Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-13
MIRACLE OF THE PERFECT VOICE"
REVEALED IN GALLI-CURCl
Musical Heavens Illuminated by New Italian Prima
Donna Who Has Conquered the Critics and
Enraptured the Public
By M'LISS


L gallery with the great coloratura
singers of the past-Lind and Patti
and Gcrster.
With mcteor-like hrilliance, but with
the fixed qualities of a tirst-magntude
star, Amclta Galli-CurCi is Illuminating
the musical heavens, throwing into the
shadow the whole galaxy we have been
content to worship.
A miracle has come to pass. "The per-
feet voice" TO quote Geraldine Farrar,
who spranE from her seat and gave
praise in unrestrained enthusiasm at the
New York debut of the little Italian, has
been found The western world is at
Galli-Curci's feet. The effete East, typi-
fed by blase New York, is groveling.
Last Saturday when Galli-Curci sang
the immortal G!d1 In "Rigoetto" the
gallery gods assembled six hours before
the opening of the doors a heavy and
persistent rain drenchcd them. They
stood in an ankle-decp slush-hundreds
of them in Il line which. starting at the
Iexiugton Avenue Theatre wound
around into Fiftieth street and down into
parI; avenue. Hundreds were turned
away Men and women fought to get to
the box Office despite the fact that bark
ers stood on the euro shouting that
every last seat was gone.
MODEST THOUGH CELEBRATED
And what Of this woman of the hour
who sang for very nearly two years in
Cb,coro while the critics of the big
eastern papers sat intrenched in their
cvnicism and discounted the glowing
words that came from the metropolis Of
the Middle West, with the comment
Press agent stun
In her etudio-apartment at 81 West
Sixty-seventh street she and her artist
husband. Luigi Curci, the Marquis di
Slmeri. are very happy and very sensible
about it all. Surrounded by th" howers
.h,+ are the visible evidence of the pub
It's devotion and the many portraits OF
berssIf finished and unfinished which
,ostIfy 70 her distinguished husbands S
feeling in the matter, Madame sits knit
linz while elevator boys and telephone
GIRLS endeavor to stem the human tlde
t,T,t for more than two weeks now has
baen dashing itself against the rocks or
,ho nriua donnas refusal to allow her
self to become swamped ana over
wheIned by an excess OF adulatlon'
.It is not true" she toid the inter-
viewer, "all that have heard apout 'hG
aoIdress of the audiences In the East. |
ha found
.ha e+art before 7 came to New YORK
vnrv very discriminating, and | felt all
tbo limo before came here that II you
lIl,ed me YOU would not hcsitat" TO say
so an, loud. You will discriminate, nut
40 yo, anDrove You will h" big ana gem
erous about II. You will say so In q
large grand way. have found 1t so.
SINGERS BORN. NOT MADE
Much has been published about the
s,cns leading up TO Galli-Curcfs tre'neh-
dorq triumph. One Of the almost uhoe-
atatements, unbelievahie m view
of the Intelligence and delicate ski!
,,',th which she uses this perfect voice
" 49, ,be has had no vocal training
that she is, in short, musical PROD
ICY. o,a IN ,
r,oasurn II isn't" she said, and her
sneaking voice, too I" a thing OF beauty.
"I was n pianist. From the time was
a little girl was n pianist, The great
Maecagni was my teacher. But l rove"
so To sing as / paved my piano. once
Nascagnl was az our home taking WIN
nv father. He heard me sing, lie uu-
yised that ! make singing my profession
put | am first Of all IA pianist, / SAID
4 am not trained singer
Singers Mascagni told me- are
born. not made
oyer since I was little child ! had
heen hearing oncras Now, when | heard
,vha, Nascagni said I locked my doors
IN ali and kent company with my piano,
thought III one has intelligence, II ono
Ia a musician. one can find and correct
ones own mistakes,
'eWhen I had learned several roles
went 10 Rome and after waiting, oh, so
long. 7 got a hearing and sang for the
hrst time as Gilda in the Costanzi. They
liked me; but me. I did not like myself
and 81 II was then after my debut that
took a few lessons"
Her needles clicked The lovely head
with its masses Of blue-black hair and
little curls hanging over the ears bent
over the bit of lace. Madame presented
a picture Of domesticitv that was en-
tirelv at variance with tho very dashlng
futuristic portrait with it, brilliant blue
background and vivid green robe that
the artist husband is at present working
upon,
GRACEFUL, GRACIOUS, NATURAL
Despite the smallness of her stature,
Galll-Curci Is a very striking figure,
Graceful and gracious with a charming
simplicity OF manner, sne is possessed,
off stage, OF that same absence of man
nerism that was at once source OF 10y
and wonderment to those who had
thought always Of the triling colorstura
It., lyt .i. +, v ~ * 4 q fI l ff1t -e1l.< y Z