Garcia the Centenarian And His Times Part 29

"Iw ill remain he re so--m--eti--me long er an d wheni n tow nIw il lw rite t oyo u.

"Ho ping to fin d you ing oo d hel than dv oic e, I rem ain y our strul y MGARCI A."

Often at the close of a lesson he used to ask me to stay to tea, and in the summer we would adjourn to the garden, where the table would be spread beneath the inviting shadow of the trees. Those would be red-letter days indeed.

On these occasions the maestro would leave thoughts of singing behind him, and show his wide interests and deep insight into all the questions of the day. Once when conversation had turned upon violin-playing, there came up the name of Kubelik, who had come out in London a few weeks previously. After four years' pupilage, I was not surprised to learn that he had already been to hear the new instrumentalist. I must, however, confess to having been somewhat startled when, with the greatest _sangfroid_, he began comparing the execution with that of Paganini. At other times he would speak of Joseph Chamberlain and the newest developments of Fiscalities, the building of sky-sc.r.a.pers in New York, the drama of the day, or the Spanish War. One day he even showed himself quite ready to discuss the pros and cons of Christian science.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FACSIMILE OF A LETTER WRITTEN BY MANUEL GARCIA AT THE AGE OF NINETY-NINE.]

My lessons came to a close in April of 1900, when the maestro was in his ninety-sixth year.

When in due course the time came for making my first provincial tour, he wrote several letters on the subject, of which I quote three, as being typical of the trouble which he was ever ready to take, and the wisdom of the advice which he would give.

"MON ABRI," CRICKLEWOOD.

I am a very bad maker of programmes. If I had to deal with that sort of work, I should have to take the advice of an expert who could tell what sort of music would meet the taste of every individual public. Your mother might be your best adviser.

Wis.h.i.+ng you every success. M. GARCIA.

Again he writes:--

Before you commence your tour you ought to give a _complete_ rest to your voice. Prepare for work only a week before you begin.

Do not sing or study the "Elijah" nor any other music written for a baritone. For your organ the use of low notes is resting, therefore necessary.

Do not indulge in exaggerated display of power. Too much ambition in that respect is fatal.

A third runs as follows:--

You will do well not to limit yourself to singing easy songs, but also to attempt upon occasion such pieces as require the full use of your means. This will be an excellent preparation for your appearance in London, and it will give you the confidence in your powers and the facilities in using them necessary to enable you to take a place among the best of the profession. It will always give me pleasure to hear of your successes. Give my kindest regards to your mother.

After this I continued to see the maestro fairly often, and was not surprised to hear of his setting off in his ninety-seventh year to spend the winter in Egypt, or of his staying with his sister in Paris for a few days on his way home.

In the early winter of 1903 my mother was taken seriously ill, and Manuel Garcia on hearing of this at once wrote a sympathetic letter.

On January 10, 1904, the end came, and with the announcement in the papers, one of the first tokens of sympathy was a beautiful wreath from the maestro, followed by a telegram expressing his desire to be present at the closing scene in the career of his old pupil. Despite the distance, for the service was held at Golder's Hill, the maestro drove over, stayed for the entire service, and remained behind afterwards to offer a few simple but never-to-be-forgotten words of sympathy.

Two months after this he entered his 100th year. To celebrate the occasion, an address of congratulation was presented to him, signed by 127 professors of the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FACSIMILE OF A LETTER WRITTEN BY MANUEL GARCIA AT THE AGE OF NINETY-FOUR.]

At the end of the year it was suggested by the editor of 'The Strand Magazine' that I should prepare an article on "Manuel Garcia and his Friends" for publication in the month of his centenary. On my communicating with the maestro, he wrote at once offering to render a.s.sistance, and asked me to bring the MS. up when ready. Accordingly, in the January, two months before his 100th birthday, I spent the afternoon with him, and was requested to read aloud the proofs of the article.

It was astonis.h.i.+ng how memory enabled him to correct immediately any mistake. He would suddenly stop and say, "No, no; it was in 1827, not 1825." Again, in the case of a story in which some details were wrong, he said, "No, that is not right. I will tell it you again"; with which words he recounted in French the tale of how his sister, Malibran, came to make her _debut_ at Paris. And so the afternoon pa.s.sed, until finally, after signing a photo, he insisted on coming to the door to see me out. This experience served to prepare me for the astonis.h.i.+ng ease and energy with which, a few weeks later, he went through the Centenary festivities.

