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November 5 th, 1881.
82
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
Mrs. Osgood'* first public appearance was made
in Boston in 1873 with the Beethoven Quintette
Club, on which occasion her success was so pro-
nounced that she was engaged by the Club, and
for two years sang with them in the United States
and Canada. In February, 1875, she went to Eng-
land and placed herself under the tuition of the
celebrated Signor Randegger. She remained under
his tuition for about one year, when she again ap-
peared in public at the Crystal Palace in London,
and since that time her career has been an unin-
terrupted succession of musical triumphs.
By the time these lines are read, Mrs. Osgood
will probably have arrived from England to fill
engagements in the United States under the
management of Mr. Geo. W. Colby, of New York
city, in whose hands she will no doubt prove a
genuine attraction during the present musical
season.
s discouraging. We have by this time had Hauk •bandoned wife and children would destroy all our
n "Lohengrin" and "Carmen," and several pleasure.
Mignons " by Ferni, besides " Faust," " Martha"
* * *
and "Favorita."
I
could
go
on
and
give
many numbers in
Mile. Juch took the place of a " Mile. Bram- ddition to the above, but I you
think
I have made my
billa " who was to have sung " Martha," and who ease sufficiently powerful to compel
to with-
iffered the plea of sickness as an excuse for non- draw your mild accusation. I really you
a great
•ppearance. "Mile. Brambilla," better known as interest in this matter, which will in a take
short while
Miss Hattie Schell, is considered an excellent artist; become an absorbing question with the press and
we hope she will soon be in condition to sing.
the public in this country.
It would be unjust to speak of the " Martha" of
For remember how Talmadge " went for " Sara
Miss Juch, as she undertook the role at short notice. Bernhardt.
what did Bernhardt do? She
She must, however, be very careful not to destroy behaved herself Well
and
comported herself with dignity
her voice by singing such arias deforce as the Pol- Mid grace, destroying
a bad impression in a short
onaise in " Mignon." The quality of her voice is time. We have nothing
do with her actions
not of that character which permits constant wear. while she lived in France. to Some
of those actions
" must be taken care of. As Martha she will
subsequently denied. She did not trans-
always be satisfactory. The next time "Martha" were
is sung, some one should apply to a judge for an plant any immorality to this soil, that we know of.
njunction to prevent Signor Arditi from closing But look at the Patti case ! How it contrasts
the opera with his "Polka." The "Polka" will with that of the Bernhardt? She brings her Nico-
ITALIAN OPERA.
do very well in another place, but not here in lini with her ! She transplants the poisonous
HE encouragement of debutantes and tyros, is Grand
Opera. It is a very neat composition of its weed from other countries to this ! She infects
one of the most pleasing tasks of that un- kind, but as the utilitarian says, "everything in the moral atmosphere with the sickening odor of
loose European habits in high life.
grateful pursuit, called—criticism. Evidence ex- its place, and a place for everything."
ist in plenty proving that many artists are indebted
We do not want any of it here.
to the critical insight and analvsis of one promin- Signor Ravelli has improved both in singing and
acting.
We
must
welcome
such
a
pure
and
clear
ent critic for a career of brilliant successes. Ua-
doubtedly merit must have been a sine qua non, tenor voice as one of the rare phenomena on the Let Miss Patti sing; let her charge Ten cents or
operatic stage. It is inspiring in its youthful Ten dollars per £seat. If she is a great concert
yet, even with merit and talent, many well-known vigor,
and exhilarating in its brilliancy. Campa- singer, she will make the fact plain, in a few min-
artists would to-day be comparatively unknown, nini, Galassi
and Del Puente are well-known figures utea after the first note has been touched, and
had not the facile pen of some unobtrusive critic on the stage of
the Academy, and it is unnecessary everybody will go into raptures and she will make
given publicity to their respective qualities.
to
repeat
what
has so often been said of them.
