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Show GETTING INTO CHORUS. Henry W. Savage Answers Question Often Asked by Girls. When the query, "How does a girl get into the chorus?" was flrat presented pre-sented to my attention, I was inclined to toss It aside brlelly as calling for no other reply than, "She Just gets there." But, on second thought, tho question assumed considerable Importance and a CTOwlntr Intprost. tnr It Is in tho rhnni; that we must look more and more for our prima donnas, comediennes, sou-brettcs, sou-brettcs, and even the leaders of grand opera. If It were made a matter of insuperable in-superable difficulty for girls of temperament, temper-ament, vocal gifts, and charms of person per-son to enter the stage profession through the basement door, so to speak, so we should soon find ourselves seeking ln vain for actresses and singers sing-ers capable of fulfilling tho requirements require-ments of roles we might desire to fill, says Henry W. Savage In tho Chicago Tribune. Thus, I do not think it is true that clrls who desire to go upon the stage, and who have the requisite qualities, find It hard to secure a hearing. To be sure, many are turned away without with-out engagement, and the majority of these, ln the natural order of things, are self-convinced that their failure ls because they have no iniiuence, or "pull." It seldom occurs to them that they may bo unsulted in age, physique, voice, accomplishments, dramatic Instinct, In-stinct, or any of the possessions that are vital to persons contemplating" the stage as a calling. A young woman may bo too fleshy or the reverse: too tall or too short; with the features too prominent or too small; she may have been assured by flattering friends that she can aing like Melba, when, ln fact, Bhe cannot sing at all; her countenance may be entirely without mobility, or she may grimace beyond reason; she i may carry herself cumbroualy or with 1 unbending stiffness. In fact, there may bo many other obstacles to her welcome wel-come reception at tho hands of those whose years or experience nave given them sharp eyes for lhe detection of shortcomings. "Influencer" Is of No Value. But I will say that Influence, other than that of the material Itself, has no part In enabling girl3 to get into tho chorus, so far as I have been able to observe. If she can demonstrate real worth the debutante will receive a considerate con-siderate hearing, and will find herself assigned to the flrst vacancy for which she seems suited. There are certain young women, how-over, how-over, who find it hard work to obtain either attention or place. These are the ones who think it their mission to play parts on tho stage without any previous experience of a professional character. Sometimes they have been rewarded with shrill acclaim In private theatricals, and sometimes they have sung in the parental drawing-room, with tho result of receiving a great deal of Injudicious applause and unearned adulation. These frequently take It as a matter of course that managers on the eve of risking large amounts of money and their entire capital of prestige pres-tige upon a production will hasten to intrust Important roles to untried hands and they are filled with chagrin and resentment when turned away. As a general thing, the girl who Is really In earnest about her career ln the theater la willing to work for it, and to begin ln the primary class. The one who expects to start at the top will And It alUlCUll lO Jjei. mu wuuin-s, iiuu If she does get It she will usually proceed pro-ceed downward Instead of upward. If her brother is a graduate from a medical medi-cal college or a technological Institute ho is only too glad of the chance of getting get-ting his practical training either in tho hospitals or on a railroad. Absolutely the same practical cxpcrlenco-ls necessary neces-sary for the girl who has graduated from a conservatory of music Tho public does not expect to pay for our experiments. Aa far as experience goes, I would rathor have a girl, first of all, of excellent voice and a strong personality, and tho faculty of "getting "get-ting acrosB tho foots," than tho most perfect typo of regular beauty that I have ever seen. One day a young woman of excellent family presented a fltroncly couched letter of Introduction describing hor as an unmlstakablo geniuo and asking that an Interview bo granted her. She proved to be pretty and exceptionally complacent, and assured me that "people "peo-ple who oucht to know" had told her she was the imaue of Mrs. Langtry, and could sing better than Lillian Russell. Rus-sell. It didn't require a second glance to dispose of the flrat named IlluHlon, and she had not sung three notes when the second dream fadqd from view. This lnstanco one of hundreds goes to Indicate In-dicate that "people who pught to know" don't always do as thoy ought, or at least don't tell what they know. I have many requests from persons with wealth at their command. I received re-ceived a letter a few days ago from a young woman who stated that she had flOOO, which she would gladly give If Bhe could bo permitted to sing a small role. Student Improves Talent. Another lnstanco of a quite different character and outcomo occurred a comparatively com-paratively short