Dr. Melvin, his
father, entered the drug business and William was engaged in the same
business with him. Later on William was secretary of the Mountain View
Cemetery association, which office he held until his last illness.
He had a beautiful, resonant and full bass voice. He came to my studio
some time in 1895 and was enrolled among my students, and coming from
a musical family, his brother, Supreme Justice Henry Melvin,
possessing a fine baritone voice, and his beloved sister, Mrs. Mollie
Melvin-Dewing, an excellent mezzo-soprano, it was not strange he sang
so well in a few months. William received his instruction in the
evening when his daily duties were over and came to my studio which
was on the third floor of the building at 1108-1/2 Broadway, over the
Clark Wise music store. He continued his studies until 1897 when his
sickness began to affect his beautiful voice and his lessons were
necessarily discontinued. The first two years his progress was so
satisfactory that I hoped his third year would be the crowning year of
his efforts as an efficient and splendid bass singer. My heart sank
within me when I had learned the nature of the sickness that had
permanently fastened itself upon him. He was as reluctant to
discontinue as I was to have him, but we were obliged to submit to the
inevitable decree, "Thou shalt die and not live." It was a sad
parting. I tried to be cheerful and held out hopes for his recovery,
but it was not to be.
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