Evening star., 1932-12-25
DUCHESS ARRIVES
IN SONG CRUSADE
Concert Here for Needy Art
lists and Furtherance OF
Language Theory.

The Duchess Of Richelieu, crusader
for unempl- yed and unheard musclans
and active exponent Of the theory that
singers should sing In languages they
know something about, has arrived IN
Washington prepared to give concert
which will beth benefit the needy art
lists in whom she l. interested ana oem-
onstrate her musical doctrines.
A Ginger and student Of music since
the days when, as Elinor Douglas WISE,
daughter of Capt. Frederick M. WISE OF
the Navy, .he was a debutant in Baltl-
more and Washington, the duchess has
decided row to use her talents to raise
money for young musicians who need
training and encouragement and more
seasoned students who were On the rcad
to success when financial handlcaps
blocked them.
Her first concert here will be under
the sponsorship Ct Nine. Claudel, vile
OF the French Ambassador. and Will be
held in the home of Mrs. Eleanor Pat
terson. Dupont Circle, January 8, at
pm. The event viii be public, with
tickets on sale at 81 each.
French Songs Feature.
The selections the duchess will sing
have not been announced, but her pre-
gram will consist principally OF French
songs. American born, trained by
American voice teachers, equally fanli-
lar with French and English, the
duchess is loyal to the languages sne
can command and refuses to attempt
a song If she cannot read and under
stand its lyric.
II have seen singers run through
list cf Scandinavian, French. German,
Irish, Russian and Whist not songs all
in one concert" :he says. Probably
they spoke French. German and maybe
Irish, but not Scandinavian and Rus
sian. So why sing song when 1t is
unintelligible to you?"
Consequently her numbers will re-
main within the bounds Of English and
the French she has learned to speak
like a mother tongue while studying
voice in Paris and since her marriage
to the Duke de Richelieu in 1913.
Meeting With Duke.
It was during her student days in the
French capital that she met the duke
at a dinner given for her by music
teacher. The duke, last of his line and
probably the last man who will bear the
title created by Louis XIII for the ia
nous Cardinal Richelieu, came to this
country and they were married the
year before the war.
When Louis bestowed the title OF
duke upon the cardinal. they agreed 1t
would pass on to the first son of Rich
e,ieu's eldest sister. IS the cardinal S
brother also was a churchman.
The line has not, however, remained
unbroken. A later Duke de Richelieu
ioined the Order OF the knights OF
Malta, took the VOW Of chastity and
died without an heir to receive his
title. Louis XVIII remedied this by
again decreeing that the name should
pass to the first son of the deceased
dukes sister.
AS the present duke has no sons, the
title will die with him, and there are
no kings of France to resurrect it. Word
has reached the duke. however, that a
European who managed to make lot
of money and become an admiral In the
Siamese navy, has decided he is related
to the Richelieu family and will drop
the appellation of admiral and adopt
that of duke when the latter is vacated.
There is, Of course, nothing to prevent
that.