The Washburn leader., 1916-07-21
A Musical
Wonder
q, WALTER L. BREWER

One morning when Manager Hinton
was sitting at his desk in his private
room ct the opera house young man
entered and said: II am Arturio sta
uellL have made some success in
Naples rs q tenor and concluded to
aDend season in America before pre-
senting myself in Berlin"
"Ah, indeedy replied the manager.
''Signor Stanelli! have heard Of your
initial success in Naples Do you
'cme to us under contract or are you
t-ee7"
Il am free. have not yet become
sufficiently known to be sought after"
Stanelli, as yet scarcely twenty years
Nd, sang for the manager. His voice
was tenor, but none OF his notes were
high, and some Of his lower ones were
almost down to baritone range. Hin
ton seemed not quite satisfied about
>.omething. Presently he said:
"All my contracts for the seasons
tenors are signed. If your voice was
II baritone I could use you very readi-
~. As it is fear we cannot be of use
to each other"
Try me as a baritone" said the
other.
The manager smiled. Give me your
address," he said Sometimes singers
become irritable, and brain irritation
usually results In throat irritation.
may have occasion to suddenly put in
substitute"
A week later Signor Stanelli received
telephone message to call at the
opera house at once. When he was
announced he was admitted readily,
and Hinton told him that his baritone
had Quarreled with his contralto and
refused to sing with her. fThe part
runs low" he added, only in one or
two places, and we can cut them out"
The new singer created sensation.
His voice, instead of being high pitch
ed for baritone, was very low. Those
parts which the manager had suggest
ed cutting out We're sung with vig0r.
Hinton was astonished.
"How in the world did you ever get
such fexibility into your voice?' he
asked StanelN after the opera.
Staneln looked confused and said ho
didn't know.
1t was not long after this that Hin
ton was again in trouble; this time for
a tenor. His principal man in pre-
tended stabbing scene had really stuck
q knife into rival for the favor Of
not woman, but the public. He sent
for Staneln and asked him if he could
get his voice up to pitch that would
enable him to take the part. Staneln
said that he had sung the part with
out experiencing any trouble. He was
told to be on hand for it the same
evening.
He made as pronounced success as
a tenor as he had as baritone. Only
a portion Of the audience had heard
him in his other role. These were
somewhat surprised. They did not
know what to think about n man being
both tenor and baritone. The rest Of
the audience supposed that Staneli
was regular tenor.
As for Hinton, he could not believe
his own ears. He knew very well
that the human voice has not SO wide
range as appeared in this case, and
he believed that there was some Inn
position being practiced upon him. II
not. then Staneln was simply such q
wonder as the world had never seen
| before.
Hinton's company was in constant
state of warfare. One night when
Staneln was singing baritone part In
! III Trovatore" quarrel occurred be-
tween the tenor and the soprano-they
were singing lovers parts-and tho
lady slapped the tenor's face. He
vowed that he would not sing another
note with her, and the manager could
not move him. Turning to Stanelli,
Hinton said:
"Can you finish the part for him"
II think I can"
''Well, If you can that will solve the
problem for this performance. can
easily supply your place in the role you
have been singing"
Stanelli went to his dressing room to
change his costume. sending his valet,
Luigi, for the dress now required.
Luigi took it to him, and in due time
Stanelli came forth robed for the trour
badour's part.
This success in singing two different
parts. requiring tenor and baritone
voice. further puzzled Hinton. After
the performance he called Stanelli into
his office and said to him:
"Staneln, wish your voice was oD
Two different bodies. l would like to
cast you for two parts in the same
opera"
"That is not impossible" replied
Stanelli unconcernedly.
mot impossible! What do you
,nean?"
"Name the parts and I will be on
hand in two bodies
Then the singer told his secret to tho
manager, and one evening the tenor
and baritone parts were taken by two
men who were the image Of each other.
They were Arturio and Giovanni Sta
nelli, twin brothers. But Luigi did not
assist his master in his dressing room
that evening, for he was Giovanni
Staneln and had sung the baritone
parts for his brother.