Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-01
Accident of Success in
Grand Opera
Continued from page 9

patroness. But when her preparation was COM
pleted she was no nearer the goal of her ambi-
ton than hundreds of other American girls who
pour golden flood INTO the pockets of European
vocal teachers. Her money was gone. SO were
her hopes when she attracted the interest OF
Sybil Sanderson Through the influence of this
great singer Miss Garden secured place at the
Opera Comique Forced to engage her against
his wishes the director showed his displeasure
by assigning her to understudy the role Ct
Louise The creator of the role was the reign
ing favorite of the Paris public A more thank
less and unpromising task could not have been
allotted her.
But the great god Chance interviewed. and
late one afternoon word reached the opera
house that the protagonist of Charpentier S
heroine was too i'll to appear that night. 1t
was too late t. change the bill or give the I'M
derstudy rehearsal. But Miss Garden was
not to be daunted by adverse circumstan
She sang Next morning she was famous and
Paris had a new sensation.
Campanaris Experience
CHANCE made an opera singer out of Giu-
seppe Campanari. Leaving the Conserva-
tory of Milan as prize pupil in the cello and
piano departments he became first cellist in
the orchestra at La Scala There he discovered
that he had voice and trained himself by
initiating the singers when he returned to his
rooms At rehearsal one day barytone was
forced to stop by hoarseness. No substitute
COuIQ De IOunQ SdulpdndIl rose ana VOlun-
teered to sing the part He got the chance and
won the applause of his astonished colleagues
by carrying off the role in splendid style.
The managers worked their new find so hard
that within year and half his voice was en-
tirely gone Then he went back to his cello.
For eight years he worked slowly and steadily
to recover his voice. He was first cellist in the
Boston Symphony Orchestra under Arthur
Nlkisch when he felt sure enough of himself to
sing again in public. Once more he surprised
his colleagues by leaving his place in the or
chestra to appear as soloist at Boston Sym
phony concert His return to opera followed
M,rie Rappold's Luck
A MOTHER noted exemplar of the luck of the
grand opera game is the soprano Marie
Rappold for three years a leading member of
the Metropolitan Opera Company, who is now
singing in Germany. Born in Brooklyn, she
studied singing from girlhood, and dreamed
the dreams of a thousand other American girls
of one day reigning as Queen of Song. Then
she married. daughter was born, and in the
happiness of her home life she put away her
artistic ambitions She continued singing in
concert, and. though the operate ambition
was not dead. she had grown to regard it as
something unattainable.
One day her vocal teacher made the surpris-
ing announcement that her chance to sing in
opera at hand. He had arranged for her
to sing at Schiller festival in Brooklyn, at
which Heinrich Conried. impresario of the
Metropolitan, was to officiate. She didn't see
the connection. but she sang. and when her
bluntly. You ought to sing Elsa"
She can. interjected the teacher.
Come over and sing it for me tomorrow"
said Conried. This was impossible, as Madam
Rappold was leaving next day for concert