Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-14
49,
Artistic Tenn
permanent Is Great
for the Publicity
agent and the
Public, but the
Writer of This
Story Tells the
Real Facts of the
Matter.

"yHE business Of importing and export
ing human song birds is almost as
precarious as dealing in tropical
AZ birds Of piumage. In fact, in many
ways 1t Is more 50. It is the human
equation and the human equation to be reck-
oned with in o songster Of subtle. sensitive
and all too intricate. Those who deal IN the
precious merchandise Of human song birds need
to have patience and far-Seeing knowledge Of
their intricate mechanism.
The back-stage Of an opera company is as
colorful, as vocal, as full Of nutterings as bit
Of tropical forest
If you are q song bird and without the So
called artistic temperament" your press agent
is sure to regard you as dtficult, and the Sum
day rotogravure sections win have none Of you.
Blessed the diva or the tenor who can whip
up the suds Of o good spectacular brainstorm
out Of the slightest incident It helps inn
measurably with public that loves naughtiness
in its idols.
THE famous Fraulein Elsa Won Hogarth, Inn
ported from Vienna, Salisbury, Prague.
Munich and Berlin at q fabulous price, was the
kind of song bird to delight the heart Of the
press agent intrusted with her exploitation. The
beautiful Elsa, blonde, blue and of Brunhilde
beauty, could not only sing like an angel, but
could throw q At Of temper like vixen. Her
temperamental exploits were legion. There were
stories abroad about the fierceness Of her tenn
pers, the unreasonableness Of her demands, the
impishness Of her whims that had already be-
come legendary.
The great Elsa Won Hogarth, lyric soprano
of hundreds Of triumphs, Amazonian in her
beauty, Incompatible Of voice, was what Is
known as a holy terror"
The Juror she created In America was not
one that had solely to do with the glory Of her
voice. Before she had been q member Of the
International Opera Co. for q week, stories Of
her temperamental exploits were rife about the
town. Her press agents regarded her as too good
to be true. Every time Won Hogarth opened her
mouth, she was good copy. Newspapers clamored
for stories Of her latest exploits. brainstorm or
conquest
The beautiful Elsa, long awaited in America.
shot into public consciousness with the color
full explosion Of skyrocket.
Her every appearance at the opera was
signal for an ovation They stood up and cheer
ed her voice. They stood up and cheered her
beauty. They stood up and cheered her person.
atty. They stood up and cheered her blazing
temperament.
One night. because some one in the audience
had coughed during her second act In the role
of Margherita, she stepped out to the footlights,
interrupting the performance. and berated in no
uncertain terms, and thick German accent,
the restless noises Of an American audience
And the great jammed opera house of specta-
tors loved 1t and applauded for more berating,
and the following day the newspapers, not only
of America, but Of the world. carried tales Of
the latest temperamental exploit Of the diva
It was said that Won Hogarth Travelled with
six pet panthers. It was said that no cooking,
except that Of her own Vienna, was palatable to
her, and two Viennese chefs accompanied her
on all tours. It was said that the only color
that was endurable to Won Hogarth in a dress
ing room was canary yellow Of subtle ana
difficult tone to achieve. Consequently, there
travelled in her encourage painter whose ex-
elusive job it was to see that in each city in
which Won Hogarth appeared her dressing
room. properly tinted to the proper tones,
awaited her.
TT had been decades, SO they said in the realm
OF the opera, since any one diva had at
tracted as many "fan letters" (known to an
older generation as mash notes') as Won Ho-
garth. It was said, and with truth that the
songster's mail addressed to the opera house
was delivered to her in bucketfuls At the end
OF her performance, as she swept from the stage
door to her car, the spectators stood rows deep
on the sidewalks awaiting the deep thrill of the
sight OF her, wrapped In furs followed bv
maids, as she darted into the dim perfumed in
terior-of her limousine -.
1t was further said that Won Hogarth. with
ner retnue, one that included German barons.
austrian frauleins, vocal teachers, accompanies.
secretaries, companions chefs chauffeurs
maSseurs' occupied an entire wing of the