davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1921-11-27
REACHING STARDOM IN AMERICAN OPERA-D
By Sophie Braslau:

son, and a great many days before
the season starts. In addition TO sing
ing in practically every performance.
they must learn the score and stage
business of all new productions made
during the year. A prodigious feat
They are mostly operate aspirants. al
though many, now old, f9e reconciled 10
remaining expert ciroristtrs as long as
they can.
l am often asked if ! would advis.
a young singer of taxable talent
to enter the chorus for operatic expert
cnce. Invariably ] answer no. | do not
deny that the chorus offers splendid
operate training. blu, f3r the most part
II is better for the young student to
seek operate experience in some one or
more of the hundreds of the smaller
opera houses all over Europe. l have
found-and hard experience has been
my teacher-that the beginner musi
make mistakes, and that it is far better
, to make them where they will not be
seen. Voice training can be found In
| our country in fine abundance. but as
for operate experience, have 1t. by all
means. where publicity is not quite SO
| fierce as It is on Broadway or South
La Sale street.
| were tperhaps somewhat exaggerated
| in my own mind, but none the less Bit
ter for all thaD brought steady i'm
provement My voice grew remarkably
in size and color under the rigor Of the
famous batons that build operas at the
Met. A day came when l. was cast TO
create the title role Of new opera.
the dream of dreams. of every operate
student. The opera was "Shanewis."
an American Indian story. set to music
by Cadman.
With "Shanewis" came definite glory
! was crowned star by the critics. But
even before that, as though realizing
what was TO come, from a mighty
photograph corporation came my FIRST
invitation to join with Caruso. TetraZ-
zini and Mccormick in singing for the
millions.
Confidentaly and eagerly / accepted.
Here was an easy task, A fortune
fallen, as il were, from the sky.
Evening star., 1921-11-27

humping like a trip-hammer. MY
tongue seemed to be cleaving to the
roof OF my mouth. My forehead felt
moist.
/ glanced at my SISTER" Miss
Sparks. She was as calm as a mill
pond and seemed genuinely to be in
'terested in the book she was study
ing. / looked hard at my own book,
hopeful that it might help steady me.
But before l could read a word the
curtain suddenly swept aside. the
glare of the footlights stung my eyes
and the music from the orchestra In
the pit, which had seemed so distant.
now became a terrifying roar in my
ears.
Out front l could sense the ineffa-
BILE presence of my first operate au-
dience, sweeping sea of dress shirts
and white bosoms rejecting the pow
erful lights in which 1 bathed. From
a battery of friends seated far in the
invisible background came the pat
ter of applause to greet me. But 9TH
erwise my debut went unnoticed. Not
q diamond glittered in the golden
Evening star., 1921-11-27

Gsne.% ! used to anticipate this with
pleasure. almost childish joy. The
scene -shifters were all my very good
friends. Yes, and the scrubwomen.
too, whom ! used to see in the dark
corridors that fringe on the rehearsal
rooms and who always gave me a
pleasant greeting.
Good morning and God bless you
Miss Braslau," said one of them to
me as i came from rehearsal one
were a standee at near every per-
formance."
stopped. struck by the woman's
! words. So she had noticed me. lean
! ing against the rail in back of the
orchestra circle night after night
drinking in operas that ] hoped some
day to sing.
you a-sittin' on the steps. all tried
out. during the intermissions. study
ing away at the score. An few
years before l uster see Gerry Far
rar doin' the seIf-same thing and
wonder the same about her. / can
always tell those as is goin' to land
right, it seems
So Gerry" was a standee once
too. ] had never heard that before
But ] might have known it. Few who
have ever amounted to anything in
the world of song ever seem to have
had enough money to be anything but
standees. And very often not even
that. For the good fairy that dis
tributes golden throats works. fire.
quently, if not always. in the hum
blest places. 1t is generally the child
of the poor who ascends the heights
of operate success through talent,
hard work and indomitable courage.
Genius in music. as in the other
walks of life, knows no class. The
1F 81 is In
frequently the standee of today.
THE social organization behind the
scenes at the Met. is. in a way,
an odd one. With all the warm init
macy and friendliness that exist be-
tween artists while lat work." there
is really very little mingling among
them while not at work. Each is such
2 distinct personality as to prefer, SEEM
ingiy, prominence in social groups away
from the others. But, among ourselves,
Gatti Casazza is the inevitable leader
and his wife. Nine. Aida, very charm
ing and natural consort. The director
of the Met. is to the casual observer
the personification of aloftness, calm,
mystery. He invites neither familiarity
nor advice. But this Indifference, how
ever. is merely apparent. as his friends
who know him well can testify. He is
an interchangeable worker. The fact that
the opera has reached today an artistic
and financial apex never before attained
is due entirely to bis unceasing efforts
and his marked ability as an organizer
and director. Signor Gatti, before be-
coming an imptesaDo. was civil en-
gineer, and the efficiency with which he
directs every department of the big
opera house is perhaps the natural fruit
of his early scientific training.
None of Gatti's forces is more re-
markable than the great chorus. The
TWO hundred or so men and women,
mostly Italians, who make up this finely
organized and drilled body. work harder,
l really believe: than anybody else at
the opera. Under Chorus Master Setti
they work literally all day and most of
the night. every day during the sea-
Evening star., 1921-11-27
Prma This Article Tells Of First and Successful Role
Metropolitan Experience Later Performance-Jovialy of
Opera Sa-Their feM Braau Creates the Role of Shanew
Indian by Cdman-When Singers Are Nervous

