cure any one of shirking; hence the mistaken anecdote that she
could not work without a picture of Kitchener on her desk.

Mrs. Rhodes, known in the musical world as Guy d'Hardelot, was of French
ancestry and birth. She spent her childhood in a Norman castle, and her
youth in Paris and London, studying music. After marriage she met with
reverses, and was forced to earn a living by teaching. She studied
composition with Clarence Lucas, and gives him great credit for
developing individuality. She has three excellent guiding
maxims,--"Avoid familiar things, choose words so clear that people can
see the picture, and be sure that the climax comes at the end."

Her songs succeed in combining the elegance and lightness of the French
school with the appealing simplicity of the English. Her reputation was
established with her first publication, the melancholy and dramatic
"Sans Toi." Her many succeeding lyrics range from liveliest humour to
deepest pathos, and all are thoroughly artistic. Widely known are "Sans
Toi," "Mignon," "Vos Yeux," "Say Yes," "Chanson de Ma Vie," "La
Fermiere," "Valse des Libellules," and many others. Her favourite poets
are Victor Hugo and Ella Wheeler Wilcox, a rather strange mixture. Her
only attempt in larger form is the operetta "Elle et Lui." She is a
great friend of Mme. Calve, who is especially fond of her songs. She has
accompanied Calve on an American tour, and has appeared with her before
Queen Victoria at Windsor. She sings herself with a light but attractive
voice and the most perfect diction. Of late she has composed for Calve
some acting songs, such as "The Fan."

Maude Valerie White takes rank among the very best of England's song
writers. Born at Dieppe in 1855, she entered the Royal Academy at the
usual age, completing her studies at Vienna. During her student days she
produced a mass, and at various times she has composed violin and 'cello
pieces, but she has won most fame, as well as much money, by her songs.
Grove considers the best of these to be the settings of Herrick and
Shelley; he gives high praise to her setting of the latter's "My soul
is an enchanted boat," and considers it one of the finest songs in our
language. Her other lyrics include such gems as "To Mary," "Ophelia's
Song," "Ave Maria," and so forth, besides a number of exquisite German
and French songs. Her careful attention to the metre and accents of the
words, combined with the excellence of the poetry she chooses