The Sun.
London, England, 1828-04-11 00:00:00

MADEMOISELLE SONTAG-THE MALT-

TIFUL OPERA SINGER.

•
LAt the present moment, when public curiosity is so
highly excited, respecting this celebrated singer, who is to
make her debut at the King's Theatre next Tuesday,
we feel much pleasure in presenting to our readers the
following article, extracted from Dr. Granville's forth-
coming work, entitled Petersburgh at the close of 1827,'
which has been obligingly communicated by a friend of the
author.]
On the very day after our arrival, (October,
1827,) we found all Berlin in an uproar, and people
running in all directions to procure a ticket, an ad-
mission, or a corner in a box for the Opera, for the
purpose of hearing Mademoiselle Sontag. En-
treaties, bribes, extravagant prices for a place, were
all in turn resorted to, as the only means of gratify-
ing a wish which seemed to animate at one and the
same time, the whole town. I soon found that the
inhabitants were positively wild about this much-
talked-of Mademoiselle, and I insensibly caught the
general enthusiasm. What was mere curiosity on
my part, to hear this celebrated songstress, of whom
so many and singular romantic reports had circulated
in England, was soon changed into an irresistible
desire to be present at her performance in the even-
iag. In thiss however, I should have been disap-
pointed, bet for the kindness of the English Charge
d'Affaires, who, very fortunately, sent me in the after-
000n a ticket for his box, just as I had received the
despairing news from our landlord and valet de
place, that it was found impossible to procure an
admission for that evening, either for love or money.
At a very early hour, the house was crammed full.
The King, two Princesses, and I do not know how
many Princes Royal, the Duke of Cumberland, and
a long string of grandees, all glittering with stars and
crosses, attended the representation. With the ex-
ception of his Majesty, who sat in a side box on the'
stage, they all occupied a magnificent box in the
centre of the house, brilliantly illuminated, hung
with a rich drapery, and highly ornamented with
mirrors and gilding. The company assembled on
the occasion, formed a striking coup d'a'il for Berlin.
The boxes boasted of all that is choisi in society :
among the ladies there was a fair sprinkling of
beauty ; but the sweet countenance of Lady B—,
who graced the box in which I had the honour of
sitting, and who had just returned from a trip to
Moscow, by way'of spending the summer holidays,
was easily distinguished from amongst the fairest
Berlinoises, and 'from the first of her entering the
house, attracted universal attention. His Royal
Highness the Duke of Cumberland, on perceiving
her Ladyship from the Royal Box, came round to
pay her a visit, during the lead-footed minutes which
hung heavy, and slowly elapsed, before the long-
wished opera began.
At last the Orchestra, consisting of about double
the number of performers that compose the orches-
tra of the King's Theatre in London, struck up the
magnificent overture to Winter's new Opera, enti-
tled " The Interrupted Sacrifice," (Das Unter-
brochen Opferfest,) which was divinely executed.
No one can form an idea of the difference between
the performance of this, or any other piece of music,
by a German orchestra, arid the orchestra of any
other nation, who has not heard both. One of the
highest gratifications which a successful romposer
can enjoy-, must be that of having his productions
executed in such a style, and in so admirable a man-
ner. When the uproar which the much applauded
overture excited had ceased, all eyes and eye-glasses
were, at once, directed towards the stage, watching
with impatience for the appearance of the idol of the
night. At last, Mirrha entered, and every hand
was instantly in motion. The star—the comet—
the attraction—the Henriette Sontag, Koniglich
Kammersangesin, of whom poets, sonnet-writers,
newspaper-coin pliers, prose-composers, and travellers,
have made so much of, stood before us. Her beauty
dazzled me—her singing pleased and disappointed
me. She is slender, rather petite and mignonne.
Her countenance, like that of .Canovit's nymph, is
full of sweetness and heavenly radiancy, which be-
longs more to the beau ideal than to mortal reality.
I would say, that her foot is the prettiest thing ima-
ginable, if her hands were not prettier still. She
is faultless as to teeth, which the sweetest smile
imaginable, for ever hovering round her mouth, sets
off at every warble in all their glory. Her chevelure,
between auburn and blonde, is magnificent; and to
conclude with the most essential part, the quality of
her voice is beyond measure pleasing, and she pos-
sesses great and remarkable facility; yet, with all
these attributes she is not a first-rate opera singer—
lacks judgment—is indiscriminate in the introduction
of ornaments—knows no method, and 'belongs to
no school. Of all these negative qualifications, the
first only it will not he in her power to alter. Na-
ture has refused to her the two principal requisites
towards forming a first-rate opera performer--ex-
pression both of countenance and in the tone of her
voice, and a commanding person. Mademoiselle
Sontag can never attempt the grandiose style;. she
cannot depict strong passions, and is as much the
reverse of Pasta and Pizaroni, as any singer can well
be. She is, in fact, a pretty thing, a pretty,singer,
a pretty bijoux, and nothing more. Madame Cata-
lani was quite correct, when she said that ." Elle est
la premire dans son genre—mais son genre West pas
le premier." It is impossible not to agree with this
description. My own disappointment at her perform-
ance, however, was not very considerable after all ;
for I could have listened to her warbling; and looked
at her beautiful person for ever. But my expecta-
tions had been raised too high ; I expected a cants.
trice di prim° cartello, and I found only an agreeable
songstress.
Mademoiselle Sontag's voice .is a soprano of a
pleasing, clear, and sonorous timbre. She can reach
the high E without screaming. The flexibility of
her organ has seduced her into that peculiar style of
singing, which made Madame Catalani the wonder
of musical Europe for a few years ; but which dis-
ables the performer from ever being a scientific
singer. It is this quality of the voice, united to the
personal gifts so profusely lavished by nature on this
favourite daughter of her's, that brought Mademoi-
selle Sontag forward as a miracle on the German
stage, and made her at once, without any prelimi-
nary step, a precocious prima donna, at the age of
seventeen ! But the first station at the Opera can-
not be held on such easy terms. There must be
science, and we must have acting and correct deela-1
oration. We require a just and impassioned con-
ception of the character to be represented, a clas-
sical acquaintance with the drapery of the subject,
to constitute a real prima donna. Now, none of the
ornamental singers, whose astonishing facility for
flourishes, roulades, and cromatic notes, lifted them
up precociously to the scat of pre-eminence for a time,
have ever possessed any of those important qualifica-
tions. The necessary time for acquiring them has
been spent in receiving premature applause to the
one dazzling gift of nature, a flexible voice, rendered
more seductive by personal beauty. Such applause
has spoiled all these Infant .Lyras ; and, in their
adult years, they have found themselves deserted.
Who could have patiently listened to a Catalani,
any night within the last twelve years ? On the
other hand, look. at Menlo, Banti, Camporesi,
Pasta, Pizaroni, toiling through the difficulties of
the profession, moulding their taste to the best
models, forcing their early way through hisses or
chilling silence, and at last compelling the capricious
public to bestow admiration and applause, where
they displayed but indifference. They became ab..
solute on the stage, and retain their post, with in-
creasing credit, to the end of a long and brilliant
career.
The part of Afirriza is suited to Mlle. Sontag,
except in the two last scenes, where she is required
to represent great feeling and acute distress of mind.
In both these she fails. Her unalterable sweet face
is the same under the influence of pleasing as afflict-
ing passions ; and the extent of the expression of
her large beautiful eyes consists in lowering them with
the bashfulness of one of Carlo Dolce's lovely Ma-
donnas, or in raising them toward heaven with the
swimming tenderness of an expiring Cleopatra.
These two movements are introduced into every
character, and every step of the representation, suc-