The New York herald., 1872-11-24
SECOND RATE SINGERS As FIRST RATE
STARS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
When the Italian opera troupe a few weeks ago
was attacked with what thought undue severity
/ wrote to the HERALD and stated what / knew
about operate matters in Europe and endeavored
to show that justice mad not been done to the sing
ers Of that troupe.
But must decline going into a discussion which
has no public interest and no Importance for art,
and to participate in what is nothing but an idle
quarrel about attempting to prove any singer of
that company can be compared to Nine. Lucca.
only spoke about Miss Kellogg as a member Of
the troupe, and since she Is not an artist whose
conception talent are OF any impOrt tance to mu.
sicians or OF great interest to the public at large
consider 1t simply waste OF paper and the valua-
BILE space of the HERALD to put par
ticular stress on her singing not sing
ing. II IL suits the purpose Of any scribe
whose bad faitn and ignorance are all that could
make him conspicuous among the gentlemen of the
press to make inventions like the arpeggio which
Rubinstein added to the piano, or the genius OF
singer who, as her most able defender admits,
lacks all dramatic inspiration, both in her singing
and acting, "that Is no reason why those critics,
who know what music Is, should take any more
notice of the Kellogg star than OF the Rubinsten
Another matter is, Nine. Lucca's world wide
glory and genius, and when we see this same
honest and able writer state that the Valentine in
the 'Huguenotsn Is not q role where Nine. Lucca's
best talents are called into play, or that her voice
is not adapted to the music, we can only shrugg
our shoulders at such deplorable criticism
Nine. Lucca has been discovered, engaged,
educated taught by Meyerbeer, carefully instructed
by himself how to sing IN every one OF his operas
the part he assigned to her. She s the greatest
and the only living authority to show us the ira.
ditiOns and the Intentions OF this immortal COM
poser. IT. therefore the Arpeggi0boy obeys not those
here adapted TO sing Meyerbeer's music he only
adds new arpeggto to the stupidity, the bad faith
and the barefaced ignorance and dupicity Of his
articles. Harm he can do to no one but to himself
and TO the editor OF respectable paper, which is
soiled by the work OF an entirely unit and unrel-
able reporter. Is 1t not revolving to know that this
very same man who now 1nds Miss Kellogg o peer
less star who wrote, two years ago, an article OF
seven columns demonstrating the ncapacity and un.
illness OF Miss Kellogg ever to be great singer The
nationality has nothing to do with artistic merit,
and puffing does not mislead the public The best
proof the want OF popularity OF singer like Miss
Kellogg both In England and America. She never
drew there, she never drew here; not because she
IL an American, but because nothing In her Is ex-
traOrdinary; because good colonel Is q bad gen.
eral because being In the first rank OF second rate
singers does not make first rate singer, and 1t Is
only bad taste and bad judgment that can try to
push an artist from place which he can creditably
fll to place which Is beyond his powers.
only beg to add that taking note en- dess0sts
does not at all mean nat or false singing, but at
tackng the note wrongly from below, ana that
the 'Jewel song shorI OF its fnal GU could not by
any means be sung with G, q note which never
existed III It, the song being written in +. and,
therefore, no G can be either the final note even
the last note but one On the chord ofB. VIAT0R.