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Show MISS GERALDINE FARRAR TALKS TO YOUNG SINGERS I NEW YORK, Juno .3. Advico to tho Young Singer: Miss Gcraldiuc Far-rar Far-rar repeats t ho titlo of the subject suggested sug-gested to her for a short interview with every appcaranco of stngo fright, although al-though she is in her own room at tho Nethorland hotel and tho outlook from tho tenth stor3" window, has nothing more startling than a vision of trees in their spring clothes. Sunday strollers aud the nearby lake. There are no critics, no first-nighters, no tuning fork brigade. Sho has just come from Chicago Chi-cago and is making ready for tho trip to Europe, but sho is unwearied nnd enthusiastic as ever, "Imagine the audacity of my setting myself up on u pedestal in tho role of adviser," she says. Then a second thought seems best to her. "After all. why shouldn't 1? It is becauso T am young that what 1 say may havo more weight for those near my own age. Tho shorter the perspective per-spective the nearer ono is to the core of things, and my memory is still keenly keen-ly alive to tho pitfalls and snares, tin-mistakes tin-mistakes and methods about which I receive, hundreds of letters every week from girls who aro anxious to lake up a musical career. . "And when yon say the. 'young singer' sing-er' T assume you mem the girl wilh the average voice. I make this distinction, for 1 am a firm believer in the creed lhat the exceptional singer is independent indepen-dent of advice and always will be. She does not have to stretch out her hands for help on every, side, for circumstances circum-stances will help hor. Genius cannot remain hidden. There is too great a deniaud and too small a supply in tho world today. She may seem to sweep aside nil rules and regulations, but fundamentally she will keep them, for tho preservation and development of her lifo will be the greatest thing in the world to hor, and sho will go naturally na-turally whore others have to be driven. "But the singer with only a moderate amount of talent is not so sure of herself. her-self. Sho may need a little drirmor hand to load her at-tho outset. Sho will havo to study harder and pay more attention at-tention to the details of her profession. Her mistakes may havo moro sorious cousefuences and sho will have to guard herself moro zealously against committing them. "In the first place, T should say that by the time the young woman was eighteen she should begin hor serious work By that timo her musical bent should have declared itself. Sho will know whether vocal or instrumental music is lo bo her chosen metier, and something definite about the range and possibilities of her voice, if sho is to become a singer. This is not a hard aud fast, rule, I commenced my work when t was 12, and many precocious girls havo donotho same thing, while one at least famous prima donna did not do any serious work until she was nearly 30. "She must never forgot that good tono production de-ends on good health. Her food must bo plain and wholesome, avoiding those articles that tho physician phy-sician who knows her constitution will recommend her to eliminate. Her exorcise ex-orcise must be like her food and drink, taken in moderation and regularly. Sho must not allow herself to become physically fatigued. "In regard to tho amount of vocal training to bo taken ovnry day, hero again one cannot lay down absolute rules. The quality of hor voice and tho stato of hor health must, determine that. During tho opera season, beside the regular rehearsals. T practice the scales every day ao as to give each note in my register a trial. This is uot necessary neces-sary with ovorv one. Somo singers have such flexible voices that thc3 can cut this training out. My voice has to bo warmed up and iLs resiliency in the beginning has to be created anew each time. A girl will soon find this distinction for herself and cau estimate her exen-ising accordingly. "But there is one rule for all. A singer must never practice to the point of latiguc. Before that comos she must stop right otf. When one is bdginning, fifteen or twenty minutes at a time, a rest, and then begiu again, until the hour or the two hours ave completed. "The question that i6 asked mo more frequently thun any other is thio: 'Ts it neccssarv that I Fhould study in Fu-ropo Fu-ropo iu order to make a success iu tho career I havo chosen?' "T always fool inclined to answer this with a peremptory 'NTo,' for it is a subject on which I feci very koonly, aud I would liko to knowf that had boon successful iu eradicating this beo from somo foolish bonnets. In a majority ma-jority of casps, it is not necessary at all. Tf a girl has only the average voice of which we arc speaking, hacked by moderate income and moderate ambitious, ambi-tious, there is no such place in tho world for her to study as right hero in Xcw York, or in some one of tho othor big cities of the Uuited States Boston, Philadelphia. Washington, Chicago, for cxamplo. The voices T have heard of tho girls who havo stayed at home aud studied aro clear and well placed, wilh freedom, good enunciation, and behind it all an intelligent comprehension of the music they are s-iuging. A great deal of this is undoubtedly due to the fact that tho girl is developing iu the proper atmosphere with a teaching that takes into account her individual needs aud possibilities. Jf sho intends to become be-come a concert or church siugcr, I should say lhat the quicker she gets tho European idea out of her mind the bettor for hor. "If she is going into opera, the subject sub-ject takes on a different phase. Now then: arc other facts presented fo look on. If sho has au assured income of two thousand dollars during her tutelage, tute-lage, .'and is chaperoned by a conscientious con-scientious person, there is no question but she will gain tremendous advantages advan-tages by that move, but unless she is placed as T havo described, sho had better not attempt it. I am a. firm believer be-liever in self-sacrifice, but not in tho self -sacrifice that means a garret, poor food and the gnawing pains of homesickness home-sickness and loneliness. Yoi-nl art is not strengthened and brought to its fullest powers bv such means. Climbing Climb-ing six flights of stairs every timo ono comes in, living on homo coqking oaten at irregular hours, worrying how both ends can bo made lo moet. sharing a tiny apartment with two or three others and discusing ctfirnalfo- the inevitable probloms of existence does not uo to i tho making of a great singer, whatever people may say. A voice is short Jived at its best, and every bit of a girl's strength should be husbanded for its use, not lavished prodigally on these inferior questions. |
