The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-11
TRUCKMAN TENOR
MAY RIVAL CARUSO
AbOrn. Hearing TOilcr's Voice,
Thinks He Has Singing
Prodigy.
SIGNS CONTRACT AT ONCE

Tie story has been told Of the great
tenor who heard as he took the air IN
Il window of his villa the voice Of a fish
monger crying wares In tones that
shamed the lark the story OF how the
tenor. moved to tears by the Ash ven
der's sweet harmonies. expressed in lit
ing syllables of Lobster. oysters and
fresh fish, rolled his eyes to heaven,
beat upon his breast and vowed that
here was n voice to startle the world.
Here, therefore, while remembering
that Caruso's father was a butcher, Is
the tale of the truckman who would be
a tenor n tale told yesterday by Milton
Aborn of the operate Aborns while
reporters sat in Mr.. Aborn's studio. at
$40 West Seventy-secoHd street. and
: listened TO the voice of the prodigy. all
unframed, as 1t scared from low ID to
high A..
Morris Hornfeld Ia the truckman's
name. although the field will be forever
silent IL he is really a prodigy and his
name ever ornaments proud posters In
front Of temples of music. He is a Ru-
manian jew. 30 years of age. who has
been in this country since he landed,
on July 4. 1899. from the steamship
Barbarossa with his %sfoster parents.
of stocky build. hardly 6 feet 8 inches In
height. with massive shoulders and deep
chest. Hornfeld. even In the Sunday
clothes he wore yesterday. resembles
thousands of other young men who are
seen commonly on the drivers seat Of
great trucks ar wrestling with packing
cases at the shipping doors of the big
shops.
His Hair Combcd Pom IN Hour.
He is blonl. with stubby hair combed
pompadour, with small, bright blue eyes.
a small! and humorous mouth. ana very
fair skin. He has little education. be-
cause his life has been spent In grind
ing labor. but hc speaks English fiuently
and has a fair knowledge of Italian.
Runauiau II Yiddish lie knows MOTH
ing OF music. he says. and of this Mr..
.\born Is quite convinced. He cannot
read n note. He has M notion of why
he possesses the gift OF singing.
His parents We're murdered when he
was a baby 10y railroad laborers who
quarrelled with his father. an innkeeper.
and he fell into the hands Of persons
who used him harshly and who brought
him finally To this country, where he
began to shift for himself. He was n
new>boy on the East Side. learned to be
u boxer, Joined political and social clubs
in the Forsyth street noighborhood.
worked as a street cleaner and as a
motorman, and eventually drove a truck
for Max Helborn. at 1901 Third avenue
When Helborn went out OF business
Hornfeld drove a truck for a firm at
lI3 seventh avenue. but he lost that
job and las, Monday he started out
To hum another place. lie walked I'm
Seventh avenue to the park and then
westward along Seventy second street.
The sign at Mr., .Aborn's door. Courses
for Operate singers caught his eye.
He stopped ard listened TO the students
at work on scales and snatches OF opera.
He stood. he says. entranced and finally.
when he walked on to Riverside Drive
and sat upon a bench. he made up his
mind to ask Mr.. Aborn to test his
voice.
HAD Notion lie Could Sing.
He had 4 nottion. this ,ruckman, tina
he could sing His friends on the Eas;
Side had done their best to make him
concsited He sang at his work and
at his nom. and upon the street. Song
buhhlcd out of him. lie had always
longed for a chanc to train his voice.
but "A living had to be made. The sign
at Aborn's had given him the big idea.
He was out of a jpb-why not pu. his
N'AA' ~ Nv A'NN II ! u q III
the .Aburn studio, rang the bell and told
the maid servant that he wanted to see
some one who could tell him whether or
not he would ever make a singer. The
maid sent him to Mrs. Alice A. Parker
of the Abori staff. For her he sang the
songs he knew best, My Song by
Harry Rowe Shelley "Naptotrite Pa
laicinee," a Rulnanian song whose title
in English means. The Night Is Dark
800 Il H
the songs that had caugh, his ear ia
evenings on the Fast Side. Mrs. Par
ker believed that he WAS quite modest,
quite sincere and that he actually had
great talent Il not genius. She told him
To report next day for Mr.. Aborn to
hear him.
Overnight he found a new job. truck
ing for James Hirschman at 625 Sew
euth venue. but he was At the studio
on Tuesday two hour before the time
appointed. lie waited eagerly for Mr.
Aborn's verdict. What Aborn thought
may he understood when Il is known
that the imprrsario gave "A contract 10
Hornfcld which specifies thai Hornfeld
Is To receive s12 a week from .Aborn
,Hornfeld'S truckman's salary. board az
the rate of $50 a month and free instruc-
ton for two months. II at the end of
two months the student displays real
ability and is able to secure paying
engagements in vaudeville or concert
work, Mr.. Ahorn is to take 10 per cent
of his salary. Later. If big success
comes. Nj, Ahorn and the singer are
to divide whatever money fortune
brings.
IL believe said MIR, Aborn yesterday.
that this man Is a tru. prod igv that
his is one of the rare casesPof extraor-
binary ability accidentally detected.
| may he mistaken. Of curse, Horn
field may have neither the powers Of
voice nor the Intelligence for a grea,
career, hut | believe in him sufficiently
TO take a chance"
NApI1cO cAIIc C0p MrII1 Xnnn