The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-25

wealth had come to my immediate fam | fly, but it soon took wings and vanished, so that at the age of 20 I found myself
 married-and with scarcely any income. 1 Something had to be done and just at | that time a singer of great note-Von | Feileiztsch by name-a woman of re-
 markable talent and education, heard me i sing up in Akron, and she was impressed enough with my voice to suggest that l | take some lessions I took to the sugges- | tion, being short of funds and anxious | to get into something that would aug ment my exchequer, so I began my first l training. I had other teachers later, and | then I went to New York, where I had | a number of engagements"
 How did it happen that you chose the concert stage rather than an operatic ca reer?" I asked.
 First of all, because as the years grew | apace. I had a family to support and l l loved my family" said MT. Williams. 'The operatic stage I considered an ob- stable in the way of my marital happiness and consequently I chose concert work 1 To make long story short, I sang for | awhile and then one day a funny thing | happened. What would you think if l told you that in 1893 I marched through | the streets of Birmingham beating big | bass drum?"
 1 'Honest?' asked, with striking lack | of credulity of his tatement.
 | Honest Injun," MT. Williams replied. | "I had joined Primrose and Vests min strels and the newest man in the aggre- gation makes his debut first as cymbal player and then as a drummer boy. l | had been advanced to drummer boy.
 You should have seen those fellows the l first time sang for them. I must admit | that was rather a crusty, seedy looking | sort of person, and they all looked askance at my worn-out silk hat and dusty frocl coat, but I made them sit up and take notice when I sang" Well" said MT. Williams presently, resuming the story, 'The minstrel exper- fence led to other things, and Madame I Nordca, heard of my voice and recom- mended me to the Worcester festival peo- ple where I sang, and after my appear ance there went to sleep peacefully one evening an ex-minstrel man, and awoke | to find myself"-
 Famous" I quoted
 ''That was the big climax of my life,'
 said MT. Williams, "and short time after I had another surprise. Without | the slightest warning lost my voice al | most completely. I was distressed, of course, but I didn't worry as much as | you might think. I went out on my farm and worked for a long time; worked like | a Trojan and in the meantime studied the situation with regard to my voice. | u l had been looking for; the real method of singing. the different methods I had
 been taught had all but ruined my voice, and I discovered one of my own" Have you never taught this method ?"
 I asked.
 "Oh, yes.' was the reply. ''I immedi- ately went back to Akron and began teaching and from that I had many off, | fers to sing both here and abroad. went to London, then back to New York, and one day while I was dining at the | Waldorf. an offer came to me from the | Cincinnati Music Festival association to sing Judas Maccabees aud the tenor role | in The Trojans' of Berlioz. I was told Ithat they had heard me sing at St. Bar | tholomews the Sunday before and that | I was wanted, and so I accepted the of- | fer at once. and since then I have been continually singing I have filled en- agreements since the first day of January. Mir Herbert Is the most delightful man | to sing with. His great talent and emi-
 nent ability place him at the head of his profession, and 1t is my pleasure to tell you that I shall sing with him again next season.
 "One thing before I finish my story, | if such you call it. said Mir Williams.
 You know, my name isn't Evan Will Hams at all-or, rather, Evan is my mid 1 dle name. When decided to go on the | concert stage, I was known as Henry Williams. There happened to be a big burly darlxey in my home town named Henry Williams. He was the most ener- getic wife beater you ever saw, and one morning the papers would have great headlines about Henry Williams Beating His Wife, and the next about Henry Williams, the Noted Tenor Giving a Re- cital' and as I was constantly getting mixed up in the wife beating business, decided to change my name-to Evan you please"