Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-12-16
Correspondence of the Free Press.
MUSICAL CHIT-CHAT FROM NEW
YORK
No. II.


No. II.
New YORK. Dec I, 1859.
Ny Dear Free Press:
The Opera has Just closed it
first session ESQ to speak) of the season. and all th
habuues are left in gaze Of surprise and astonsh
ment at finding themselves so much surprised anc
astonished with the closing representations in gen
eral, and the perfection of Mile PATHS perform
ances in particular.
At the opening of the season, failure after fail
ure occurred lamentsbly. Large Placards were
posted in vain; faring announcements were dis
credited and scoffed at long and patheticaly slo-
quent appeals made to the public in adyer
tisements, assuring them of the undoubted excel
lence of the artists-and particularly of Cres-
cimano and Speranza. But, unfortunately, neither
of these ladies succeeded in verifying the prophe-
cies of the ever-earnest Ullman; and it was said
that the former so unpoetic, even once to
have died "a stase-death, hOwever), with so little
regard to the probable costume of the age repre-
sented as to expose to the full view Of parquette
and dress-crcle, what, do you think nothing
nor less than her hooped-skTt! Of course this
sufficient to give offence to the ladies at least,
although the gentlemen might have forgiven it,
perhaps. But added to the aforementioned faur
pas she could neither sing act, so both she and
! SperanEa have had to sink in the deep mire of
public insignifcance. L pity them
1t is with feelings of great qualification and pride
that after a rumored loss of sixteen thousand dol
lars, occasiOned to the le,sees of the Academy, by
the failure of the aforementioned foreign artists
have to record the great and unequivoeaI sue
cess of youthful American Prima Donna, who has
never studied sboroad yet whose impersonations
have been favorably compared with those of the
iIustrious Malibran and Piccolomini.
This fascinating little mortal rejoices in what is
to my mind very fascinating little name-it be-
ing no other than Adelina Patti. Is it not sweet
If the name is not, its certainly is for
more celestial little warbler never descended from
above to gladden. hearts, least since l have
been cosmopolite
Her voice is clear, high, soprano-not one of
your shrill squeaking human piccoIo flutes, but
full, pure, musical sound, such grateful to
listen TO, as it is rare. Her vocalizaion is of the
Lagrange order, but not TO such an excessive and
Ito my taste) unpIeasantly instrumental degree.
Of form, phrase, and harmonico progressive modu-
latiOn, she possesses native perception, and
sequently never hears her give false expression
to any series of effects. 1 have heard her sing up
to above the treble staff and as low as below;
this will convey some idea of her compass. All
the intermediate register is smooth and nrbro<an-
7 long remember a certain exqUiSitely
hut chr ieh sha
introduced into an ARA one evening last
week When l say careless" | mean it was
thrown off, as master is said to add the finishing
scale evinced her thorough mastery Of the vocal
muscles just what older vocalists have often spent
a lifetime in acq uiring.
Truly she promises to become the heroine.
Very exaggerated accounts have been published
regarding her present position and the offers al
ready made her by outsiders, bat l heard this
from good authority that she was en-
gagged to one manager for three years. The sala-
~ however was not mentioned. Oh how incon-
gruous does money seem with such musical
fairy
The Philharmonic Society have given their first
concert, and splendid one it in every detail
Schubert's seventh symphony, extraordinary
work and colossal in its proportions, the great
orchestral feature. 1t took almost a whole hour
to play this one piece of music. But it is full of
The most charming beauties. Young Arthur Ma
poleon played at this concert, and the composition
'hosen was his own Fantasia on the Opera "-Nqr-
ha." He played it perfectly, and when eneored
al &C |
That literary and fine art journal" the "Musicai
orld, gravey said in its notice of this concert,
hat Napoleon substituted a popular melody"
We often pity country cousins who have no
more reliable sources of information to depend
lpon regarding metropolitan art transactions than
Iuch contained in such Musical papers
The great topic of statuesque conversation and
interest at present seems to be Palmer's new and
great work, the "White Captive.
1t was my good fortune to view this statue be-
fore it left the studio of its great and talented
designer, and judging from modern and antique
,asts which surrounded it there, it certainly sur
passed them all in the exquisite naturalness and
symmetry of proportion which constitute the true
dealizstion of perfect form.
Among other models which in the same
room with this marvellous production plas-
ter copy of the famous Venus di Mediei, which
appeared lean and ''scraggy" when compared with
the "White Captive"
When one turns from such sanctums as the
Dusseldorf Gallery to the Philharmonic, from
thence to the Opera (when Patti sings) and thence
to Schaus's picture Baraar, where the ''White
Captive" is being exhibited, he can but exclaim
in hopeless frenzy of emotion, 0 Genius ge-
MUS how wonderful how Godlike art thou, |
whether exhibited in the magical tinting of dead
canvass, the incomprehensible and intangible Gre
alton of angelic strains, or the humanized vivi-
faction of the cold shapeless marble And now
let turn to hide our bootless tears ana 'ry 10
feel our littleness IiAolhi AAiNN'