Philadelphia Conservatory of Music - Variations Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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Lasf nighf Carnegie Hall was fhrown info an unprecedenfed uproar by a series of wild evenfs. The program began quiefly enough. If was affer fhe infermission fhaf fhe fireworks came. As fhe audience slowly made fheir way back fo fheir seafs, fhey were sfarfled by fhe appear- ance of several Indians clad in fradifional garb siffing in fhe percussion secfion. 'Anofher one of fhaf cufe SfobIowski's fricks,' fiffered one old dowager fo her friends. The orchesfra slowly assembled on sfage, fhe baffered piano was wheeled info posifion, fhe house Iighfs dimmed. Ouf came Rorowifz, who bowed superciliously, and fhen Sfoblowski. No sooner had he sig- naled fhe orchesfra fo begin, fhan fhere arose from fhe rear of fhe hall a loud shouf. Down fhe aisle plummefed fhe pudgy figure of Pames Jefrillo, union boss. 'ln fhe name of fhe law, I forbid you fo confinue,' he roared. 'Those Indians are non-union men, and any man fhaf plays one nofe will lose his union card and be black-Iisfed for Iife.' ERN.. mx A dreadful silence ensued. Suddenly one of fhe Indians leaped fo his feef wifh a wild cry and sfarfed affer Jefrillo. He was soon ioined by ofhers. If fook fiffy policemen fo resfore order, and as I undersfand, Jefrillo is in fhe hospifal, where he has nof yef recovered consciousness. The performance of fhe new concerfo was cancelled, and Mr. Rorowifz was discovered fwo hours Iafer by his friends, enferfaining fhe Indians af his aparfmenf. BARBARA DAY BRIGHT SAYINGS Lauren Persicheffi lage fhreel says fhe word is nof cooperlafeI - leighfI, buf cooperfen : fhaf ice is a piece of wafer , and a hand- kerchief is whaf you puf fhe blow on. Miss Chrisfman: Who reformed Opera? Sfudenf: Oh! Some Cluck by fhe name of Gluck!

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mar!! premier Anodder vodka, snarled fhe eminenf Russian pianisf, Jascha Rorowifz. Humph! Zey vanf me fo play new American concerfo by Jones. Based on Indian fhemes, yef. How zey vill laugh in Moscow. Easy now, J. R. purred his suave manager, Mr. Hudson. Mr. Hudson was in a good humor because he had iusf posed for fhe 'Man of Disfincfion,' and fhey lef him have fhe drink. Think of 'rhe furor if will cause. Famous Russian pianisf gives premier of new concerfo by obscure composer from Oklahoma. lf will open up a new musical fronfier in fhe Soufhwes'l'. His laugh finkled like a cash regisfer. ' Ja, buf da idiof broughf zombies along fo play fom-foms wifh orchesfra. Maybe zey beaf so loud, nobody hear muzik. Well, if's almosf fime for rehearsal, said Mr. Hudson. We'd beffer go on over fo fhe hall. You know how Sfoblowski hafes fo be kepf waifing. So saying, fhey walked fo fhe curb, hailed a passing faxi, and were soon deposifed in fronf of Carnegie Hall. As fhey mounfed fhe sfeps, fhey became aware of greaf confusion from inside. The manager of fhe hall came rushing ouf. Don'f worry, Mr. Hudson, he panfed. We're frying fo smoofh fhings ouf peacefully. The whole percussion secfion iusf walked ouf be- cause fhe Indians Jones hired fo play fhe fom-foms gof paid more fhan fheir union wages. We senf fo union headquarfers for subsfifufes, so 'rhey oughf fo be here any minufe. Anyway, Sfoblowski is ready fo con- ducf fhe concerfo, so you'd beffer gef inside. The inferior of fhe audiforium showed signs of a recenf sfruggle. Arrows were sficking ouf of fhe curfains, a fomahawk was imbedded in fhe podium, and several seafs in fhe fronf row had been smashed 'ro pieces. In fhe background a few Indians were quiefly seffing up drums, gourds and raffles. Repair men were replacing fhe legs on fhe Sfeinway, and over all reigned Sfololowski, in complefe confrol of fhe sifuafion, lisfening fo 'l'he orchesfra fune up. From here if will nof be necessary fo confinue. The nofed crific, Girvil Nospmofh, ran fhe complefe sfory in his column fhe following morning:

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Young singers do noi' offen hear abouf fhe difficulfies and dis- couragemenfs which have plagued fhe road 'ro success for many of our greafesf singers. If is somefimes helpful fo consider whaf handicaps ofhers have successfully overcome when our own problems loom exfra large. Grace Moore's experiences as a young singer are candidly de- scribed in her aufobiography. Af fhe beginning of her vocal sfudies, affer working wifh an lfalian music feacher who had been described fo her as good and cheap and wifh whom she had sfrained and pushed her voice, she found one day fhaf she could nof uffer a sound. If re- quired fhree monfhs of complefe silence and very slow, careful vocal- izing affer fhaf fo bring back her singing voice. Whaf a period of discouragemenf fhose fhree monfhs musf have been! . There is also a descripfion in Loffe Lehmann's aufobiography, Midway in My Song , of her early difficulfies in learning fo sing as well as wifh rhyfhm-an ifem of inferesf fo many singers, l fhink. She did noi' feel she was progressing af fhe Royal Academy in Berlin, so she accepfed a scholarship al' Efelka Gersfer's school where her work was so discouraging fhaf, af fhe end of a year, she was fold fhaf she had worked very poorly, could nof be a singer, and was coldly advised fo furn 'ro some pracfical career. ln spife of such dishearfening advice, she was defermined fo fry again and, of course, was finally rewarded. Back in fhe middle of fhe ninefeenfh cenfury, fhere was a singer named Gabrielle Krauss who was for fwenfy-five years 'rhe leading soprano af fhe Paris Opera. As a girl, fhe direcfors of fhe Vienna Conservafory did nof wish fo accepf her as a pupil, being unimpressed by her appearance, and saying she had no voice. Buf for Mme. Marchesi, who insisfed on accepfing her as a pupil, she mighf never have begun her career. Then fhink of Jenny Lind, who, affer singing for several years in opera in Sfockholm wifhouf any knowledge of correcf voice fechnique, found fhaf her voice was failing her. She wenf fo Garcia in Paris fo see if he could help her. Garcia was nof hopeful of resforing her voice and did nof even feel fhaf she had an unusual one. Affer 'ren monfhs of infensive work, her voice was so much improved fhaf she could con- finue her career. Then, undersfanding how fo use her voice, she became fhe Swedish Nigh'ringale , a name which is pracfically synonomous wifh perfecf singing. During her early career, Schumann-Heink showed her fine qualifies as a person and her excepfional sfrengfh of characfer almosf more fhan any ofher singer of whom l have heard. ln spife of fhe responsi-