Show J I I 7 Jl S Hi HoT O rt tL o S AI n 11 t hi LA G Grand Jl n a. a d 0 J p Pt 10 You Must Have a Big Voice and It r Good i Health Says Famous prima Donna to Vocal Miss America The America The Poor Little 1 Who Would Have It TA The Diva for other jr r BEHIND a n stack of mail perhaps a afoot afoot foot foot and a half high piled in disorderly disorderly dis dig orderly carefulness on a wide desk there shone a curly mass of yellow hair and a pair of extremely limpid and end sparkling blue eyes They were eyes as blue as gentians and as ns clear as crystal The yellow Jellow head nodded gaily A gaily informal smile lighted the eyes The lady rose and drew herself to her full height which which which-if if you are interested interested interested inter inter- ested in details details is is nearly six feet She shook hands with surprising vigor vig vig- or so that tha ones one's fingers tingled after it Then she dropped into her chair again a highly attractive blonde in a simple dark serge frock and looked just as interested in oth other r people just as unaware of her own importance importance tance as if she had been one of the 1 I chorus instead of the principal star at tho the Metropolitan l Opera h house use In j fact looked much more unaware of her own importance And this is Jeritza the tIle great singer who vho has recently attracted attention to herself by bj offering to develop voices of American girls It was a half rueful Jeritza however however how how- ever ever She cocked one beautifully molded dark eyebrow at the pile of letters and fetched a sigh as deep as any Tosca Toscas Tosca's so You see 7 she asked with lovely pathos There are millions millions millions mil mil- lions of girls in the United States Hundreds of thousands want to be singers And And And- Anda a well-shaped well large hand Indicated the letters letters- letters letters- thou thou- thousands sands thou of them write to me about it Truly it is too much I have not time to answer them all And only here or there thero is one worth while for training raining There cannot be a scholarship scholarship scholar scholar- ship for every one Scholarship She had spoken the magic word that had unloosed this torrent torrent torrent tor tor- tor- tor rent of mail which seemed likely to overwhelm not merely the desk but the whole Jer Jeritza suite at a New NewYork NewYork NewYork York hotel Since Sinco the prima donna donna don don- donna na established her scholarship for fors forthe forthe s the training of an American girl with a probable grand opera voice particularly since since she selected the girl girlin m in the person of Susan Steell Steel of New NewYork NewYork NewYork York City every young singer in the country has written to ask for advice or a hearing But they do not understand Jeritza explained that no more girls will be chosen until Susan Steell's Steeps voice has bas been thoroughly tried out I do not intend to select another candidate candidate candidate can can- until this one is well launched It makes me feel bad to be unable to help them all But how is that possible 7 It is not possible not inthe in inthe inthe the least Nor is it impossible only because not ev even even m a Jeritza can possess the Midas touch necessary to present a scholarship to every hopeful It is impossible also because not not every hopeful has a voice on which hope can be legitimately based Some can be artists some writers s some me singers in grand opera J Jeritza proceeded First of all a girl must possess tho the grand opera voice There are so many kinds of voices In the past year I have heard many many many-I I donot do donot donot not now recall how many but many dozen dozen candidates candidates for the scholarship sing to me here Some had strong voices but not sweet Some had such sweet voices but so 60 little so little little little- i The J Jeritza finger and thumb took perhaps half an inch of air in its grasp and moved sidewise in a vivid gesture which evoked in imagination one of those clear pretty like flute-like voices you yon hear in a country choir A voice Jeritza went on which would bo be very well in the drawing room But at the first crash of Tann ann ann- haeuser for example where would that sweet little voice find itself 7 How would it sing above the horns the violins the drums 7 I A flash of perfect teeth another I lift of the eyebrow and pouf and pouf The sweet D' little voice was gone For grand opera said Jeritza you must sing like a n bull It is true Your voice must b be so big so loud aloud oud that to hear it close at hand isto is isto isto to be frightened For grand opera you must have the big voice voice and and good health It requires great physical physic physical c cal l. l strength an and great strength of neives nerves merely to sing for an au evening I Ir r I in such a large loud voice Y You l must not breathe bad air You must not have a bad stomach You must do nothing to hurt the voice such as smoking Always you rou must be as careful an and as fit as as-a as a prizefighter Well Welland and after the possession of such a voice and the good health which must go with it you must have havea a good teacher with a good method This is of great importance A p