were not really temperamental; they
were just bad-tempered. Nowadays
one has to work too hard and have
too level head generally for grand
opera success to have time for &c.
! centric nonsense. Above all. bach
entirely normal" Common sense
must be clearly in evidence at al
times. Gatti Casazza, the amiable di.
| rector of the Metropolitan. brooks nc
temperamental outbreaks
DUT. if they are not notably TEN
- peramental," as the magazines are
prone to make them. opera singers
are singularly youthful and playful
The man stars take a special delight
in nicknaming their friends and fell
low artists.
Caruso was always ready with a
name to describe a characteristic or
a peculiarity. and he never forgot it.
Years afterward, on meeting per-
son, he would recall the nickname he
had first given him. Singular express
sions, or out-of-the-o ordinary man
nerisms he Immediately labeled. He
always insisted on calling me Sci
vaggia, the wild girl. on account OF
hair: not because of my conduct. One
friend who used ''capira hene" all the
time in conversation was never men
toned by the great tenor except by
those words. Another friend he cah-
ed "Eh Be-" from his constant in
quiry, "Eh bene?" But in his joking
nickname he took care never to give
offense.
smile as one incident recalls it
self I had once suggested. during a
party at the Carusos. that the old
opera "Semiramide" be revived -
this, I must confess. because the title
role is a great contralto part. But
they all jeered me for my avarice.
inasmuch as the opera is considered
in professional circles as dead as a
lecture in Greek. Scotti. who was
mide" as his nickname for me and
"spoofed'' me with it whenever he
had the opportunity.
An unexpected and rare opportunity
suddenly came. We were singing to-
gether in the opera. "Crispino e
Conare" Scotti was Crispino and l
was Comare, a witch who was given
Crispino's dire bidding. In a par
ticuiarly thrilling scene. as / was
about to descend into the earth again
through trapdoor in the stage
so far as the audience could perceive.
Crispino crouched, awed and terrified.
listening to me. But just as l
reached my top note Antonio mis-
meath his makeup and muttered
"Semiramidew loud enough to be
heard in the first few rows! The un-.
expectedness of 1t was too much.
with all the seriousness of the
scene, my top note went ignominious-
Evening star., 1921-11-27

