The San Francisco call., 1910-12-25
SINGING IS HEARD
BY RECORD CROWD
Tenazzni's Notes Are Carried Far and Vast
Audience Is Charmed by Diva
Continued From Page 20

thought The cOnjoined tone OF big
choir Of men and boys failed to carry
over that mass of humanity; the or
chestra was heard only at times in its
shrillest sections.
And Tetrazzini was to sing "The
Last Rose OF Summer
At any rate, told myself, the ex-
perience is something. To see this
tremendous assemblage is worth any
effort to get here and any risk Of fall
ing a couple of floors, for there will
never again be anything like it. Be
sides. at least I could see this wonder
ful woman.
Presently she came. A black coated
gentleman introduced her. The fact
that he was making a speech was an
inferred circumstance. Without dis
respect TO the mayor. be it recorded
that I couldn't hear a word he said.
Occasionally 7 heard a sound-it was
100 yards or more away. I saw him
bow again and again. I saw the Tet-
razzini-she deserves the distinction Of
''the'@bow and wave her handkerchief
in friendly. intimate manner to the
multitude and heard a roar Of voices
unlike anything ever I had heard be-
fore. A Caesar or an Alexander, an
Antony OF a Demosthenes never raised
such roar out of human throats as
this little lady from Florence did when
she nodded and bowed and smiled at
her hearers
THEN THE DIVA SANG
Then she sang.
Helmholz may explain it according TO
theories Of overtones; vocalists may ac-
count for it by method" and relaxation
Of the throat; Psychologists may ac-
count for it-in the size and health OF
"resonating cavities" and experts on
breathing may say it's a matter Of the
diaphragm. I viii not attempt to de-
eide. but viii simply announce the fact
that when Tetrazzini sang The Last
Rose Of Summer" her song was up
borne on wings and flOated, free, un-
trammeled and lovely. TO the extreme
verge of the silent crowd. Late corners
hurrying up Third street were hushed
seats silence the heavy footed. tardy
ones walking down the aisle. The spell
OF an art more personal, characteristic
and intimate than any ever possessed
by diva OF Latin song was cast over
that cosmopolitan audience, and they
were as one.
MAJESTY OF SINGING
Strange as It may seem, and though
the statement may be one of contradic-
tory terms, the truth is that never be-
fore have two elements OF Tetrazzini's
singing impressed me so forcibly. I
mean its warm humanity-its democ-
racy, and its majesty.
BY gifts OF nature as by heraldry,
Tetrazzini is one of the people. She
has as much OF the up stage"-to en-
plOy a theatrical expression-in her
make up as a beautiful, amiable, low
able child.
She is a creature Of impulse-her
singing shows that. It is that which
the vigorously unresponsive, and i'm
placably conscientious critics who re-
fuse to Tetrazzini the highest seat
among the living goddesses of song.
overlook. I mean the warm, impul-
sive, glowing beauty of her voice.
When they complain that she did not
take lessons enough, for she only
studied four or FIVE months altogether,
they overlook the fact that art could
bring very little to the color of her
already gorgeous voice. but might bring
affectation. self consciousness and stud
led perfections to an exuberant. natu-
raj expressiveness. which reaches In
singing as in other arts its highest