The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-31

came into the store that my parents,
seeing that | gave them an unusual
amount of attention and fearing l
might get stage struck. now proceeded
to apprentice me To a ladies' tailor.
Il went willingly enough. because l
have always liked to sew. and even
tually left the shop fully equipped
TO earn my livelihood 10y that trade
l found, though. that earning ones liv-
ing by fitting and making suits for
ladies' was quite a different thing from
sitting in workroom with a dozen
other girls and laughing and singing
over our bdsting and stitching. | had
always been musical. | had always
played the piano fairly we'll, and was
said 10 have voice OF more than
usual quality.
When I mentioned to my father my
wish t. study music seriously he shook
his head While we were comfortably
we'll Off, studying for opera was beyond
his means In fact, as he explained
many sacrifices were being made by the
family in order to give me a respect
able marriage settlement or dot.
Then an idea occurred to me. Why
not take my dot and invest II in a
career instead II husband? \ hus-
band. explained to my parents is not
always satisfactory. He may die or go
bankrupt, or treat me badly. but a
good career you can always fall back
on. My parents. being the most sensl-
| BILE and deares, people in the world,
took the same view of the situation, and
here am"
Fraulein Alder delivered the last with
triumphant little chuckle and then
| blushed like a schoolboy. Utterly femi-
nine. shy and fairylke as she is. there
! at the same time something decidedly
| Doyish about her personality which
constitutes this operetta diva's great
est charm.
II went 20 Vienna and studied singing
| for two years AS my marriage set
| Element was not a large one and as
| two yehrs Is a long time you may
| imagine I did not live very luXurlously.
! worked hard every minute OF the time,
and one fine day 7 got an engagement
a, the Court Theatre in Trepau. Ire
| pau Is a little town, a very, very little
| town-somethng the size, I imagine.
| of your own little town of Elizabeth. in
| New Jersey-I was down there in an
| automobile the other day.
my salary was 90 kronen per month.
/
had a change of performance every
night. and every day there was a re-
hearsal. was here two years and
played all the principal and soubrette
parts. one night we would give a
grand opera. the next night perhaps a
farce or a comedy drama, the next night
a comic opera. and so on.
Every morning Of that two years /
rose at S'o'clock. At o'clock I was
lat the rehearsal of the production OF
the evening. This rehearsal lasted until
IL in the afternoon. From the rehearsal
VI went to the neighboring cafe to study
my part for the next mornings re-
| hearsal The light was better at the
cafe than at the pension where lived
| there being only candles there. Then
TO the pension for dinner, and then Ia
the evenings performance.
AS / never had time to eat a mid
day meal the managers wife, who lived
above the theatre, used to take pity on
me and drop a sandwich Of bread and
sausage over the fly gallery, which
would catch and eat between cues"
The vision of this elfn creature con-
Stunning anything so common as saul
sageS and bread Is difficult TO conJure
and. worse still, Else Alder insists she
likes such homely fare. BE that as II
may, she acquired a repertoire here
comprising fifteen grand opera roles
and thirty-eight in opera comique. She
also had two dramatic parts.
Of grand opera roles. to name a few
of the more prominent she was Musettt
in LA Boheme," FrdSquctd in Gar,
men" Cherubn in The Marriage OF
Figaro" PdpdDcnd in THE Magi,
Flute" and Susdnne in The Secret o
Susanna" In operetta she PLAYED
everything from Daisy in THE Dollal
Princess" to Joldn in "Gypsy Love"-iI
fact to name the operettas would be Il
run over the roster of every muslca
Continued on Fifteenth Page.