The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-05-01
Kate Field on American Taste-Sopra-
no VS.. Contralto.

But really, do you appreciate the
American love of novelty? For may
part, I am beginning to admire the
English trait of tenacity to tradition.
70 be somebody or somethinr new is to
be an offence to the understanding only
conquer the English, and they are your
friends for life. Once favorite, always
favorite. Though your golden hair
turn gray, your alabaster complexion
become luminous with beef and beer,
YOUR graceful figure approximate to
Dutch cheese, your glorious voice attain
The quaver of uncertain age, you remain
the goddess you were when Love whis-
pered to you of youth and beauty.
There is divinity in such loyalty. 1t
inspires an artist to remain an artist,
for it means that art is long. And sup
pose you are occasionally bored by an
exhibition of fsuperannuation Is it not
infinitely better than our way of ignor-
ing what has grown up among us, Or
what has been put before us season afte
season? Good art is good art, and
among cultivated audiences it is no more
necessary to change the artist than it is
necessary for the vilinist to change his
instrument. Year after year, Titiens
and Trebelli-Bettini are the mainstays
of Drury Lane. No one tires of them,
although neither is what she once was.
Here they would be buried alive. We
had rather rush to an inferior novelty
than walk composedly to well-known
excellence. | do not appreciate this
national characteristic. no more COM
prehend it than 1 comprehend another
amiable weakness, tobacco chewing, the
depths of which l have vainly strived to
sound. My nature is incomplete; but
while there is life there is tobacco Chew
ing as well as hope. 1 fail to under
stand why great artist like ADELAIDE
Phillips does not appear upon the New
York operatic stage. For months our
ears have been tortured by third-rate
contralto while one of the best in the
world-I should say the best, is Miss
Phillips were not wicked enough to be
an American-has been giving concerts
the entire season. Will the public
never tire of high notes? Will they
never learn to estimate rightly the rich
ness and glorious depth of genuine
contral to voice? By what demoraliza-
tion has it come to pass that prima
donna means soprano? Does it require
less art and genius to be great contralto
than great soprano? Were Malibran
alive, she would find her occupation
gone. She would see soprano usurping
Rosina in "The Barber of Seville" and
Zorlina in don Giovanni" Operas
written for contraltos are ignored, and
why? Because of fashionable freak
In the language Of the Hampton colored
"Now sin't dat hard ?"
1t is, it is very hard, and / ask whether
something cannot be done about it
You reply that there cannot. Very well,
them in the name OF respectable min
ority, 1 protect against the incompre-
hensible favoritism shown to sopranos
at the expense of contralos, and express
a sincere regret that so gifted singer
and actress as ADELAIDE Phillips is given
no opportunity to appear in roles in
which she has no superior. We, the
minority, will never rest content until
native ability receives as enthusiastic
recognition as that which crosses the
Atlantic for the purpose of making more
money than can be obtained elsewhere.