Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-02-08
By Nile. Eluira An,ozur
(ln an Interview

WHY has the phrase "as impossible
w as grand opera prma donna"
become q synonym for urreason.
oblencss, childish wilfuiness, preposterous
Whims and monstrous cgotism?
know and VIII explain.
Grand opera IS the most selfish of the
arts and PROFESSIONS That is the reason
why those who live in It's atmosphere do
things that appal citizens OF the ordinary.
balanced world II IS not their fault: they
cannot escape H.
Tho life Of tho singer. ever creating
characters OF romance becomes n realm
IN which the artist himself il king. He
regards everyone who ventures within Ia
bounds as an interlOper; anyone who
dares TO cross his will az an arch IN
trudcr. In the strangely refracted vision
created by TIA" prOsconiun arch even the
VIE or q great star becomes an tncon-
siderable creature
The lie OF the grand opera artist is one
mat tends ever toward the expression OF
lnu!Viduality. lie succeeds according az
ne supplements his training by originality.
lis He becomes an aria OF staccato Is
The sentences heard oftenest about an
opera house are II will" and IT won't"
II Is necessary that the artist express his
Individuality strongly often 10 live Tho
struggle III the world OF song IS az fierce
as in the world Of business II IS so: II
must be so: but out Of it grow conditions
almost intolcrablc TO the outsider or to
the semi.outsilcr
One characteristic that have noted n
Thousand times IS I have followed tho
fortunes Of grand opera artists is that
they are extremely careful OF money. To
use the bald term-they are stingy. There
Is reason for this as there Is reason
for everything. They are. in ono respect.
marvellous!y clcar-sightcd. They know
they cannot sing always. They estimate
,hat their singing years ara few. They
calculate That their singing life Is the COM
paratively brief one OF twenty years Re-
fore that they are mere students. After
That they are memories; their voices are
ghosts Of what they once we're There
fore they reason that IT behooves them to
save during their two-scorc OF profitable
years.
They save in strange ways. Realizing
tho. 1t IS necessary. as YOU say in Amer
lea, 10 put UP n front" they live in good
hotels. But many OF them live in very
small rooms in very big hotels. They re-
ccire their guests in tho hotel drawing
rooms, which are imposing affairs-aIl
shining chandeliers and sllm-legged, gilded
furniture and heavy brocade curtains.
They look and behave very well against
this background And no one knows that
they sleep and dress in some slit in the
wall on the top floor.
Having acquired this setting. they help
solve the food problem in two ways. They
iurn up their coat collars and seek tho
cheapest Of dairy lunch places or they
cook their meals in their rooms. Passing
through the halls our nOstrils are assailcd
by wh!its OF edible Geicacies or indeli-
cacleS. Near the room OF a baritone my
nostrils have taken in the unmistakable
odor OF ripe. Or as pressed the elevator
bell | haze Inhaled the pungcnt sauco pre-.
pairing TO cover dish OF spaghetti
You would he astonished at the little
t"o-ccht tricks OF paGSmOny of some OF
the great opera stars
sometimes the hotel proprietors do not
Know or this lntraction OF their laws. Maids
ana beliboyS are sympathetic with artists
whose names are large on the billboards
-! III newspaper typeA They do not report
lhcae odorS OF unblest cookery Plain,
everyday folk who are fellow guests 70.
gard the measure as an idiosvncrosv n,
genius. And they do not report II as they
would II plain John Smith or Mary Rrown
were thus guilty. And il the pronrietor
himseif discovers the infraction he seema
to wink at it. He does not want to seem
I, hafi."n 10 ihese favorites OF the gods.
nc siii'sS ana Affects not to notice the
aroma OF onions or garlic on the two,f,;,
floor OF his hostclry. '"oi'n
Some OF The grand opera stars who GOV,
enormous sums spend according to tIn
amount Of their incomes. Galli.C,rci 49,
and so does Rosa Raisa. For them. sahlo
coats and goura feathers. But thnv ava
me eANcp'ioi. Most singers thatch their
roofs well against the rainy season.
The men do not manifest this In +bo,u
clothing. Ihey know that the public OK.
poets that they will wear good clothes ne
surely as that they live at good hotels
And one must not disappoint tho public