New-York tribune., 1920-02-29
- What the Musicians Are Doing 49,
Helen hewitt Owes Her
Success as a Singer to
Clare Briggs's Brother

There are two lucky facts in the life
OF Helen hewitt. the young prima donna
and new musical discovery in "The
Wayfarer,' which was seen recently at
Madison Square Garden, for which, ac
cording to the soprano herself, any girl
would give thanks every day of her life
The first fact, she claims, is that at
the age of fourteen she came to the at
tention Of Harold S. Briggs, brother Of
the famous Tribune cartoonist, and
counted one Of the finest American mu-
sicians of to-day; the second is his dis
,covery that she possessed, to use his
tlful and amazing soprano voices" he
had ever heard. Mr.. Briggs, as assist
ant to Francis Fisher Powers, coached
many famous singers, and is an author
lty whose Judgment is accepted by all
musicians Of worth. At the time little
Helen hewitt met Mr.. Briggs she was
singing in the choir of the Elm Park
Church, in Scranton, Pa, Of which he
was the organist.
yes" Miss hewitt admitted, 81 know
Glare Briggs, the cartoonist, as we'll.
Both brothers are wonderfully talented,
although temperamentally they are very
different. Strangely. they look SO much
alike it is easy to mistake one for the
other in the street.
Il feel, however, .hat nothing | can
say will express how much admire Mr..
Briggs the musician and how greatly
indebted | am to him for the help and
inspiration he has been to me in my
career.
even now cannot believe it is
true-that am actually launched on
musical career, and working very.
very hard to become some day real
prima donna. You see, thanks to Mr..
Briggs, have been spared so many
of the struggles which are the pre-
liminaries of most careers, the Just
open paths Of opportunity, and it is
hard to belisye I am actually on some
Of these paths myself.
Mr. Briggs gave me lessops for two
years, and then a very exciting thing
happened. Victor Herbert heard me
sing, and he predicted great things
of my voice. This, in additiop to Mr.
Briggs's encouragement, was a great
spur to my newly awakened ambition,
and in addition to my music I began
to study French, German and Italian
the languages of the opera.
"The next year, through Mr.. Briggs's
influence, I was engaged as soloist for
the West-Park Presbyterian Church in
NEW 1Olh, Nuu lUe IcAt ytdI was Or
fered much better salary by the
Church of the Ascension on Fifth Av-
enue. After Scranton, being in New
York was wonderful--all the oppor-
tunities for study were so accessible
libraries and lectures and concerts.
studied as hard as / ever did, for
was now fully awake to the fascina-
tions as we'll as the crying need Of q
career---that l must sing, and before
big audiences, or forever be unhappy.
My first public engagement, outside
a church, was when I was eighteen, at
the Ocean Grove Auditorium, before
5000 people. One Of my numbers was
The Swiss Echo Song which goes to
Il above high c, and I remember how
eXhilarating it felt to read Of myself in
the next mornings papers as The
ighteen-year-old singing wonder
Immediately after this concert, l
was engaged to tour for season as
Suzanne in The Secret of Suzanne
Then l sang with the Boston Festival
Orchestra under Mollenhauer After
that | was engaged to sing the soprano
role in The Wayfarer' at Columbus."