Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-11-20

NUMBER. II Is the total OF the Iettei
in my last name. 1t was the date
of my Richmond debut and has been
the date. oddly enough. OF almost
my every signally successful Incl
dent throughout my career. In this
particular instance it also played its
singer had finished and We had all
turned apprehensive eyes toward the
king in the aisle, he rose quickly and
announced:
Every one is dismissed but No.
She will come with me at once into
my Office"
Ten minutes later my signature
and Gatti's had been affixed to an inn
posing-looking contract calling for
my services as a singer of principal
roles at the Metropolitan Opera
House for period of three years!
1t was over so swiftly as literally to
take my breath away.
1t seemed incredible that the goal
had borne in mind from the start
had actually been reached-that, too,
dwell on this now, it is largely by
way of encouragement to the thou
sands of vocal students who are
/ fighting their hard fight with the
vista of the ultimate triumph reced
ing farther and farther away. Ac-
tually / have found that it turks al
ways just around the corner, waiting
to reward Unexpectedly genuine
| merit and conscientious hard work.
With these last two the world is truly
! ours, in singing as in every other
field, and the failures who speak of
| success as something to be reached
| If one is a woman-only by the sale
I Of their bodies, lie.
For an American girl of twenty
which was my age when l actually
entered the opera to begin my duties
| there, suddenly to find herself behind
the scenes at the famous Metropoli-
tan is an aWeSome experience. In
effect. it is singularly like being
| tranSplanted to an opera house in
Milan or some other Italian city, for
| never by any chance does one hear
| anything but Italian spoken. The war,
added to the directorate of Gatti, put
the final Italian stamp on our ma
| tional opera house. In the former
days. under Conried, i am told it was
! thoroughly German. But now, in all
events, it is the lyrical tongue of
! Caruso and Scotti and Toscanini and
Muzio that prevails. and lonely and
| unlucky the American girl who found
| herself among them and had neg
| lected to master it. Vertically the
huge palace on Broadway between
18th and 40th streets is a slice Of the
beautiful Italian peninsula.
| While the language and atmosphere
Of the Met are Italian, as is most
natural considering the preponder-
| ance of artists, directors and attaches
who come from that land of song,
yet it is not to be thought for an
instant there is any hostility to
American artists or aspirants to mu-
| steal fame. To the contrary, it can
/, be truthfuliy stated that Gatti-
| Casazza has during his tenure of
| office made constant, whole-hearted
| efforts to encourage and develop ma
| tive talent.
! A casual glance at the Americans
! who have sung principal roles at the
Met is sufficient proof of this. To
mention merely few of the tenors,
Ricardo Martin. Paul Althouse
Charles Racket. Raffaele Diaz. Orville
Harold and Lambert Murphy have
held their own with foreign artists
To enumerate the woman artists would
mean a lengthy list. The Italian
artists. too. are unfailingly kind tc
young Americans.
The great Caruso time and agair
coached young tenors. and person.
ally paid for or interested Others il
singers whom he had deemed worthy
Of further musical education.
| A MERICANS who have had con.
- tracts at the Metropolitan have
without exception made good. If any
own fault, for with the encourage.
ment and practical aid of their fel.
low artists there is very little ex'
4cuse for falling down.
Disgruntled singers of other ma
tionalities have made disparaging re.
marks about Partially being shown
Italians, but in all cases it was the
old story of having been tried ant
found wanting. Art. like love. know.
no nationality. And that holds at the
Metropolitan.
Outstanding among the woman
artists of the Metropolitan is with
; out doubt Geraldine Farrar, oul
Gerry" as Americans love to cal
her. The other artists are Away:
delighted to be cast with her, hel
cheering words stirring them to theii
best work. All speak of her as {
great artist and a wonderful woman
And her reputation for hearty ant
courteous cooperation has been car
ried to every opera house Throughout
the world.
Being at the Met the longest, she i:
alone among the woman artists II
having her own private dressine
room, with a brass name-plate on it
which is kept locked when she il
not in it. 1t is right next to thu
stage on the left. which is the side
of the wings entirely given up to thu
women, the men being on the right
There is nothing Gerry" cannot have
nothing she cannot do. Even witt
hef public this is true. 'Gerry's'
artistry and enhancing personalit,
make her undoubtedly the most in
teresting feminine figure now will
the opera.
My first official appearance at thu
Met was really not an appearance a
all! / sang the Voice in Parsifar-
tenuous scaffolding in the wings!
could not see the conductor. SO the
beat of his baton was relayed to ms
by several assistant conductors
placed so that they could see eacf
other.
In this way did I send Parsifal hi,
divine guidance! / was so scared o.
tumbling down from heaven onto tht
unethereal stage below that l quite
forgot to be scared about the fac
that it was my operate debut. A
critic the next morning comm ntet
on the fact that 1.-The Voice really
gave the effect of. coming from Para
disc both in tone and in height
Small wonder!
I, X
DUT as result of that performance
- was accorded the interesting
role of the boy prince in Boris Co
dounoff" 1t was in this role that
was 70 sing to an operate audi
ence who could see me. 1 remember
SO well being dressed for the part
the wigmakers fussing around me
my maids smoothing out the wrinkles