Judgment is requisite in order to discover the
fortune.
will await now what the Colonel has in store another
merit of debutantes, and in reading the daily papers We
If she wants to give it to Nicolini, as Fred.
for
us.
Mile.
Vachot
has
arrived
and
was
to
have
of New York and comparing their gushing criti- appeared in Rossini's " Barbier de Seville " last Rullman said, why she is at liberty to do so.
cisms of Mile Ferni's debut in " Mignon," with their night.
But for Heaven's sake give us a rest on the
later articles recording her failures in " Faust "
Nicolini business in public.
and "Favorita," we are most reluctantly com-
Let Miss Patti sing solo. That is all we want to
pelled to assert, that judgment is a " lacking in-
hear.
gredient" with the average "daily" newspaper
If she wants to have a tenor or needs one in
critic in New York. Here is a lady called Mile.
order to sing certain duets with him; by all means
Ferni, brought over to this country to fill the heavy My Dear Mr. Editor:
let her have one.
dramatic roles of Italian opera, who has not the pow-
But not Nicolini.
I
must
congratulate
you
on
the
"
Rullman
In-
er to hold one forte note in her register with steadi-
* * *
terview,"
published
in
your
issue
of
October
20th.
ness. Every aria she sings is ruined by that false
know I get around considerably, and I tell Did you ever hear that Nicolini was or is a great
culture of the voice called the " French Method." You that
it created a commotion among the Patti tenor ? I have tried to keep myself well posted;
It is, however, not the "French Method ;" it is no you
You see the people in thig country are I never heard much of him until Patti patronized
method at all, except the ridiculous method of a people.
different in their ideas of morality from him. We know who the great German tenors are;
few teachers who imagine that a divine fire and rather
across the Atlantic. Anything can be made who the Italian, French and English tenors are.
spirit is shown by the use of the tremolo. Some- those
fashionable
tkere provided it gets a Royal There are not many, because a good quality of
times it is called the vibrato; but Mile. Ferni uses endorsement, over
either
or passively. But tenor is a rare article. Male voices naturally tend
no vibrato; the vibrations being too rapid. The here there is no Royal actively
endorsement, except that of towards the baritone. I will warrant you never
difference between a tremolo and vibrato are in the the people, who are in
reality the only ones to heard much of Nicolini. At the time Campanini
number of vibrations that occur in a given time. give an endorsement.
came here first with Christine Nilsson, under the
At times and in peculiar moments, the vibrato has
Strakosch management, his fame had preceded him.
a charming effect, but the incessant use of the The people here, aa a body, are honorable, dig- That was in 1872. Did you hear of Nicolini then ?
and abounding in virtue, and will not coun-
same becomes monotonous and absurd. With the nified
'' irregularities.'' The Patti-Nicolini affair A great many tenors were mentioned before 1872
tremolo it is of course much worse than with the tenance
is
essentially
"irregular," viewed from the Amer- and since, but divil a Nickel.
vibrato. All pure vocalization must necessarily end ican standpoint,
its dangerous influence is It is a notorious fact that he is considered a very
where the continual use of the tremolo is applied. increased by the and
great publicity it has attained mediocre singer. I spoke to an artist lately who
We will ask the question: What great or renowned here.
heard Nicolini in a concert in some German city,
singer, male or female, ever used it? The answer
and that artist declared to me that his singing was
*
is: Not one. Take Mapleson'a troupe as an in-
stance. Neither Hauk, nor Ravelli, nor Cam- Now I suppose you will say to me, " Look here wretched. That was about five years ago.
panini, nor Del Puente, nor Galassi use it. These Nichtsnutz, you have nothing to do with Miss
are the artists of the Mapleson troupe. The excep- Patti's private affairs, you had better let them We people are, in truth, subjects for .hearty con-
tions prove the rule. Now and then a singer ap- alone."
