The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-04-12
TITIENS.
Her visit to the white House.

, the successor of Wellington and Have
lock-"
The Presidents family received the
great primadonns with every mark of
Kindness and esteem, and she was delight
ed with her reception at the Executive
Mansion. If you never saw one woman
fall in love with another you ought to
have beheld Titiens succumb to Mrs.
Fred Grants beauty and sweetness. The
great Ortiste couldn't take her eyes offthe
en- gagin z young girl.wife; and when Mrs.
Fred seated herself at the piano and play.
ed Titiens' Accomplishments with real
skill-pausing an indefinite time for her
trills and hurry. skurrying up and down
the key board when things got exciting
Il must believe you would haye been
proud of your beautiful Chicago girl who
held her own in musical encounter with
one of the greatest lyric geniuses OF the
age.
Senator Oglesby was presented at this
reception. He came up 10 me and shook
hands warmly. We fell to talking OF
Illinois in the intervals of the singing.
give lived in Decatur" said Oglesby,
heartily, "for forty years. Decatur is as
nice town -"
But chutl Titiens' voice is soaring
aloft, aud the Senator's proud eAeomi-
ums on the excellence of Decatur are ST.
fenced. He finishes the sentence by com.
mandatory rolling of the eyes, and ap-
probative shakes of the head.
Do you know. Titiens laughed ike
Punch when she read what wrote the
other day to you about the absurdity Of
singers carrying on their parts and stick
ing their noses between the leaves oftheir
music as they sing.
Ma chere," said she; "that is funny to
read; but it is really imperative to carry
on ones music sometimes. We obey a
sacred custom-that's all. A carefully
educated audience would feel shocked If
singer did otherwise in oratorio, for
instance. Just the same way do you car
ry your prayer book to church; you know
your prayers, yet you read them in your
prayer book.
Having thus mado the an'ende honora-
bic to singers noses by giving Iltlen
explanation, / turn to other features.
No more delightful gossip for women
could be heard or read than the record OF
the performances, social and artistic, of
this great singer. She has sung before
the Queen for seventeen seasons
Queen Victoria," said Titiens, In re-
Spouse to my request to tell me some de-
tails concerning the English court, lis a
wonderfully accomplished woman and
most kind and pleasant to artistic people.
When a state concert is given at Buck
ineham Palace the hour fixed for as open
ing is ten o'clock. The singers are gath
cred upon a plstform and the male musi.
cians-that is, the orchestra dressed
in court costume; knee breecheS, cutaWay
coats, silk stockings, low shoes, &c. The
singers are in full evening dress. Any
where from ten o'clock to eleven the
Queen arrives in tho concert-room, toll
lowed by her court; the band immediate
" begins to play. Cad save the Queen.
The singers stand up and curtsey pro-
foundry as the court approaches. The
Queen, the Princes and the Princesses
bow on all sides. All bow to them. And
then"
1.-The pie is opened" interpolated.,
Exactly" answered the diva, with q
laugh; sand the birds begin to sing.
There is no applause-that is, no SOUND oil
applause; there is a fiction of clapping
hands which signifies applause, but no
noise"
After the concert is over the Queen
speaks to the singers, addressing each one
in hi, or her yernacular. TO Titiens she
speaks German, to another singer French
10 another Italian. Each of these Ian
guases Her Majesty knows thoroughly
The royal!P Princes also address the SIN
gers; the minor court says nothing:
The Princess of Wales is most charm
ING" said Titiens, "but is rather shy
PERHAPS that is because she is little deaf
And she speaks in so low tone OF voiee
that it is difficult for the best ears to al
WAYS catch what she says
However, wheu the Princess remark;
To the leader of orchestra, Sir Michael
Bosts, "rhere is little collation. in the
next room, Costa; hope the ladies VIII
enjoy it." have no doubt they all heal
her distinctly.
Titiens' Jewels a-e valuable, but not SC
7 valuable as quaint. For instance, what
saw YOU TO great inch-wide, hat gold
chain of strsngest workmanship which
hangs about ner neck and falls to her
waist and TO which is attached the Rus
sian cross, tho which, l may remark,
not cross at all, but just appointed orna
ment framed in with scaliops OF beJewei
ed gold. The chain is worn in Russls
only by high priests of the Greek Church
and superstition wills il that If single
link should break never again should the
chain be worn, al risk Of direst calamity
Titiens, not being . high priest, does mol
pin her faith to this superstition, bal
wears the chain as Q beautiful curiosity
The cross is emblazoned with jewels, the
central stone Q strange, fat turquoise
though which run veins of gold, ana upon
whose surface Is plainly visible the rough
outline Of winged horse; these abnormal
sdornmeuts are said to be natural Ia the
stone, and not the work Of man. Nun
chausen never dies, you see; and wha'
would life be without little romance1
Another most beautiful and interesting
ornament which Titiens possesses Is
beacelet artntically ensmeled in whit.
4 and decked with one superb, large opal
that rainbow-hued stone which u said u
possets the talisinanic power Of revealing
J ! by its changing oolors, the vacillatine Al
Elections of the donor. This vas the gil
of Miss Tennyson, the sister Of the poe
-one of Titiens' most ardent, unappeasa
bic adorers. MISS Tennyson's picture |
inclosed in locket in the bracelet, AM
though am quite willing to believe thu