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Musical Courier 1895-07-17: Vol 31 Iss 802, 1895
94 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 7. See the scan on archive.org.
A town on its own line is one of the directory's headings. That is where the town on a maker's page comes from.
1THE MUSICAL COURIER.
3Musical Progress
5PARIS.
7GETTING TALKED ABOUT.
9Whether to eat one's cake or keep it, is a conundrum from which the "seventh age" only is free.
11THERE is much in student life here to make people sympathize, and much that is touching and pathetic. One phase, however, that no woman should impose upon her friends is the tearful plaint that she is being "talked about," when she only does this, simply does that and just does the other.
13"I was simply out dining with a friend of Bob's;" "I was only at a restaurant after the theatre, and came right home;" "I was just taking a little ride with a friend;" "It's just Charley, who comes to spend Sunday afternoons with me," &c.; "and here somebody has been and written home that I am acting very foolishly. I hear stories here about myself, and even my friends here are advising me to be a little more careful, when I only just simply," &c.
15In the "question and answer" column of a newspaper I once read this: "What shall I do with my hands; they get so red when I let them hang by my side?" and the answer was: "Then don't let them hang by your side."
17Well, it is just that way. Inasmuch as people will talk when you only do thus and so, then you must not do so and so, that's all, if—you mind being talked about. When certain things are certain as winter, summer, &c., the only thing to do is to dodge the seasons if you cannot endure them.
19Again, without being cruel or severe, it is perfectly just that it should be so. It is the protection of careful people, and it creates a premium on careful conduct. If the girl who does everything she takes a notion to do escapes comment, where is the reward for the girl who sacrifices rides and drives and moonlight walks and tête-à-têtes for the sake of keeping on terms with her conscience, and through consideration for tongues?
21Besides, those who talk do not know the "simply" and "only" part of it; and when you explain, of course you are expected to defend yourself, so your explanation goes for nothing, naturally. Those who tell about such things are not serious; they do not reflect, they like to surprise their friends; they like to have something to make a tea table interesting, just as you would if a tea table instead of a piano were your plaything for the present.
23People who see you at out-of-the-way places, in out-of-the-way circumstances, do not know and do not care that Charley is a friend of the family, or that your feeling for the party with whom you were supping was purely platonic. 'Pon my word, your best friends cannot testify to it; for, alackaday! you cannot testify to it yourself. Women are every day unexpectedly falling in love with men whom they have mocked or disliked and who have been only "friends." No one can prove a mental alibi.
25Lovers are at sea in regard to each other, and married people of many years' standing often provide strange surprises. How can common and indifferent people vouch for your freedom from all blame! When impressions become reasonable things, and feelings of the human heart logical and consistent, then people may begin to count on themselves, friends can commence to count upon them, and enemies may be convinced by words.
27Till then the only one thing to do is to avoid even the appearance of evil and to be able to prove a physical alibi for all occasions.
29"Then must I live like a nun or a monk," you say, "just because I am a student?"
31Just what you must do, my dear, if—you mind being talked about. You cannot have your cake and eat it, and there is no sense in blaming others for the ache either.
33"Cannot we do both?" you say.
35It seems not, for, see, you are in tears over the experiment.
37"Well, just let them talk!" say others. "I just don't care what they do say!"
39That will not do for an American woman. America has been too well born, too well brought up, to sell its reputation for a song, you know. We of our country of Washington and Lincoln and our Pilgrim Mothers, the pioneers of principle, must feel the noblesse oblige of our heredity, and care much whether that reputation is going up or down on our account.
41It is not because it is Paris that this condition exists. If you came from Dakota to New York to study, and Dakota people with big tongues and small hearts, visiting in New York, should happen to find you in taverns, in theatres, in hotel parlors and on ferryboats with unknown companions, even in our land of the free you could not hope to escape. Nor should you.
43You complain that it is the Americans who do the talking. Why, certainly. The French do not care. They do not know how to regard you. They lay everything to your foreign habits, and don't bother. Of course it is the Americans who notice. That is to be expected. And even when they are not malicious it is to be expected that they tell what they see.
