The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1916-09-02
A Musical
Wonder
BY L [. BREWER

49,
entered and said: 81 am Arturio Sta
nelli. l have made some success In
Naples as a tenor and concluded to
spend a season In America before pre-
senting myself in Berlin"
"Ah, indeedr' replied the manager.
"Signor Stanelli! 1 AVE heard of your
initial success in Naples. Do you
come to us under contract or are you
free?'
II am free. | have not yet become
sufficiently known to be sought after"
Stanelli, as yet scarcely twenty years
old, sang for the manager. His voice
was a tenor, but non of his notes were
high. and some of his lower ones were
almost down to baritone range. Hin
ton seemed not quite satisfied about
something. Presently he said:
All my contracts for the seasons
tenors are signed. If your voice was
a baritone l could use you very read1-
1y. As 1t is l 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
a substitute"
A week later Signor Stanelli received
a 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. The part
runs low." he added, 'only in n or
two places, and we can cut them out"
The new singer created a sensation.
His voice, instead of being high pitch
ed for a baritone, was very low. Those
parts which the manager had suggest
ed cutting out were sung with vigor.
Hinton was astonished.
How in the world did you ever get
such ~fieXibility into your voice. he
asked Stanelli after the opera.
Stanelli looked confused and said he
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 a pre-
tended stabbing scene had really stuck
a knife into a rival for the favor Of
not a woman. but the public. He sent
for Stanelli and asked him if he could
get his voice up to a pitch that would
enable him to take the part, Stanelli
said that he had sung the part with
out experiencing any trouble. He was
told to be on hand for 1t the same
evening.
He made as pronounced il success as
a tenor as he had as Il baritone. Only
a portion of the audience had heard
him in his other role. These We're
somewhat surprised. They did not
know what to think about Il man being
both tenor and baritone. The rest of
the audience supposed that S~tanelli
was Il regular tenor.
AS for Hinton. he could not believe
his own ears. He knew very well
that the human voice has not so wide
a range as appeared in this case. and
he believed that there was some inn
position being practiced upon him. IL
not. then Stanelli was simply such a
wonder as the world had never seen
before.
HintOn's company was in a constant
state of warfare. One night when
Stanelli was singing a baritone part IN.
| I'll Trovatore" Il quarrel occurred be
tween the tenor and the sOprano-they
were singing lovers parts-and the
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 himT
81 think l m.
"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 ROBBED for the tron-
!, badour's part.
This success in singing two different
/ parts, requiring a tenor and baritone
: voice. further puzzled Hinton. After
the performance he called Stanelli into
his office and said to him:
"Stanelli. | wish your voice was or
/, two different bodies. | would like TO
cast you for two parts in the same
opera"
THAT is not impossible" replied
Stanelli unconcernedly.
Not impossible. What do you
mean?"
Name the parts and | will be on
| hand in two bodies"
Then the singer told his secret TO the
: manager. and one evening the tenor
and baritone parts were taken by tive
men who were the image of each other
They We're Arturio and Giovanni Sta
nelli. twin brothers. But Luigi did no
f assist his master in his dressing room