My advice to the singer is: Make your song a part
of yourself, understand the composer's meaning, have a picture before
you of the situation, of the meaning of the sentiment. Never sing
anything that is beyond your powers, select that which you are able to
understand thoroughly yourself, and when you have mastered every
difficulty and can give yourself pleasure in the rendering of it, you
may be well assured you will make some one else happy. An audience
demands your complete resources, so you must not imagine you can
carelessly give anything but your best efforts. The selections should
always be less difficult than you are really capable of performing, a
safe rule to follow. Then your audience will know you bring authority
to your task, and authority is very necessary to command respect.
He who does not think well of this makes a grave mistake, for while he
thinks people will not know the inferiority of his work, there is
always some one in the audience who _does know_. True artistic work
should mean more to the singer than anything else, for that is what
makes his reputation. No one can afford to be careless in the least
effort if he wishes to become an acceptable singer to all classes that
compose an audience.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING. WORK AS A PATRIOT. GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.
FLAG-RAISING AT MONTEREY
In recounting all these episodes of a full life of varied engagements
I must take in account my political career which has extended from the
rebellion to the present time.
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