DAME NELLIE MELBA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18293, 9 July 1921, Page 12

DAME NELLIE MELBA

RETURNING TO AUSTRALIA. STORIES OF HER CAREER. ■ (From Oub Own Coebbspondent.) ~ . , LONDON, May 13. Melba s farewell concert on the eve of her departure for Australia has been tho occasion for recalling some of tho stories rolatiiig to her .past achievements and experiences. She tells how on her first arrival in London she had letter to Sir Arthur Sullivan, Randogger, and Wilhelm Ganz. " I nang to Arthur Sullivan, who said: ’Yes, yes; very nice; and if you study for a year or two I may give you a part in The Mikado !' “I sang to Randegger. He evidently thought nothing of my voice at ,all, because ho said; ‘ I am very sorry. I have no time to give you lessons.’ “1 than tang to Mr Wilhelm Ganz—that sounds fine, now, doesn’t it —’Wilhelm Ganz. Evidently*! not a German! But I sang his song. ‘Sing, Sweet Bird,’ and when I had sung it he'very kindly said: ‘1 shall arrange for you to sing my song at a banquet the Lord Mayor is giving.’ I thanked him humbly, and sang ‘Sing, Sweet Bird!' And that was my first song in public, in London!

“ Sir Arthur and Randeeger and I became great friends afterwards, and I used to (case them both. Sullivan always changed the conversation, and Randegger said: ‘ I am glad I was a, fool. I could not have taught you so well as Marches! did.' ENCOURAGING OTHERS.

At that early era the aspirant to fame became depressed and convinced that she was no good, and to her father she said: "If Marches! thinks nothing of me I promise you I shall go back to Australia, and never wish to be a singer.” "My first meeting with Marches! was very wonderful. (She hoard me sing, and bounded out of the room like a mad woman. I thought I was a failure. But she came back, and made me sing everything over aagain. She had gone out to call her husband, who was upstairs, and shd called to him: ‘Come and hear this voice! At last I have a star!’ She said to me, after I had sung again: ‘Can you stay with me for one year? If you can stay with me for one year I shall make something extraordinary of you!’ And I tell this story to encourage other singers, especially if they are tackling London for (the first time. THE WRONG KEY. Mr Landoa Ronald, wiio was the singer's accompanist for 16 years, was at the conductor’s desk at the farewell concert at the Albeit Hall on Sunday. “Most certainly one of her loading virtues is that of loyal and true friendship,” is his comment. “I can confidently say tuat during the 2 1 years during which I have been associated with Dame Melba artistically we have never had a single 'word. "Ah, but there was one occasion.” Mr Ronald recalled this with a twinkle in his eye. "There was a certain big curl on the left side of my bead,” he continued, “which it was my habit when conducting to twist —much in the manner a man twists his moustache. My unfortunate habit one day got upon Dame Nellie's nerves. It was at Pittsburg and she bad a tremendous reception. hho completely lost her self-con-trol, and threatened that if I didn’t stop twisting my hair she would walk right otf the phitfoim! “I could recall many instances of her personal popularity. At Blackpool, for instance, she had her usual enormous success. At the last moment she decided to sing as an encoio my ‘A Little Minding Road.' By a curious mistake I started the accompaniment in a key which only a deep contralto could sing. She began the opening phrase—and immediately stopped. Then in that carrying voico of hers, she said, ‘My dear Landon, you're playing it in the wrong key!’ Of course, everyone in the audience heard her. I shall never forget the wild scene of enthusiasm that little personal tench evoked.” KITCHENER IN TEARS. Dame Nellie Melba has told The Times that iho greatest compliment ever paid to her as a singer was paid in perfect silence. “When I Vtas in Cairo a number of years ago,” she said, “I had the good fortune to meet Lord Kitchener, with whom I have always been on friendly terms. 1 Had dinner with him and two or three other distinguished people, and at the end of the dinner the inevitable happened. 1 was pressed to sing. I was not feeling very well at the time, and tried to excuse myself, but Lord Kitchener pleaded thgt I should sing ‘Home, Sweet Home.’ He said that he had been an exile for several years, and on that account begged me to sing that song. I did so. When I was finished there was perfect silence. Lord Kitchener did not say a word. He came up to me. bowed, ami kissed by hand, and when he lifted ids head I could see the tears rolling down his cheeks.” A HUNDRED YEAR? HENCE.

“I have recently had another dumb compliment. A special gramaphone record was taken of one of my songs. At the- same time a record was taken of a song by Caruso. These two records were placed in a special receptacle and laid in a definite spot beneath tl*e Opera in Paris. They are not to bo taken out for 100 years. They will then bo exhumed, and our descendants will have the opportunity of passing an entirely unbiassed judgment on the voices of two people who will then have been dead for very many- years.” ‘‘GET OUT!”

To make sure (hat. no trace was left of her recent severe illness on the Riviera, Melba consulted her throat doctor a few days ago. “Sir Milsom Rees roared with laughter after looking at my vocal cords." she said, laughing at the recollection of tho interview. “‘Get out of my room.’ ho said, ‘you don’t want me I’” “WHO IS MELBA?”

On one occasion she found that there are limits to the conquering power of song. Taking some friends into an old church one day, she sang Gounod's “Avo Maria, ' accompanying herself on the organ. The vicar, passing by. asked the sexton who was using the organ at that time of day. “Melba,” said the sexton. “And who is Melba?” snapped the vicar, as one whose authority has been slighted A boy who had heard Melba on the gramaphonc was rather sceptiqaJ as to whether tho prinui donna really sang all the trills. To settle the question ho wrote to her for a ticket for her last concert, and got. it by return mail The King and Queen and Princess Mary were present at the “an revoir” concert. Members of the Australian community in London, with some of the Australian cricketers, assembled at the artists entrance. where they formed an impromptu “guard of honour.” A characteristic “cooee” welcome was given on her arrival, and Melba entered under a shower of mimosa. Tosti's “Good-bye” and “Home, Sweet Home” were the inevitable concluding items of a triumphant concert. Melba is going home through Canada, and then joining the Niagara. "‘Once home,” she says. "I shall divide my time between my roses in my garden at Coombe and my Philanthropic Conservatorium in Melbourne East, where 100 girls are taught singing.”