ered her a home
and took care of her until her debut.

Through Marchesi's influence an engagement was secured for her in
London, where she made her debut in "Sonnambula" in 1880. On making her
appearance in public, Miss Wixom followed the custom of assuming the
name of her native place, and so became Emma Nevada. Concerning her
debut a critic of the time wrote: "Mapleson has brought a new prima
donna, Mlle. Nevada, who is gifted with a very light voice, which is,
however, extremely flexible, and is used very effectively in the upper
registers. The great merits of her voice lie in her staccato effects,
chromatic runs,--which she gives with great purity,--and notes in
altissimo. The defects are excessive lightness of tone, lack of good
lower notes, and a rather imperfect trill. She won many friends by her
refined manners and culture, and if not a great singer she is certainly
an agreeable one."

Another admirer tells us about a performance of "Lucia." In the roulade
duet between the flute and the voice, after the competition was ended
and her full, firm shake, as effortless as the simplest strain, was
about half over, she ran off the stage, the shake continuing just as
perfect all the way, and as she disappeared left a final note away up
among the clouds. But with all this brilliant execution she delighted as
much by her sustained notes, which were of beautiful, flutelike
quality. She also won the affection and respect of all her associates,
by her kindly ways.

A staccato polka was written for Mlle. Nevada, with a view to exhibiting
her voice, and her rendering of it was considered a marvellous
exhibition of vocal technique.

Although her voice was criticised as being too light for grand opera,
Mlle. Nevada was engaged at once to sing in Italy, after which she sang
in 1883 at the Opera Comique in Paris, and has had an exceptionally
successful career, both in Europe and America, where, in 1885, she was
warmly welcomed. In April, 1898, Emma Nevada sang in Paris after a tour
through Holland, showing no diminution of her artistic powers.

A little anecdote was told concerning a performance of "Lucia" in Paris,
which tends to show the kindly disposition, of the young prima donna.
She was, in the mad scene, accompanied in a most delicious manner by
the flutist in the orchestra. One was often puzzled during the
celebrated duet to determine which were the notes of the flute and which
were those of the singer. Now and then