The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-11
LILLIAN N0RD|CA
CLAIMED BY DEATH
American Singer of Worldwide
Fame Passes Away at
Batavia, Java.
END OF TRIUMPHANT CAREER
Fatal Illness Follows Grounding
of Steamer on Which She
Was Passenger.

dica, the singer, died hero tonight.
Nine. Nordic;t had been Ill since the
steamer Tasma. on which she was
passenger. went ashore In the Gulf OF
Papua. December IS last. Nervous
prostration was followed by pneu-
monia The Tasma was noatcd In
three days. and put into Thursday
Island. There Nine. Nordica was
placed under the care Of a physician
l. who remained in constant attendance
upon her until April |, when she sailed
for Batavia
Arriving here. the singer recovered
som what. after a stay of three weeks.
| \ relapse occurred, however. and ply
sicians gave up all hopes OF her re-
covcry.
AN AMERICAN SINGER
OF WORbD-WIDE FAME
Lillian Nordica was an American
singer of world wide fame. Her adj
mircrs ranged from the men of the
| HowcrY section of New York, where
sh. had sung at mission meetings, to
The most critical boXholdcrs of grand
opera houses in all OF the worlds
great musical centres. The purity of
her voice. employed in many tongues.
hnd delighted hundreds of thousands
since The day, forty years ago. She first
appeared in public as soprano sololst
at Grace Church. in Boston.
NcrGica ana Eamcs-although the
latter was born Of American parents
| III lhf-DU Onlia--Wcrc OF Ola Now
| England stock, both claimed 10y the
state of Maine, and they made up
notable American contribution to the
opeiatic world. y farmhouse built by
the nrima donnas great grandfather
/ on hill JUS outside tho village OF
!'armington. No, WAS Nordic;l's birth
place, In 1S'n. Her true naue was
Lillian Norton. She changed II to the
Italian, Nordica. twenty years later.
wheu> she began to study In Italy for
an op"ratic career.
After her graduation from the New
ENGLAND Conservatory Of Music ut
l;oston and successful singing Of the
leading roles in several of the or;tto-
rios given by the Handel and Haydn
Society. she went to Europe in 1878
as II suloist with ,;ilmorcs l;and. She
: clung tcuaciously to classical music
and was well received by great audi
. ences In the Crystal Palace. London
and the Trocadcro Paris She decided
TO remain In Europe and attempt AN
operatic career She went to Milan
and became pupil of Sanglovanui
ana within six months she had mas
> tered ten operas.
HER FIRST APPEARANCE
IN "FA AISTr' IS TRIUMPH
Her debut I'm opera was at Brcscia
, , in 1872. in La Traviata." After "A trip
to ST. Petersburg she appeared for trial
before Ambrose Thomas and the i'm
presario. Nancorbeil. who engaged her
Her first appearance there In lSS2 AS
Marguerite in Faust" was tri-
umph. The critics observed her Amer
lean accent. but said II gave plquancy
TO her tone, and her acting was lauded
as equal to her singing.
She returned 10 America and toured
| this country with great success. In
! the succeeding years she appeared in
opera or concert in almost every city
e of musical culture in the world. Her
: t,,tt it,,.1,, dad -
operas Her success with WaGnerian
; roles became the pinnacle OF her
r fame Al Rayrcuth In 1s?4 she np-
. pearcd as Elsa in "Lohengrin" and
she is, perhaps best remembered in
that part She received decorations
of various sorts abroad and gifts
. without number from friends at home.
) TIE stockholders OF the Metropolitan
Opera House presented her with q
diamond tiara.
Her matrimonial ventures numbered
three. She was first married in 1852
20 Frederick a. Cover IL wealthy
: electrician, and Il native Of her state
) OF Maine. whom she met in Paris
shortly after she had begun separation
proceedings in 1851 Cover disap-
pcarcd. lie attempted II balloon trip
! across the English Channel. Al
though the balloon was later found,
nothing was ever heard or seen OF Kim.
In 1886 Nine. Nordica married Zol-
tan DoCme, 81 hungarian army oHlCef
and singer from whom she secured q
divorce in 1909
FALLS DANGEROUSLY Ill.
. ON OTHER SIDE or WORLD
Her third marriage WAS in London.
in 1909. to George W. Young, q wealthy
New York banker. IT was announce ed
at that time that Nordicd would retire
| from the stage, but, after honey
moon spent in part at the old Norton
iloEestead in Maine. she decided upon
= farewell concert tour of the world
Ii WAS while making one leg of this
"Trip on the Dutch steamer Tasman that
the vessel ran ASHORE on Thursday Is
land in the antipodcs. The shock of
the accident and exposure brought ON
pneumonia. Mime. Nordica's admirers
felt il TO he a particularly tragic cir
cuinstance that the famous singer
should have fallen dangerously III on
the other side of the world.
Her body, undoubtedly, VIII be
brought directly to this coVntry, and
, bc buried near the old homestead in
Maine.
The Nordica fortune must lie iarGr
II was published as II fact I'm 1909 that
she had made Sl@S.o00 during that sea
son alone Much of her money went
toward realizing her dream of ~ Ray
:euth in America" She bought II large
tract of land along the Hudson. near
Ossining. and. with great enthusiasm.
sketched plans for a g"cat musical in
a.i;utc. II was said 81, 900. 900 WAS bacl;
OF the scheme but II was never brought
to full realization.