New-York tribune., 1920-02-26

tnuco Caruso will be forty-seven
years old tomorrow. The tenor said
yesterday that he feels like boy of
sixteen or seventeen.
But you are q boy" chimed in Mrs.
Caruso, who was present at the inter
view in their apartment in the Knick-
erbocker
A large part Of the meeting was de-
voted to demonstration of the merits
OF baby Gloria Caruso. given with dra-
matte effect by MIR. and Mrs. Caruso.
Gloria is three months old. and judging
by the "fussiness' she displayed in
posing with her parents for photo.
graphs, she possesses the idiosyncrase
OF prima donna Caruso tried to coax
her to sing in a duet, but she insisted
on singing it her own way, whereupon
with an aria. The aria consisted in a
most frank discussion Of himself, his
art and singing il general.
Strength Is in His Teeth
Caruso declared that the secret Of
his strength is not in his voice, but in
his teeth--and he displayed perfect
equipment.
"Samson's strength was in his hair.
Mine is in my teeth" said Caruso. 81
have never had a toothache in my life
Ny perfect teeth have contributed
greatly to my good health, and my good
health has sustained me in my art. l
really believe that when one of these
teeth l have shown you goes l go.
Caruso is finished. But they are strong
yet"
But permit me to correct myself"
added the tenor. Il think l made a
mistake IN saying that Samson's
strength was in his hair. | think his
strength was in his words. He had
great power of speech. In fact, l
think he was somewhat of a Bolshevik
| like to sing Samson, although he does
not fit my voice at all. I like to sing
him in order to give my own interpre-
tation Of him, of thinker Some sing
ers picture him as rough, dramatic
figure. ] don't think this is the cor
rect presentation. am glad to see
the critics agreeing with mine
Caruso admitted that to this day he
feels intensely nervous before and
during every performance.
Fights for Laurels Every Time
Each time 1 sing l feel as if there
were some one waiting to seize my po-
sition from me, to destroy Caruso," he
said. "And l must fight, fight like a
that frequently he is scared to death"
on arriving at the opera and feeling
that his voice is not within him. He
gave as an instance his performance
of ola Juive," in Brooklyn, last Tues
day night. But the moment I ap-
peared on the stage and beheld the
audience, among them Bonci, realized
that l had to sing, and there was no
other way out of it," he said. And
then a miracle happened. Some one,
some unseen power seemed to unlock
4 I. r,-%,1 ho% la,1 A.
my voice, and ! sang. | sang with all
the voice and power within me. You
see, we artists must struggle desper-
atcly to get to the top, and when once
there we must hold on, hold on with
all the strength we have. For, once we
slip, the journey down is steep and
fast | frequently feel unable to sing
until I arrive in my dressing room and
put on my clothes. Once in the proper
atmosphere my voice appears, and then
it's up to me to make the most of it,
No Choice Among His Is Roles
Caruso has a repertoire of seventy
five roles, but he denied that he re-
CARDS any one as his favorite.
Il have no choice" he said. at is
the public that creates the favorite
roles of Caruso. The singer that
favors one over another is not singer
but SpccldllSt. ne singer WHO Is dIi
artist must be able to sing a role Of
fifteen measures with the same earn
estness and enthusiasm with which he
sings a difficult and extensive one"
Discussing his repertoire Caruso
said that many of the roles he has not
sung for some time "due to the fear
of the directorate Of the Metropolitan
that there will be little left for the
others to sing"
81 have sung La Boheme' but once
in two years. the tenor went on, "and
I will sing Aida but once. Let the
others sing them and then Caruso will
come n-like that" and he made an
expressive gesture.
Caruso, who sang in opera for the
first time in Naples, in 1894, attributes
his SUCCESS to his painstaking efforts
and his love for his work. ~ work
hard" he said, "and frequently have
but three or four hours sleep"
He declared that the chief attribute
of an opera star in this country is the
voice.
1.-The American public does not seem
to care for the artist whose voice is
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