After I changed my studio to Thirteenth street he worked for the
family of Mr. H. Stedman of Alameda, manager of the Zeno Mauvais music
store and went to school in Alameda. Later he worked for the Southern
Pacific Company at Wright's station. This made another break in his
progress for over a year. He began in earnest when he returned in 1903
and he steadily forged ahead. While he was away he studied and
pondered over all the former instructions and with the aid of a pitch
pipe he soon was busy at his songs and exercises. He returned in 1904
ill, discouraged to the breaking point. After my accident I was much
exercised as to the outcome of all these years of preparation. He
was ready to start out as a singer but his heart failed him at last
and he became disconsolate. He could not work and had no money. I saw
the situation was desperate and took things into my own hands. As a
favor Mr. Carlton of the Empire Theater, Oakland, called and heard him
sing October 24, 1904. He doubted his being a Chinese. I assured him
he was. "Well, certainly he shows his training," was the reply. He was
immediately engaged. He had a list of seventy-five songs, sacred and
secular, of which he could be proud, and he sang them in English,
German and Latin. For three months we had the excellent assistance of
Director J.H. Dohrmann at the piano and twice a week we had a full
rehearsal. By the time the engagement was secured we were ready for
it. He opened at the Empire, January 30, 1905, with unbounded success
and received many floral tributes from the pupils and friends. He sang
a week, beginning February 13, at the Lyceum, San Francisco. On
February 20 he was engaged by the Savage Opera Company in San Jose,
February 27 in Sacramento and March 13 in Fresno. He went to Portland,
Oregon on March 30 for three months and April 12 was in Astoria. I was
in constant touch with him. In 1908 he sang in Brussels and later in
London in the great Coliseum for 15,000 people in aid of the
Typographical Union of Printers and Engravers. I received a letter
from his manager who assured me I had reason to be proud of my singer
for he was making good and had many friends among the theater goers
and managers of the different circuits.
Before going abroad Lee Tung Foo had sung in all the larger cities of
the United States. During all these years he had much difficulty in
his art and in addition had to do all his booking single-handed. After
filling out his work in 1911 he came to California for the first time
in six years. He sang one week only at the Empress theater in San
Francisco and having an engagement of forty-four weeks on the Eastern
circuits soon left. When they were completed he came once more to his
home in the early part of 1912. After his week in Oakland he sang all
through the south and interior and later in Oregon and British
Columbia, returning in September to fill out the engagement at the
Empress, then again go on the Eastern circuit.
I have necessarily given more space to this special pupil and were it
possible to state accurately all the circumstances in his life you
would all agree with me that he deserved credit and recognition in a
musical way and proved himself a hero during the years he was
perfecting himself. He has never had any other instruction than mine
and has been true to the first placement of voice and development in
the art of singing. He goes to hear the best artists and takes his
lessons from their work; sends his criticisms of them all marked upon
the program to me for approval; keeps his ears and eyes open to all
advancement in his art; has acquired a graceful and acceptable
presence and personality on and off the stage. Musicians all like him;
his managers praise him and give him work as an acknowledgment of his
ability to entertain. I have still a circumstance to relate which
makes his singing the more marvelous and marks an "O.K." on my efforts
to make a Chinese with a dull, unmelodious, unmusical voice succeed.
Of course he never had the clear, ringing tone that is in the gift of
the white race and he could not always get the vowel sounds to suit me
and I attributed the fact to his being a Chinese, so I was obliged to
be satisfied with the result obtained. He made me a promise when he
came home in 1911 that he would not sing for any one until I had heard
him after all these years, for if he did not please me I would not let
him sing. I was trying his tones and found he had developed wonderful
deep and full tones and in the second series as high as E flat, but he
could not take high F to my surprise after having two other F's so
perfect in their tone color. I was so dissatisfied, I said, "What is
the matter that you do not take this note?" and as I spoke I noticed
he kept the tongue close to the front of his teeth. I said, "Why do
you use the tongue like that," and he said, "I have always done so,"
and I was most impatient at that when I am so particular with
pronunciation in a pupil. After an examination I found to my surprise
that he had all these years been tongue tied. I simply stared at him
with astonishment; to think that it was possible for any one to sing
as well as he did with this affliction. I said, "Now, Frank, you have
faithfully done everything I ever asked you. Will you do one more
thing for me?" He replied, "Will it make me sing?" I said, "Yes, will
you do it?" In an instant I had his promise and the next day his
tongue was released and on the fifth day he had his high F. He tells
me he can now sing it with power and hold it as he should. There is
nothing left to be done by me in a technical way. He is now a singer
and not a bad one.
[Illustration: LEE TUNG FOO