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VOL. XVI, NO. XLVIII
UXCOLX, NEBRASKA, SATURDAY, XOVEMHER ."., ami
ESTABLISHED IX ISSt:
MME. LILLIAN N0RD1CA
Noted Soprano's Recital, December
6, the Musical Event of the Year
.Mine. Lilian Nordica, the famous
soprano, is now touring the country
giving a series of song recitals. Al
though warmly urged to do so she has
declined to appear this year in opera.
All of her time has been engaged for
recitals, her tour covering the entire
ountry, extending to the Pacific coast
.ind to Canada. She will give one of
her splendid recitals in Lincoln on
Friday evening, December Cth. at the
auditorium for which a .special price
of 1 has been secured. This will he
the greatest musical event of the year
in Nebraska, and will attract wide at
tention throughout the state.
Of the many thousands who have
been entranced by Mine. Nordica's
superb voice and great art, in her ap
pearances in grand opera and at im
portant musical festivals during the
past few years in this country, few
know of the early struggles and tri
umphs and the gradual but steady
growth of her fame with the causes
liat led up to it.
Her first engagement, when still a
young girl, was in a church choir in
Hoston. The following year she was
engaged to sing at Dr. Piitinun's
thurch with the highest salary ever
et paid for a choir position. A little
later she appeared as soloist with
Gilmore's band, New York, then in the
zenith of its success, subsequently she
made a tour of America with this
organization, and another through
Kngland. Those tours provided means
for her operatic training, and after
many brilliant triumphs in Kngland
and on the continent, Mme. Nordica
made her first appearance in opera in
Hoston as Marguerite. Her real
American debut was with the Henry
K. Abbey company at the Metropolitan
opera house. New York. Nearly every
season since she has sung the great
dramatic roles in German, Italian and
French operas in New York. Hoston,
Chicago and as far west as the Pa
cific coast, besides important appear
ances as soloist with the leading
symphony orchestras and at important
'nusical festivals but never before has
she been heard in recital as she will be
this season. Loudon G. Charlton, her
manager, announces a transcontinental
tour which will cover 80 to 100 recitals
which promise to be a series of ova
tions to the great American singer.
The life of Mme. Lillian Nordica be
gan at the little town of Farmington.
Maine. The history of her career is
not one of easy conquest but of van
quishing circumstances which would
have overcome a less dominant will,
'"d that unflagging cultivation of rare
natural gifts by which, alone, absolute
greatness is obtained.
From her mother, Amanda Norton,
she Inherited the qualities of will and
energy that mark the New Kngland
character, and from her father, Kdwin
Norton, she received the poetic strain,
while her musical gift came from
father and mother, both noted for their
vocal accomplishments. Mrs. Norton,
'onvinced of the future in store for
'er daughter, remained at her side
both in this country and Kurope di
recting her artistic training with nue
judgment. The mother's unselfish de
votion and command of will may be
better judged from the fact that when
the cablegram announcing Mr. Norton's
death was received by Mts. Norton she
was standing in the wings of the Im-
iu the most entertaining way of her
beautiful haunt in the heart of the
Hlack Forest, the relation of coon
songs to Wagner, her prowess with the
rod and line, and her recent triumph in
singing in German at the Prince Iteg
enten theater, in Munich.
She had just finished breakfast in
her private car, Hrunhilde. Outside on
the tracks were the wrecks of great
bunches of American beauty roses.
Dressed in a morning gown, all lace
and Mowers, she chatted alternately
like a schoolgirl and a philosopher.
"Wagner has scarcely written three
bars of music that are not syncopated,"
said the prima donna, speaking of her
promise to sing a ragtime coon song.
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M.MK. LILLIAN XOICDICA
peiial opera house in St. Petersburg,
while her daughter was going through
her part on the stage. When the lat
ter came off the stage at the end of the
ait. her mother had her feelings under
such contiol that Nordica suspected
nothing, went on with her part in the
performance si nil it was not until the
following morning that she was told of
her father's death.
