Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-01-06
Nine. Emma CaIve,75,
Renowned French
Opera Star, Dies
Singer Had Appeared in
Every Lofse City in
United Stutes

BY the Associated Press.
vICHY, Unoccupied France. Jan
6-The death of the renowned
French opera singer. Nine. Emma
Calve, rs, was announced today. She
died at Millau. in the Department
of Aveyron, in Southern France.
Nine. Calve was one of the most
versatile, most talented. and most
popular singers the world has ever
known.
During the course of her long
career, she sang in almost every
civilized country, and it was one Of
her few boasts that she appeared
in every large city and had visited
every State in the United States.
Nine. Calve was born on August
IS, 1866, in La Bastide. Department
of Aveyron. When months old she
was taken to Spain, and it was not
until she was 7 that she learned to
speak her native language.
Her musical education began at
Is. when her mother withdrew her
from her studies at the Millau Con-
vent and took her to Paris.
At the age of 10, she made her
first appearance in the Theater de
la Tour d'Auvergne. after studying
under Jules Puget for three years.
When she was barely 20 she made
her opera debut in the famous
Theater de la Monnaie, Brussels.
singing the role of Marguerite, in
Faust"
Returning to Paris a few years
later. she took up her studies under
the direction of Nine. Marchesi. who
finally obtained for her the Oppor-
tunity of singing the leading role
in Theodore Dubois new opera,
"Aben-Hamet," which was produced
at the Theater DIES Italiens. This
performance was Calves first great
success.
Engaged shortly after this by the
Opera Comique. Nine. Calve soon
showed signs of the wanderlust
which was to mark her career. She
accepted an engagement at Milan:
was pronounced a failure, and re-
turned to Paris to resume her studies
under a new teacher, Nine. Laborde.
The following year she returned to
Italy and wiped out the traces of her
original failure with a tremendous
success at the San Carlos of Naples.
On November %, 1893, Calve made
her debut in the role of SantuzZa,
IN Cavellerla Rusticana, at the
Metropolitan Opera House. She was
a success personally. but the opera
was severely scored by the critics.
Nine. Calve then appeared in the
title part of Carmen and from that
night her American triumph was
assured. The famous tenor. Jean
de Reszke. sang with her during her
first American engagement. Melba
and Plancon also were in the COM
pany.
For 10 consecutive years Nine.
Calve sang at the Metropolitan. In
1906, her desire for a change over
came her and she went to the Man.
haitian Opera House for a few
months before starting on her first
American tour.
Made World Tour in 1910.
Nine. Calve probably travelled
farther and sang in stranger places
than any other opera singer. In
1910, she made a world tour. intro
ducing Western music to China and
some Of the remote districts of India.
During the war she devoted all
her efforts to charity work. raising
over 100000 during the course of
one concert in New York.
Though the public loved her best
in the role of Carmen. the French
singer diSliked the part almost to
the point of hatred. preferring Mar
guerite. Ophelia, Juliet or Santuzza.
All these roles virtually were re-
created by her when she appeared
in them. as she was one of the first
realists to appear on the opera stage.
Two operas, La Navarraise and
Sappho. were especially written for
her bV MaSsenet.