CHAPTER XX.

THE CENTENARY HONOURS.

(1905.)

Upon St Patrick's Day, 1905, Manuel Garcia entered on the "second century of his immortality," as Professor Frankel felicitously put it.

That 17th of March has become red-lettered in the annals of music by reason of its international character, and the fact that the two professions of music and medicine joined hands with the royalty of three countries, England, Spain, and Germany, in paying honour to whom honour was due.

Sir George Cornewall Lewis was a firm disbeliever in centenarians, but his scepticism must have suffered a severe shock could he have been present at the celebrations. He would then have seen not merely a man whose years beyond all question numbered a century, but one who at that great age showed no sign of senility, and could still take an active part in a series of trying ceremonies, and bear with dignity, if not altogether without fatigue, a load of honours and congratulations, a flood of speeches like the rus.h.i.+ng of great waters, and repeated thunderstorms of applause that would have overwhelmed many men in the full vigour of life. Manuel Garcia went through the trying ordeal without apparently feeling any ill effect, and seemed thoroughly to enjoy the whole thing. It was difficult indeed to believe that the venerable figure on the right of the chairman at the banquet, whom one saw light a cigarette and smoke it with relish in defiance of the Anti-Tobacco League, was born seven months before the battle of Trafalgar!

It was pa.s.sing strange, as one saw him giving the lie in every point to Shakespeare's picture of extreme age, to think that he might not only have "seen Sh.e.l.ley plain," but have been one of the students who modelled their collars and their scowls on those of Byron; that he had finished his education before Pasteur was born, and had come to man's estate before Lister saw the light; that he had made his name known on two continents while Scott and Goethe were still alive, and Darwin was at school; and that he had made the discovery that will make his name immortal while many of those whose names are now ill.u.s.trious were yet unborn. How quick were his senses and how alert his intelligence was shown in many ways, trifling, perhaps, but significant, in the course of what must have been the most trying day of his long life. His extraordinary vitality was put to a very severe test in the functions held in honour of the occasion, but he pa.s.sed through them with the most wonderful fort.i.tude and genial courtliness.

When the King heard of the approaching birthday, he made inquiries as to whether the aged maestro could stand the strain of personal invest.i.ture of the honour which his Majesty had already decided to bestow. The answer came back that he was quite ready, and anxious to show his grat.i.tude for this royal compliment by going to the palace.

An interview was accordingly arranged, and Senor Garcia, having risen between nine and ten o'clock on the morning of that day of days, was driven to Buckingham Palace, where he was ushered without delay into the King's presence. His Majesty entered into conversation with the old musician, showing his acquaintance with his long record of fame, and, ever interested in aged people, questioned him as to his health with the most sympathetic solicitude, being absolutely amazed at the vitality displayed. The King expressed to the maestro his congratulations and his recognition of all that he had done for medicine and music, and finally invested him with the insignia of a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, at the same time signifying a wish to be personally represented at the banquet which was to take place in the evening. Needless to say that this characteristic kind-heartedness of King Edward, shown towards the hero of the day, acted as a splendid tonic to the Centenary celebrations.

From the Palace Senor Garcia drove to the rooms of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society in Hanover Square, where by noon the fine saloon was thronged by his old pupils and various deputations, representative of many departments of learning and research.

The reception-room had been decorated for the occasion with palms and foliage plants. In the centre of a carpeted dais at one end of the apartment had been placed a high-backed chair, upholstered in crimson, and on the extreme left was the still veiled portrait of the centenarian, which had been painted by Sargent. In front of the seat there were some beautiful floral tributes. The largest bore on its ribbons the inscription, "a leur cher et venere Professeur, Manuel Garcia--Salvatore et Mathilde Marchesi, Paris, Mars 17, 1905." Another came from Blanche Marchesi, and was addressed "To the Christopher Columbus of the Larynx"; while yet another had been sent by the Glasgow Society of Physicians.

