Some Books of the Week Tut: advent of the gramophone
has given us a chance to compare the voices of singers who flourished in the first decade of this century with the voices since arisen ; but it came, alas, too late to record the voices of the golden age. For these, we depend upon an expertif such can be found :,—who heard_ the'great singers of the'eighties and 'nineties; and hears, with unimpaired eagerness, the singers of to-day. Mr. Herman Klein, whose _Great. Women. Singers Of "My Time, lavishly illustrated, is just issued by Routledge at the modest price of twelve and sixpence, must be in a unique position. He has been a teacher and critic of singing for close on fifty irears, and his verdicts carry the greatest possible authority: His book is a delight to the student of singing. Apart froni the women singers with whom he deals so fully, what joy it is to pick up a book and read of names once famous : of Bispham, of Fob, of Joseph Maas (did anyone ever fill the Albert Hall as he could ?) of Barton McGuckin, Anton Van Rooy, and many another. Mr. Klein writes well of his heroines, managing a happy blend of gossip with technical appraisal. We are glad to see Marcella Sembrich receive her due : and could wish; perhaps, a little more space allotted to that magnificent artist, Ernestine Schumann-Heink. All Mr. Klein's chapters are interesting, and his net is spread wide. He has written a fascinating book, and we look forward to its companion, the story of the great men singers of the same full period.
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