Omaha daily bee., 1909-10-03
SINGERS GAINS AND LOSSES
Fortunes Quickly Earned and as
Quickly Lost.
ARTISTS WHO KEPT THEIR MONEY
Speculation and Great Expenditures
Reasons why Operate Careers
often End In POverty-Case
of the Actors.

great expense Of her way OF living rather
than to speculation. the usual means by
which operate savings disappear. She had
a house In Park Lane, London, which she
built without regard to cost, and a homs
in Paris. In recent years she has assool-
ated with the titled aristocraoy Of Eng
land, and that costs money even in the
case of a famous prima donna.
Then she has not sung so frenquently as
In former years, although her expenses
continued to increase, notably after the
marriage OF her son to the daughter Of an
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 Alfred
Rothschild, 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 that she never knew poverty.
Nine. Patti is perhaps the richest Of the
singers, although Christine Nilsson, who
sold her Boston real estate several years
ago and invested the proceeds in Sweden,
has an ample fortune. 1t was surprising
to learn years ago that Edouard dc
Reszke, who received more than twice as
much as any other basso during the su-
premacy of his brother, was so much in
need Of money that he had begun to teach
in London. 1t was not unusual for Ed
Guard de Reszke to sing five times a week
at the Metropolitan, and as he never re-
ceived less than 500 his earnings were
large. He used to threaten Mr.. Grau with
lawyers when that astute manager tried
to limit his appearance to a normal num-
Der.
Now he has been in financial difficulties
in spite of his economical way of life in
New York, while Pol Plancon, the other
basso Of the company during the Grau
days, Is a man Of sufficient wealth to live
with comfort IN France for the rest Of his
days. He was a bachelor. while Edouard
de Reszke was the father of five daugh-
tiers. NJ. de Reszke lost money in un-
fortunate business speculation and In
the attempt to farm in Poland.
1t was during the Russo-Japanese
war that his misfortunes in this particu-
lar began. His best servants were drafted
for the army and his best horses taken
without compensation by the Russian
government, which is none too consid-
crate Of its Polish subjects. The result
was that he had to go to London to teach
after Oscar Hammerstein cancelled his
tentative contract with the Manhattan.
Jean de Reszke might nave had little
or nothing when he retired, as keeping up
q racing stable and entertaining Russian
grand dukes are expensive pastimes.
He came out all right, however, as his
wife has some fortune, and for ten months
Of the year he earns $3.50 a day teaching.
Nine. Lehman, who is said to have
willed all her fortune to the Society for
the Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals In
Berlin, made her substantial fortune here,
although she has not been in this country
for seven years. She must earn between
S1O.O 900 and $4,000 a year by her appear
ances In Germany. 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 opera houses in the Cartel Verein,
however. for 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
estate, never speculated, and has always
lived with the greatest simplicity. So
she can well afford to give all the pro-
ceeds Of her concerts nowadays to charity
This is her practice nowadays.
Emma Calve got ahead OF her relatives
by buying q fat annuity, 80 she will not
be one Of the prima donnas to be eaten
alive by her poor relatives. Lilli Lehman
said that to her knowledge Lola Beeth,
whose career ended much earlier than II
should have done, largely because she was
worried to death about financial matters,
used to support an entire village OF rel
atives in Poland.
Nine. Nordica did not get into the list
of high priced prima donnas until much
later than many other singers. During
the later years of her career her earnings
were large.
Nine. Gadski's four years outside the
operatio barriers must have decreased her
earnings, although she is a popular singer
in concert, and thore were never any
signs that she felt II necessary to de-
crease the number Of her automobiles or
the hospitality OF her home. Olive Frem-
stad's earnings practically began when she
came to the Metropolitan opera house, and
her contract there made by Heinrich Con-
ried called for forty representations at
5000 each. This was one of the Conreid
contracts that it was found impossible to
carry out, so Miss Fremstad consented
TO take half the number OF her guaran-
teed appearances in concert, and it Is not
probable that she lost anything through
that change.
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 II. Abbey paid her
$500 900 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 principal owner of a factory In
Germany that turns out thousands Of pos
tai cards and other prints that are ex-
ported to all parts OF the world.
Emma Games repaid the money ad-
vanced for her musical education, and
stayed off the stage altogether for several
seasons, but she had been so well paid
for the two or three seasons preceding her
retirement that she will always be beyond
the need Of singing again unless she wants
to. And she declares she does not want to
It is not the singers who receive the
highest salaries, haggle and scrap with the
managers over every penny and squeeze