The Washington herald., 1921-08-21

| Very early In the singing life ]
learned that my knowledge OF the
piano was invaluable. Indeed, no
girl should think of training as .
singer until she has mastered the
piano or the violin II have q new
role to study, ! get the opera score,
play IL through, gain an idea Of the
whole work, and then learn my part
In It alone. That is only one aspect
Of what piano study means to a
singer; 1t helps in many other ways.
"No Voice. Teachers Dictum.
1t was arranged that I study
singing in Berlin at the High School
of Music. When / arrived at that
institution the professor OF singing
who tried out my voice said that q
had none. I bear him no Ill win,
one else would likely have said SO,
too. His verdict had no depressing
effect that I can recall My next
visit In search OF opinions was 10
the conservatory. There I was ae-
cepted as a student
By the best OF fortune I was put
under the care of Madame Nick
lass-Kempner. one OF the greatest
Of teachers. Always she used TO
say. IF you can sing Mozart you
can sing anything When / was
sufficiently advanced IL was always
Mozart's music that ! studied with
her: month IN and month out I sang
Mozart arIas.
/ believe in the conservatory plan
OF teaching. for know what n
means. In the beginning things did
| not SO well with me. In the same
class was q poor girl whose face
was beautiful and whose voice was
lovely. She sang like an angel. BY
watching her and the way she did
things. / learned some OF the real
tricks Of singing. After that ar
agement the boys and girls in that
class gave one another. When 1
sang my farewell at the conserva-
tory I well remember the dear. kind
applause they gave me, and the
little bouquets the teachers sent
Those early kindnesses are treas
ured forever In q singers heart.
But how I toiled during the three
years there! As Q single item of
practice / would sing three notes of
a scale 100 consecutive times in one
day. The following day would
take up the next three tones of the
same scale and sing them 100 times,
always with utmost concentration
Of mind and ear. At last my nerves
gave signs of breaking. and my
mother made me take things easier
for a little while.
During all that time I lived at
home. for the family had come TO
Berlin with me. Ny brothers were
so dear and good. taking an inn
mense interest In my work. They
knew by heart every aria / sang.
II a stranger had dropped into our
home and heard them all hummins
Mozart they would have thought
our entire family was In training
for the operate stage.
Broke First Contract.
After those three years Of tofi
the time came for me TO 20 out into
the big world. So In my poor little
clothes went to the managers
seeking an engagement, one of my
brothers always going with me.
Word came that a soprano was
needed at the opera in Breslau. To
Breslau / went, one OF my faithful
brothers in attendance. We trav-
eled third class, for that was the
cheapest way. Arriving. I sang to
the manager. who Immediately
handed out a contract. Without
further thought / signed it ] was
only Is years old; the Joy Of singing
In opera seemed so great to me
that I considered nothing else.
Now I am going to tell you some
thing I did only once In my whole
life; I broke the contract. Another
engagement was offered me q few
days later. at the Schwerin Opera
House, celebrated for the artistic
finish Of its performances. As a
field Of training IL offered me won
derful advantages. Older heads
than mine decided that to Schwerin
/ should go. and being a minor
when ] signed the Breslau contract
IL was to Schwerin ] went
made my debut as the Queen OF
Night in Mozart's Magic Flute
I knew the two big areas in II, and
Very soon was to learn others and
many of them That night when /
came out on the stage two Joys
shared with each other in my heart;
was really going to sing in opera
and was wearing my first long
train that swept behind me grandly.
The thought~6 nervousness never
came into my head; Il is only later
when we realize what may happen
that We feel that.
After my FIRST aria that night all
was very still for an instant, as IL
my hearers had not recovered from
surprise. Then the applause burst
forth. It was q happy evening for
me, and many like II followed; very
soon flowers began to come, too.
But in all my singing life no ap-
plause has been sweeter than that
my student colleagues gave me, no
bouquets more fragrant than the
tiny ones the teachers sent me wnen
sang good-by at the conservatory.
At Schwerin performances were
given three nights q week: Opera
and operetta being presented.
sang in both The training gained
by appearing In a variety OF roles
with well-schooled singers was i'm
mense. had gone there as q now
ice, thrown into the performances
TO sink Or swim. That. in my firm
belief. 10 the only way to learn TO
act: 20 on the stage and do Il.
when great singers came 20 our
opera as guests" I was not satisfied
to view them from the auditorium.
Placing chair in the wings ga,
there watching their every move
ment, and never left my perch unt(
the anal curtain fell.