45The best friend that an American student, married or single, ever had cannot go into that student's private room in Paris and find there the scent of havanas, the stubs of cigarettes, without having the blow-like feeling come. "Is it a father, is it a brother, is it a dearer one yet than all other?" No matter how well known, no matter how good the woman may be believed to be, no matter how strong the sense of championship, no human can help that strange little sad cloud.
47When married it is ten times worse, for then a hot throb of indignation is added for the injustice being done somebody, no matter how "innocent" the entertainment.
49If single, good taste should prevent such things; if married, a woman owes it to the man whose name she bears, whose property she wears, to give up the side shows.
51There is no sympathy due the married woman who voluntarily chooses the student life with lonely hours and then seeks to while them away with love loafers—tramps in the love road loafing about trying to get something for nothing, to get without giving, and to use the "handouts" from other men's cupboards because they are too lazy, too cowardly or too old seedy to earn it for themselves.
53No good, nice, up-and-down, worth-while man will visit unprotected students, married or single, in their private rooms in Paris, no matter how much opportunity they get.
55"I'd be a fool not to take what was offered me!" he says. Spoken like the sneak that he is, and he knows it.
57If you cannot endure lonely hours, do not leave home and friends and "give up all for Art's sake." You cannot have your cake and eat it. It requires lots of sacrifice to be a real nice person in this world, and no one needs to practice it more than the musical student in Paris who does not wish to get talked about.
59A very sad affair was the death from heart disease in a musical studio here of Miss Mary Troup, of New York. Of course that it happened in a studio had nothing more to do with the work there than if dancing, skating or running had brought on the attack.
61It seems that the young singer, who had been studying a little over a year with M. Giraudet, had made such marked progress that she was considered by her professor to be ready for a hearing by M. Carvalho, director of the Opéra Comique. To further prepare the way, some particular friends of M. Carvalho were invited to be present at a rehearsal by M. Giraudet's class in his school, where Miss Troup would sing airs from Lackmé and Philémon et Baucis as test pieces.
63Naturally the entire class was stimulated by the presence of the visitors. It was just about noon when Miss Troup finished the air from Philémon et Baucis with her customary grace and charm, and stepped from the platform without evidence of nervousness. Passing directly to her professor, and giving him her hand in return for his kind, encouraging remarks on her performance, he noticed that she turned pale and she uttered brokenly:
65"Oh, maitre, j'ai en bien peur!"
67Calling his wife, a sweet sympathetic woman, who is like a sister to the pupils of the school and was particularly fond of the young American, both sought to tranquilize her with reassuring words. Seeing her nervousness continue, however, Madame Giraudet led her to an adjoining room and sent for medical assistance, while a lady doctor who happened to be in the company applied the usual restoratives for the hysteria which followed.
69M. Giraudet continued to speak with the musicians of the girl's talents and the prospects of her coming hearing, when his wife suddenly entered in great excitement, bidding him come at once to the bedside of Miss Troup, whose face already bore tokens of the fatal change. Doctors and nurse were with her, and the minutest care of affectionate friends surrounded her in the last few moments. Probably no more sincere or heartfelt tears could have fallen in her own country than were shed in the little French family to whom she had so endeared herself by her amiable qualities and gifts.
71Miss Troup had been a pupil of Mr. H. W. Green, of New York, with whom M. Giraudet has had pleasant correspondence, speaking of the pupil's progress and the excellent methods which had preceded his own, enabling him to go forward without any undoing. Without great volume, her voice was clear and brilliant and of remarkable purity.
73Among other pupils of M. Giraudet are Miss Emma Hosford, a teacher from Boston, a girl of great intelligence and good voice; Miss Louise St. John Westervelt, also a pupil of Mr. H. W. Green, a high soprano of good quality and excellent method; Miss Lewandowski, of Chicago; Miss Alice Morgan, of Denver; Miss Jessie M. Dominique, now in the Opéra Comique here; Miss Stevenson; the Misses Thatcher, of Chicago; Mrs. Kemp and her sister Mrs. Kent, of New York; Miss Kennedy, a pupil of Mme. Yateman's school, where M. Giraudet is also professor, one of the greatest beauties to be seen, and a Mrs. Stenken, of New York, who sings very well.
