Garcia the Centenarian and His Times: Being a Memoir of Manuel Garcia's Life and Labours for the Advancement of Music and ScienceMackinlay, M. (Malcolm) Sterling
History
Garcia the Centenarian and His Times: Being a Memoir of Manuel Garcia's Life and Labours for the Advancement of Music and Science
He did so in consequence of the Revolution, which flared up on February
24, and finally resulted in the flight of Louis Philippe. It was during
these disturbances that the maestro was sought out by Julius
Stockhausen, a lad of twenty-two, who was eventually to become one of
Germany's greatest teachers and singers. Of this period Herr Stockhausen
sent me some reminiscences, and in reproducing them there is a pathetic
interest, owing to the fact that two days after their arrival from
Germany the lieder-singer passed away in his eighty-first year.
"I first made the acquaintance of the maestro," writes Herr
Stockhausen, "in 1848. The year had begun with much unrest, and on
February 24 the Revolution broke out. Owing to the absence of the
friend under whose roof I was residing at the time, I was obliged
to enter the National Guard as a substitute. As such I presented
myself before the maestro in full uniform. He received me very
kindly, for a relation of mine, Frau Reiter, who had already been
studying with him, had spoken a few words of recommendation on my
behalf.
"What struck me most at the first meeting were the steadiness of
his glance, the swiftness of his movement, and the rhythm of his
tread. He was a man of middle age--forty-three years old, his
manner alert, his voice possessing a friendly ring. When I timidly
inquired his terms he replied, 'Combien voulez-vous me donner? je
n'ai plus d'élèves; ils ont tous fui la révolution.' But, honoured
master, you have just been trying a tenor who has a powerful voice.
'True; but he has no ear,' replied Garcia. 'When I asked him what
his occupation was, he replied, 'Je suis tourneur.' 'Eh bien,' I
answered, 'tournez, tournez encore; pas d'oreille, pas de
chanteur!'
"My position as a member of the National Guard and a son of
artistic parents seemed to interest the maestro, and he asked me
only ten francs a lesson. After a few days studies were commenced,
and I used to attend in my regimentals. Unhappily, however, the
hardships of bivouacking on those cold winter nights proved very
pernicious for my young voice, so that after a few weeks I found
myself obliged to cease lessons temporarily. For six weeks I
struggled against catarrh and sore throat; but at the beginning of
May there came a happy change.
"On the 26th of the same month I received an invitation from Basle
to sing in Mendelssohn's 'Elijah.' Garcia raised no objections to
my attempting the task, and went through the difficult passages
with me very carefully, showing me further how I might commit the
title-_rôle_ to memory in a short time without overtiring the
voice. When in due course I sang the Elijah in Basle, the audience
had no idea how my voice had suffered during those weeks of
military hardship and discipline in Paris."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account