Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-10-30
FURTHER EXTRACTS
From dc Fanny Letters d an 1aier7caa LADY
IN Europe.

delicious
aunts and country views alternating with the opera and
morning concerts What could one desire more enchant
ing than day at Richmond and afterwards to sleep with
the heavenly OF Mario floating through ones dreams
AS you have often read in prose and verse; Richmond
is the rural gem of Londons surroundings and with the
clever agreeable companion whom my good fortune
to secure 1T was to entirely charming The weather
was perfect and even you would acknowledge that when
not raining when really clear nothing can be more soft
and meloW than an English June morning. We looked
at the celebrated view from the of the Star and
Garter, where by the way Gris, Mario and their init
mates have musical dinner every Sunday which is the
embodiment of true English scenery quiet gently undu
ating emerald Valleys saatches of woods occasional
cleaning threads Of water gentlemen's seats church
spires Twickenham in the distance and royal lowered
Thames at our feet We aunered in the park INDUCED
in literary associations under the trees looked at Lord
John Russelis house and garden bringing from it a
souvenir of tantage broom then passing through the
famous old village was at last seated in tiny cherry
and for two hours skimming over father Thames in
dreamy delight TIE shores are lined with villas Of the
Marquis of Lansdowne, Duke of Montrose Sc the lat
ter fnc-looking old man. passed us in his boat with
his daughters and gayy kissed his hand to the Duchess
who walking the bank The stream here is clear
and wide, with many sweeps and pretty bends exquisite
gardens and noble trees incline to the waters edge
brightly painted wherries shooting past and SO
we reached Pope's villa. Alas Twickenham is fallen
sadly from its poetic estate; for it is mass of cock
ney pagodas belonging to tradesman and the groo
is desecraed; but the pow still droops over the water
and brought for you of its weeping branches as
souvenir of Lady Mary and her bitter poet lover
The combination Of perfect orchestra superb though
somewhat noisy music, and exciting scenic display with
the wonderful powers of e Vardo and Marios golden
| yo;oa tla +,o
my experience. Nardot is grand She is remarkably
ugly, and large mouth distorts her face,
and her voice is harsh at times though powerful
vibrating and sympathetic but if she has not the angel
utterance of her gifted sister Ma6ran she fully shares
her genius Her acting is by turns exquistely tender
the loving unsuspectng mother Of John Of Leyde and
grandly imprisoned she discovers his fraud fearful
her imprecaon upon him the false Prophet and
fully mournful the stern, heroic resignation with which
the heartbroken mother resolves die with her mis-
guided 1t is superb conception delineated with
dramatic power Marble may convey the extraordi-
nary beauty of the Prophets countenance but unortu
nately words pencil give even faint thought of
those tones which gently to be breathed from some
sphere above have conceived in nature or art
any sound more purely melodiousy exquisite than Mros
voice.
Another era has transpired in my musical record /
/
her Majesys theatre where for four hours was revealing
in duos and soles by sonag Mmle Duprez Sims Reeves
and lesser stars. Sontag sang enchantngly with more
expression and energy and in her approach to
Jenny Lind, especially in Alpine melody, recedng and
dying away among the mountain echoes Duprez is a
finished vocalist; every modern difficulty given with
summae skill and she does infinite credit to the admir-
able artistic training Of her father the most cele-
brated of French nors her school and style brilliant
and too ord entirely French and her voice poor with
sping sound she is pretty however and her toilette
rereshingy Partisan. Then came the great hunderer
Lablache, rolling in like seventy-four" pouring forth
perfect voey of song. 1t is curious see the quiet
repose of this monster man. his broad beaming with
bonhomme and fun and at the moment be startled
by the volume Of sound which rises above the orchestra
and rolls ones head like rereating thunder Yet
he sometimes roars him gently any sucking dove
his great bass playing about in to the cho-
ruses, softly whispering in DUO with Sontag There
were several oyertures among them my pet the Mid
summer Nights Dream" my enjoyment of which was
most provokingy marred by persons me- who con-
versed and criticized audby asked them to be silent
during at least this oyerture but they had evidently
come with the idea that it good place for chat 50
deliberately left my seat and walked down the centre
aisle of the parquet (which filed with ladies' stand
ing, while many gentlemen sat at their during the
concert the orchestra, where my delight in this
gem of Mendelssohn quietly deep / mention this
piece Of lbred inattenton to the performance in
nexion with fact in regard to the love of the English
for musicthat they do not appreciate music Of all
classes 1t has puzzled me- the want of taste judgment
and common knowledge executive excellence so strange
ly evidenced night after night the OPERA where really
indifferent artists loudly applauded sins against time
tune, and ordinary vocal skill passed unheedngly
and yet that this audience Il speak Of the parquet
as being the public judge and awarder of musical fame
in Engand will 20 to Exeter Hall and listen with dis
elimination to the highest most scientific productions of
the greatest Why is this They can apparent
understand the intricate hamonies of Mendessohn and
Beethoven the subtle and intellectual beauties of which
have the execuants years of study properly to un
rayel they viii crowd to this feast and yet at Covent
Garden win show themselves foreign eye destitute of
and dscernment certany do the
Americans to be musical nation, for we have had ms
yet time for its cultivation, school in which to form
correct taste but in despite Of long delayed mu-
'sical dawnng do believe our innate love Of harmony
and appreciation Of true excellence to be more criti-
caly correct than that Of great insular cousins
wish you would ask to explain this anomaly
Three evenings since witnessed one Of the sights of
the season, the Queens state visit to the Opera and
right brave show was, highly interesting to republi-
At sr o'clock was among the dense crowd at the
boxenance waiting for the doors to be opened at scren
and hair Patiently did endure the increasing pressure
from without and very goodnaturedly did the mass sway
to and fro until last when feared that suocation
would be my fate the barrier opened the torrent