75A girl with bewitching talents, dramatic and vocal, is Miss Lalla Miranda, who is here from Australia. Her father was Spanish, her mother English; she was born in Melbourne and has always had strong instincts for everything American. She has been here six months a pupil of Mme. Renée Richard, and if she keeps on as she has begun will form a bright star in that teacher's crown. When at a recent concert of Mme. Richard she made a sensation with her "new ways," people all round whispered "She's an American." "Voilà encore une Americaine!" But she is not, as you see.
77Of other pupils of Madame Richard's school are Miss Lazine and Miss Hoyt, of New York; Miss Demitrenko, a Russian, a fine contralto; Mlle. Pascal, now at the Opéra Comique; Sigrid Hallgrin, a Swede, engaged at Stockholm; M. Fynguert, at Odessa and Mme. Ville Seart, engaged at Rouen.
79M. Juliani's closing concert was eagerly looked forward to by Americans, for in it were many interesting artists and several very interesting American pupils.
81To begin with, there was your great favorite, the tenor Wm. Lavin, whom you would not know, so open, large and free has become his style—so artistic his singing. It is seldom that a pupil is so free to do himself full justice as Mr. Lavin was this afternoon. He seemed to enjoy every note he sang, and his good humor was contagious. He had an immense success. What a Walther he would be for the Meistersingers! He sang an air from La Juive, by Halévy, and the duo from l'Africaine with a Mme. Téodor, also a Juliani pupil, who is engaged at the Théâtre Royal at Brussels. His singing of the Juive aria was the more praiseworthy that he has never heard the opera.
83Then there was charming Alma Garrigue, cousin of your Miss Alice Garrigue, who is winning such merited praise as the successor of Mme. Cappiani in New York. Miss Garrigue studied with Lilli Lehmann a few months and has imbibed many musicianly ideas. She is light, graceful and pretty to look at, and sang an air from Lohengrin to the entire satisfaction of Juliani, which is saying much.
85Miss Rose Stelle, too, won much applause in a Hamlet air. She has improved immensely since coming to Paris. In fact, her voice does not sound at all as it did. Miss Robinson sang Pourquoi from Lakmé and the Juliette waltz in charming style, and a Miss Durfee was to have sung Bemberg's Nymphes et Sylvaines, but had a slight cold and did not. Dr. Rykert sang a Romeo et Juliette duo with Mme. Téodor in a wonderfully sympathetic tenor.
87In addition were a duo from Hamlet by Mlle. France and M. Franke, a beautiful baritone; a Sigurd duo by M. Franke and Mlle. Lafitte, a good singer; Si tu m'armais and Stances to Sapho, Mlle. Fébrer, daughter of Dr. Fébrer, of New Orleans; Air de Benvenuto Cellini, air from Freischütz, serenade from Romeo et Juliette; Les Perles d'Or, by Thomé, and other interesting numbers. Mr. Jancey, of l'Odéon, recited poems in his artistic fashion, adding dignity and charm to the performance.
89Other Americans interested in the Juliani school are Mme. McMillan, from St. Louis; Miss Weber, Miss Lane, Miss Brice, Miss Withers and Mr. Peters, a tenor from Chicago. M. Juliani is a great friend of Mr. Henry Vignaux, secretary of the United States Embassy here, and often sings at the charming concerts which that gentleman gives at his home in Clamart. A Mlle. Tonnot, member of the school, a French girl, has the honor of speaking the best English of any French girl in Paris. It is impossible to distinguish her accent from an American's, a feat I have never before seen—or heard, rather—accomplished. She is a most immensely fascinating little brunette, moreover bright, dainty, birdlike, a perfect dresser, and excessively fond of Americans. I could wish my young countrymen no greater treat than acquaintance with Mlle. Tonnot when she visits America. Visiting her this week is a Miss Weaver, of Bradford, Pa., a society girl, pupil of Marchesi, who has a pretty voice, and only regrets that so much of her time has gone in the dance, the tennis ground and the picnic at home.
91Mr. Ludovic Breitner is a piano concert artist of whom mention has frequently been made in these columns for his own superior playing and on account of interesting pupils.
93Mr. Courtlandt Palmer is a pupil of Mr. Breitner, having studied with him five years. Madame Moreau is also one of his talented representatives; also Miss Frothingham, of Boston; Miss Baels, of Boston; the Misses Minor, whose
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