New-York tribune., 1910-11-27


At Berlin the girl sang to the Prussian royal
ties on quiet evenings when the princCsses knit
as they listened, and she not best pleased
when she went in to supper the arm Of an 5
elderly man. instead of under the escort Of some
sprightly young cOurter- You silly girl" said
Mrs. NovelIo 'fYou viii be very proud one day
to have been on the of Alexander Won Hum
bodt,' Kind To her there was good old Musi-
cal Director SpOntini whose amiabie weakness
it was to sit on raised dais in an armchair
surrounded by his portraits busts medals and
sonnets in his honor. all the gifts Of admirers.
"Orce." saws Clara "a facetious and very poor
old maestro said to me- How often are studs
in brilIiants bestowed on shirtless artists" AT
Vienna Clara sang at court concerts and was
netted by such music lovers as the Mettenichs
She kent her pretty eyes open at the entertain
meuts to which mamma took her. Some Of
these grand ladies' she says. "ate cuTiOUsly
twisting their fork the wrong way, and one OF
Thorn brandshed it about so animatedly, now to
the right and now to the left. that the eInbar-
rassed footuan behind her could not get at her
nIate to remove it, until she suddenly lifted the
forl, over her head and scratching the back of
her neck briskly with IT. he was able 10 pounce
ON the pIater' a comicaI sight at the dinners
of the Russian Ambassador Tatischeff was the
administration Of a "canard" to the host at the
end of the meal IA grave servant placed
napkin round the ambassadors throat, second
held a spoon with lump Of sugar in 1t under
his chin third poured few drops OF coffee on
it. when No 2 ernptied the spoon down ms ex-
ceIlency's throat" At Milan Clara absorbed her
self in study under the advice Of Rossinl' VINO
in his care of her like good old uncle
Here she prepared herself for opera by taking
lessons in stage walking and action from lhe
famous "Mimo,' Clisio Cate. a curious per-
sonage was this:
His costumes were amazing. He would appear AZ
at home or on La Scala stage, with hat cooked
all on one side. coat of light green pantal'ons
colored tie. light gloves and shiny leather Sho on On
nest artist revering his line OF art and en-
during the pain OF q dIsiocate! Sh0'i'ltI uA
the sage-caused by of his death falls-rather
than by movement cry destroy the effect on the
audience
Clara NoveIIo was happy in the exercise of
her delightful gifts but here and there IN these
pages we note the hardships which artists. in
those days at least, had TO endure The star OF
her childish alteration was the great MaIIhran
whose last performance at Manchester. was c&r,
ried through by sheer force of will in the midst
of shocking physical agony. Clara tells this
story of her friend, who. "impetuous to frenzy,
was generous in the extreme:
Once she took cold. which preyfenteI her at the
at Drury Lane, when crowds already filled ne
house hours before the time of performance. On
the manager telling her in despair. that. besides
loss of money. these disappointed people would BE-
dangerous she said: Il can't speak above ny
breath: / should have To do it in dumb sh---
Bum at caught at this outbrst as II serious
Iv meant. and on his knees begged her % try
this and she, fired by the novelty. did So The
grateful public raved in praise OF this surprising
t0ur dc force, and the sensation II r&de r-at the
paDers. So Bum had the unlucky InQuIeHfe II
beg her repeat this marvel, to satisfy ciTlst-y, and
sFo ali impulse hurled at his head for al answer
some music books she heId-0ffended, as an artist
to be asked to join in low charatanecie, for spec
ulation.
That Malibran's like would never be seen
again was Clara Novelties conviction She held
her to be inimitable. whether as singer or ac-
tress, comic or tragic, a thorough musician
composer. pianist and vioInist. Five or six IAN
guages she spoke as if they were her own native
tongue and she was q clever caricaturst. She
had queer whims-One of them to dress Ike
a man. Il saw her arrive thus once in Man
chester from London to a rehearsal, says
Clara "a long Spanish cloak over her mans at
tire and q travelling cap her head All these
odd WAYS were never criticised even IN firm
England, they being considered only part and
parcel of this gifted, bewiIdering being" There
| is glimpse of Schumann in these records, in
| that sad time when his mental trouble was COM
ing upon him and he had grown shy and
| c+raopa Clara attended the Dusseldorf festival