horseshoe as it's wearer strove to take
! good look at the little American
girl, trained in America, who had
been admitted to the hallowed circle
of song. Much as hate to confess it,
the rising Of that curtain created no
such sensation as invariably attends
the debut of the brave movie prima
, donna who. after surmOunting unbe-
lievable obstacles, finds the reward of
virtue in being allowed to sing Car
men,"
IRON the corner Of my eye 1 watch
ed for the beat of the conduc-
tors baton to give me the warning
for my cue. My heart was going
pit-a-pat.y but l took courage from
the others on the stage. and when
the time came for me to sing, the
dry throat, which had begun to
think incapable of anything but
hoarse whisper, became suddenly vi
| brant. l felt my voice soaring to
the furthermost corners of the vast
auditorium, and 4 sort of intuitive
feeling assured me that it was hold
ing my listeners. Then my trepida-
tion sped from me. and ! felt. almost
at once. oddly at home and very
much self-possessed. And by the time
the SHu VI my SCcHc HdQ come L
seemed to have all the assurance of
an old-ti Not until 1 was tax
ing my curtain calls and the gold
stockinged fiunkey was handing me
huge bouquet of American beauties
did IA terrible trembling seize me,
and ] nearly collapsed from fright:
apparently won!
1t was not until later experiences
came to me that I fully, realized the
risks / had run in not giving way
entirely-to a certain natural fear
before entering on the stage and
then banishing it as something over,
once on the stage. l used to try to
master myself, which. in a way, was
foolish, because it means simply
bad reaction of pent-up nerves.
A few days later during a rest at
rehearsal, conversation turned to
stage fright and nervousness. A
baritone of international fame, whose
bel canto is the admiration of the
musical world, told of a cousin of
his who\had a beautiful tenor voice
and had been signed to appear in
opera In rehearsal he had lived up
was predicted for him. Then came
the dress rehearsal. The opera was
"Cavalleria Rustfcana." The OPEN
ing notes of the Sici1iana sounded.
but not even a whisper came from
the tenor, who in terror tried vainly
to emit tone After what was thought
toy be sufficient rest. the music
They brought the poor tenor water.
an -appls and every first-aid remedy
they could think of, but his voice re-
fused to respond. :,
The experience killed all his am
bilfJn He gave UP all thought of.
Evening star., 1921-11-27
alternating Fishes.

GOLD weather has a marked effect
on some of the fresh water fish
at the aquarium of the New York
Geological Society. When the tenn
perature of the fresh water flowing
through the tanks of the aquarium
falls below 40 degrees, certain fish
become very sluggish. The young
yellow perch lie quietly on the bot
tom of the tank. as evenly spaced as
if put there by their keepers. and take
little food A low temperature af-
fects young black bass in quite a
different way. They stay poised some
where above the bottom, but crowded
close together Fifty or more will
often gather in "a compact mass, all
facing in the same direction. The
aquarium has several tanks of young
black bass. all groups of which show
the same curious habit.
Evening star., 1921-11-27

further efforts. as far as opera was
concerned. and took up church sing
ing, in which he gained considerable
prestige.
No one, not even the greatest
singer at the opera, can afford not
to be frightened at what may hap
pen. Even the great Caruso broke
on high note in one of his. early
performances at the Metropolitan. and
was SO upset by the slip that he re-
fused to take the usual curtain calls.
Evening star., 1921-11-27

! tendent of police has given every
| possible cooperation in the work of
| enforcing prohibition. He has placed
| special details at the service of the
! bureau. and is always ready to step in
| and aid us in every contingency"
| Linton Evans of the prohibition
force has been participant in many
of the raids, netting big "hauls" for
the agents. Rose also has occupied a
similar position. But to the police
! specialists in prohibition work
! Stephenson gives the lions share of
the commendation for the work.
/ These are Precinct Detectives Fowler
and Messer of the first precinct. Rohn
of the sixth. Mccormick and Wheeler
of the tenth, Denny Murphy of the
ninth and number Of others
throughout the city. including Police
man. Wilson, Lieut.. Sheetz, Lieut..
Holmes and Detective Lowry Of the
first precinct. From a survey Of the
work of these men the following
methods of work by rum runners and
bootleggers in the District has been
obtained:
early days Of prohibition in Wash
ington. The police were in ch@Se
of the enforcement of the bone
dry" law The Baltimore boulevard
was filed with smuggling automo-
bilists. bringing a supply into the
Stopped them at the District line.
The Union station was carefully
guarded and several arrests made.
discouraging general trafhc in that
manner. Then came the day when
arriving passengers from Baltimore
on the electric line were arrested.
filing the ninth precinct station to
overflowing with prisoners and con-
fiscated product.
All this had the tendency to lift
the burden of Importation of liquor
from the shoulders of the uninitiat-
j. ed civilians with amateur devices and
place it on specialists. then called
'bootleggers, who would speed in
from Baltimore with a supply for
many. Stricter enforcement made
peril more imminent for this class
of men. Instead of single cars.
loaded down in the tonneau and
easily detected by the heavily sag
ging springs. these men started to
run feets of big machines over the
-. Continued On Third Page.)
: - 80 at.fSfsrb
Evening star., 1921-11-27

