The San Francisco call., 1910-04-24
ANTOLA TALKS OF
OPERATIC CAREER
Popular Lambardi Singer Has Approval of
The Composer of "Pagliacci''
By WALTER ANTHONY

Italy raises singers as spontaneously.
It seems. as sunshine opens flowers.
The blossom may grow in the valley or
peep behind a rock on the mountain;
So in Italy, the singer may develop
without training or musical geneaIogy
IN the ranks Of the peasantry, or may
come through the doorway Of the aristo-
crat The favored ones go to the near
est conservatoire and study under the
aolest masters; they are given an edu-
cation in the fine arts and the clas-
slcs, and sometimes so on the operatic
stage; sometimes they do not. The
peasantry just sing and If they are
me enough in their natural gifts they
get on in some humble opera house.
where begins their real training. The
director teaches them operas. for they
have no piano at home of course, and
their tendencies into melodic express
sion rarely. If ever. are developed into
broad musical knowledge Thereafter
they are just singers. with certain
thrill in their voices that appeals,
and q certain sensuous charm and emo
conalism that 1T them for a career
among the operas Of the ardent Ital-
Ian school One would not call them
musicians under any circumstances, for
quality to be developed in the evolu-
tiOn of music-a sense of pitch-is lack
ing; but the lrst-a sense of rhythm
IS keenly apparent Sunny skies, a soft
language Of pure unbroken and uncom-
plicated vowel sounds; a balmy cn
mate and q traditional love of sing
Ing conspire TO produce without study
a correct method of vocal emission. So
these singers sing
In nearly every company OF Italian
opera artists there is to be found two
classes Of singers: the aristocratic and
the humble; the favored in genealogy
and the merely born. They rarely have
much 10 DO with each other-these
two classes-and there is jealousy, fire.
quently. between them. The high born.
perhaps, envies the low born his youth
and superior natural voice; the peas
ant is jealous of the airs that the
other assumes, and realizes vaguely
that he missed the education and train
ing which have given his rival fin
ish and polish which the judicious rec
ognizes and approves.
After all. music is democracy.
CarusO proves It with his aristocratic
velvet voice Misha Elman proves il
with his distinguished tones pulled with
peasants fingers from his violin;
Dvorak was the son Of a sausage
maker. and Bach's ancestry was de-
voted 70 baking bread for a living.
Since Themistocles placed himself on
record as opposed to "hddling," but ia
vored -'stringing" governments Che
said something like that, it is alleged),
the high gifts of music have been
the possession Of the lowly rather than
the lordly.
Angelo Antola had some clippings at
his lodgings which he wanted me to
see. He told me he would return to
L
them I was interviewing the popu-
lar barytone Of the Lambardis. He
was embarrassed at the proposal that
the interpretation whose services, by
the way. there was not much use,
thanks 10 Antola's illuminat tive panto-
mime experimenting his brief English
TOcab bulary-he was Visibly embar-
raised. but I urged. Finally il ap-
peared that he did not want to take
me TO his apartments. They are so
small, he explained. However. he
consented and we went. Outside the
lodging house the front Of which was
bare Of architectural ornament, large
boxes Of flowers were growing from
the siIls. They were bright geraniums
mostly, and they were 10 Antola's eyes
much finer than a marquise elaborate
and costly over the door. Everything
was scrupulously clean and infinitesi-
mally tiny. Down long passage
way ne led US 10 MS apartments, out
Of all the windows of which were the
red geraniums tossing in the breeze
that blew gently into the room and
futtering the immaculate curtains and
refreshing and sweetening the place.
We sat at a table, the size of which
justified the suspicion that Antola's
hospitality taxed his apartments sorely.
The table was covered with oilcloth,
which exhibited the ravages of clean
liness, for its figures were dim and
nearly obliterated by frequent and re-
lentless rubbings and washings. The
fair custodian Of this abode was then
introduced. I could see that Mrs. An