"If one goes in for a musical career, one should realize at the start,
something of what it means, what is involved, and what must go with it.
Singing itself is only a part, perhaps even the smaller part, of one's
equipment. If opera be the goal, there are languages, acting, make up,
impersonation, interpretation, how to walk, how to carry oneself, all to
be added to the piano and harmony we have already spoken of. The art of
the singer is a profession--yes, and a business too. You prepare
yourself to fill a public demand; you must prove yourself worthy, you
must come up to the standard, or there will not be a demand for what you
have to offer. And it is right this should be so. We should be willing
to look the situation fairly in the eye, divesting it of all those rose
colored dreams and fancies; then we should get right down to work.