Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-05-10
HEARD NINE. RAPPOLD SING.
T.. j. Parman Heard Interesting Con-
test Between Famous Singer
and Her Edison
Records.

E. j. Parman returned home Mon
day night from Minneapolis, where
he attended big meeting of Edison
dealers, and heard the famous prima
donna, Marie Rappold sing in an in
teresting contest between herself
and her Edison records. We quote
below write up of the concert from
the Minneapolis Journal:
Marie Rappold, prima donna of the
Metropolitan Opera company OF New
York and well known American con-
cert singer, gave a private concert at
the auditorium last night before a
large audience OF her friends and
admirers. The first time Nine. Rap
pold appeared in this city was also
at private concert. By concert
management and press she was her
aided as a great singer, although she
was then comparative beginner.
Shortly afterward Nine. Rappold ap-
peared here in grand opera with
Caruso in the title role OF Verdi's
Aida. With chivalrous considera-
ton the famous tenor subordinated
portant duets and ensembles, doing
everything to give the promising de-
butante her chance. The result was
that the young soprano made very
favorable impression.
Some years have passed since then,
and IN the meantime the art OF Nine.
Rappold has developed gloriously and
is now attaining all that her enthusl-
astic friends claimed for it from the
beginning. Anyone who heard her
sing last night, or who has heard the
excellent photograph records of her
voice must admit that today Marie
Rappold stands in the front rank OF
singers.
The concert last night was of rare
interest, because of the victorious
contest between the singers, animal
ed by life and stirred by her artistic
temperament, and the mechanically
reproduced records of the Edison
lphonograph.
Most instruments give but little IL
fusion in the photograph. The piano
the most powerful and resourceful
of them ALL next to the organ, sounds
| like some forlorn grandparent of it's
lO"i III tliC ldIully Vi
| sion instruments to which it belong
ed wholly before the invention Of
pedals. The modern piano speaks
and sings and enthralls through the
right foot pedal, and that great agen-
cy of sublimated or intensified must
cal Interpretation is dumb in phono-
graph records.
The photograph is absolutely at it's
best when performing what would
seem the most difficult of all its feats,
reproduction of the human voice. This
lis because the breath and heart pail
lpitation that bring power and soul
into song, are made suggestively real
TO the listener. In direct contrast to
1.-THE mechanical piano player the
monograph eXcels where the indiyi-
dual traits, whether they be merits
or shortcomings, make themselves
felt And this is so because the verv
feeling makes them of human appeal.
1t is illusion of the suffering or soar
ing art medium that gives such PER
feet illusion. Nine. Rappold's pro-
gram was highly interesting in itself,
made up largely of well known Verdi,
Puccini and Wagner arias, some Of
which, like the 30 Patria Mia" and
Ritorna Vincitor," she has sung on
that very stage in the opera perfor-
nance above referred to. Both in
the plaintiye prayers by Puccini and
Bach-Gounod and the arias of trium-
plant exultation the Edison labora
tory re-creations of her voice gave
Perfect illusion. Also the we'll known
voice of Arthur Middleton by proxy
in Pinsuti's "Bedouin Song"
Contrary as it may seem, locks of a