The next witness, Dame Frisca, the famous Californian singer, was
subjected to a remarkably severe examination by Mr. Moody MacTear.
_Mr. Moody MacTear_. Do you consider that the assumption of the title
_prima donna_ is compatible with democratic principles?--I never
assumed it; it was bestowed on me by the free suffrages of the musical
world.
_Mr. MacTear_. Then you admit that you possess it. Are you prepared
to submit proof of your title to the Commission?--Certainly; but it
would probably mean bringing forty van-loads of press-cuttings and
cause considerable congestion of traffic.
_Mr. MacTear_. Is it not the case that the _prima donna_ has been
condemned by the best musical critics as an obsolete anachronism,
tending to perpetuate the abuses of the "star" system and to foster
breaches of the Decalogue and to enhance the soloist at the expense
of the chorus?--I believe that WAGNER held the view expressed in the
opening part of your question, but he was unable to get on without
her, wrote a famous address to the Star of Eve, and gave the chorus
practically nothing to do in many of his operas.
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