The cruel part of it all is that many aspire to become great singers who
can never possibly have their hopes realized. Natural selection rather
than destiny seems to govern this matter. The ugly caterpillar seems
like an unpromising candidate for the brilliant career of the butterfly,
and it oftentimes happens that students who seem unpromising to some
have just the qualities which, with the right time, instruction and
experience, will entitle them to great success. It is the little ant who
hopes to grow iridescent wings, and who travels through conservatory
after conservatory, hoping to find the magic chrysalis that will do
this, who is to be pitied. Great success must depend upon special gifts,
intellectual as well as vocal. Oh, if we only had some instinct, like
that possessed by animals, that would enable us to determine accurately
in advance the safest road for us to take, the road that will lead us to
the best development of our real talents--not those we imagine we may
have or those which the flattery of friends have grafted upon us! Mr.
Rumford and I have witnessed so much very hard and very earnest work
carried on by students who have no rational basis to hope for success as
singers, that we have been placed in the uncomfortable position of
advising young singers to seek some other life work.