New-York tribune., 1910-03-06

was in Lemberg. the capital of GaIicia
My parents were poor, but of good bOur-
geois stock. and very orthodox As little
girl l was very fond of singing, and my
parents used to take me to the Jewish
opera house. / remembered the arias and
l would sing them when 1 got home. / re-
member. when L was little girl only ten
years of age, l went TO hear Carmen !
was so overcome with excitement that /
tainted and / had to be taken home The
next day | sang the arias just as / had
heard them. And the neighbors marveIIed
and told my mother that | should have q
musical education.
FIRST DESIRE TO SING IN OPERA
Living opposite us there was a Polish
prima donna. and 1 used TO stand on our
balcony entranced as she sang her songs
at the piano. One day she came to the
window and l threw kisses to her She
spoke 10 ME and asked ME to come over
to see her. but 1 was modest and did not
go. But it was from her that | got my
longing TO sing in opera.
When ! was twelve years Old my mother
took me to the Conservatory of Music in
Lemberg, and told the directors that they
could train my voice if they liked but that
she was too poor to pay They liked my
voice much that they took ME for a
nominal sum. At fourteen PLAYED for two
months with a German opera company in
Lemberg in order 10 perfect my German
Then l joined the chorus OF the Polish the
atre. where / remained for a year and a
half singing minor soprano parts like the
Page in The Huguenots.' At the age OF
fifteen l was offered an engagement in the,
Jewish theatre prima donna, and sarg
of eighteen L went TO Budapest 10 sing in
a Jewish theatre for year. II was then
that l met Leopold Spachner, a manager
of one of the Jewish theatres. and / mar
ried him. After a season in Hungary I re-
turned TO Poland for a year Then | was
engaged TO sing in a Jewish theatre in
Bucharest. Rumania. While singing there
1 was offered the position of prima donna
IN the NatiOral Theatre and began TO
sing the principal roles in modern operas
like The Gypsy Baron by Strauss; II
Trovatore, Carmen and operas by Stra-
della and offenbach. l had then sung in
Polish. Jewish, German and Rumanian. l
sang there for a season and made a great
success
COMES TO AMERICA
1T was my fate at this time to meet the
llldIidbcI ol tnt mana IUedIFt. IN the
Bowery. He aroused my interest in Amer
lea and 1 determined to cross the
ocean to the land OF the free | came
here in 1895. and for three four years
continued TO sing In modern operas. Then
began 20 play in dramas. like Madame
Sans-Gene,' Sudermann's 'Magda. IbSen's
Nora Maeterlincks 'Monna Wanna Sar-
dous Fedora etc. For two weeks. in 1905.
went to the American Theatre. on Eighth
avenue to play Fedora in English. Dur
ing the latter part of my stay at the
Thalia Theatre Mr.. Belasco. Mr. Fiske and
other American managers began To come
to see me act. This resulted in my en-
gagement with Mr.. Fiske, with whom l
remained for four years. l played the lead
ing parts in 'Monna Wanna. Zola's 'rherese [
Racquin. Gordon's 'kreutZer Sonata. /
Percy Mackaye's 'Sappho and Phaon. /
Cuimera's Marta of the Lowlands.' Nine /
De Gressachs Cora and Dickinson's I'm /
broken Road
"A year ago / signed a contract with /