Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material at The Internet Archive.) [Illustration: Photo of Kathleen Howard, Autographed] CONFESSIONS OF AN OPERA SINGER BY KATHLEEN HOWARD NEW YORK MCMXVIII ALFRED A. KNOPF COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY KATHLEEN HOWARD BAIRD _Published September 1918_ PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA _To Marjorie_ FOREWORD So many fantastic tales have come to us of students' life abroad, of their temptations, trials, finances, successes and failures, that I have attempted to give here the true story of the preparation for an operatic career, and its fruition. My road leads from New York to Paris, to Germany and thence to London, and back to the Metropolitan Opera House. My operatic experiences in Germany are inalienably associated with the lives of the people, particularly with the German officer class, viewed publicly and privately; in fact in the town where I was first engaged, Metz, I found they were as vital a part of the Opera house life as the singers themselves. Their arrogance tainted the town life as well, and here I first became acquainted with the pitiful attempt at swagger and brilliancy which often covered a state of grinding poverty, or the thwarted natural domestic instincts which were ruthlessly sacrificed to the "uniform"--the all-desirable entrée to society, for which no price was too high to pay. I hope this book will be of interest not only to those whose goal is the operatic or concert stage, but to those to whom "human documents" appeal. It is a story of real people, real obstacles overcome, and contains much intimate talk of back-stage life in opera houses. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I THE WAY IT ALL HAPPENED 13 II A STRUGGLE AND A SOLUTION 21 III PARIS AT LAST 30 IV PENSION PERSONALITIES 39 V OPERATIC FRANCE VERSUS OPERATIC GERMANY 50 VI PREPARING RÔLES IN BERLIN 59 VII MY FIRST OPERATIC CONTRACT SIGNED 67 VIII MY ONE LONE IMPROPOSITION 76 IX THE MAKINGS OF A SMALL MUNICIPAL OPERA HOUSE 85 X MY DÉBUT AND BREAKING INTO HARNESS 100 XI SOME STAGE DELIGHTS 110 XII MISPLACED MOISTURE AND THE STORY OF A COURT-LADY 123 XIII HUMAN PASSIONS AND SMALLPOX 139 XIV DISCOURAGEMENTS THAT LED TO A COURT THEATRE 153 XV SALARIES AND A TENOR'S GENIUS 164 XVI THE ART OF MARIE MUELLE 172 XVII THE NON-MILITARY SIDE OF A GERMAN OFFICER'S LIFE 184