Here is some advice by Mine. Lillian
Nordica to aspiring vocalists. It may
save many girls from the heartaches
of failure and the useless expenditure
of money.
The diva says that singers should
never leave America until they know
French. German and Italian, and can
sing not only the lovely arias from fav
orite operas, but whole parts.
In half an hour during a recent inter
view in Chicago Mme. Nordica chatted
"As for Iiichard Strauss, he would be
barred altogether if syncopation were
wrong. Most all classical music con
tains syncopation, but all what you
call It 'rag time' is not Classical
music. It is the exaggeration of the
idea."
Mme. Nordica learned German In
Hoston. Speaking of her early work
brought out a perfect torrent of advice
to young singers. It is evidently a sub
ject on which the great singer feels
deeply.
"Young singers," she said, "should
make their first efforts here. They
should not think because they have a
voice they should go abroad. That is
the time to make a position at home,
either in the church, concert, or ora
torio. When that is gained it is time
to brain li out and become an opera
singer.
"So many bright girls are let I astray
by the Mattery of their friends. They
gt to Paris. Herlin, or Italy wholly un
prepared ami unprotected.
"They must be kept at home." she
continued with warmth, "until there is
not the shadow of a doubt that they
have the material to go ahead In for
eign countries. Then they must go
alone. Think of it. No Italians. French
or Germans are sending their daugh
ters here to study. The Idea of send
ing our girls to Paris unprotected
makes me shudder. I had a potltlou in
concert, oratorio, and church singing
and was self-supporting before I left
Hoston. I could sing when I got to
Italy.
"Hut there is not one girl that comes
to sing before me, who is prepared.
They do not even know how to sing in
a foreign language, and Kngllsh is al
most useless. In Minnesota I was asked
to subscribe to a fund for girls who
have come back from abroatl to be tak
en care of. That Is the result of it
heartache ami failure."
Mine. Nordica says the reason .the
chorus of a grand opera Is Mlletl with
old stagers Is simply because good
singers with pretty faces are Ignorant
of the scores.
"You don't suppose that the pictures
we have in the chorus are kept for
their looks?" she asketl. "We should
like to have the pretty girls in Frank
Daniels' chorus, but they would all
say. We don't know any operas." "
"Well. I think that's a pretty good
interview." said the singer. "I believe
I'll go on the lecture platform. My
first vocal teacher was an Irishman,
and It is Just possible I caught his
gift for saying a good deal about noth
ing. There is one thing. I will not talk
about though, and that is politics. I
think that Is out.si.le of woman's
sphere. I'll leave that to the me,,
they muddle politics enough without
woman's interference."
One of Mme. Nordlca's favorite and
most successful concert numbers Is a
great dramatic Hungarian aria by
Krkel, in which the climax depicts the
grief of a mother upon the loss of her
child. The Infinite care as to details
and scrupulous devotion to the perfecv
tion of her art. which are among Mme.
Nordica's most notable characteris
tics, were brought to bear in her study
of this aria. She was finally mo,e or
less satisfietl with all but the burst or
grief that eluded her. One day. how
ever, while driving in the country near
her summer home, she was startled by
a wail of anguish from a near by cot
tage. Jumping from her carriage, she
ran to the door and there found a
young peasant mother, who.se child had
just died in her arms, giving way to
the first passion of her woe. .Mme.
Nordica did what she could to help the
poor h-reft mother but he knew ut
the same time that chance hail placed
in her grasp which she had tried so
hartl to accomplish. The following
days antl weeks she worked until -he
could perfectly imitate that freniie-1
cry there was the climax, antl all who
have ever heartl Mme. Nordica sing
Krkel's aria, know that the effect is
nothing less than electric. Krkel's aria
will be a part of Mme. Nordica's pro
gram in Lincoln.
Mme. Nordica's popularity in Chicago
was attested by her audience Wednes
day night, the Auditorium being crowd
ed to its utmost capacity.
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