New-York tribune., 1909-02-08
DINNER FOR SEMBRICH
TRIBUTE TO SINGER.
Artists and Critics Play Host at
FGrezceU Feast.
"Hoch soil sic Iebenr'

thanked her hosts the musical composers, the
musicians and the writers about music. for the
tribute they had paid her in giving her a hail and
farewell dinner TO celebrate the twenty-ffth ami
versary of her first the Metropolitan
! Opera House? No out of the hundred and fifty
hosts took the time last night put the question,
| OF to think of putting IT. for they we're all
| to a and to woman their feet Joining In
| the words of the familiar German toast They
| sang II with zest and sang it again with ur-
! diminished fervor after her countrynan, Pade-
! rewski, the pianist, who had from Boston
specially to be present at the dinner. had called
her most musical OF ali the singers he had
! ever known
While the great public which admires Nine Sem
| brich such part of 1t could gain to the
| Metropolitan Opera House. leave of the Polish
prima donna Saturday night, last nights gather
| ing of those who might excellent
nucleus for who's Who in Musicland IN New
| York" The artists of the Metropolitan Opera
| House who have been most intimately associated
with Nine Sembrich were there, as were COM
posers, singers theatrical managers. writers-all
admirers of he retiring artist.
The of the dinner bore the front cover
an inscription of the dinner, the inscription being
surrounded by the design OF ribbon bound wreath,
! on which were printed the of the twenty
two operas in which Nine. Sembrich has appeared
| during her career in this country. Only one was
forgotten. 1t remained for Walter Damrosch to
| recall the time he had conducted "Lohengrin' in
! Los Angeles, where the conductor said she had
made good Elsa.
The names of the operas in Nine. Sembrich rep
ertoTy played diverting part in the evenings en-
/ tertainment, when the chairman of the committee
in charge of the dinner. with look of distress in
! ms face but a wink concealed in eve, asked.
, dsconsoately. who will sing?" At the query
| Nahan Franko's orchestra. which stationed
just without the dining room, struck UP the strains
of the Merry Widow waltz. and from one corner
| OF the room came the accompaniment of the title
La Traviata I'm the clear soprano voice of Miss
Farrar. No had she finished than Mr..
| Scottfs voice at another table gave vent to the
word "Rigoletto' and Mr.. Caruso waiting
| express his tenor notes in the word 'Ernani" So
| they finished the first of Lehar's popular
tune and other singers took 1t Up and carried it
through.
To the great delight amusement of the
merry-nakers the roster Of the operas carried
almost through a second rendition of the popular
waltz; then a pause, which Nine. Sembrch
herself broke and made herself more popular than
! ever by fitting in the words Die Justigen Weber
] Windsor It pat to the note end
! brought down the house"
Nine. Sembrich sat the right Of II f. Kreh-
! hiel, who the chairman Of the committee
arrangements. At her left Paderewski The
others at the speakers table Mrs. Paderew-
ski Mr.. Mrs Gustav Mahler. Mr.. and Mrs
W. J. Henderson. Professor Wilhelm Stengel and
Mrs. Krehbiel
In greeting the guest Of the evening Mr.. Kreh-
hle said
grief, not without sorrow. hut With the @ comforting
JUNCTION that she leaves with us something OF her
live and transmitted onw ard by a subtle alchemy
ourselves, nothing shall take from us the reverence
for lofty ideals OF beauty which she mas taught
deaf to the evsnEei OF tru,hFulness and oyeiiness
se f2Fy n and an F our cadreR And She an inn
mortal. She was not made to de Ladies and
gentlemen, / give this toast, Nine SernbrsChs
God bless her. give her health and happiness and
speed her return 10 us.
In her reply Nine sembrich regretted that she
could sing her speech or thanks instead Of
speaking It. In voice coIored by emotion she
said:
Last night ,, had the G9noT Of eiddiPg goofH6y to
and the tribute they paid me deeply touched my my
leagues some Of who nn1 s esrnns sG to know
personalIy for the first time, l assure you that
@ @ os that 10 enoY as s6e4y If and hosd 6s
ho ssid Snn6bI 70 ~ me- s@t nrhf tbere are the
ties Of frsndship and affection bq, between US
panions in art brothers and sisters in the m beau M
spiration Of ali our lives | thank my nosts. tla
musicians the gentlemen Of the press ,fA who have ave
to receive this honor at your hands.
Then some one started "Hoch soil sic eben,'
and there was a mixed chorus for several minutes
before william J. Henderson, OF The Sum- read
the following poem:
AN EPILoGUE.
come all ye lovers tne lyric muse.
Sgr 1!, s9f9th @ ao n Te yet ro6 an s9' a s
Eggraves across the Years the cruel -g. date ate
W:p. a' o4 the Locked sdSS Of Fsn er Rfs 'Sa @
The sad Ssssoon s5SR Rans6, S TIE oarHS sish
sweep p' dismal dssonances q dark and Grass
While stentor voices. from the trembling stage.
And fn6ns rmy Tsgf.n MACY ssSe' Se S hese ring
Win wsyes Of hoTr'd rs sound & 6q @ W %hg Nil SiSG
For old time arts adeu let fall tear;
For great Mercea sembrch takes her leave
In lambent as her candles fame
speii S nGIs ssaI INK' uRa R6sind S9ig POGO Ia
The primavers voce dumb shall grow
and all all the & theatre s droop in 9 deepest woe.
XS % Marie shall =. Taks ass.iSs fss martial drum
No more shall Marta rustic fotes dispose.
But we shall sing 1T oogo soy.n nor
sasanna,s plots more a,. shs tr.as ,.s, delight
Zerna from Time the proferNd hand.
And her back forever our land
hf W sS y9S,a ddo eGGi tn the oT rchdfos a ms ps
6 sa@ a the hear or make the tear outPouT
Must silence fall across the lyric stage
Not So for new hedsed birds 3iii swiftly wing
And biitsey pipe the oidtime roundelays
For those who heard them not IN other days
% But h e2 cfeapns f Es a aGr w she bid aafa the N"e
with other voices thought an style they'll rise.
they shall have their bravos and their toasts:
Summoned to walk, with essence fed,
The hollow stage. vain shadows Of the dead
So take salutation. we who stay
To face the dawnng OF a darker day:
Queen Of the stage. Queen Of the public heart
Supreme still more supreme In love.
Among the other speakers OF the evening were
PaderewskE who referred to himself poor piano
playing immigrant" and to be excused from
making a speech English But he made good .
one nevertheless and brought a torrent of APP
pause from all his hearers and tears from Mime.
Sembrich when he referred TO the retiring singer
as zone of the best and most worthy of Poands
daughters" He was followed by Walter Damrosch,