The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-04-25
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.
To be somebody or somethin" new is to
be an offence to the understanding only
conquer the English, and they are your
friends for life. Once a favorite, always
a 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. It
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 superannuatiOn 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 nomore
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 Drurv 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 a well-known
excellence. I do not appreciate this
national characteristic. I no more COM
prehend it than 1 comprehend another
| amiable weakness, tObaccO-chewing, the
| depths of which have vainly strived to
sound. My nature is incomplete; but
while there is life there is tobacco-chew-
| ing as well as hope. I 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
cnntraItO 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 a genuine
contral to voice ? By what demoraliza
tion has it come to pass that primG
donna means soprano? Does it require
less art and genius to be great cOntraltC
than a great soprano? Were Maibrar
alive, she would find her occupation
gone She would see soprano HsurpinG
Rosina in "The Barber Of Seville" anC
Zorlina in "Don Giovanni" Operas
written for contraltos are ignored, anC
why? Because of a fashionable freak
In the language OF the Hampton coloret
"NOw amt dat hard?"
1t is, it is very hard, and ask whethe,
something cannot be done about it
You reply that there cannot. Very well
then; in the name OF respectable min
ority, protect against the incompre
hensible EavoIitism shown to soprano
at the expense of contralos, and expires
a sincere regret that SO gifted singe
and actress as ADELAIDE Phillips is givel
no opportunity to appear in roles il
which she has no superior. We, tn
minority, will never rest content unit
native ability receives as enthusiast
recognition as that which crosses tn
Atlantic for the purpose of making NOR
money than can be obtained elsewhere
THE Empress Eugene, since tn
} death of her husband, has only one
taken a walk and twice gone out in
carriage. Except in these, and frequer