Some little time after my debut. when
1 was singing the part OF the Inn
keeper in the same opera. Boris"
did q terrible demonstration of that
my cue. calm. apparently. as the pro-
verbal cucumber. Then I stepped
onto the stage. I was alone on it..
The first time I had been entirely
alone. and q sudden childish fright
seized me such as I had known as a
little girl when LETT by myself in a
large house The scene was a tre-
ed to me. My tongue literally Glove
to the roof of my mouth. and for the
instant I actually contemplated flight.
Had INDUCED myself, my operate
career would have been over. As it
was, what happened was almost as
bad.
7 HAD been told by the stage di-
L rector that it was "inartistic' to
look at the conductor for ones cue.
Hence 1 moved about the stage intent
on my business, seemingly oblivious of
either conductor or the huge audi
ence that sat stark and silent behind
him, every one of those 10000 eyes
on me. Listening closely for my cue
(for 1 knew my part welD, heard at
last what thought was it, and. fore
ing down my severe attack Of STAGE
fright by sheer dint of will. burst
into my song. But horror of horrors!
1 at once perceived I had come in an
entire half bar too soon, and so was
singing ahead of the orchestra!
In dismay 1 turned quickly to the
conductor. Signor Toscanini. for help
all questions of being artistic"
thrown to the winds in my panic
at SO awful an error. But Toscanini
deliberately looked away from me in
sheer disgust! The world turned
black before my eyes. How 1 fin
ished my song do not know to- this
day. Had 1 been an .'old hand at
the game" might have been able
to extricate myself, but here was a
trick Of the trade quite beyond me.
So on + went, almost automatically,
that awful half bar ahead of the
music every minute of the way. Ny
to make-I. rushed from the stage.
dashed blindly through the wings
and, still in costume, out through the
stage entrance for the chorus. / ran
to Broadway in quest of taxi
cab that could carry me home as
quickly as possible! AS think Of it
now. have to smile. / don't wonder
that man called after me: Hey.
kid" - Where's the masquerade?' l
den self-consciousness,@ and tumbled
into q handy car and almost cried my
address to the driver. cried all
the way, home.
Z Oh. that fearful night of wakeful-
ness. My Opera career ruined! All
Evening star., 1921-11-27

I ly to pieces as ] burst into laughter
and sank fortunatelyD into the
! earth! He then, SO delighted with his
joke. shook SO with laughter that he
| didn't even attempt to sing the first
| few bars of his next song!
J This is the real opera singer. A
iovabie. The bigger and more ia,
nous they are, the simpler and more
charming they always show them.
| selves. Some of the lesser lights are
| consumed with their own Importance
| and spend a great deal of time try
ing to impress others with a superb
ority they do not possess.
! And, in passing. I know of a few
| such singers whose over-high opin-
has cost them lucrative contracts
and a high artistic place. One young
tenor, who boasted he would displace
the really great tenor who had
coached and helped him gain an en-
tree to the Met. has had many years
to regret his foolish megalomania.
TARCSO'S memory will linger for
ever at the metropolitan. He was
the biggest of the galaxy of stars
the biggest artistically and the big
gest of heart and he was also the
Simplest anu most undSSuWlHs. nc
asked no special favors: he worked
as hard as the newest conner in
secondary roles. There was nothing
Of the snob about him. Every one
at the Met was his friend. He joked
and talked with them all, and was
quick with his sympathy in their
trouble. He was simply adored at the
opera house. He was never alone; he
was always surrounded by friends, of
whom many were boyhood comrades
in his beloved Naples To know him
was to love the golden qualities of his
heart, which were not less wonderful
than his golden voice.
i soon grew to adore the opera and
its every phase. The profound mys-
terious cellars. packed with dormant
scenery and fastastic ''props"-a sort
of history book come to life. The
costumers and their myriad periods
of style. ready in thrice to turr
out a Caesar or a Brummel. a Des
Grieux or Pinkerton. When l had
en- as three and four times a week. !
used to hurry through my dressing
and make for an out-of -theway cor
ner of the wings, from which ] could
watch the marvellous placing of the
gigantic scenery, always fascinat-
ing sight, done as il is with light
ming speed and efficiency. Above all
did love to witness the setting of
the wonderful dome scene in Sans
Evening star., 1921-11-27

