The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-26
ROMANTIC RISE TO FORTUNE or NOTED OPERA STARS

William Miller Of Pittsburg say the
newspapers is going To make $4,000 q
year This MAY not sound remarkable
especially for Pittshurg, but 1T is caus-
ing considerah BILE excitement in the clr'
cIcs which William Miller once adorned,
saws the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Twelve years ago he was ncwshoy
and now he is leading tenor at tho
Vienna Opera house, replacing Slczak,
who is singing with the Metropolitan
company. Even when Miller was cry
ing "WuHt?a' on the streets he cried
so swccily that people stopped and
hadc him cry again. and finally along
came the fairy godfather who took HIM
of the street and had him educated
for the stage. He is, of course. young,
aud he has Jus: got his first important
long step forward for u beginner,
This is but tho latest addition TO TIC
romanccs OF tho operauc stage. lt is
above all professions democratic. Edu-
cation. family. social backing, help less
than in any other walk Of hfc. They
help, but not as they do in 4 score
Of callings. And it is infinitely the
most rcmunerative field Il poor man can
enter For one ''child OF the people -
who makes place for himself in law
or medicine, there are proportionatelY
score who win fame on the operate
stage What is more. nature has made
this in a way the poor man 8 prize, for
an open air life develops r voice. and
the poorest peasant stands better
chance than the middlc-class citizen
Of drawing hundreds from the i'm
presario s pocket every time he opens
his golden throat.
Ienatello, singing with Mr.. Hammer
stein, is ono Of these boys in whose
footsteps the fortunate William Miller
j. travelling He began life by deliver
inc bread TO bakers customers in
Verona. At early dawn he would start
out with his basket. and when he was
late in getting back his employer could
get only mysterious excuses from him.
1t turned out he was detained by APP
prcciatIvc servants, who gave hlm pen
nies for adding song TO the loaf he
left them He must have been a really
nice baker, Xenatello s employer, for he
made allowances, and the boy kept on
until such time as he could enter the
conservatory. Here he got most Of his
training. and now. like the successful
youth in the story book. he gives schol- !
arships and what not to his native town
in memory OF brcad-delivcUng boys.
That bread is q nice touch, In line with
all traditions Was IL rot generally the
miller : Youngest son who married the |
princess, and did not one Of the tribe
become Marquis of CarrabasH a miller |
NAV NOT he lust the same rs a baker, !
bur there is family resemblance.
Another curious fact about Iena- |
tello 5 career is that he was trained as
a baritone. He always said. himself, |
that he was a tenor. but nobody paid |
any attention To his opinion. The laws
of the Mcdcs and Persiaus set him down |
10 sing as baritone and as such he |
went forth ia earn \ living. How |
ever, though silenced he was not CON
vinced and he learned tenor roles by |
himself Once he was singing in 4
third-rate theatcr in Naples and was
cast for the baritone part of HCaval"
ieria Rusticana.' when the tenor fell
i'll. Zenntello rushed to offer his ser /
vices as a substitute. The manager
laughed, but as there was absolutely |
nobody else nc LEI the baritone shift TO
the tenor role. It was distinctly third
class theater. You remember. Zcnatello |
sang the part TO tho astonshment of |
the manager and the satisfaction of the !
audience and he registered n vow that /
he would never again sing baritone
role He did not, but it cost him three
wears of added struggle. BY degrees
people began TO realize that he WAS
Just what he had always thought he
was, and here he is now, Mr.. Hammer
STEMS bright and shining light.
Bonci was poor, too, and he had little
Do I'm ny-nr bod Tlz- 4