Emmy Destinn by Herman Mishkin - Public domain book illustration

Emmy Destinn, photographed by Herman Mishkin
Identifier: grandoperasinger02lahe (find matches)
Title: The grand opera singers of to-day : an account of the leading operatic stars who have sung during recent years, together with a sketch of the chief operatic enterprises
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Lahee, Henry Charles, 1856-1953
Subjects: Singers Opera
Publisher: Boston : L. C. Page
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University



Text Appearing Before Image:
haikovskys * TheQueen of Spades. The Pipe of Desire, byProf. F. S. Converse of Harvard, is also prom-ised. This will be, as the prospectus says, thefirst work by an American composer to beheard at the Metropolitan Opera-House. One of the most important additions to theMetropolitan Company in 1908 was EmmyDestinn, a woman of unusual and diversifiedtalent. Emmy Destinn is a Bohemian and her famewas made in Berlin, singing in German. Whenshe came to America it was said that she hadnever sung Wagnerian roles and did not expectto do so, yet Elizabeth and Elsa are two of theroles in which she has distinguished herself inthis country. Miss Destinn was born in Prague, and herreal name is Rittl. She sings under a sou-briquet taken from one of her teachers, MadameLoewe-Destinn, with whom she studied singingwhen she began serious work in that line. Atfirst when she began to study music the violinwas chosen, and the voice was not cultivatedfor some time. When Madame Loewe-Destinn had sufficiently
Text Appearing After Image:
Copyright by Mishkin Studio, New York EMMY DESTINN The Metropolitan Opera-House 267 prepared her pupil, she took her to Berlin andobtained a hearing before Von Huelsen, theintendant of the opera-house. Von Huelsenengaged her at once, and she remained in Ber-lin until she came to sing at the MetropolitanOpera-House in New York, though she had ac-cepted a few temporary engagements elsewhere,as, for instance, when she sang in London in1905 and achieved a great triumph in *l MadameButterfly/ and as Donna Anna and Aida. In 1901 Cosima Wagner invited her to singSenta in the first Bayreuth production of i DerFliegender Hollander. These performancesmade her famous to the outside world. In herdramatic success Miss Destinn has been com-pared to Madame Calve, indeed, she has beencalled by some Americans the greatest Germansinging actress of the day. When Richard Strauss produced his muchtalked of opera Salome Emmy Destinncreated the role of Salome in Berlin, and wasselected by Strauss to sing th