on the verge of fainting out of nerv-
BUSINESS for me!
"Fifteen minutes. Miss Braslau"
came the warning of the boy.
/ must confess to moment OF herce
trepidation. but 1 quickly controlled
myself and continued to assure my
muttering attendants that they should
have courage that all would go Well.
Then, in a surprisingly short time;
the knock came again, and l could
detect sympathetic note IN the
invisible call-boy's voice as he an
nounced: .,,
.'Ready to go on. Miss Braslau"
MY time had come! With beat
W ing heart, but with nerves that
were still, / stepped out of my dress
ing room and descended the four lit
tie steps that brought me into the
wings. 1 forced my way through the
waiting chorus. I could feel their IN
,erested eyes following me. They
knew that this was my minute OF
minutes. turned to them and smiled.
Dear. kindly people that they always
are; they smiled back at me and some
applauded silently with up-raiseo
hands.
"Coraggio" one called.
The great gold curtain was lowered
and the scene, d room in the paiace
of King Boris, was being nnally ar
ranged as | crept onto the vast stage
and quietly took my place behind
little school desk. Near me. Leonora
Sparkes as my sister. the princess.
was already seated. She and l. as
the prince. We're supposed to be at
our lessons when the scene began.
From tKe business side of the
strange conch smell that. rises out Of
me Metropolitan stage near the foot
,he nrompter protruded, his face
y-reathed in i broad and comforting
"Re brave. chil'," he implored. with
MANY gestures. All go verra fine if
Won brave chill. If anything she go
wrong old Marchesi he feex every
ting. -.
come lust how true it is that artists
can depend in any emergency on that
interesting personality in the prompt
.r's box. Knowing the score, words
and music of every opera. as well as
the stage business for every one IN
yolyed in it, including the chorus
all by -heart-he is certainly not only
A sort of operate miracle man, but
also the beginners very best friend.
suddenly the stage became suffused
with a flood of brilliant light and a
scarcely heard signal sent scene-men
and workers scurrying on from tne
other side of the curtain rose the
swell of the music that preceded the
curtain cue. l quickly took the posi-
lion that my imagination indicated
might very well be the position of a
young prince studying. Tt was to-
tally different from the position given
me at rehearsal. My heart was
Evening star., 1921-11-27

M dry on November /. 1917,
" " the word "bootlegger"
was virtually unknown in
everyday conversation. Rum rum
ner" was equally obscure. Such de-
nominator as prohibition agent" had
yet to be created. Since then various
milestones have been passed in per-
fecting machinery to forward to men
the Illicit connections of fruits and
grains bearing alcohol. In the early
days a bootlegger was conceded to be
the sly. furtive individual who tapped
one ON the shoulder and whispered Of
his wares. Today he may sit behind
a desk possibly in his residence. con-
Quoting his business via telephone.
If he is successful he organizes CO.
hort of retainers. distributors and
procurers. Possibly he does not see
the Illicit goods at all. He is the di-
recting genius, the deus ex machina
of the underworld traffic.
But he has enemies-has this pros
| perous-looking man. They have ex-
! acted from his stock millions OF dol.
| lars in tolls throughout the United
States during the past year and
i precious libations into the public sew
ers. These enemies are the revenue
J bureaus prohibition enforcement
agents, and their Jobs compare In
menace and peril to those of any pro-
! tective force in the world.
Thousands of pairs of feet daily
| pass over one of Washington's prohi.
bition warerooms. where confiscate d
/ liquors are stored, awaiting either
disposition of the cases in court or
destruction by warrant of law. There
! is another group of confiscated wet
! goods which is awaiting owners. but
the latter are rather reluctant to
| claim their goods. since they know
the minute they admit ownership a
| warrant will be handed to them. The
warehouse is in the basement of the
building at 1928 F street. 1t is but one
of four of the warehouses in Wash
7 ington. 1t occupies only two rooms
of the building. But these rooms are
full of spirits frumenti and otherwise.
The other warehouses are located
nearby, in the heart of the business
section of Washington in the rear of
buildings of the same block on F
street.
More than half a million dollars
worth of liquor. in the shape of wines,