timo ago In Boston. One morning a bright-faced young girl applied at the stage door fpr a place ln the chorus, and proved to have a pleasant pleas-ant and well modulated voice and some confidence of manner. It turned out that sho had been a student at Welles-ley Welles-ley college, and had determined to test her aptitude for the profession of acting. act-ing. Her intelligence was evident, her earnestness undisguised, and she was at once engaged. A few months later, after she had shown unmlstakablo indications in-dications of talent ln tho comedy line, I decldod to give her an opportunity, and telegraphed to Minneapolis, where 3ho was then playing, summoning her to tako the role of Lilly Ann Lynch, ln George Ado's "Peggy from Paris." This chorus girl was Helen Halo, and she ls now prominently placed ln the cast of the newest Plxley-Luders comlo opera, "Woodland," How well she has improved her chances the public muBt Judge. Miss Flora Zabellc, prima donna of tho company supporting Raymond Hitchcock in ."The Yankee Consul," was ln the chorus of the Castlo Square opera company ln Chicago, and I am sure sho had no difficulty in finding a placo ln that organization or In subsequently subse-quently securing tho legitimate reward of merit and faithful application. Talent Tal-ent almoBt invariably makes Itself apparent ap-parent and exacts Just compensation. Only tho season before last Miss Rose Bottl was ln "The Prince of Pilsen" chorus, where she was attentive to her work and accomplished It bo well that she seemed worthy of promotion. MIos Bottl has been for the last year tho soubrctte of "The Yankee Consul," whore sho appears to have "made good," if I may adopt a colloquialism that ls both terse and Illuminating. Graduate to Leading' Holes. floa rififtT-ii.Tr. Olilnlnn lnct annn In the leading comedy role of "The Sul-tnln Sul-tnln of Sulu," was a Castle Squaro choruB girl at the flrst step of hor career ca-reer on the stnge. This year Miss Qulnlan will play what Mr. Adc describes de-scribes as "A Prominent Waitress" in hl3 new comedy without music, "The College Widow." Miss Florence Willard of this sea-Bon's sea-Bon's "Peggy from Paris" cast, is a graduate of my chorus forcea. Miss Pearl Guzman, the season before last was San Francisco ln tho city girls of the "Prlnco of Pllscn" company, and the quality of her voice was so excellent excel-lent that it attraoted much attention In the volumo of the ensembles. She soon showed such case of manner and command com-mand of carriage as to Justify giving her a trial In more Important lines, and last season sho had her chance at the role of Mrs. Crocker ln the pleco already al-ready mentioned. This year Miss Guzman Guz-man has the far more trying role, vocally vo-cally considered, of the principal flower maiden in the English representation of "Paralfal." Then there Is the Instance of Miss Camllle Clifford, who ls still in the chorus, in a tcchnclal sense, for she has no lines to speak. She ls the Miss New York In the London cast of "The Prlnco of Pllscn,"' and was chosen for this place as the result of a competitive trial held at Daly's theater a few days before the 'company sailed for England. The fact that Miss Clifford's assumption assump-tion of this bit of character work without with-out words was superior to tho interpretations interpre-tations of the other aspirants goes to show that It isn't always the part that makes the player. At least, the player often helps the part hugely, and even with so little to do as falls to the ohorus girls, one of their number may accomplish her task so much better than tho others as to concentrate attention at-tention upon herself. Celeste Wynne, a member of tho "Parsifal" company, and who was prima donna of "San Toy" and "The Runaways," was In tho chorus, and Adelaide Norwood, for three years prima donna of tho English grand opera company, commenced ln the Castle Cas-tle Square chorus ln Boston. She is now studying German roles ln Berlin. Must Preparo for Opportunity. in niun) iiLsiu-ucea uwuhumuj for a chorus girl to sing a principal role ocours on extremely short notice. Many people will remember how Eula Jensen, a chorus girl ln tho "Peggy from Paris" company, playing at tho Studobaker theater last year, was called upon one night to slnir the leading lead-ing role. MIbs Jensen had nevor sung the part In public, and she had but five minutes' notice before sho was called to go upon the stage. She sang the difficult dif-ficult rolo without a single mistake. A short time ago Lucille Toslor of the "Woodland" company, was called upon to sing the part of Prlnco Eagle, as Cherldah Simpson suddenly bocamo ill. Miss Tozler Just had time to put on her costume before her cue was called. She continued to All Miss Simpson's place for a number of performances. I might clto dozens of Instances of this kind where ohorus girls have fllled Important Im-portant roles on short notice, but I have probably named examples In sufficient suffi-cient number to 3how at least what a Elrl may do when Bho la once ln tho chorus. As to the getting ln, that really ls not so difficult a matter as It ls often pictured that Is to say. not so difficult for young women of the kind pictured ln the foregoing paragraphs. Doors Open to Try All Voices. Regular