The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-20
STUDY IN AMERICA FIRST
ADIHE ron THE ANERIC tN
SgRL WITH q TOICE.
me Fo,andaIis fSs u Neeal Esineatien
best laid Here. say ENPeras-CSsi %
I.rssOas ami Living Higher IN Europe
IMAM Formerly More laepefui SINGERS

I.~usSns ami Living Higher IN EurOpe
rhaRFOrmeriS p More Iaopefui SINGERS
IN spite Of the Increasingly hiRh stand
ard set for candidates for the operate
stage and The concert platform more
amt NOR, AMERICAN girls are starting oui
every wear to have their voices cult
va'sd. intending "a take up a professional
! crrr"r az late tire INCREASE In their
Plumbers has l'..-n unu-ually nOticsabls
-Oh. the country ~ full Of them." ct
claimed one teacher and her despairinG
infection suggested that IL would be bet
ter fo- all concerned should the number
/ oe cut down ons-hah or 80
The candidates ara divided by this
teacher irto three classes: ThOs. Who
DO not aim 20 study in Europe az oil.
those Who AIM tn study in Europe only.
ard those willing to lay the foundation
IN thiS country aad coping for n supple
E"ntary two or three years training in
Europe II - the second class which
gives conscientious American teachers
most concern
A. rule American girls who have
voices which Justify them in aiming TO
siEg ~ grind opera are in very moderate
circumstances just how moderate teach
ers are often left in doubt owing to the
tendency Of the artistic temperament
Ia make hight OF pecuniRry handicaps at
the start Afterwa rd. particularly IL these
young persons begin their musical eduoa-
tion in Europe. their attitude toward the
importance Of dollars and cents il apt Co
change
II has been and IL 10 now quite common.
teachers any, for young women with only
a few hundred dollars in hand or in pros
pect Ia rush 81 to Europe to get a vocal
education which will need several thou
sand dollars to complete. and as n result
they expose themselves to all sorts 81
physical aud artistic privations. To say
nothing 10 dangers and temptations.
This IL one reason Why some American
TEACHERS are advising beginners not To
be- IN q hurry "a reach one OF the Euro
pean studios Their isSanother reason.
u il no longer necessary 60 rush TO
Europe To acquire the groundwork Of a
fret class vocal education. To-day even
th" most gifted ~ beginners may get
this ia her own country more easily
satisfactorily aud at less cost than in
Paris. Berlin. Vienna or elsewhere in
Furups Al least this il the belief Of
psrSonS acquainted with the methods
20 teachers on both sides Of tina Atlantic
said New York teacher Who has seen
NOR" than one - her former pupils make
Il successful debut IN grand opera:
One - the most accomplished musical
critics in New York said To me not long
ago. do try aud impress ON the mind
- every Young woman who comes to you
frr advice not 20 90 abroad till she has
had a thorough grounding in vocal train
inR over here And I answered. This
u precisely what I have been doing for
several year.
This critic. who IL acquainted with
most - IN. noted singers. including
Americans. and with many Americans
Who are studying in anticipation Of soon
making their debut in opsSH. il Of the
np mon that had some Of these Ameri-
cans got their preliminary training in
this country their path would have been
.slrier and their success greater. OF
course he II right Every American
teacher who goes abroad often enough
~ understand foreign singing methods
and Ca become personally acquainted
With the European teachers % note
will agree with him.
This does not mean. OF course. that any
of W. think the hest foreign teachers
inferior That would bs absurd, What
W. mean - that tn. rudiments. the foun-
dation. the Eround~ork Of thorough
vocal education can t'~st bs impaired To
Americans hy first class American teach
~. or by teachers who have lived long
enough IN America to become aOQtLaintsd
with IN. American temperament which
b. very different from the foreign TEN
ornament.
1t - now admitted that the quality Of
th,. American voice H. often more beauti-
mi than any other. Nev' rtbeleus foreign
born pupils with voices 81 pOOr~r quality
will grasp intuitiVsly things which the
American who ~ not intuitiv- az all
WhaT. music In concerned learns only by
tsiinstaking Application under the most
careful Instruction. The for ign voice
M to - certain point DEVELOPS almost
iutIitivsly The American voice ~ usually
the bett' = for a kind 81 drilling which ia
the nature of things the great foreign
t"aChars. To whom ambitious American
g,ris - for lessons. are not fitted To give.
They themselves did NOT learn 10 sing
Iy any such method. consequently they
have little or no patience with pupils who
need such preliminary drilling.
As a result the musical groundwork Of
their Am'riCan pupils often leaves some
thing to ~. desired. and for several years
th.-s girls may have 10 work against mora
Encouraging odds than they would en-
. Couut..r 10 their own country.
Tell this Ia the average girl with \
voice opt % the common, advise her 90
Uut ~ four ycars OF ~ with first class
American teacher before going To Europe
tor two or three years Of study with q
foreign teacher. and OfteneT than not
the atvic. - looked upon as not wholly
iIsint"rested.
Every year doz-ns Of American girls
max. a b.ss line for France. Germany or
Italy with the idea 81 gaining a complete
vocal education in two years or 10 and
wIth money enough tO last perhaps ono
veal some ~ them have been warned
that t. study singing in Europe nov costs
about - per cent more than "a did twenty
hv. wears ago and go with the,r eyes open.
OTHERS go counting On a schedule OF prices
such AZ a former generation paid.
'lustead - charging ~ and - n lesson
the Test foreign teachers nov charge from
~ - SO a lesson. one or two having q
flexible schedule which goes an high a. 30.
Abuut - a lesson ~ the lowest charge made
by any Of the leading foreign teachers,
although there are hundreds OF teachers
In eNaaHN aHn