The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-01-17


Luisa Tetrazzini is unquestionably the
worlds greatest exponent of colora-
tura music. For several years she has /
been the most popular soprano that /
has appeared in America, and her |
sway over the musical public is still |
as complete and masterful as when t
she first electrified an American audi |
ence with her amazingly brilliant and |
glorious tones. She has sung in opera |
and concert in practically every city |
of importance in this country, while |
her fame as one of the celebrated |
prima donnas of the time is equally !
established in Europe and South |
Am erica.
! Nine. Tetrazzini was born in Flor
ence, and there were parental objec- |
lions to her adopting an operate ca
reer because her sister, Eva, had al
ready done so, ana one cantatrice was
deemed sufficient in the family. But
the future diva was not to be sweryed
from her purpose and went to Milan,
where she prepared herself for a ca
reer. In siV months she had learned
more than most girls do in two years,
| and she was ready for her debut,
| which was effected as Inez in IL Afri-
cana" in Florence, and in which she
| scored a decided success.
Her salary at this time was one hun
dred dollars a month, but as her fame
| increased, it grew in proportion. Sub
seouently>she sang in Rome, and later
made a tour of South America, ap-
pearing in Buenos Aires, Rosario,
Montevideo and Rio de Janeiro. Then
| she returned to Europe and sang
| long engagement in Lisbon, repeating
this success in Madrid, where she was
| lavishly acclaimed. Then followed
| triumphant appearances in st. Peters
burg, Moscow, Warsaw and Tiflis.
Her celebrity was then SO firmly
established that when she returned to
| Italy, she sang with Carnso, Tamagno,
Battistini, and other great stars.
Finally she went to Mexico, and her
singing aroused such a furore that re-
ports of her spread to the United
States, and eventually reached the
| ears of William Leahy,. the San Fran
cisco impresario, who jourReyed to
Mexico to hear her. He was SO i'm
pressed with her wonderful vocalism
| that he took her to San francisco.
| where her success was SO sensational
that within one week she was heralded
| far and wide as the true successor of
Patti Then Mr.. Conried, who wasNthe
director of the Metropolitan opera
house in New York, tried to engage
her, and a protracted legal battle was
fought for her possession by=that gen
tleman and Mr.. Leahy.
The scene of her next triumph was
London. where she created furore
such as had not been recorded since
the days of Patti in her prime Each
time she sang. in Covent Garden, seats
were at a premium and the Tetrazzini
| craze spread fro one end OF the
] United Kingdom to the other. When
/ the excitement was at its height Oscar
| IIAmmerstein, who was then an i'm
portant factor in operate affairs. an
nounced that he had engaged her for
| his Manhattan opera house in New
York, and the public awaited her de-
but under his auspices with eager an
| ticipation.
On the night of January is, 1908.
she made her initial appearance in
the metropolis of the United States.
appearing as Violetta in La Travi-
alta 1.-THE great audience which as
sembled to hear her was one of the
most distinguished and enthusiastic
ever seen in an American city, and her
| triumph was sweeping and certain
| The following day all New York rang
with her praise and her every sub
| sequent appearance was the signal for
marvellous demonstrations of ap-
prevail. She repeated her success in
| Philadelphia. and other cities, and
! later became a member of the Chi
! cago Opera company, and Metropoli
| tan Opera company.
This year Nine. Tetrazzini is repeat
1 ing the brilliant successes of her for
mer appearances in this country, and
under the management of Jules Dali
| ber,-fs now having the most success
| full concert tour of her career. This
! opened with a concert at the New
York Hippodrome, and has been fol-
| lowed by appearances in San Fran
cisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland.
Spokane, Seattle, Salt Lake City, and
| all other important cities of the west.
| Her tour of the eastern cities will take
place in March, April and May.
Theodore Roberts.
1.-THE grand old man of motion pic
lures fittingly describes Theodore
Roberts, who is known to every pa
- e.. L.
lous characterizations in Param cunt
Aircraft pictures. His legitimate stage
career was long and notable but 1t is
doubtful if he ever has done better
work than he is doing today in these
film productions. AT home he is a
den and so on. He is a very well-read
4 man, a student in fact. and with a
personality which wins him friends
i everywhere. Mr.. Roberts has electri-
fled audiences with speeches but in
the silent drama his art reaches its
highest point, it would seem. Roberts
appears at the Isis next week in Male
and Female
Gloria Swanson.
An example of unprecedented de-
velopment within short space of
time is an evidence of two things in
the case of Gloria Swanson-the art
of Cecil B. deMilie and the native tall
ent of the young actress herself.
Barely more than past her teens, Miss
Swanson, a typical daughter of the
northland. beautiful graceful and
clever, has emerged from oI1scurity
in comedy ranks to the position of
i leading woman of real worth and
marvellous potentialitieA In several
of the Cecil B. deMilIe Paramount
! Aircraft specials. such as Don't
/ Change Your Husband, For Better,
For Worse. - Male and Female
Why Change Your Wife" etc. she
has reached point where she is
recognized as a type of unusual char
aeter. with an individuality of ex-
preston that distinguishes her from
all others Miss Swanson Is at the
Isis next week.
GoIdwyn's Big Chance
They certainly started something at
tn. Cxc,lsixz-.-x,