hours are set aside for hearing hear-ing the voices of applicants for chorus positions. Those who pass the ordeal (and it is no more severe than tho occa-Blon occa-Blon actually rcaulrcs) aro fully de scribed in indexed memoranda, which ls duly filed, bo that they may bo cent for when casts arc being organized or vacancies occur ln companies already In working order. This system greatly facilitates tho putting together of choruses of a uniformity uni-formity designed to be characteristic For Instance, ln making up tho cast of Mr. Ado's "Tho pho Gun" It wau desirable de-sirable to keep within tho Korean at-mosphero at-mosphero as far as possible. The women wo-men of Korea are of diminutive mold, and henco It was considered noccssary to Belect the chorus from among tho llttlo women on our book3. Tho descriptive de-scriptive memoranda at hand enabled the carrying outof this plan easily and swiftly. It Is tho rulo to hear all voices that aro presented, and to placo upon tho list for engagement all glrln. who sing well, look well, and, moBt of all, possess pos-sess tho Indescribable but essential element ele-ment of adaptability. No girl with theso attributes need fear to attempt thf task of gettinc into the chorus and she need not bring Introductions or Indorsements. Tho doors aro always open to her. Good Music. Albert Blanchard has an article In tho current number of 'The Musician" of learning good music, which will hear being "read, marked, learned and Inwardly digested." I wish I had it in my powor to Impress Im-press ou tho mind of every music teacher, every muBlc pupil, and, above all, every parent of a music pupil ln this country, tho enormous advantage there ls to a student in listening attentively at-tentively to the best music, .given as only thoso can give It who have become be-come mature artists, and have made it their business to retain and Increase their powers as performers, Between i tho natural, healthy desire of the young pupil to hear his teacher, play, and the indifference to public .performance .perfor-mance of the best music, which often characterizes the same pupils ' when they have reached a further stage of advancement, there ls a yawning gap which ought not to exist. Young pupils pu-pils are always begging thcln teacher to play for them; they want 'to hear muslo, and hear it dono better than they can do it. But I have known scores, perhaps "hundreds, of cases of pupils between the ages of 16 and 25 who would neglect to attend piano. recital's re-cital's by artists of high' rank, violin concerts, orchestral concerts, etc, even when the cost was ao slight oa not to be worth considering. To be sure, they always had some excuse to offer: "they had no escort," or they "were not feeling feel-ing very well," or some other equally filmsy subterfuge, the real truth being that they did not care enough for tho concert or recital to take the trouble to go. Such reasons as they gave would never have kept them from going go-ing to a wedding, or a ball, or anything any-thing else In which- they were really Interested. In-terested. Such a state of things argues something some-thing wrong. The deslro to hear music ls natural to every young person who cares enough about It to study It at all. Every teacher knows that his pupils pu-pils are continually asking him to play. Why should this dosire diminish rather than IncreaBo as tho pupil becomes farther far-ther advanced? That ie a question which every teacher ought oarnestly to nsk himself, with a view to discover whether any portion of the responsibility responsi-bility lies with him, and, ln any case, what he can do to romedy It. It ls well, I think, for every teacher to meet the demands of hia pupils, In regard to playing for them, as far as he possibly can. To be well educated as musloians and pianists, they must hear tho bast music aa often as possible, performed by thoso who make it their business to interpret great music worthily. A piano recital by a great pianist is worth much more than a lesson to any pupil. And It ls not enough to hear an occasional recital or even to hear tho Bame pianist many times. Tho personal per-sonal equation has always to be allowed al-lowed for, ln plano-playlng an In everything every-thing else: and It Is not safe to take any one man's Interpretation of any works as final and authoritative. The pupil who desires to make the most of himself must hear many artists; must hear tho samo great works from different dif-ferent performers; must hear a wide range of compositions from many players. Singing, and violin-playing, too, Is qulto aa Important to a student of tho piano as ls plano-playlng. A great singer or violinist can do certain cer-tain things (such as a sustained legato, for example) perfectly, which a pianist pian-ist can only do less perfectly, from the I very limitations of his instrument; and can thus furnish an Ideal which plano-playlng, plano-playlng, pure and simple, cannot give. Orchestral performances aro, if possible, possi-ble, still more to be desired. The modern mod-ern orchestra ls the highest development develop-ment of the art of music, and the musician mu-sician who ls not familiar with groat orchestral works, aa given by the best orchestras, la only imperfectly educated at best. |
