The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-10-21 00:00:00

CLARA NOVELLO.-ENGLISH TALENT.

Among the English artists who have been highly appreci-
ated in Italy, atter a lengthened and assiduous study of the
method of that musical country, Miss Clara Novello incon-
testably carries away the palm. One connoisseur observes,
she has learnt, with surprising facility, all that it is requisite
a cantatrice should know, and, harder still, unlearnt the an-
ticlassical style she had so laboriously acquired during her
own erroneous education. The following extract may serve
to show the opinion now entertained of her. The editor of
the Teatri Arti e Letteratura, in his 971st number, states,
that an intimate friend—a passionate admirer of the musical
art, a connoisseur of instinctive perception and unerring taste
for all that is sublime and genuine in music—has for several
evenings been present at the performances of " Saffo" and
of " Beatrice di Tenda" in the splendid theatre of Fermo,
and adds these short, but animated, lines on Signora No-
vello :
" My friend, I can only repeat what I have said before—
La Novello is that accomplished cantatrice predestined to
distinguish herself among those who are and will ever be the
first artists in Europe; her extraordinary voice strikes direct
to the heart, and excites the most pleasing emotions, which
are sure of producing a magical effect on those who are en-
dowed with any heart at all. The city of Fermo is proud of
her ; in these latter days she has peopled it with strangers,
who called her ' the gifted one,' and hail her with enthusiasm.
That part of the public justly considered the superior and
cultivated class, which alone can pronounce with judgment
on the merit of an artist, has dignified her as all-accomplished
in the surprising management of her voice, formed at the
school of the great Pesarese. These dilettanti have been
unanimous and constant in their applause, arid on the night
of her benefit were willing to testify their admiration of her
in no ordinary way. The entrance money did not amount to
less than three hundred scudi, besides a quantity of presents,
and a lithograph of her of her rare beauty is shortly to ap-
pear, designed by the first artist, Palmardi. She sung on
this memorable occasion the cavatina in ' Norma," Casta
Diva,' in which not an intonation but proved her unattainable
excellence. It would require a long letter to detail all the
sublimity and inspiration with which • this sweet child of
Italian creation ennobled her song, and how many and how
great the difficulties were, which she sought not to avoid, but
surprisingly overcame. The inhabitants of Fermo will long
cherish her delightful souvenir, and many are desirous of
transmitting her features to posterity, and this will be effected
by those generous, honourable individuals who know how to
appreciate and extol her extraordinary merit, the loftiness of
her genius, and her rare and singular virtues. But all Italy
knows her; every capital is eager to hear and admire her,
and two of them at present are in open contention to de-
termine which of them shall enjoy this distinction first.—
Allow me to," Sze.
It is a novel and gratifying task to submit to the English
reader such forced testimonies to native talent, which prove,
moreover, that there is no reluctance in this pre-eminent
land of harmony to acknowledge the merit of foreign artists
where it really exists. This fearless justice of the Italian
dilettanti, so independent of all national jealousy, which vo-
luntarily lavished such ardent encouragement on the syren
of Covent-garden, during her residence among them, should,
we think, guarantee their tribunal against the suspicion of
any unworthy prejudices, when they do not feel themselves
disposed to bestow a palm, which they cannot acknowledge
to be merited.—Era.

DREADFUL DISASTER AT SEA.—lntelligence of the fol-
lowing disaster, attended, there is some reason to fear, with
the loss of the crew of the vessel run down, with the exeep-
tion of one man, the writer of the subjoined statement,
reached this city on Saturday. It appears that the brig
Dundonald, of Troon, D. M`Nicol, master, which sailed
from this port on Tuesday evening for Troon, laden with bal-
last, came, shortly after her departure, in contact with the
schooner Kirby, laden with slates from Dudden, a small
seaport on the borders of Lancashire and Cumberland. The
only particulars that we have yet learned are contained in the
letter at foot, written by one of the crew of the Kirby, which
letter he handed to the pilot authorities at Passage of Water-
ford,
when he arrived in the Maid of Mostyn ; it is to be re-
marked that the letter is not signed with the writer's name.
The Dundonald took her departure from Hook Tower at.
eight o'clock on Tuesday evening, and her collision with the -,,
Kirby occurred about three hours after, and about 16 miles
from the hook. We learn that the night was rather cloudy,
bnt that the sea was smooth, with a light breeze. While we
anxiously await some_ further intelligence, and in particular
the version of the occurrence to be
given by the Dundonald,
we should think that it appears at least somewhat probable,
from the following letter, that the Kirby and the remainder '
of the crew went dowans: "Th is to certify that the schooner
bound o
Kirby, of Dudden, w passage from Dudden
hours of 10 aanndd rpTnesdaY' the 11th
to Youghal, with a cahrego of slates, and
.ria. the brig Dun-
of October, betwixt tid
the said schoone?-
cloned, of Troon, ai entangled with
the Fonnibegs
master of the Schooner
one another about a mile to the southwarCf
Light-ship,down ?' tey saidealed out to
when the
us
the brig, ' You will run.`Put your
g down—run, save your I"sr
helm down,' and immediately the vessels struck, when
master called out, ' She is
and ran forward, and
with my shipmate, but I
if you can." With that I left helm,
-got hold of the brig's bobstay along
b t myself. There was
do not know whether he went overboard or not. There
were none got on board of the brig u .
estatym! over the bows.
' Oh ! dear cap-
one of the brig's crew assisted me
ing
When I got on deck I heard masternly.
answer, but was giving
tain stand by us,' and he gave him no
was carried away.
orders to his men about his jibboom, for it
I kept looking towards the schooner, and as near as I can
calculate I saw her about twenty minutes, and t
.he,last words
I heard my captain say were ' Oh, my dear wife. I went to
the captain of the brig, and said,
. • You would better stand
towards her,' and he said, ' What good can I do ? Let us
get mar jibboom in.' I wanted him to put me on board the
lightship, but be would not do it, and .1 remained on board
of her till Thursday, the 13th, when I saw a schooner stand-
ingl
in for the Tuakar light. I asked the captain if he worryd
allow his men to pull me aboard of the schooner...and he said
it was a day's work, she was so far off, and two of the men
said they would go, and he said ' Very well, call the,bands
up.' So we lowered the boat and pulled towards the schooner
and made signal to her, and she hove to until we came up to
her, which we found to be the the Maid of Mostyn, Captain
Edwards, bound to Ross, and I asked a ,passage from him,
and he told me to come on board. It was 3 p.m. then. She
was about seven miles to the E.N.E. of Tuskar light." We
have not learned the name-of the writer of this statement. It
:appears that he was a north of England man, and has gone
on to Youghal, in the expectation of finding the schooner
was able to prosecute her voyage. We trust that the expec-
tation will be realised. Her crew consisted of the matter
14 rand.thirt mg, rid it appears that the roaster's wife was on
IdOata;— cl Marro-.
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