The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-18
DOLLY HAS A CHAT WITH MISS ALMA
 BECK, TEdllE llEGIRL WITH A CELLO VOICE
By DOLLY DAIRY MPLE TO MISS BECK.

" OoLLf DALltf MPLE , TO MISS BECK.
 Triumphant genius of the singers art
 Inspired interpreter of inuscs soul An artist pure of spirit, mind, and heart And youthful beauty to complete the per
 feet whole
 What flame is burning there behind your
 eyes?
 What is the secret of your thrillins
 power?
 The soul of Genius in frail disguise.
 The perfume of d glowing, tropic flowerI
 III.
 For when you sing an audience sis
 Your music and your presence fill the
 air
 Your voice, carcssing and appealing
 sounds
 And leaves heavenly memory hanging
 there,
 In their Golden Age" the Italians had q curious custom of substituting for the surname ol well known artiste ar cpithet descriptive of the distinguishing charac- teristic of his work as for instance, Tin toretto, the colorist.
 | Occasionally
 Something like that is done in this coni- mercial and unimagnative age when a mick name is applied to some singer | or pianist, painter.
 1 Oftimes-
 l These names are satirial but sometimes | they are genuinely meant. which is the | case when l suggest as d sobriquet for l Miss Alma Beck, the well known Con tralto "the girl with the cello voice. 1 for il is so charmnely apropos, so fiat 1 ter1nSly true, and so honestly conceived, ! that in bestowing it upon this clever ] young singer, I feel that I am but echoiug 1 the thoughts of hundreds of others Hno 1 heard her beautiful volce in concert last l evening.
 There are few singers before the pub lie today who can give so much pleasure 1 by their art Miss Beck. She looks like d girl still in her teens dndeed 1 think she has scarcely turned 20) and she Is so sweet and unaffected and modest about her accomplishments and so prettg-the kind of pretty orcti- ture that the sarastic Hans Von Bulow used to advise to fget married" when they applied to him for lessons But
 No teacher would ever nave given Miss Beck that advice for in her he would have recognized at once q true artist and d InuSlcdl nlSSlOlldfS, one or the IeW who can preach the gospel of the higher art in such way as to absolutely fasc- nate an audience. .s Miss Beck is very unusual type. In her frail, irtle girllsh body she car ries the weight of a tremendous person alty whatever that is-but at any rate, she has the quality of virile power, and at the same time a feminine tenderness called for by the best music, that is in- applicable, especially in one so young. Youth-glorious youth is hers-fragrant. pure. ambitious, golden Youth-with it's myriads of dreams and wonderful maginings, Youth--with it's superb self-confidence l and undismayed hopesl Youth-of face, form, intellect and voice. Dark olive skin and glorious blue-gray eyes, soft wavy hair and the most ex pressive of all features-a tender, kind, | beautiful mouth-makes Miss Beck a striking type-the type that you stop twice to look at-the type that holds you by sheer force of magnetism. Almost q child in face and form her intelligence and her rare gifts seem sort l of an anachronism-yet she sits quietly | and tells you of her varied experiences in her short five years of professional l singing and her tremendous ambitions l and you feel almost resentful that she | has accomplished so much in SD short l a time while you-well, you are just one 1 of the many-plodding, plodding, getting | nowhere in particular but still ploddingl | At the attractive home of Mrs. l.. Block | where Miss Beck is being charmingly en- tertained while she is here. I had the pleasure of chatting with this agreeable young woman yesterday-and better still, | had the pleasure of hearing her sing. MT. and Mrs. William Gussen, those sterling and capable artists than whom Birmingham has no greater had sung the praises of Miss Beck and her won derfu art before presenting her in con cert here, but it was easily realized after hearing her sing that even with their acclamations of her gifts and talents, the half had not been told.
 Miss Beck's voice is pure gold-like l