poor or teacher can ruin a n splendid voice in ina in a 3 few weeks Sometimes the ruined voice can be repaired by careful training training train train- ing later Sometimes it is ruined for ever For For the first year of training a a girl if girl if she aims for grand opera at 4 e d dh h n 6 J ajo 4 r 9 YI d J 4 Y N n nS ig 4 S n nc c b t 7 N t ft l iM Z N v vC C fir should least east should not even sing songs Of I course most girls want to sing songs I right away and it is hard not to do 40 so But Bitt it is important not to strain tra D the he voice in any way Even more than han the pupil the best teachers are careful of this point The best teachers number in their ranks none more famous famous' than Mme I Blanche Marchesi under whose instruction instruction in in- i in Paris Pans Susan Steell will twill willbe be placed by the terms of the schol schol- Mme Marchesi the daughter of that other Mme lime Marchesi who vho in I bygone days taught Melba Eames and Calve is as it happens J Jeritza's mother in Jeritza's husband is Baron Popper a Viennese banker Granted continued Jeritza that you have tho the big voice good health and the right teacher the tho next thing necessary is la to be willing to work Work York work and I I practice I Hours and hours every day Finally if you vou rou are aiming for grand opera you must be young You might I perhaps sing at 15 16 Twenty-seven Twenty or 28 is getting old If It you oU wish to be a a prima I donna And thirty is too old ald There was some mine discussion about voices Does climate e affect them for example Jeritza was inclined to think perhaps it did Italians for Instance seem to take naturally to singing So do people farther I I east and to to the northward the Austrians I the Czechs Jeritza herself was born orn in I Czechoslovakia of ot Moravian parents Shei She I i f 1 A a ar r I I fi U H c I s 1 i I W 1 F l lR la R 1 a Y a I 4 4 1 f r Y X I t T j i i. i I t fi 1 1 J I i. i r t j c nu r J CS T r. r i J. J Jr Y 1 f The he girl who succeeds ds in in grand opera m must have the physique of of an athlete F and be e almost almos dev devoid of nerv nerves s in the physiological sense says Jeritza You 1 must must s sing like a bull It is true Your voice must be so big so loud that thatto thatto i. i to hear it close at nt hand is is to be frightened I V r IJ S i s J Jept Jeritza intone no noe e of M her favorite characters char char- L' L t v Salome in which she has won woJ high h praise raise I I from both critics 3 and public Y Y 36 C a f s Fr From m the s sturdy stock of of Scotland nd tt R iri a FJ t r 9 and Engla England d springs springs' this new newest st n d x candidate for for- diva divan honors and her p L r w r r hair i r is th the bl blue e i b x ay y y Etta ti p aC t oy b black som sometimes times 4 fu found in the Highlands Highland High High- h- h ti y lands land and he her e eyes eye sang sang- first in light opera t turned down yn o offers of roles toles on the stage and concentrated concentrated conceit conceit- concen concen- on her het big Ig ambition to sing In fp Ingrand Ingrand grand opera At first in m Vienna s e had little success But study d practice and at at last the influence lence of ot discerning ing and artistic members of the nobility won the pr proper per hearing for that superb super Yol voice e. e Perhaps ps it is js because she she practised so much and worked so hard that Jeritza is isso so unspoiled by tho thu success success' which came ame at last She She- Is 15 emphatic on t the e subject of success and what is Vulgarly known as swelled head If It J a singer allows herself to to fo become spoiled she declared she sh is lo lost st st. This Is Js true above all ll of the young oung singer Saying which she l left ft the room room not not sweeping out of it it with with another of those thos gay and unspoiled smiles And in a minute you heard her at M her singing lesson No indeed Jeritza does not feel that she has reached a point where there Is nothing more to learn le rn So yo turn to the other side sido of or the picture And the other side is Susan Steell Unaffected With features attractive yet her coloring Is Js' Js strong the exact op opposite opposite opposite op- op of at the blonde 1 Susan Steell's Steens ancestry Is Scotch and English Her hair is the blue black found often otten In Spain and sometimes in Scotland and her eyes are a dark rich brown Though she has her merry moods It t Is usually a serious young Woman woman who surveys the world determined to conquer It by ty the power power and beauty of a very fine tine lyric soprano A strange coincidence Is her height It Is Is nearly six Ix feet and only an Inch or so less less' than that of at Jeritza herself For two generations her her h have ve lived in this countr country her mothers mother's family in the West est her father fathers In the East piss Miss Steell was born In New York City nineteen en are a soft soft warm j brown Physically Miss Susan Steell i ia is a 7 almost Jerit Jeritza's Jeritza s 's s j equal being only about one ne inc inch shorter 1 r lf r f I 4 b j c 1 1 I years ears ago ago go In hi th the charming old Chelsea district where her father a writer for magazines s and newspapers