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

THE LATE MADLLE. BACHEL.

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The year 1858 has scarcely commenced, and already
it has carried off the greatest theatrical artist of modern
timer. Ml:e. Racl;el was barn ie March, 1820, at the
little Swiss village of Mud', during one of the profes-
eiOnal tours of her parents, who were Jew hawkers,
named Fdlix, gaining a livelihood -y periodically visiting
various towns in Germany and Switzerland. The family
at last settled in Lyons, and in 1830 came to reside in
Paris. Sarah, the eldest girl, was accustomed tossing at
the various cafoi to the accompaniment of an old guitar,
while little Rachel went from table to table collecting the
offerings of the kindly-dispoaed. 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 short 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 un-
weariedly pursued his task and laboured incessantly to
implant in the mind of hie pupil a true conception of the
big hestclassical characters, such as Hermione, Iphigeiiie,
and Phedre ; she at the time " infinitely preferring the
Dorines, Lisettes, and Philadaintes of Moliere. In the
course of titan her performance in Andromaque, at a
private representation, was coLsidered 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 au offer of 3,000 f. a-year at
the Gymnase, and on the 24th April, 1837, she made
her debut in a piece written expressly for her, called
"La Vendeenne." 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 " Lee Horaces" at the/
Theatre-Fran2ais, her engagement at the Gymnase hay-
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," An naide in " Tancreds," Eryphile in "Iphi-
genie," and Monime in "Mithridate." It was afterwards
that she added Roxane in " Bajazet," Pauline in
" Polyeucte," and the chief part in " Phedre." Her
popularity sprang to its higtest point almost instanta-
neously, and no better proof ca 'a be adduced of the fact
than the circumstance of her salary, which was 4,000 f.
the first year, being 20,000 f. in the second. In after
years her inco.ne varied from 300,000 f. to 400,0001.,
according to the number of representation, which she
gave during her annual conge"--in her case, of several
months' duration. In course of time, she exiended hers
repertoire by the representation of parts in modern works,
and attracted crowded aud,ences by her performance in
de Bell-Isle- Adrienne L-couvreur, Louise
de Lignorolles, Lady Tartufe, &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 :a finer and more
finished representation than it was when first attempted.
Never of a strong constitution, Mile. Rachel gradually
found the arduous labour of her profession to affect her
health, and at last to lead to the illness which has now
cut off this great actress so prematurely in the 37th year
of her age.