The New York herald., 1922-11-09
GIRL GETS OPERA HEARING;
WINS PRAISE AND WEEPS
Marion Tally 15 of Kansas City, Amazes Mr.. Gatti-
Casazza and Associates at Metropolitan.

Giulio Gatti-Casazza, general manager
Otto II. Kahn, chairman of the board
OF directors Of the opera company
Artur Bodanzky and Roberto Moran
zoni, two of the leading conductors. and
Edward Ziegler business manager OF
the company. sat in judgment over
ffteen-year-old singer yesterday after
noon in the opera house. and then
acknowledged that they had discovered
an American vocal prodigy. The girl.
WHO had come from Missouri to knock
at the door of fame. is Miss Marion
Tally, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. c. NJ.
Tally of Kansas City. Her father Is
telegraph operator of the Missouri Pa
cihc Railroad.
In the usual perfunctory manner the
musical court sat in the middle OF the
orchestra section while the girl stood
on the vast unset stage. In rich, So
prano, not of the undeveloped sweet
ness of the school girl, but OF the ma
ture quality of the woman twice her
age, the daughter of the teleGrapher
sang three songs-'Knowest Thou That
Fair Land?" from "Mignon." and THE
Wren" and THE Kiss" by Arditti.
That short program was enough for
the court which arose and summoned
the girl before it. Miss Tally was IN
formed that she is unusually gifted az
a singer and that if she gave herself up
to careful study for four or five years
and did not attempt TO force her voice
she would become Il great artist The
voice of the youthful singer is firm and
OF unusual range, clear In it's upper
e.fN hut f,ttI in ttS 1rxx-
ranges. They found that the girl s
voice had been "well placed" and finally
told her to avoid concert work for at
least four full years.
Miss Tally beamed her thanks and
stammered out a promise to do just as
the court had directed. She walked on
thin air UP Broadway and Seventh ave-
nue. to the Great Northern Hotel to join
her parents and then she and her mother
wept together over their joy. The tele-
graph operator stood silently by with
his hands in his pockets wondering how
sometimes great things do happen in
the families of ordinary men.
The source or a part OF their 1oy lag
in the knowledge that Marion will not
have to worry over the next five years
OF her musical education. That has
been provided for hy generous friends
in Kansas City. two Of whom, Jacob A.
Harzfeld. former City Counsellor OF
Kansas City. and Mr.. Harsfeld's daugh-
ter. accompanied Mr.. and Mrs. Tally
from Missouri for Inc purpose of hav-
ing Marion's voice appraised at n
Metropolitan ''audltion." Last night the
happy group went to theater
A year ago Marion was one of many
students in a Kansas City music school,
To help their daughter make a career
for herself, her parents. who live in a
basement flat, scrimped along and
bough, piano on the nstallment plan.
The musis critic Of the Kansas Ctty Star
attended the class commencement and
wrote column for her paper about
Marion's voice. not tie voice of budding
promise but one that had already
arrived.
Then Marion was heard at a real
concert in her home city. Next came a
benefit concert at which $4,000 was
raised for her further education. Mrs
Irwin r. Kirkwood, owner of the Kan
sas City Star, was aboard at the time
When she got back she had Marion sing
for her at her home When the girl had
finished. Mrs. Kirkwood Is said to have
taken string of pearls worth 325,g00
from her neck and to have given them
to the girl
The next step in planning the girls
future for her was taken by Mr.. Harz-
field. He communicated with Felix NJ.
Warburg. New York banker, and Mr.
Warburg spoke TO Mr.. Kahn ana Mr.
Kahn spoke to Mr.. Gatti-Casazza, and
then came yesterdays addition
The advice of the Metropolitan's n,u-