The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-13 00:00:00

THE PRIMA DONNA.

" Her story is often of touching and romantic interest,
and her fate points an impressive moral lesson. Gifted with
powers designed to delight the world, and, in most
instances, combined with personal attractions that mate-
rially enhance the charms of vocal and histrionic efforts,
the debutante emerging from the severe labour of
her musical studies, enters at onco on the dazzling but dan-
gerous scene of her future triumphs ; endued with sensi-
bility of no ordinary kind, refined by the cultivation of her
voice and ear, and often with the strong and wayward im-
pulses of genius, her first success in a moment transforms
the ohrralis into the butterfly, destined to flutter in the
blaze of theatrical splendours. Fascinating the public, and
gratifying the intellectual lovers of sorz, while her beauty
and powers remain in their lull perfection, the fair and
accomplished yt.ung vocalist cannot but captivate many
hearts, and thus becomes surfeited by the lhtteries of the
spoiled children of fortune, and lured by the wiles of subtle
and interested admirers. The intoxication of success fol.
lowing close upon the absorbing studies, and the doubts
and fears that beset the debutante, must be a severe trial to
the sensitive and aid-int young creature, who, when acknow-
ledged as Prima Donna,' finds the world a, her feet, and
is the cynoAlre of the great, the gifted, and the wealthy of
society."

Such are the attractive heroines whose fitful for-
tunes tire here pourirayed with ao mach of apprecia-
tive sympathy. The first of these vulumes contains
no less than nineteen, the second as many as twenty
biographies. They are profusely illustrated with
anecdotes and incidents of the ti nes to which they
relate. These anecdotes and incidents are, of course,
not all here related for the first time, but they are
selected with discrimination and given with
piquancy and effect. The second volume opens
with the life of Giuditta Pasta, one of "the sweet
singers of Israel," and the sympathy with which
the narrator follows the fortunes and enters into
the feelings of the subjects of her narratieo is here
very remarkably evidenced. Madame Pasta. made
her debut when only eighteen; bat her first seasen
was not a success. She returned to Italy, and
studied assiduously for more than a year. "An
English nobleman, who saw ner at this time, said
that her exertions were unremitting. ' Other
singers,' said he, ' find themselves endowed with a
voice, and leave everything else to chance. This
woman leaves nothing to chance, and her success is
certain.' " On her re-appearance that success wail
assured. Here is a happy glimpse of her triumphant
portrayal of Desdemona :
"Her great triumph was in Otello.' In Desdemona
she produced an indescribable effect upon the audience. Of
the impassioned energy, the spirit, the delicacy, and tender-
ness which Madame Pasta infused into the characters, pages
might be written. In the celebrated scene which closes the
second act, commencing thus—
' Se it padre en' abbandoni
Da chi sperar pieta,'
fear, anguish, and despair were successively expressed in
her countenance, and the pathetic singing of the lovely
melody, Assisa a pile d'uu solice,' touched every heart.
In this part those melting tones, which are designated 'the
int the
eiroolfifshteDeos
nenvsesodeni
lec ,'
eor
u however,
nwe
innocence
a rse h
h
t ar esawr duh withpean;
eand
awakenednkd
intdhleetouchingkindled i effect.
wnbdiytihg intnba e
thi
oernl,t
ragingaw
thatnads
the powers of Madame Pasta's performance were concen-
trated. Her transitions from hope to terror, from supplies-
t6is ono ion to scorn, culminating in her vehement exclamation,
nnocente electrified the audience; no language
could convey an idea of the beauty, the intensity,
the sublimity of her acting. Indeed, through-
b y tragic
her
dishevelled esahuepltosynfee se:
ntdmhoe her
Desdemona,
great
hair,rho
nee salraea,
:sac
ktnah adat
tragedian. frenzied
bewilderedrauecii nttt
lez
displayed
fruitlessly
wsds l
:de rra:teaoyhwoeewkdn meansei
thet,
ft
hbo varied
at
con-
flicting
enso dof,
out the final scene, her acting was the perfec-
btiloiandeodf
emotions,
flight,resources
consummately weren f awful.tbthe art
ni
nr t
ver-
satility of her powers to advantage when succeeding that
of Tancredi. The contrast presented by her chivalric
bearing as the young hero of Syracuse, to the gentleness
and graceful simplicity of the artless Venetian lady, was
very striking, and enhanced the appreciation of her genius.
On the lyric stage she thus exercised a double sway ; for
r such was her force of genius that she was able to excel k
the new school of Rossini, and in the grand style of the
ancient school. She shone in operas of the Swan of
Pesaro and she could equally give effect to the sublime
airs composed by Zingarelli for Marchesi, Crescentini,
Grassini, and other models of what was then called 'the
fine school of singing.' "
terest ; but what we have g
We might quote innumavereabilveepnasvisialgiebseosfufaeluieanitinto.
corroborate our testimony as to the very graceful
l
and charming style in which these volumes are
penned,ira, and
in;
characteras to t the
theirsin g
singularly
theme-
attractive and
env