WHAT GREAT SINGERS HAVE TO SACRIFICE

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4407, 13 July 1901, Page 8 (Supplement)

WHAT GREAT SINGERS HAVE TO SACRIFICE

To bo a great singer requires many sacrifices.

Melba never allows herself anv sweets, although she is passionately fond of sweet things.

Sembrich eschews pastries, but confesses to a' frequent and intense longing fpr things of this kind. Nordica, while she does not absolutely taboo all sweets and rich dishes, has allowed herself little indulgence in such things since she became a singer. Almost all singers remain indoors in the morning, either resting or practising, and do not go out until after two o’clock. Wine must be avoided. Calvo ouco declared that she was pining to sit down to a big, rich, hearty dinner, where she could just eat what she wanted, without ever having to think about consequences, or having anyone remind her that she had a voice. Plancon is almost ascetic in his mode of life. Ho does not smoke, is temper. at e in his eating, and the only drinking he indulges in is an occasional glass of champagne and mineral water when his throat becomes dry from singing. Patti has sacrificed everything to her talent. “I owe the preservation of my voice to the fact that I never allow myself to forget that I am a singer,” she has said. “It is often inconvenient, but it is the penalty I must pay for a great gift.” Jean do Reszke is another example of what careful living will do to aid the singer in keeping his voice. He lives quietly and temperately. He never indulges in food or drink that could prove injurious to him. He spends his summer vacations in Poland, where he lives in the open air, and takes a great deal of exercise.

Emma Eames is very strict about her diet, and her daily lite is laid out by rules, from which sh© seldom diverges, no matter how great tho temptation. Sho never sees anyone, or reads any letters or telegrams the day she is to sing, either at a matinee or an evening performance, and she never accepts any. invitation for the evening before. Every day, no matter how disagreeable the weather, she goes for a walk.