Omaha daily bee., 1914-11-22


eral seasons with more or less success.
and one day there came to his studio a
talented young girl. possessed of a lovely
lyric voice wide in range and unusually
sweet in quality. Teacher probably did
the usual things, gave her studies and
pieces, and maybe now and then changed
or corrected something, no body knows
exactly. but at last came the momentoua
day when the young lady was to make
her musical debut. Beside the lovely
voice she had locks and charm, and her
many friends, (for of course she was i'm
mensely popular), were all tiptoe for the
great event. Finally the night arrived.
The recital hall was filled with the
friends. the merely curious and the
musically inclined.
The young lady appeared prettier than
ever in her dainty new dress, but what
did she do when she sang? BY the charm
OF her personality, her talent and her
remarkable assurance, she managed to
put the spirit OF the song across the foot
lights But what a poor, indecent, I'M
clothed spirit IL was-for, alas, the tech
mic of her art-wasn't Her breath con-
troll was not so bad, and her enunciation
in the main was fairly good, although
the only vowel she could sing on a high
tone was long !. But what about voice
placement. tone coioring. evenness OF de-
velopment and the attack, which was al
ways made by portamento. or, in other
words, scoop, starting on a long tone
and sliding up to the desired one, and
musically In bad favor, what about these
and a number of other things pupils are
supposed TO know before they are pre-
scented in public?
She received a great deal OF applause,
however; many flowers were passed over
the footlights. and afterward her friends
crowded around and pressed eongratula-
lions upon her As charming young
lady she was a success, but as a musi-
clan hardly. Now here are two tragedies,
one man. who is probably a perfectly
good man In some other line of bust
ness, who is not making a success as a
vocal teacher no matter how many pu-
pills he may have, and the other a con-
hdent young girl who has a lovely voice
which is gradually being spoiled by care
less treatment. Verify one who teaches
vocal work assumes a big responsibility,
larger than that OF anv other professional
musician, for in this case the instrument
is not mechanically made. but divineIy
given. One cannot get a new one, when
it is gone. And. as for pupils, sometimes
assurance is a dangerous thing One
does not consider and compare, when one
Is positive.
And the pity OF II all is that this is not
one case, which one may mention and
deplore, but rather only an illustration
Of hundreds which are happening all over
the musical world. There are other cases
where people pose as pianists who have
been abroad and studied with high sound
ing names, and yet who can not play
two hands together. or get off OF the
pedal when the harmony changes. There
are Yocalists who are so busy making
tones at they forget they are singing a
song, and unlike the girl in the above
fairy tale they leave out the spirit OF the
song. and merely present the technical
clothing. This is much the same at a
musical as IL would be at a ball, for
people who were not able 20 be present
sent their party clothes TO represent
item. There are some who sound pretty
well, but for goodness sake do not look at
them.
u ,s-t too late yet for musical people