Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-11-18

nome. mat enueu my career DIS d
bull fighter, but ah there is no sport !,
like it and only a few years ago i
when | was singing in Mexico | got i
50 carried away that | jumped into |!
the arena. much to the CONSERVATION !!
of my companions who thought l had
gone crazy. | rather think | had for |
the moment, and when l got out | |;
said to myself, What a foolish thing !
to do 1t was simply the call of the
blood.
II was much interested in Otis !
SINNERS production of Blood and !
Sand He was perfect in every de- |
tail and showed wonderful knowl- |
edge Of the arena and the prepare
ton for it."
Voice Discovered by Accident
Like many great singers Giovanni !
Martinos voice was discovered quite !
by accident. His father refusing to
allow him to be bull fighter, and
having been shipwrecked early in his
boyhood when he ran away to sea to
boone sea captain, he was discour-
aged. He could not be a sea captain
nor a bull fighter. What was there
left for a fiery young Spaniard to
| dor
One night when he was about II he
was returning home from a dance at
midnight with party of boys and
| Sirls. 1t had been a gay evening and
Nolstead had never been heard of
then. Singing at the top of their
young voices, the gay party wendell
its way across the Royal Square in
Barcelona, just as one of the Royal
! Senators was driving to hiB home.
One voice rose higher and higher
! above all the Others The senator
stopped his car and listened. Then
he sent his secretary to investigate
and the next day young MARITIME re-
ceived letter-a command, to ap-
pear before that august parsonage.
Nothing doing, the young bull-fghter,
afraid Of nothing in the arena, was
scared to death of the law. He did
not do as he was commanded and a
/ few days later the senator's secre-
! tary appeared in person telling him
i he must go With him. In vain the
| young Spanard reiterated that he
( rad meant no wrong, did not intend
| to disturb the peace, etc. Nothing
but he must go and go he did. To
/ his dismay the great man asked him
i if he would like to be an opera
singer. Would he? He didn't know.
Never had thought of it. Hadn't
any voice. Finally the senator pur-
suaded him to study, paying for his
lessons After three years. and he
had but little ambition, he was ready
Tor his debut in Barcelona.
His Debut at Barcelona
He made his debut in his home
town in La Favorita, singing the part
or Baldassare. He was fiat failure
and his friends laughed at him and
called him a bull-fghter. He was
not an opera singer they said and
they laughed. Then the Spanish
blood began to rise, and with it an
overwhelming ambition and determi-
nation to show his friends that he
could and would be singer and a
great one. Packing a small bag, he
shook the dust of Barcelona off his
| feet and shook his fist at the same
time saying, Never will come back
! to Barcelona until I come singing in
the Royal Opera House, as its lead
ing bass"
! Off to Italy he went and worked
night and day for two years. Then
came the greatest day in his life up
to that time. His second debut in
Barcelona He made good his boast,
for he returned and where he was
jeered at two years before he. was
now given an ovation and for the
entire season he sang the leading
bass roles in the Royal Opera House.
Then-he said,
"Now have done what told you
I would do, and go. go. and never
do I sing again in Barcelona or in
Spain. never. never. never!" And he
kept his word. He has been singing
at the Metropolitan for several years.
but had never returned to his native
| heath,