oom from five dollars a week up to any price you wish
to pay. It is also possible to live cheaper than this if necessary, but
for the student of singing it is of great importance to eat good,
nourishing food, as it is impossible to sing well unless you are in
excellent condition physically.

Several of the old Italian music masters do not hesitate to say that it
is the American with the large purse who has forced them to raise their
prices, when they were perfectly satisfied to charge much less.

Miss Moneybag arrives in Italy to take up voice culture. She calls on
one of the old masters; he asks her seventeen lire (about $3.00) per
lesson. This sounds cheap to her as she has been paying $5.00 a lesson
at home, so she starts out again looking for a higher-priced teacher.
She finds one who has had a little more experience with the Americans,
he sizes her up and asks her thirty-five lira; this sounds more in
accordance with her pocketbook, and she lists for the season. This
sizing up of the American pocketbook has been going on for some time and
the old "Maestro" who was perfectly satisfied with $3.00 is waking to
the fact that if he wants these Americans he must raise his prices. And
so we find at present, lessons costing about the same the world over.
However, when Miss Small Pocketbook and real talent arrives, she can
always arrange terms in accordance with her pocketbook, when she proves
she is there to accomplish results. This is not merely hearsay, but
facts gathered in my interviews with some of the most noted
singing-masters.

If you intend to go into the grand opera it is advisable to go abroad,
as it gives you the prestige which is necessary at present, in order to
secure these positions of which we have a fair illustration in the case
of a beautiful mezzo soprano who had been singing with the English
Grand Opera Company, and though in every way qualified to sing with the
Metropolitan Grand Opera Company, was unable to secure an engagement
with them. She went abroad, changed her name, and returned the following
season as one of the Metropolitan Grand Opera stars, and is still one of
the favorites in that company.

This seems rather inconsistent, but is nevertheless true.

If you are fortunate enough to make your debut abroad you will have
practically no trouble in securing a position with any manager on this
side of the ocean.

CHORUS SINGING.

It is of great value to the singer to belong to a go