The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-12-04
Catherine Hayes.

The voices of singers seem TO be gifted t
move separate and special functions of iiu
man susceptibility. Jenny Lind, lofty, saint
ell and practical, seemed tB exercise a tripi
spell over our poetry, our plety and GU
pockets. ParodI sang mainly 10 our love
: Catherine Hayes sings only TO our tears
Those who have heard the other great sing
ers of Europe will find The remembrance,
seated in the faculties which each Que sepa
rateiy moved-Grisi awakening tempestu
Gus passion, Sontag stirring The highest
bred nicety of discrimination, and Albon
melting the mind into The body, aud sweep
ing the whole existence into an indoien
sensnousness, the idealizatiOn Of cham
pagne ana cigar.
We went to Miss Hayes Concert the
other night with a mistaken anticipation o
what we should see and hear. Her blog.
raphy, and the critlcisms one sees OF her
give the impression that she is wonder oi
art, her skill attained only by persevering
industry, her voice a miracle Of recreation
10y SCIENCE and practice, and herself wo-
man of the world, for whom, meantime, all
this varied novelty of art has served to pol
ish away Nature, and supply its place with
"A shoWy enamel. Her being an Irish lady,
perhaps, added to the anticipation of her
self possessed bearing; for, those who have
been ia that country, and have seen this
particular choir Of angels at home, know
very well, that, though they haze twice as
free manners as any other ladies in the
world, they are twice as cool, know twice
as we'll what they are about. and have d
constitutional control over themselves and
any circumstances short of an eafthdaake
or the Last Day.
With an ingenious intention to guard
against the looks of a house partially flied,
The complimentary or gratuitous tickets,
by which we profited, as an editor, had
been given out for the remotest seats near
the door--ihe vacancy of every third or
fourth settee, till after the concert commenc-
ed, showing that the same distributive idea
had regulated the sale Of tickets--and, with
other ''dead heads" we found ourself un-
fortunately too far from Miss Hayes to get
a very reliable view of her features and ex-
preston. We could see sufficiently well The
stomach of Herr Mengis aud the shirt col
tar of Mr.. Braham; but, at the length of
Triplar Hall, nothing less conspicuous was
very discernable. We mention this disad-
vantage of our location to account 10 the
reader tor any vagueness m our impression,
and to secure leave 10 correct ii by any near
secure hereafter.
Stomach and Shirt collar opened the con-
cert, but they did not sing "a, all up 10 their
prOtuberances, aud we were much relieved
when the half dozen hotel walters around
Us dropped bands and gave in to the gener-
al hush in expectation of the entrance of
Miss Hayes. She entered, and a white
dress in the distance commenced the sing
ing of ".4h' mon .flsn We listened
every note came truly and distinctly TO our
ear-the fulness and roundness Of the utter
ance surprised Us with theirease and nature,
and, tiy the third long breath she had ex-
pended, the sweet singer had us in her pow
er. \ few low notes that she dropped upon,
somewhere near the beginning OF the song.
went straight to the heart and drew il after
her, teas, aud all with complete absorp-
ton, to the end. Music more exquisite and
irresIstibly pathetic we never heard. As TO
her skill we forgot TO lock for 1t at the time,
but we remembered afterwards that the
most difficult transitions Of that beautiful
air were executed with the most absolute
completeness and finish, and that her touch
lngly natural and sweet voice seemed every
where at ease. OF simply enjoyable music
that song seemed the perfection.
Miss Hayes afterwards sang ballad
which Ne did not so much like, but we took
that opportunity to borrow an opera-g gass
and try TO reconcile our agreeable surprise
with the character Of her face Ii was like
the voice--a face of subdued, tender, unaf-
fected sweetness, as simple and home-like
as if she had never been six hours away
from her mother and the cottage where she
was born. Anything less prima donna fed
and more sincere and loveable than that
physiognDmy, could not he found in the re-
molest village Of EnglaDd-or so /, seemed
through our glass and at a distance of a
large part Of mile. What with her win
Hingness Of face and her touching tender
ness of voice, she is sure of success-for
her audiences become her friends, and crit
les are disarmed and turned insensibIy into
partisans. We are INV worldly and soft
hearted in America, and Catherine Hayes
will make her fortune hy being beloved
We were compelled TO leave at the close of
the first part, and, of course, write with an
imperfect knowledge of our subject. The
reader will make due allowance. We will
say more of the admired new conner when
we have heard her again, - Home Jour.