The New York herald., 1921-12-18
By WILLIS STEEL.


then, like yesterday, go to something
light, a musical comedy preferably. for 1t is
not difficult for me to follow that in a
strange tongue. We saw sally. and it
delightful. Yes; amused myself well.
The theatre helps me to learn your Ian
guage. / will surely learn to speak it,, per-
haps in a MONTH"
"a MONTH" exclaimed the astonshed Wis
itor.
"She will do it," said Baron Pepper nod
ding his head proudly; "she learns very
quick"
"It is not that aspire to sing in English"
the singer added "for | am content to sing
in Italian and for the Wagner opera only in
German. Mainly my repertoire is Italian.
and 1 pleased, for it is the tongue most
easy to sing.
my true debut was made in the Hof
Opera, although had sung for a year before
and appeared as Elsa at Olmutz That was
in 1911, and in spite of the pleasant things
that are now being written about my begin
nings L think that l passed through a period
of deep depression and encouragement in
the early years. l disappointed myself and
think | disappointed my teacher, Prof. Au-
sitter, who had trained my voice in bel
cdnto.
But that is my feeling always when |
sing in a strange place and to people who
nave never DelOIe Hediu II IS uOl lHdI
1 am nervous at these times for the feeling
is worse than nervousness. l know that j
will not be able to do all | can do when |
go on and afterward | feel that I have not
done all that l can do. It makes me very
unhappy.
Eyes, this time l felt the same The
audiences have been most kind, the critics
have been kind also, but the same feeling
remains. All, l should like to say how great
a difference l find between your writer's on
music and those of Europe So often there
they wish to be merely clever and shine
as writer's without regard to the artists. In
New York they write as of divine thing
music, the power of which they feel there
fore they not petty.
do not think all critics abroad are little.
seeing only themselves. The fine men
there too. One of these, Rainer Sirsons,
spoke the first real hopeful word to me-I
mean in prnt-and was and am grateful.
But let us go in order. My Elsa when |
was only a girl not a great success; nor
was ii so bad but that from it / did get
few engagements and of these was in
Hamburg where again | suffered because l
thought I had not pleased ! did not like
the life of travel, and when offer came
from the Volk Opera in Vienna I eagerly
accepted. There 1 did better, and the people
liked me They liked me much better than
I did myself. but still ! worked, I worked
better singer and a better actress.
Sang in Little Known Operas
And Worked Hard Indeed
AT the Volk Opera there were many
Lremeres, and the routine doubt served
in my preparation. but it was hard.
/ sang in little known operas. like Siberia
Quo Vadis,' 'Kuhreigen' and many, many
others as obscure The management sought
nd much that thew chose
Gispleased me and gave me little opportunity.
But / tried to please them and the people,
all the while feeling that my dreams which
had been so lofty should never realize.
"To me came the director of the great
theatre of Vienna, who said: Little girl, why
do you keep on singing and trying to put
life in these dead things? You can act and
YOU should be an actress. Come TO us and
/ will make you a great actress; I will make
you the greatest Jeanne dArc in the world
why he chose that historic martyr to tempt
me from the opera to the dramatic stage
10 not know. but think it was because of
my height. You see I am more than common
tall"
Nine Jeritza. who was always smiling Or
laughing, here laughed a little longer.
"Oh, that height of mime" cried She
what discomfort ii has caused me! Espe-
cially when they cast me for little girls.
and tried so hard to shrink my inches and
become the ideal pcttc deWOtScHe. Anu,
truly suffered because | could not do the
impossible. Now I will not look at a role
which demands n dimiputve heroine: so
much | have learned II no more.
1T was while singing at 1schl that Tor
tune turned her face toward me when / had
decided i'm my own mind that ] would per
sist in singing for another year, when If
met with no more success I would so 70 the
great director and say Maestro. here am /.
converted make of me an actress if you
WILL
"But at Tsch Franz Josef the old En-
peror so beloved heard me sing and liked
me- He told his Chamberlain to let him
know whenever | was in the bill, and always
then he came TO hear me. The director of
the Court Theatre Of Vienna has since told
me that the Emperor on his return to the
capital sent for him and advised him to
engage the young girl whom he had heard
at Ischl and whom he liked
There were difficulties in the way. 7 was
under contract at tho Volk Opera, which
would not release me until finally the man
agemcnt of the Hof Opera i'm their desire TO
obligc the Emperor paid over to the Volk
the necessary forfeit.
AT the IIof my debut was in an opera
written by Oberleitner. Aphrodite,' which
proved successful While 1t was made from
the Same book by Pierre Louys as the opera
sung here by Miss Garden, the version was
quite different.
"Afterward I appeared as Elsd, Sentd in
THE Flying Dutchman' EUG in 'Meistor-