The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-07 00:00:00

Tllll LATE MADLLE. RACHEL.

TLe year 1853 has scarcely commenced, and already
it has carried eff the greatest; theatrical artist of modern
times. .Mlie. Rachel was born io March, 1820, at the
little Swiss village of Muuf, during one of the profes-
sional tours of her parents,- who were Jew hawkers,
named Fdlix, gaining a livelihood y periodically visiting
various towns in Germany and Switzerland. Tee-family
at last settled in Lyons, and in 1830 came to reside in
Paris. Sarah, the eldest girl, was accustomed to:sing at
the various mid, to the accompaniment of an old guitar,
while little RacSel went from table ts table collecting the
offerings of the kindly-disposed. It is said that on one
of these occasions the little wanderers attracted the
notice of M. Choron, the founder of the Institution for
the study of Sacred Music, and he made arrangements
for admitting them among his pupils, taking charge more
particularly of Rachel. After a shsrt experiment, how-
ever, he found that the sonorous organ of the young girl
was better suited for declamatory expression than for
music, and he transferred her as a pupil to M. St.
Aulaire, who enjoyed at the time a high reputation as a
dramatic instructor. For four years that gentleman uns
weariedly pursued his task and laboured incessantly to
implant in the mind of his pupil a true conception of the
big hestclassical characters, such as Herrnione, Ipbigeuie,
and Phedre ; she at the time " infinitely preferring the
Dorines, Lisettes, and Philainintes of Moliere. In the
course of time her performance in Andromaque, at a
private representation, was coesidered by some theatri-
cal dignitaries so admirable that by their good offices
she was admitted to the Conservatoire, and in October,
1836, joined the class conducted by Michelot. Her
studies were interrupted by an offer of 3,000 f. a-year at
the Gyrnnase, and on the 24th April, 1837, she made
her debut in a piece written expressly for her, called
"La Vendeeiane." It appears beyond doubt that she
did not produce any great sensation in the part, and
Mlle. Rachel seems to have not again appeared pro-
minently before the public until the 12th June, 1838,
when she performed Camille in " Les Horaces" at the
Timatre-Fran9aie, her engagement at the Gymnast hav-
ing been resiliated by mutual consent. She had for
some months being studying under Samson, who
always predicted her great success. The Parisian
critics were startled by her powerful acting and by
the originality of her conceptions, and, above all, by
a certain concentrated power of expression which
thrilled to the very soul of the hearer. In the winter
of that year she also performed the parts of Emilie in
" Cinna," Anoienfle in " Tancrede," Eryphile in "'phi-
genie," and Moniwe in "Mithridate." It was aftertiards
that she added Roxane in " Bajazet," Pauline in
" Polyeucee" and the chief part in "Phedre." Her
popularity sprang to its higtest point almost instanta-
neously, and no better proof can be adduced of the fact
than the circumstance of her salary, which was 4,000 f.
the first year, being 20,0001. in the second. In after
years her income varied from 300,0001. to 400,000 f.,
according to the number of representations which she
gave during her annual come—in her case, of several
months' duration. In course of time, she extended her
repertoire by the representation of parts in modern works,
and attracted crowded and encss by her performance in
Mdlle. de Bell-Isle- Adrienne Lecouvreur, Louise
de Lignorolles, Lady Tartuffe, &c. Up to her very
last season she continued to study regularly, and
strong proof of her progress was to be found
in the successive changes and very decided im•
provements which took place in her enactment of the
part of Phedre, always, no doubt, a great performance,
but in latter years beyond comparison Ea finer and more
finished representation than it was when first attempted.
Never of a strong constitution, Mlle. Rachel gradually
found the arduous labour of her profession to affect her
health, and at last to lead to the illness which has now
out off this great actress so prematurely in the 37th year
of her age.