Punctually at twelve o'clock, amid volleys of applause, Manuel Garcia, looking amazingly bright and hale, entered the room with short, quick steps, wearing the insignia of the Royal Victorian Order, conferred an hour before, and walked unaided to the dais. This he mounted with agility, and took his seat upon the crimson throne, a magnificent basket of flowers on either side. There he sat for an hour, upright and smiling, in full view of the spectators, during the proceedings which ensued.

It fell naturally to the lot of Sir Felix Semon, both as Physician Extraordinary to the King and chairman of the Garcia Committee, to convey the intelligence of the earlier ceremony which had taken place that morning.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Sir Felix said, "the auspicious proceedings of to-day's memorable occasion could not have been more joyously opened than they have just been. His Majesty the King, with the kindness of heart which endears him to us all, has just been pleased to receive Senor Garcia at Buckingham Palace, in order to express to him his congratulations and his recognition of all that Senor Garcia has done for medicine and music. At the same time the King has conferred upon him the honorary Commanders.h.i.+p of the Royal Victorian Order. His Majesty, at the conclusion of the interview, expressed a wish to be personally represented at the banquet to-night, and said that he would desire his Lord-in-Waiting, Lord Suffield, to attend as his representative. I feel quite sure that this whole a.s.sembly has already shown by its applause that it recognises in this act a new token of the King's invariable kindness and his appreciation of all that is good and high."

Next came the Spanish Charge d'Affaires, the Marquis de Villalobar, who delivered a special message of congratulation from King Alfonso.

"I have been honoured by his Majesty the King, Don Alphonse XIII., with his august representation to congratulate you on the day of your centenary, and in the presence of the learned men who have a.s.sembled in this great metropolis for its celebration. In obeying the King's command, in which his Government and the Spanish people join, I honour myself, investing you, in the name of his Majesty and your motherland, with the Royal Order of Alphonse XII., as a high reward to your merits and the services rendered to mankind through your science and your labour. I feel it is also my duty to avail myself of this opportunity in order to make public the sentiments of my beloved Sovereign and of his Government, conveying sincere thanks, first to his Majesty King Edward VII., who I have just learned has most graciously conferred upon our compatriot a high distinction of this n.o.ble and hospitable country, and also to all the representatives of England and those of the learned societies here a.s.sembled to commemorate this centenary. Hearty gratefulness on behalf of Spain to all who have come and are represented here to-day to honour Don Manuel Garcia as a glory to modern science."

The Marquis de Villalobar then invested Senor Garcia with the Order, amid loud cheers. After this glowing tribute came Professor Frankel, who said that they were a.s.sembled to honour one who had devoted his best days to the teaching of singing,--had not been content with attempting to discover the secrets of voice-culture by sound alone, but had proceeded in a thoroughly scientific way. Through his genius he had thrown light on the hitherto dark places of the larynx and the source of the living human voice. He had thereby laid the sure foundations of the physiology of the voice.

In recognition of his merits the German Emperor had conferred on him the Great Gold Medal for Science. The Minister for Public Instruction had requested him (Dr Frankel) to present that rarely awarded distinction to Senor Garcia that day when he completed the first century of his immortality. He did so with the greatest pleasure, as one who owed a very great debt of grat.i.tude to the method of laryngoscopy invented by their honoured friend.

An address from the Royal Society was then presented by Sir Archibald Geikie (princ.i.p.al secretary), Professor Francis Darwin (foreign secretary), and Professor Halliburton, F.R.S. The address, which was read by Professor Halliburton, was as follows:--

The Royal Society of London join very cordially in congratulating Manuel Garcia on the celebration of his 100th birthday.

The President and Council recall with much pleasure the circ.u.mstance that the Royal Society afforded in their 'Proceedings'

the medium for publis.h.i.+ng to the scientific world the memorable paper in which Senor Garcia laid the foundation of the experimental study of voice-production, and at the same time, through the laryngoscope, provided the starting-point for a new department of practical medical science.

The Royal Society trust that Senor Garcia may still continue for years to come to enjoy in good health the esteem which his scientific achievement and his high personal character have brought him.

Signed and sealed on behalf of the Royal Society for Promoting Natural Knowledge,

WILLIAM HUGGINS, _President_.

Sir Archibald Geikie (as a corresponding member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences) read the following telegram from that Academy:--