Jean De Reszke And The Great Days Of Opera (Paperback)

JEAN DE RESZKE AND THE GREAT DAYS OF OPERA BY CLARA LEISER WITH A FOREWORD BY AMHERST WEBBER NEW YORK MINTON, BALCH COMPANY 1934 REVERENTLY DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF MY MOTHER AND TO ALL OTHER LOVERS OF SONG C, L. Copyright, 1934, by Clara Leiser MANUFACTURED IN THK UNITED STATES OF AMERICA m THE VAN Rm JMWR8S 3y Courtesy of Colonel Crtighton Wchb JEAN DE RESZKE PREFACE CRITICAL DISCUSSION o David Garrick as an actor llL which appeared in the Theatrical Review, or Annals of the Drama, of 1763, ended thus Upon a review of the whole, we will venture to affirm, that impartial Justice must pro nounce Mr-Garrick as the First of his Profession and that the amazing Blaze o his Excellencies greatly obscures, if not totally eclipses, his Defects. When one considers that in the case of Jean de Reszke a like valuation is placed, almost unanimously, not only upon his abilities as an operatic artist but also upon his qualities as a man, it is interesting to speculate on how a truthful book about him would have been received a few years ago, during the vogue for biographies which seemed less concerned about presenting the whole man than about smashing idols. Almost any writer who had set out to debunk the great Polish tenor would, I feel sure, have given up the task in despair, for want of supporting materials. My own anxiety quite apart from a disinclination to trample upon the sensibilities of living relatives of the de Reszkes was of a somewhat different nature. The more I read about Jean, the more I discussed him with his friends, his fellow artists and his pupils, the more I realized that not only might it prove very difficult to secure belief in the truly 4 amazing Blaze of his Excellenciesbut that so much good ness might make pretty dull reading. For any defects Jean may have had were certainly greatly obscured if not totally eclipsed. To illustrate One of the first people I interviewed was Mrs. Anton SeidL She dwelt on his lovable nature, on his simplicity and generosity, and then added that Tony and she consideted him a perfect artist, I agreed that as an artist Jean must have been almost perfect but I ventured to add that there were probably some natural frailtW A- VI PREFACE human being he could hardly have been perfect. Her answer was There were no faults and if anybody tries to tell you otherwise we 11, it simply isnt true Mrs. Seidls comment represents the attitude of almost every one with whom I discussed my subject by letter or in person. Occasionally, after careful questioning and a sugges tion that I did not want to be charged with whitewashing my subject, some one might admit that perhaps there was just a hint of selfishness in Jean, but he would quickly add You mustnt write that, though. It wasnt a selfishness that harmed anybody. It just helped him to concentrate on his work, so that he would be a better artist. The response to the announcement of my undertaking was in itself a clear indication of the place Jean and his brother Edouard held, and still hold, in the esteem and affec tions of the men and women whose lives were touched by theirs, whether directly or through the medium of their art, It also silenced any doubt I may have had whether, even if the difficulties of treating one art in the terms of another could be overcome, Jean de Reszke was of sufficient importance as the subject of a book to warrant the labor necessary to secure even a fairlysatisfactory result...