owned one oneo o of the quaint and comfortable homes The district began to grow more quaint than comfortable e and when his daughter daugh daugh- ter was v 3 years old Willis Steell moved hs his his' family Into a house uptown They They have a place at I Islip lip I Long LonS' Island nd where where Susan has haf usually spent ent h her r summers Here she ri rides Es E's horseback and takes take I prizes In i swimming contests cony coni con con- i y ducting herself herselt like Ilke a a regular American girl though not the sort which froths up into the flapper type She might seem almost to too serious were it not for the glint of humor which quickens those big brown browneyes eyes A large voice true and sweet Bounding health Youth And thanks to Jeritza an unsurpassed d singing teacher Susan Steell seems Beems to have all the th attributes which a a. future ut re grand opera singer needs She has something mor more than some of U the opera stars have haye had Hers has not teen been a childhood spent In n poverty and struggle tr While still a youngster she w was S' S taken aken abroad and spent some years in a apr pr private V te school at Fontainebleau outside Paris She has made frequent enough trips abroad ad so th that t she speaks French Russian and Italian fluently and has a cosmopolitan outlook I It It would would be more p picturesque of or course if Jeritza had chosen some fruit truit shop salesgirl from the East Side some girl with nothing but youth and a marvelous voice But It so happens that Jeritza was not tr trying i g to do anything picturesque And It H so happens that of the hundred and more girls whose voices J Jeritza tested in the thel thelast thelast l last st year year Susan Steell was was vas the he only one whose voice oice seemed to Jeritza worthy orthy of grand grand' opera training 11 M t r 9 I II J R I II I Thousands have seen the grand opera opera star tar in costume but few would know her garbed fo for the street but for fop her smile smila oo 1 I l Not that Im I'm Im I'm in grand opera yet St 1 Steell says modestly enough It all aU vends you jou ou see on on n how my voice tur turns turns ii I r was Vas more astonished than anyone when they told me that I had been s sel sele lt for the scholarship You see I h had haj d didea idea that Mme Jeritza was testing voice I had never neer heard that she ha h ha scholarship In mind My try y parents Jh thought about a a. singing career for They thought thought thought-oh oh the usual things Id I'd mar marry some nice man and settle d dand and perhaps s s sing ng now and then jn fn parlor parlor- Susan Steell admitted that sh she some sometimes imes hoped for tor a a. bit more of at a aEJ ca Concerts anyway To gain experiencE had taken a stage presence she ev even en in The Insect Comedy a a play fv w w name was changed lat later r to The TheW J We Ve Live In In which which enjoyed a recent f I Icess cess on Broadway Susan Steell pi tl the part of the only woman human huma b bin in m th the cast It was not of ot course a which required any singing A year ear earlier when h n J Jeritza gained first New York success and everyone a acclaiming the tha passion with which she ethe e the famous darte from Toe To Sus Susan Susn n Steell met the prima donna g got of ot the rare social Ll events which der tte attended You sing Jeritza asked asked girl struck perhaps by the timber of speaking voice olee t f M MA A little the girl Irl admitted d fl You must sing sing- for me roe some at t r J Jeritza said And passed on lea r girl g tremulous with delight but no not v-t v at certain the prima donna meant more than pleasant courteSy TJ Last fall Susan Steell Steen went vent to th the o heard eard Jeritza in in Thais and venture ventu e send her some roses and a bri brit t I c cI gratulatory note Jeritza sent back I l Invitation to come to o her dressing r When the girl arrived arrived- But j you ou were were going to sing to Iff 1 r Jeritza reminded her shall it be on seventh of ot January Januar at 1130 In th the the f Ie noon noon It v was a as Without an any knowledge of or an imper imperi scholarship Iel Id have lae been even terrified Susan Susin SteelL confessed confessed- without an any knowledge of ot the ninetynine ninety ninetynine nine nin-e candidates who had preceded her American girl became unwittingly af ic herself herselt She s sang ng a Scotch or two a bit from an an Italian oper Russian song oper V VEnding Ending the Russ Russian ln song she Bhe turne turned find tears ears on the accompanists accompanist's face t ton on Jeritza's s 's face race 9 Su S Did I I sing so badly inquired inquired Steell with the humorous glint in her er e e Jeritza placed those finely c s se large hands on the shoulders that tha almost level with her own Tour v makes me feel so warm so 80 warm warm cried And then It is here The se seis is done This Is the voice And that's how it happens Susan Thelea S Str with her mother is sailing within Tj a months for tor Paris For Paris and and andl ch chest chesi sl and ard work work v work ark AJ Ana AndI d whether hether failure allure or success depends Marchesi and Susan and the fates fate have v ocal vocal cords in their ow own n J jes jea keeping fl |