born at Jassy, Roumania. Her father played the
violin, but was not a professional musician. At the age of six she was
brought to America. She was taught the piano and sang naturally, but had
no idea of becoming a singer. Her vocal training was not begun until she
was twenty years of age. Her teacher, at that time, was Signor
Buzzi-Peccia, with whom she remained for three years, going directly
from his studio to the Metropolitan Opera House of New York. She
remained there for three years, when the immense success of her concert
work drew her away from opera. She then studied with Jean de Reszke, and
later with Mme. Sembrich for four or five years. Since then she has
appeared in all parts of the United States with unvarying success. Her
records have been among the most popular of any ever issued. Together
with her husband, Efrem Zimbalist, the distinguished violinist, she has
appeared before immense audiences in joint recitals.

[Illustration: MME. ALMA GLUCK.

(C) Mishkin.]

BUILDING A VOCAL REPERTOIRE

ALMA GLUCK

Many seem surprised when I tell them that my vocal training did not
begin until I was twenty years of age. It seems to me that it is a very
great mistake for any girl to begin the serious study of singing before
that age, as the feminine voice, in most instances, is hardly settled
until then. Vocal study before that time is likely to be injurious,
though some survive it in the hands of very careful and understanding
teachers.

The first kind of a repertoire that the student should acquire is a
repertoire of solfeggios. I am a great believer in the solfeggio. Using
that for a basis, one is assured of acquiring facility and musical
accuracy. The experienced listener can tell at once the voice that has
had such training. Always remember that musicianship carries one much
further than a good natural voice. The voice, even more than the hands,
needs a kind of exhaustive technical drill. This is because in this
training you are really building the instrument itself. In the piano,
one has the instrument complete before he begins; but in the case of the
voice, the instrument has to be developed and sometimes _made_ by study.
When the pupil is practicing, tones grow in volume, richness and
fluency.

There are exercises by Bordogni, Concone, Vaccai, Lamperti, Marchesi,
Panofka, Panserson and many others with which I am not familiar, which
are marvelously beneficial when intelligently studied. These I sa