The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-07
Nv w. j.

11IL ! VI AfAto Wv ba' ~ -
has the honor to be a member
of the faculty of a c~onserva-
tory of music in this town.
This conservatory is greatly disllked
by that exceedingly large class OF
young persons who are in search OF
a short cut across the fields of ease
and plenty to success in the highway
of music. They would like to he per-
mitted to take lessons in singing. piano
playing or some other variety of per
Torrance without being compelled to
become musicians. But they are un-
able To accomplish this purpose In this
particular school. There are others
of the same sort in New York. and
they are a blessing to the private
teachers.
A student of singing who enters the
school in which this writer has the
privilege Of teaching a certain branch
must learn To play the piano, must
study harmony, form, analysis. sight
singing. diCtation, French, German
and Italian. and take lecture courses
with e~xaminationsD in the history
and aesthetics of musical art. Many
of them would like to escape part OF
this work, but they cannot obtain the
diploma of the school without doing II
and passing the necessary examina-
tons.
This information is put forth here
because il has a certain bearing on
the text of the day. This text is that
the most common of all errors is that
the possession OF a singing voice Will
make one n successful singer.
e. s ht,t
II is also one OF the most dangerous
in the world. The thousands aud
thousands of disappointed people who
set out in life to become tarusos or
Farrars might he led into right paths
If their friends would not tell them
such unmitlgated ~faisehoods.
TIE SUNS musical reviewer receives
many letters from people Interested in
music. Some are from persons In
search Of information. some are from
anxious youths who believe they have
talent and who wish to know how 10
begin. Among these are many whose
kind friends have told them that they
have beautiful voices and that they
ought to have them Cultivated"
Now the writer Of these words Is
not a personal friend Of these aspirants
for vocal fame, hui he * on" who has
lived most Of his life in the world OF
music aud has some results OF OK
perienCc. and he Is under no obligation
10 say agreeable things. Therefore
he makes no hesitation whatever In
asserting that not more than one in
$1,000 of these beautiful voices ever
brings To it's possessOr anything but
liSanppiutmept and SORROW.
The cause Of his is that only one
out Of 1000 has anything more than
the voice,
with a good voice backed by sound
musicianship one may do fairly we'll
But even TO accomplish his much
the Young singer must have abundant
bodily strength, ~uni'aGg'ng energy,
Giplomacv. personal attractiveness and
some business acum"n. Two-thirds of
the young singers who have come
under the notice Of this writer have
been wofully lacking in at least one
Of these necessities, nan. IS, energy,
They have no initiative. They "havc
the goods they think, and the world
ought to come rushing to buy. The
world does nothing of the sort. You
have to go out into the highways
and literally hold up the worlds traf-
fc in order to get It to realize that
you are there,
To succeed as a singer one must
work hard every day and advertise
personally every minute. The singers
who continually pay money TO have
Their portraits published and to have
their successes made known in the
musical journals are mostly people
who have already gone far along the
Dad TO professional success II they
believ" that advertising Is essential
he young singer should be- convinced
thai II -,
Rut il is not newspaper advertising
10 which refer AT tins time. II is
tuht man 10 man advertising which
\ crcatcs personal interest. which forces