gratulation, for nearly every steamer brings a
pears with this false vocal acquirement, but the I admit that under ordinary circumstances you crowd
of "macaronis" over here who cannot get
great majority never use it. We consider it amis- would be perfectly right, but I will show you that any employment
on the European stage. Why,
fortune to be burdened with this false method.
this time I am ahead of you. If Miss Patti should it starts with the prima donna and reaches down
After the performance of " Mignon " a tremend- select a gentleman to attend to her private affairs, to the libretto-boy.
ous gush pervaded the daily papers, and such keep her business accounts in order, and, in short, Don't you know that that fat famulus of Col.
statements were published as, for instance, this act as a companion, not seeking any notoriety, Mapleson, (Angelo is his name), brought some boys
" Mile Ferni's Mignon was the best given here since why of course, Mr. Editor, I would be a very im-
London to sell Librettos in New York.
the early days of Nilsson." A great many harsh pertinent rascal to call attention to such a matter. from
No
boys here smart enough to sell Librettos ! And
But
the
present
condition
«f
what
I
might
call,
things have been said about Kellogg's singing and
that
is
acting. Now Mignon is not a rale requiring great (to use a diplomatic term), "the Patti-Nicolini tions. the way we patiently endure annual imposi-
histrionic talent, nor does it contain intense vocal Imbroglio," is entirely and distinctly different
# * *
strains and passages. Kellogg sang Mignon and from the hypothetical case just stated.
There is a great operatic artist over there in
with a voice that rang through the building as Miss Patti introduces this man to the American
London now, youthful and in her prime. Sem-
clear and steady as a bell's tenes. In the second public; that is number one.
brich is her name. Why not bring her over here?
act, during the " looking-glass " scene, let us call Number two: she sings with him.
it,, she acted with a spirit of childishness and Number three: She compels us to listen to him, Patti was smart enough to know that she could
come here most any season before she struck three
naivete, dancing and laughing in the momentary if we desire to listen to her.
happiness that suddenly illumined the sorrowful She thus presents this issue: Either both of us score and ten and make a fortune on her reputation
not her voice.
existence of Mignon. Mile Ferni in this scene or neither.
hardly moved, but faced the audience and simply Number four: She knows we would not pay one Since the days of Nilsson, Lucca, Parepa, the
permitted her arms to hang listlessly at her side cent to listen to him. At least, we all know we badly-managed, but gifted Pappenheim, and the
And so throughout the opera. Undoubtedly some would not. We hare lots of bad, old tenor-timber unfortunate Teresa Singer, we have not had any-
moments do occur which force an artist into move around here, not worth handling, and of course one, except Gerster, in the prime of youth. Think
ment, especially when surrounded by such actors the lately imported article is not worth more. As of the many seasons past here without a prima
NICHTSNUTZ.
as Campanini and Del Puente are. Then Mile she compels us to listen to him, she compels us to donna of the highest order.
Ferni was obliged to do something besides the support him.
tremolo. Subsequent events in the representations Number five: She knows his wife and children
Miss Zelia de Lussan, soprano, will sing in the
of "Faust" and "Favorita," as they are now are living away from him on account of the '' Im
generally admitted, endorse the views we enter- broglio," yet she encourages him to fling his con concert of the New York Philharmonic Club at
tained at the outset about this "star." Mil duct in the very face of the public. This is one o Binghamton, N. Y., Nov., 17.
Ferni can make a very accomplished operatic the very worst features of this ugly transaction
Miss Priest, a native of St. Louis, and a pupil of
artiste, provided she abandons bad and unmusical Whenever we see him we must be reminded of tha Prof. Mason, will give a piano recital at Steinway
injured wife, and even were he to sing like th< Hall, Nov. 7. Miss Letitia L. Fritch will be the
methods.
The season of Italian Opera has thus far offered Mario of old, (which he will not do); or were w< soprano, Mr. Stanley, the tenor, and Mr. Oscar
nothing in the way of novelties and the prospectu to hear in him a new Farinelli; the thought of thi Stein, baritone.
T