The sun., 1910-06-26


Aheotons. yet that they are strangers 20.
being persuaded on the contrary that
all their skill is 70 consist in straining
end splitting tho voice and In desultory
Transitions from one note " another
Their object is not 70 mako choice of
what will produce the best eject hut
Of thEt which they think most the extra
ordinary and difficult in the c1scution'
You wonder how Bernacchi managed
n shout ~ that PistCoChi las he " now
cailedl found Il necessary 10 reprOve him
N gently. Elsewhere We are told that
Beruacchi did not have a voice q sufficient
power for the stage What do these things
mean' We find old B,rney commenting
On hrst ono and then another His voice
had no great poWer.' or Her voice was
feeble ls the Big Tone habit a. old a.
opera. and did the dear public always
pray that ia ears might tingle with
mighty sOund2 Must one rattle like
ke'tledFum?- cries ZaFathustra. Was
Il always thus2 When the daughters of
Israel hung their harps on the willows
and eat down by the waters Of Babylon
and wept WAs it really because some hard
hearted Assyriah came along with a cheap
tomtom and made more noise than the
whole lot Of thsml
Indeed the desire 10 be amazed az the
opera h almost as Old AZ the opera itself.
We read praises shoWsrod upon vittOriA
Archilsi az tho very beginning Of the
seventeenth century for her skill in deoOrA-
rating airs with ornaments which the In
geniOus composers had forgotten 10
write. and Il is not 30 much later that
We hear Of singers exciting audiences
by their ability TO deliver 'dlminutions'
running passages) with great rApidity.
When Montsverdea -AriAnna' was
produced the famous lament, -LAsoiatsmi
morire.' according 10 the testimony Of
Marco al GAkliano. a contemporary
composer. moved the entire audisnce
70 tears; yet Il Il only a isW years
later that We find all Venice sitting up
and waiting for astonishing oadenEas.
The skin Of singers in performing feats
Of agility With the voice had been TO
vealed 70 the general public and the pub
lie went mad over them. The FIRST operas
were performed In private palaces tor
assemblies og cultivated persona. but
az soon as the public opera house. became
an established fact and the people became
opera singers public demand compelled
the performance Of vocal feats Of dazzling
brilliancy. Before the end Of the seven
teenth century operas were one long
string of colorature antics livery one
sang rOulades. trills. Erupe,t and other
ornamental trimmings. such a thing
az a simple cantilena was almost scorned.
Al hest Il was cnly the sub Jet Of numeT-
ous beWilderinZ variations. The operas
of the closing part Of the seventeenth
century were in sone RESPECTS like Ros-
sini's -Semiramide. but they lacked the
mass effects and ensemble writing of
that work
Again there vas a reriOd when the
ability 20 produce a powerful sound and
sustain Il an amazing time was regarded
a. an essential Of high vocal art. That
was the time vhcn Purcell wrote his airs
with trumpet CbJligato and Mr. Bowen
made his brilliant success By singing more
loudly than the trImpetor could play.
Curiously enough the first singer who
achieved celebrity in this line was the
terror The male soprano could distance
him IN the ultra reinomonts Of tive art Of
song. but Nhen Il came TO the direct
business Of blowing on tone the tenor
wen easily.
We still have that old time fondness
for TIE tenor's bag tone and We st up in
our seats waiting for what NiemGnn
called a B Hat that would put the gas
out But We are net worse than our
fathers. or az any rate our great-grand-
fathers: and their talk too vas about
operas and opera singers. After all It is
very human. The gods did not make
many Of us poetical. We do not ponder
much on tho inhnitios. We do not dWcll
in the tents Of Brahms nor cit in the shade
Of the ce .ars Of Beethoven. and az for
Each. Why should We seek his ways when
the strumpetings Of Puccini's muse call
our souls n passionate eostasics'
Away with the Encients end their
music of he spheres! let 10 hasten
ever forws rd e. glTd to-morrows Hgrk
the silver rlr rion II the distant press
gents bugle blowing. blowing, blowing.
The Girl " tho Golden West! Oh,
We have he'd girls and girls and girls.
but never a gil such ~ this shall ~.
She will he Frgs and round and solid
end the cr rth will tremhle under her tread.
No slim drysd u classic forests. no half
formed zephyr stealing soundless into
silent Tempe this. hut a full blown
daughter of the majestic grain bet.
able to SIT firmly on the hass of her In.
vincible womanhood. We await her
coming. She will he the mighty monarch
Of the next season. We are - sure AZ
We can be sure of anything sub-celesiial
that she will be Big Thing.
Then too they tell us that We shall
hear and sss QUO Vadis' They do not
tell IN W much about that because IL is
not written by an Italian; but We shall
see. Rumor has IL that this opera is
tenfold more gorgeous than -Herodiade.
Ss.lRmmho- end Ia GiocondR' rolled into
one. II IL a spectacle Of spectEcles. and
weak eyed people are cautioned TO wear
smoked glasses when they 20 to gaze
upon its stunning glories.
You seel Even the professional scrive-
ner. bearing the sad scars o. many SEA
sons in the service Of high art. talks of
nothing but opera and opera singers.
Al. hero Worahipl Joy % youth, in
spiration Of manhood. memory of yellow
aRe' The search after great men.
:. pr,.r.cn osIiad IN follrga us through