nce,--the opera was "Manon," which Miss
Sanderson sang in Europe two hundred and fifty times,--she was
overwhelmed by the power of his voice. Van Dyck, hearing her small,
clear tones, and thinking that she was nervous, came near to offer
encouragement, and urged her to "let out your voice." "This is all the
voice I have," she replied, and he, still thinking she needed
encouragement, sang all the louder. Her great personal charm makes
itself felt across the footlights, and while she was heavily handicapped
in having to sing with such a tremendous tenor, she was yet able to
captivate the audience by her sincerity.
Ella Russell, who made her debut in Provo, Italy, is a native of
Cleveland, Ohio. Her voice is large, rich, and even, she has an imposing
stage presence and much beauty and dignity. She travelled in Europe with
success, and finally made her appearance at Covent Garden in 1885.
Another American debutante of 1885 was Marie Engle, a native of Chicago,
who at present is one of the opera company at Covent Garden. She has a
light voice, high and flexible. Her first appearance was at the Academy
of Music in New York, in a concert given by pupils, assisted by members
of the Mapleson Opera Company. Colonel Mapleson made her an offer which
was accepted, and she went with his company to San Francisco, where she
made her debut, and afterwards to London, where she has appeared for
several seasons.
She has so far followed the conventional domestic life of the prima
donna as to marry and secure a divorce. Her husband was Gustav Amburg, a
theatrical manager, whom she married in 1889. Her life with him was not
happy, and he continually ill-treated her. At last she found that he had
a wife living in Germany, and she secured her divorce in 1896.
In the Abbey and Grau opera company of 1894 a singer who attracted
considerable attention was Madame Sigrid Arnoldson. She was the daughter
of a Swedish tenor and was born in Stockholm. She made her debut in
grand opera in London, in 1887, but had already become well known at
Stockholm, where, in 1885, so great was the desire to hear her that
2,000 people stood in line all night in order to buy tickets. No singer
had been so popular since the days of Jenny Lind and Nilsson. She sang
"Mignon," and at the conclusion of the performance she was presented by
King Oscar with a decoration exactly like those given to Lind and
Nilsson. Madame Arnoldson is petite, piquant and picturesque on t
|