The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-01-14
Nine. Clara Gabrilowitsch
Tells Why She Sings No
Humorous German Songs

Mark Twain's = daughter. Nine.
| Clara abrilowitsch, once Miss Clara
| Clemens sings no humorous German
| songs for American audiences, says
the New York Herald" which re-
Gently interviewed the noted contral-'
to. The report of the interview was
as follows:
To be tho daughter of Americas
! foremost humorist and the wife of one
of the worlds greatest pianists would
! be distinction enough for almost any
| woman. Nine. Clara, Clemens Ga
| 3rilowitsch, wife of OSsip Gabr1Io-
witsch and daughter Of Mark Twain,
however, has ambitions of her own,
and now she is just Nine. Clara Ga
| brilowitsch, contraltO, with a repu-
| tation of her own and a good foIlt wing
among the concert goers of New
| y ork and many other American and
European cities
zone would think that a, singer with
your. connections would combine mu-
| sic with humor and sing humorous
I songs once in a while instead of ali
those serious things which always fill
your programs an interviewer re-
marked to her one morning last week
at the Gabr1lowitsch apartment in the
| Webster Hotel
! tOnce tried it, she answered with
! a humorous twinkle in her eye.
| Il was singing German songs to an
American audience. Both Beethoven
| and Brahms have tried their hands at
humor. After the group of funny
songs almost every face in the audi
ence was serious, and entirely miss
ed the laugh. They hadn't under
stood the words. So the only thing
left for me to do was to go back
| in the dressing room where enjoyed
the joke all to myself. Since don't
know any really good American songs
that are funny and at the same time
musical I've decided to stick to- the
seriot1s things for the present
One of the unique features Of Nine.
| Gabrilowitsch's recitals is the fact that
the Accomplishments of her songs are
played by a real virtuoso-her hus-
| band But it is. not because she
needs any help at the piano. She
could play them herself-that is, II
etiquette and the fact that singing re-
| ouires concentration did not require
that she stand up in front of the piano
| and forget the keyboard.
ST started my musical career as a
pianist she conf1ded. at was sru0y-
| ing in Vienna with Lesch etizl1y when
by accident I discovered that had
a voice The life of a singer appeal
| ed to me much more than that of
pianist, so changed teachers and be-
came a vocalist"
with all Of your, pianistic talent, do
YOU ever give Joint piano recitals in
stead of voice and piano entertain
nents with your husband y:
During the summer we get much
enjoyment from piano duets and when
other pianists are present from works
for three and even four players, but
we, do not play these things publicly,
| Almost every evening last summer we
had our own little piano recitalS with
no audience except perhaps a frleno
or two who happened to be with us
I think every singer should be fam1I-
lar with the best there is in instruz
mental as well as vocal music-to be
| a musician as well as a vocal per-
former. Some singers must have
their songs drilled into their ears by
an assistant at the piano.
stSing ing to me would be drudgery
| instead of pleasure If could not pick
things up myself at the piano.S Until
a song has been played and sung over
| and over many times and committed
to memory, it ought not to be sung
publicly. The proper way to inter-
pref a, song usually does not come un-
| til it has been thoroughly memorized.
| "In singing publicly the most diff
cult thing to do is to concentrate the
mind on the spirit and character of
1.-The role that is being assumed. In
1.-THE song recital each song means a
different impersonation. If the songs
are all about similar things nlenot-
| ony results. 1t is this power to con
centrate that makes Nine. Yvette
| Guilbert such a great artist"
Mime. GabriIowitsch's favorite singer
is Nine Marguerite Matzenauer, and
she also is fond of Miss Emmy Des-
/ tim, Miss Elena Gerhardt and Nine
Julia Culp. German songs are her ia
vorite musical compositions, though
she sings and likes many Russian and
French works. Just at present Amer
| lea is her favorite country. You see,
we are in a predicament," she said.
| f'Afr. GabriIoWftSch, while a Russia
| by birth and still a subject of the
Gar has not lived in his native coun-
try for many years. Our home is in
Munich. I don't think Germany is
| quite the place for US during the
war, so for the present we are going
l to live in America