Their only teacher was their
mother, who was an English pianist of repute. They formed a concert
troupe in 1883 with Miss M. Hyde, accompanist and director.
Miss M. Hyde, _accompanist and director_.
Miss Lulu Joran, 16 years old, _piano virtuoso_.
Miss Pauline, 14 years old, _violin virtuoso_.
Miss Elsie, 12 years old, _piano virtuoso_.
Mrs. M.R. Blake, _soloist_.
It was most remarkable how these children interpreted the most
difficult masterpieces, and played them with art. Once at a special
concert in the Metropolitan temple, San Francisco, the youngest of
them, Miss Elsie, was seated at a Steinway grand piano, too small to
touch the pedals, (an adjustment had to be made) and with sixty of our
best musicians on the stage she played from memory the most difficult
concerto. All the children possessed the art of absolute pitch and
they were able with bandaged eyes to tell the notes of any chords that
were sounded. Miss Pauline was an excellent violinist besides
possessing a fine contralto voice which I had trained for the space of
a year and a half. She is, I am very proud to say, a most beautiful
singer in London today at the age of forty years. In 1910 I clipped
from one of the English papers the following: "Pauline Joran, one of
the most gifted young American opera singers now in Europe, made her
debut recently in Milan under Sonzogno, singing at the Teatro Lirico,
the role of Santuzza and Nedda with the greatest success.
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