The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-10-19

; The manager OF the record company
that had contracted with Nine CALI
Curci invited Wagner to hear her, via
the record voice. lie did That aft
3 crnoon he signed the new soprano up
f6r life
, Mr. tampanin agreed 10 give the
new singer two appearances IN Chi
, cago. Under the terms OF the second
contract, hastily drawn after her Rig
olctta" triumph. when she took both
audiences and critics by storm, Nine
Galli-Curci will appear with the Chi
cago Opera company for several years
This means tha, for some time to come
America will claim the new songbrd
for its own and the pleasure OF music
lovers in this fact IS fully cQuallcd by
the delight oi the spEcr herself
Singing, to Mime CALI Curl. i, a
i natural process 10 be consummatrd a,
simply as It IS with the birds Aicr
, voice is beautiful IN quality from her
, high E.ail the way down as lar as she
, chooses to GO NOcally she IS self
taugla. but with the ground work OF a
broad musical and general education
| ~ ~ anu IDl N'llDNlt Sic " d WO1ldU VI
keen intellect and trained perceptions
and this must always be borne in mind
when estimating her great successes
and the paths by which they have been
attained.
Spanish Italian Parents.
Born Of Spanish-ltalan parents IN
comfortable circumstances she spent
the carly yeaps of her life in Milan.
Her musical abiliW was soon re-
cogniacd by her family. who did not,
however, desire daughter OF theirs 10
embark on an operatic career; so she
began the study Of piano in the Con
Sevatoirc OF her native city.
Mascagni heard the young musician
when she appeared on one of the Con
scrvatoire programs. and he suggested
that she perfect her vocal as well as
her panistic skill She decided to do
so, and began practice A year later
she went to Rome for an addition, and
her debut as Gilda followed at the Co
stanz Theatre in February, 1910 From
there she went for limited engagement;
to the khedival Opera in Cairo the
Dal VERNE in Milan, and the San Carlo
at Naples.
She made guest appearances at the
national opera in Havana and then re-
turned to Italy where she sang at the
Reggie in Turin and La Scala in Milan
She toured through the lrreden,a pro-
vlnces, and then appeared in Ostend
Petrograd, Barcelona, Parma and Ma
drid Her first Madrid appearance was
made under royal auspices and she Is
on terms of the closest friendship with
the Spanish Queen and the Dowager
Maria Christina Among Nine Cali
Curci'S souvenirs is a letter from the
dowager queen who says she rejoice
in the friendship of the singer as "a
woman OF exceptional principles an
most absolute respectability" A beat
tiful jcweled necklace and several
handoUme bracelets are visible tokens
OF Spanish royal friendship which the
singer cherishes.
Are Comrades.
Nine. Cali Curci and her husband
work together in a delightful comradc-
ship. When there are costumes TO be
designed for new role. the two work
them out together When the singer
was first planning to appear as Rosina
in "The Barber OF Seville she and her
husband visited every place where
paintings by the great Spanish arts,
Goa were to be seen. From his work
oi the period they drew ideas that made
the new Rosina's costume historically
accurate TO the last detail
This fine sense for detail is one Of
the contributing reasons for Nine Gal
li-Curci's success When she studies
an opera she is not satisfied with mere
" STUDYING the text and music, She
makes a pa,nStaking search through the
literature Of the period and ScadS cv-
ery,hing pertaining to the story OF the
opera that will contribute to the inter
pretation.
"One mus, first pu, the opera here,
she told me, touching her forehead with
an expressive gesture after that IT is
time to put it in the throat
And to put the opera in the head,
she went on, "one must have esthet,c
education not musical knowledge
alone Also one cannot acquire styl,
withou, good musicanship | say very
earnestly TO Young singers, learn tc
play the piano or violin, or some in
'trument, very thoroughly Most sing
r., nrr In too great hurry TO appear
For this reason they practice too long
NJ one time, they repeat and repeat
YOU cannot have color so,
The voice |, like child. a capri
clous child: I, mus, no, he hurried and
distressed. Practice half an hour, n
more, then rest That Il where
think. many teachers make serious mis-.
takes, They demand that a singer shall
repeat and trpes' q phrase That Is
wrong, First, ge, tho music IN the
head. Tia, |, why say singers should
he good lns,rumcn,slisn, 40 they cat
make mental pictures OF their music '
rims Occupied,
Unlike many great singers, Nine
Galli- tutcl docs not spend day II
inactivity preceding All operate o'
concert appearance,
"lt makes tor nervousness" she
says Always keep busy, ! do no
tain much, no, neither do | read
reading tires the mind too much ~
such day Rut crochet, very much
ot embroidery That kernS the hand,