The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-05

That which was present before him o
He never heard Agujari or Catalani.
Yet when a singer passes away It is
natural that even the younger opera
lovers should say in the classic speech
Of their time, WAS she so very won
derful?" And then the prosy old his
torian is forced to ask, What do you
understand by wonderful?"
"wOnderfuI'' IL Correct Word.
Perhaps after all 1t is the correct
word, for let II once be accepted that a
singer Is a supreme exponent of fiorid
music and all that the world asks of
her Is that she astonish 1t. PATHS
Home, Sweet Home" was very pretty
and so was her "Suanee Ribber," but
as a matter of fact Christine Nilsson
sang both with far more tenderness,
while in the voice of Etelka Gerster
there was a rfote of feeling which ex-
celled PATHS in some of her best roles,
such as Vfolettd, Amino and Lucia.
On the other hand lima di Murska
could perform feats of agility which
Patti would never have ventured to
attempt. why was Patti ranked so
combination of voice, technic and
taste.
OF course Patti was a colorature
singer because she could sing colora-
ture roles such as Rosind. Lucia
and Senirdnide, incomparably. Her
Martha was bewitching But she shone
with equal splendor in the role of
Violettd in La Traviata," a role COM
monty classed as colorature, whereas
II ceases to be such after its first
scene. Yet there lies the pit into
which many an aspiring young singer
has heavily. indeed fatally, fallen.
But the role has its charm for
singers. Christine Nilsson selected it
for her Partisan debut. yet she is re-
membersd better as Mignon and even
Elsa. Lillian Nordica began with 1t
and never abandoned II even after she
had become a BrHHnhilde and Isolde:
Lilli Lehman took 1t to heart early
In her career. In the summer Of 1907
the writer caiied ON the great singer al
her home just outside of Berlin. He
inquired whether she would pass the
summer at her habitual retreat in
Tyrol.
Yes" she replied; 'but first must
All an engagement of three nights in
Ischl"
And what will you sing?"
A beautiful and yet somewhat
roguish smile broke across her noble
face as she said in whispered ac-
cents:
"Violetta."
Praise for scotti and Farrar.
Still later at SaIzburg she sang
Donna Anna according to Mr.. Scott
and Miss Farrar, who were in the cast,
as no other living woman could. But
to return to ViolettG. The vocal tests
of the role are "Ah, fors lui" and
"Sempre liberia" which are the COM
ponent parts of the brilliant finale of
the first act, "Dite ALA Giovine" in
act two, the finale of the ballroom
scene, and in the last scene "Addio
del passato" and the duet "PariH, o
cara" OF these only "Semple liberia"
demands mastery of colorature. The
others are essentially lyric and ask for
a perfect cantilena and the ability to
express a tender II not profound
pathos. That the pathos became
heart moving when Sembrich sang the
role was due to the supreme musi-
cianship of the artist and TO the pecu-
liar qualities of that voice which
could so thrill in Schumann's cycle,
"Woman's Life and Love-"
PATHS name viii stand on the
pages of musical history as that OF a
singer in whom luscious beauty of
voice, admirable facility in fiorid
music and exquisite, ravishing beauty
In pure cantilena were happily united.
Without this union she would not
have been the matchless Patti. Who
remembers the mere vocal acrobats
The world has It's madness about them
while they last. but only the truly
great singers earn the somewhat
doubtful immortality OF history. Peo-
pie have gone exceeding daft over
Nine. Tetrazzini, and yet Bernardine
Hamaekers, one of the wonders OF
Paris opera from 1857 to 1870. sur
passed her in some of her own spe-
cialties.
1t is recorded by historians that Ber-
Rardine sang a trill in caro- nome
lasting one minute by the watch. But
Bernardine had attractions beyond her
trill Dukes bought her diamonds and
mobiles built her palaces. She was
very popular.
About the time she was retiring
Emma Calve made her debut at the
Grand Opera as Marguerite and she
was the best exponent of that role the
present writer ever heard. Also she
sang Ophelid in Ambrose Thomas
Hamlet" with a mad scene of daz-
z.ing brilliancy Yet she is best re-
membered as Carmen and Sdatnzzd.
PATHS fame will undoubtedly rest
largely on the technical perfection OF
her singing. There have been very
many famous colorature sopranos be-
ginning with Vittoria Archilei the
E"rtdice in Peri's opera of that name
In 1900. There were also Francesca
Caccini. Leonora Baroni. the Lulll
girls, and later Cuzzoni and Faustina
But we have pretty accurate accounts
OK their vocal feats, their cantilena,
their cadenzas and their shortcom-
hgs' BY process of careful COM
Parl5on we are forced TO believe that
rati possessed most of their merits
ana almost none Of their faults.
IN an article in HNnsev's MdOdztn'