under
study for Patti, was alternating with
Laura Millard. When Millard heard
valerga sing Millard lost her conf
dence and refused to 60 on. This was
Friday afternoon and Lucia" was to
be sung the following Tuesday. We
were in a predicament. L asked Alice
Nielsen whether she could sing Lucia
by Tuesday. She had been singing
small parts and / was hardly in earnest
when l spoke to her. but she replied,
I can try; l can make a bluff at it
She didn't know the opera, but she
went to work at once with the diff
cult role. Tuesday night she sang
Lucia with wonderful effect. She took
the highest notes with the greatest
ease and made great sensation.
Henry Clay Barnaby and w. H. Nc
We're in a box that night and they were
greatly pleased with Alice's work
After the performance Barnaby came
to me with a proposition to secure
Alice for the Bostonians. Before go
ing with the Bostonians she sang
Lucia again and also Marguerite in
Faust" but she failed to Score as
effectively as on that memorable night
when she first essayed a grand opera
role
One of Alice Nielsen's secrets is her
age. In a biographical sketch, evil
IDENTIFY passed upon by her, Nashville,
Tenn. is given as her birthplace, but
there's no mention of the date. The
fact that she was known to be com
paratively young when she was mar
ried in 1890 to Benjamin Nentwig. a
musician. in Kansas City. would indi-
cate that she is about SO or 81 years
old
Miss Nielsen made her first appear
ance on the stage in Kansas City, when
she was about s years old. she is said
to have surreptitiously introduced her
self upon the scene on the first night
OF a new opera
With her baby boy Mrs. Nentwig
came to this state in 1898. and made
her first appearance as, Yum Yum in
"The Mikado" in Oakland. Her mother
was with her at this time and took
charge of the child while the singer
went on with her musical career. Nent-
wig remained in Kansas city and the
couple We're divorced about 1898.
When ! first saw her she looked like
a little girl" said Leahy yesterday. in
recalling some incidents of her early
life here 4 remember that one day.
when l was in Oakland, Frank VaIerga
saw me in the street ard had me go to
Dietz' hall with him. lie said they had
a little girl in the opera company that
could sing like a bird. That little girl
when | heard her wonderful voice.
Shortly after that the company broke
UP and she then came to the Wiswam
theater, where they were condensing
The Mikado" "OIivette" and other
operas into an hours performance as
part of vaudeville show Shortly
afterward she joined the TivoH forces
In 1896 Alice Nielsen Joined the Bos-
tonians. singing Annabel in Robin
Hood" the first season. and after that
Maid Marian in the same opera. and
the leading soprano role in ''rhe Sere-
made. Sc headed a company of her
own in 1898 with Thomas H. Williams
as her hacker and Frank Perley as her
manager She starred first in THE
Fortune Teller and later in The Sing
ing Girl. Her first stellar success was
made in London in 1902
Ever since Alice Nielsen made such
a sensation in Lucia she had the am
bition to become a great singer of
grand opera. She caused considerable
surprise when. at the height of her
career in light opera, she retired to
study grand opera in Italy In 1903
she made her debut at La Scala. Milan.
as Marguerite in Faust" After a sea
son in Naples she sang leading parts in
Covent garden London, in 1904
In 1905 Miss Nielsen toured the
United States with Henry Russell as
her mana ger. 1t was in that year that
San Francisco first heard her as a
star in grand opera. She sang Don
Pasquale at the Tivoli Mana ger
Leahy laying off the regular company
two nights in order to give her an
opportunity to sing in this city. IT
was in March of 1907 that she made her
last appear eliiIt III San IanclSCO. sir
ing then With the San Carlo opera
company at the Chures theater. She
assumed the difficult roles of Mimi in
La Boheme' and Gilda in ..Rigoletto. =
Her Gilda was a wonderful perform
ance.
That Alice Nielsen has at last be-
come star with the Metropolitan
opera company is a matter of rejoicing
for her former teacher
Her principal teacher while she was
in San Francisco was Ida valerga.
Alice had a beautiful voice" said
Miss Valerga yesterday. When she
first came to me in the old Tivolf davs
1 was greatly interested in her. she
was studious and worked Very hard
to acquire her musical education. 7
| am glad she has succeeded so WELL
Leahy was also very enthusiastic in
his praise of the songstress.
Alice Nielsen was wonderful
woman in one respect said Leahy. II
never saw her equal She would read
the score of an opera ,as a man would
read book and she retained it all In
her wonderful memory. She memorfzed
her parts quicker than any one else I
have ever seen. She had great intu
ltion, which enabled her to grasp a
t-r,<x