The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-04-29
GERMANS REFUSED, TR0NDHIEM DRIVE
One of Greatest Singers
 0fHer Time, Passes Away
 Mime. Tefrazzini Dies, ltaly

Luisa Tetrazzini, 65, celebrated opera singer, died in hospital here following long illness She had been unable to take nourish- ment for several days, except oc- casional sips of champagne.
 The Madame had been living in comparative retirement for several years. A native of Italy she made her farewell appearance in the United States in 1881. Her last operatic broadcast was in 1888.
 Through the first two decades of the twentieth century no singer in concert or opera had greater following than Mme Tetrazzini
 Great Soprano
 She was a success from her de- but in her native city, Florence, in 1895, but it was not until she made her first American appear ance in San Francisco ten years later that she was acclaimed one of the greatest sopranos of her time.
 After her Florence debut, which was made as Inez in "LAfricaine, y Mime. Tetrazzini sang in other cities of Italy and toured in Spain, Portugal and Russia. In each of those countries she estab- lished herself as popular favor ite with patrons of opera.
 Shortly after the turn of the century she went to South America and at Buenos Aires repeated the successes she had scored in Europe. Continuing her tour, she next sang in Mexico and then went to San Francisco. Meanwhile, Heinrich Conried negotiated with the singer to join the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York, and sought to enjoin her from singing in San Francisco. His attempt failed and with it the negotiations for her Metropolitan debut
 San Francisco Debut
 Her appearances at San Fran cisco greatly enhanced the repu- tation of Mime. Tetrazzini and fin ally, at the insistence of her brother-in-law, Cleofonte Campan- mi, the noted conductor, she es- saved her fortune in London. There, in 1907, she made her debut at Covent Garden as Violetta in La Traviata" and immediately estab- liShed herself as singer and ac- treSs.
 Oscar Hammerstein then sought Mime. Tetrazzini for the Manhat- tan Opera Company in New York. When she declined three-year contract he is said to have offered her $3,OO0 for each performance. She made her debut in New York under Hammerstein's management in La Traviata" January l5, 1903, and proved a sensation. Later she appeared with the Metropolitan, Chicago and Boston Opera Com panies, with concert tours between her opera engagements. From 1908 to the end of her active career, Mime. Tetrazzinis principal en- gamements were in the United States and England.
 Musical Family
 Mime. Tetrazzini was born in | 1874 at Florence, Italy. Her father was a merchant. Her brother was stage director at Barra and pos sessed a good tenor voice, while her two sisters made names for themselves in the musical world. One was a teacher at Milan and the other Eva, who became the wife of Campanini, also was a mu- sic teacher and widely known as 2 singer.
 Luisa's early musical education was obtained from her sister Eva and for the most part was from observation. She was closely asso- ciated with Eva while the latter practiced her operatic roles at home and in this manner Luisa, before she was 12, had learned the words and music of several operas, including Faust" and La Gioconda." She showed such re- markable progress that she was sent to Ceccherini.
 Her First Role
 | The mother of the singers was opposed to Luisa following the profession of her sisters, but per miGted her to pursue her vocal stu dies. Her public debut came to be regarded as inevitable and when the time arrived for it the paren- tai objections were easily over come, partly because it was an emergency engagement. A perform ance of 'L'Africaine" had been ar ranged to be given in Florence and the company was complete with the excerCion of the singer for the part of Inez. After trial, Tet- razzini was engaged for the role