The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-09-14
Face to. Face with Deafh--She
Wonders What the Amer
leans Will Say"
uGNOR sALVINI IT WORK In THE ACADEMY.
Prepared to Find American Audiences Cold
but Determined to Warm Them.
Why Fre Cannot Act Othello Two
Nights in Succession.
&ariDus Particulars About the Great Prima
Donna and the Great Tragedian.

UUuQu Quu VIUut
The typtcal prima donna is assumed to be mi
racul0us union OF strange antitheses. She passes
her infancy In poverty and her maturity in spen-
dor, MARBLES In the streets at thirteen and has the
horses taken from her carriage by enthusiastic
youths at thirty. In childhood she twirls the tam
BOURNE for the pleasure OF the public; In woman
hood she twists that public round her little finger
with equal facility OF all people she ought to I'M
derstand human nature, since she Is brought face
to face with 1t In its extremes. She shakes hands
with the peasant at the beginning Of her
career and with Q worldful of princes
at the end, eats barley hammock and
milk among the humble homesteads Of her
youth, and later on in Mfe like Solomon's spider,
stakes hold with her hands and Is in kings pal
aces" This Is the popular idea OF the typical sue
cessfu prima DONNA and perhaps 1t is not very far
out Of the way. At any rate there are sufficient
number OF instances corresponding to this picture to
Justify the extent to which it finds favor. Hence
the interest with which the world regards all the
environments Of o great s0ngstress. Once in
while you may successfully nash in the eyes Of the
public great tenor or great barytOnc, or even
o great basso, who has risen from obscn'.ty t.,
eminence; but the public always comes back tc its
hankerlng after prima donna, and thinks all
to crust and cottage. At least American
sympathies run strongly in this direction, pos
sibiy because in America fame and fortune are
Oftener won by the inhertors Of poverty than in
any other nation under heaven. In these reasons
are to be behed portion Of the cause OF that az
iectionate interest with which United States
audiences have for the last three years attended
the fortunes Of Nine. Nilsson They sympathized
with childhood Of poverty because SO many Of
them had once been poor. They sympathized with
her long struggle and the brilliant triumph 1t
secured because that struggle was the perfect
reelection OF what is every day seen In this
coAntry. They sympathized with her cnasre
temperament and OSCILLATIONS, with her genius
and capacity for labor, because these were the
pressions OF an American standard OF art and
womanhood united.
a writer upon the stan OF the HERALD called
yesterday upon Nine. Nilsson, at the hotel 1.-THE
Clarendon,) where she is staying. He found the
artist in perfect health and Spirits and looking the
prototype OF the Mile Nilsson whom the American
public lost eighteen months ago. Those months
have left no outward record Of their flight. What
inward record they haveleft will be seen when the
curtain goes up and violetta and Lucia and Mignon
and all the rest come trooping on. In the course
OF conversation Nine. Nilsson made many illusions
TO her recent career in Russia. She likes the
enthusiasm with which they received her. Both
in Moscow and st Petersburg her success was en-
phatIc. In the latter city her benefit night was
something to be borne in sensitive remembrance
by her (she says to the latest day Of her life. The
poor students came pouring out in scores; they
surrounded the doors OF her hotel. and when she
was about to enter her carriage several OF them
seized her, and, inspired by an enthusiasm which,
In spite OF its violence never even lost respect
That seemed to border on reverence, took her in
their arms and bore her in triumph to the theatre,
tho others, each with lighted fambeau
IN his hand, forming a procession. The
whole city was alive with these frantic worship
pers and finally the police turned out in full force,
holding themselves in readiness in the event Of
hre. During the performance at this theatre she
was recalled forty. i've times, and the stage was
absolutely Embedded with flowers upon which it
was necessary for her to walk several yards be-
fore reaching the fo0tghts. Finally, in answer to
20 seat herself at a piano, which was conveniently
near, and sing one or two OF the Russian national
royal family uniting up to the last moment, in
the popular enthusiasm. AS the opera had been
.'Mgnon, and as the heroine had her hair stream
unique and picturesque. But the honors which
Nine. Nilsson reaped in st. Petersburg assumed
was all very well to receive especial gifts of value
from various members Of the royal family and to
gard presented by the students must have some
Times sorely tried the equability OF the artists
nerves. on more than one occasion,
Americans, some of the students, IN
company with not few officers Of digni.
and welded themselves into floor upon which
Nine. Nilsson was obliged to walk in order to
oer TOO at aSs
brance. ut was really too trying to an artists
feelings 40 expect her to accept it, But there they
people behaved So sometimes that was fright
ened.v Being requested to mention the partlcu-
lars Nine. Nilsson said that the people rushed to
the edge OF the stage, snatcned at the hem OF her
dress and tore 1t into fragments caught her and
seid her SO that she Soqld not rot. move,
nave resem6ied that Of the "priest ali
t Eat and torn they stole her gloves, her
took the slippers from her feet. The prma donna
VINO wonld go nnmoved through such scenes must
tion. SO far as enthusiasm goes, st. Petersburg
audience Is the beau ideal. Nothing to compare
sterling and stoid; but, once having secured their
goodwill, you may count on retaining 1t even after
nave G IS vt Gu the vG1s and you, artistic
son added the Russians were In the right. They
cease to shower these demonstrations OF approval
np0n an artist the moment she comes back to them
with q broken voice or powers otherwise i'm.
paired. Nine. Nilsson acqnIesced in this treat
90 remain the idol Of public when She had once
begun to fail
THE EFFECT OF APPLAUSE ON THE NERVES.
American audiences Mime. Nilsson thought
nave all the s0dty Of the English and all the enthu
iDiastc feeling OF the Russians WITHOUT the outward
expression OF 1t. They kept their feelings more to
themselves but those feelings were all there. When
questioned with respect to the fatigue OF respond
Ang f0rtynve times In the course Of single even
1nR 70 the calls OF the audience, Nine. Nilsson
"0h yesl II is very fatiguine--but
like itp' Who ever heard OF Drima donna get
ting tired OF genuine applause9 The effect how
ever, upon her nervous organization she declared
20 be often painful II shattered her for the time
being filed her with wild leeltngs which pre-
vented her Neing fully conscious OF what she
was about. Tut these enthnsfasms over. she