METEORIC CAREERS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 22, 11 September 1911, Page 3

METEORIC CAREERS.

A CHEAT TKACH. ; Air John Mac Cormack, the Irish tenor of Madame Melba’s grand opera company,, hap |iad a ,very meteoric career. He is only 28, but already he is in the front rank of operatic tenors, travels with a secretary and pianist, occupies expensive suites in grand hotels, is ongtiged for years ahead, and from his gramaphonc royalties alone draws an income that to most men would he great wealth. He studied for the church, and later on decided for the Civil Service, but “bo had to sing.” On the advice of his friends he spent a year in Milan learning singing, and then plunged straight into grand opera. He sang “Faust” at a place near Florence ten times for about half a sovereign a performance, but soon his fame spread, and managers turned to him with offers of engagements. In 1907 lie sang in London at a ballad concert, and made his name there with one song. Covent Garden bid for him, and he obtained his clearest wish—to sing there as a “star”—when he was only 23. When he signed a contract for a three-years’ engagement at Covent Garden, ho said to the manager: “I’m in now, and the devil himself won’t got me out.” But his salary was “per week.” It was not until ho was about to start for Australia that he was put on the same salary footing as the great Continental singers, and given’ an engagement at so much per performance . He points .out with pride that lie is tiic lirst British singer to he given a contract at Covent Garden on that basis. Air Mac Cormack, indeed. has done much for the reputation of British singing,. His."appearance at Covent Garden, that home of foreign talent, was regarded as quite an event, and his success lias dispelled the belief that no great operatic tenor can come out of the United Kingdom. Some idea of his popularity as a singer may ho gleaned from the fact that his royalties on gramophone records place him next to Melba and Caruso, and that his figures arc increasing so last that during the last nine months 65,000 of his impressions wore sold throughout the world. Air AlacCormack is described as a boyish man, quite unspoiled hy success. His great hobby is cricket. His conversation when he arrived in Sydney was mainly about the English team, and he arranged for daily practice at the nets.