Evening journal., 1912-02-22
new NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Fulfilled Prediction Of
Two Famous Musicians
By Holland

For many years Luigo Arditi was
tho conductor Of Italian opera at the
Academy Of Music in New York in
the winter season and at Her Ma
iesty's Theatre in London IN the
spring season Of eacn year. He was
tho best known Of all Of the italian
opera conductors Of his time. lie en-
joyed wide reputation as a composer
OF ballads or songs Adelina Patti al
ways insisted that Arditi conduct the
less he was out of the country.
In the winter of 1879 / met Arditi in
the little private office Of Colonel
James Henry Mapleson, the impress
ario who brought Italian opera TO the
United States, and introduced Patti
and many other great singers to
American audiences. Arditi was a
little man, &ith a very shiny bald head
surrounded at the base Of the skull
by fringe of half-curling locks. He
was animation itself
asked Arditi If he had ever con-
Quoted an opera in which the contral-
to part was more satisfactorily given
than by Annie Louise Cary, who had
been engaged by Colonel Mapleson as
the leading contralto for his Italian
opera company, and was then at the
height Of her popularity as great op-
cratic voice.
Miss Cary is a great singer Arditi
replied. "She has beautiful voice
She knows how to sing. She never
sings off the key. She gives me nc
trouble. But there have been greater
contralto voices than here--but not
any greater American contralto.'
asked Arditi why It was that there
were SO few American prima donnas
who had gained really great successes
An" said the little Italian, verJ
vivaciously you will soon see many
American singers who will be the
great prima donna-not yet; perhaps
perhaps five years perhaps ten years
but some time. ! tell you that none
of them>will be a greater prima don
ma than the American girl Clara
Louise Kellogg.
Il will tell you something about
Miss Kellogg. You may like to hear it
You have heard of Berlioz2 He wat
one Of the greatest writer's Of orches.
trail music of recent years. knew
Berlioz we'll; we we're warm friends
zone day-let me think (here AR.
diti began to count upon his fingers
II was fifteen years ago. No, ! mis-.
take-fourteen years ago. Berliol
came TO see me at my home in Lon.
don He was much excited. He said tC
me, Berlioz did, Have you heard that
American girl Kellogg sing I'm opera?
When ! told him that | had and thai
she had made one grand success
when she first appeared in London 9
few months earlier, then Berlioz ask
ed me if 1t was true that she learned
all she knew of singing in the United
States. / told him that it was, eXcep
that she did receive a few lessons il
Europe. but II was after she haI
made her triumphs in New York.
"Then BerlIoz, that great musician
of France, said TO me: This girl Kel
logg begins a new epoch. For il II
America a soprano voice of that kin
can be produced. and if in Americ
they teach women how to sing as thi
girl, sings, then tell you that froI
America will come by and by tn
great women singers of the world
And then Berlioz said again to me
That is a strange thing this girl ha
done. For she Is the first America
woman to show Europe that I'm Amei
lea they have voices and know no
to sing"
Ardii himself became excited Z
he related this anecdote Of Berlioz an
Clara Louise kellogg. "Ahl" he erie
81 kiss my hand to your America
girl. She has led the way. You wi
have by and by plenty Of great Amer
can singers. But IL still will have bee
Miss Kellogg who first taught EuroI
that in America the women ha'
voices equal to the greatest and ca
be taught how to use them"
And today, as Luigi Arditi and BE
lioz predicted many years ago, Il
world of grand opera holds MAI
famous American voices
Copyright, 1912. by B. j. Edwards. A
rights reseryed.)
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will tell
"The Father Who Put His Daughter