Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-02-15
First Might of Jenny Lind.

The St. Charles theatre was filled last night
as it has rarely, if ever, been before: to witness
the first appearance of Jenny Lind. That house
has been more than once crowded to its utmost
capacity from orchestra to gallery-trom pit to
~ratters. Perhaps more persons have, on stirring
occasions been packed within its walls, but it
never contained so brilliant a throng OF the
beautiful daughters of Louisiana, reinforced by
delepaticns of the loneliness of Alabama and
Mississippi, and the farther West. The dress
circles, in both tiers, and portions of the par
quette and pit, were radiant with jewels and
with eyes brighter than the richest gems of"Or-
mus or of Ind" In her whole career upon this
continent never had this charming songstress
a more admiring and admirable gathering to
welcome her with their smiles, and to open
their hearts to her enhancing sounds-never
was expectation more fully realized; never was
courtesy more worthily bestowed or more album
dainty repaid. Jenny Lind has been seen and
heard, and all that the most partial report had
heralded of her unmatched sweetness rs the
Queen of Song, was more than justified in the
unparalleled success Of her debut. We are
not connoisscurs Of music, and are not compe-
tent to pronounce judgment on the degrees of
her excellence in the various branches of the
science, upon which the critics discourse, but
to our untotored ears, the ravishing sweetness
and inconceiyable compass of her voice,
brought a sense of more exquisite enjoyment
than anything we had ever heard before. In
the rapt enthusiasm they produced, it almost
seemed to US that we had heard true music for
the first time. Certainly we never had an idea
of what the human voice is capable, in its full
lest development, under the guidance of deli
cate taste and unaffected feeling, and discipline
ed by science, until we listened to her native
wood notes wild"
We need not say that with these qualities her
triumph was complete. When she came forward
she was received with 4 burst of hearty wei
come, as one full Of womanly virtues and gra-
ces to which two continents had paid homage.
Whenever she appear she commanded all hearts
and hands. AppIaused followed every effort,
and broke in sometimes %untimely in the midst
other performances. She held the vast ASSEM-
bly, entirely subdued to her power by the ire
sistibIc magic of that wonderful voice, and
when the more tlattering homage of GREATNESS
silence to her delicious sounds gave way to
irrepressible enthusiasm, the outbursts of APP
plause went up loud, long and repeated, until
the raftcrs rang again. The echo Song" in
particular, seemed to seize upon all and when
round after round demanded an encore, we no.
ticed many n pair of glovcd and jeweled hands
uneonsciously clappcd in the estaey of de-
light.
But Jenny Lind was not all the attraction of
the evening, though she was the star of all
eyes. Bellettis magnificent voice--deep, clear
and faultless-surprised and delighted.
At the close the audience were carried away
with the ardor ofthe feeling. They gave round
after round Of cheering and clapping of hands.
We thought they would never cease applauding
and showering bouquets upon the stage.
The whole concluded with a touch of humor.
The audience wanted to see Barnum. They
called for him SO loudly and perseveringly that
his modesty was at last oyerpowered but he
could not come forward alone. Sol Smith led
and supported him carefully down the stage,
amidst such storms of cheering that Smith and
Barnum--arcades ~ambo-could only, or at least
did only stand and bow to the audience and to
each other, by which pantomine we understood
that Smith allowed Barnum to be a great maj
in his way, and Barnum was bashfully insisting
that Smith is something Of the same sort. Both
went laughing off the stage.
The Lind concert was an event to be dated
from hereafter as an era in the history Of our
enjoyments long to be remembered.
n Q. Picayune
n. ~ ."rH