The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-10-14
dMUSE SfEN1S.
warbIers and singers.
what skylark voice Thursby hasi

Gilmorcs barracks. Such an audience one sell
dom sccs anywhere. II filled all the long par
allcls OF seats. flowed in dense human waves
over the partcrrcs and chokcd the promenade.
Coming after the crash OF the military bands.
this jet Of soprano was not unlike the tinklc OF
the misty fountain down there by the entrance
compared with the cataract that tumbles at the
other end. And yet the great mob was hushcd
and stood still. For few minutes. during which
she was warbling proch's variations the sound
VI the multitudinous feet on the gravel walks
ccused. and even the German walters waited.
1t was n clear. bcl-likc voice that penetrated
to every part OF the vast space. and. looking Mt
the slender figure standing there in Gilmore's
sea Of musicians. reaching every ear in the as-
scmhly with fluent ease. the wonder OF 1t was
that one small singer could do 30 much.
You know Pro'hs variations. for you doubt
less heard hi Murska sing the composition. or
perhaps you recall PcschkaLcutncr's broader
treatment Of IT, 1t is n purely soullcss problem
ofcNccution. n nodus OF runs. trills and inter-
walls. made for such human canarics as have
voices Of extraordinary compass and nucncy.
twas fashioned To show that now and then n
ginger can do with her voice what Levy does
with his cornct or NicuXtemps with his violin.
and 40 it passes for n show piece. and was
properly enough given at this great show.
But iis eircct upon the audience was magical.
When the staccato runs and the rouludrs were
over. and the singer slowly disappeared in the
mass OF musicians. the people took long
breath. There was second or two of silence.
Then there broke out all over the house such
spontaneous and unanimous cry rs one seldom
in a lifetime hears. The great wave of applause
rolled down from the long galleries and heaved
in a monster billow across the immense space
between. There were ten thousand hearty dis
IL, that ou I NuN
been three minutes before the vocalist made
her temperance. and then the gal,rics bios
somcd in moment like n vast cotton field. and
nothing could be seen but three acres of nuttcr-
ing handkcrchiefs
Miss Thursby never saw anything like II be-
fore. She trembled a little. ms indeed did all her
friends. But there was no tremor IN her voice
as she sang the old ballad. The same skycy
notes. some OF them seeming to twinkle in their
altitude with starry brilliancy; the same alb
sencc OF effort; the same voluhlc and spontane-
Gus utterancc as before; the same clean. sharp
delicacy and precision Of execution the same
noisy and demonstrative applause.
| But do you know. it struck me that Miss
Thursby sang the variations much better than
she snng the ballad. | think the ten thousand
admired the singer without being touched by
| the song True it was not an appropriate place
, in which to sing ballad. and the vocalist who
has ten thousand listeners may feel gratifed
AZ she has stirred their nervous centres without
} 'eaching their hearts. 1t is no small task to MI
ac Garden spaces at any time with the tones of
qe delicate instrument; 10 MI them with the
sediment Of 60 The Last Rose Of summer" IS
We nigh impossible
Thought Miss Thursby substituted marvel
loiE art for a common emotion. and believed
the,on thousand appauded her. without exact
IL f.. har f \ a. ion
rather than for her expression.
Braura singers. as you probably know. are
more plentiful than ballad singers. both here
and elsewhere. A vocalist who can sing "a bal
lad SO swenty and simply that you forget the
singer in the romance and reverie OF the old
music; who can cease to be an instrument and
become singer. is rare artist.
,,AIMsgiSA ~ hhahg ~apb2srs. ""'' ''''-1--
And it is this that wanted to speak Of. As a
rule our women who become vocalists lack both
spontaneity ana warmth. Miss Thursby does
not lack spontaneity. She only lacks ardor.
In other words. our best singers have more in
tellectual power than vital power. The KEEL
logs and -Abboiis are artists who have won
recognition 10y their requirements rather than
By their endowments. and somehow it always
seemed to me that they betrayed the sclf-con-
scious mental effort rs II they sang from their
brains and not from their hearts.
Let us not plunge into philosophy. 1t Is very
true that no artist can sing without brains. any
more than an artist can paint. or write. or carve
| without brains. II is also true that what Is
called. for want Of better word. spontaneity is
often the result Of the most laborious process sc-
and weari-ome training But we are very apt to
lift vocal art. which deals with universal Ian
guage. and employs what one may call a cosmi,
alphabet. out Of its elemental sphere into ouI
empire and narrow domain
Effective vocal utterance relates to perfect
vital condition. Of which. indeed. 1t is the ex-
preston. Recall now the great singers. and re-
mark what pictures Of vital strength they were
The tones that sink deepest into the human
heart are the blood red tones they are freighted
with life. and have the impulse OF strong organs
Do you forget the cornet voice Of Parepa-
Rosa that laid hold OF the American people so
strongly. especially when she sang n ballad
Our country cannot produce Lablache or an
Alboni | doubt II the world can produce
another Catalani. We have persuaded our
selves that it is better to produce small Per-
slams. But the truth l.. We cannot help our
selves Tor our art education has outstrpped
our vital condition.
Our singers reflect In their vocal eft ,rts thc
nervous Compartments the cerebral unrest the
anemic condition Of our people and as singing
can understand why it is that organization has
So much to do with the result.
Now and then n voice comes TO us out Of the
South whose tones warm us. We talk ralturous.
~ Of the Italian method and the southern
schools, but after all. the north has better
schools and greater determination. But all tn,
training, and all the intelligence in the worlt
will not melt the stecly notes Of that girl who's,
thin, pure, sharp utteranccs are the outcome d
her nature-the audible part OF her coniorma
ton She may be as bright as the borealls bu
she will be quite "a cold
Don't think am directing all this at Thursby
No, indeed. Thursby is entitled to but par
Of it. II one could weigh Thursbys qualinca
tons after hearing her at one concert thnl
thel would be found much heavier than any o
our recent sopranos. But the moment we maxi
list Il them they will be found 10 be purity
compass, deiiracy instead Of sweetness. breadth
and s'nSiblty. Hers is 10 me a peculiarly
American voice. II is like our atmosphrre-i
eXhilarntes, but it impur5 no color. 1t is use,
without mort, but the absence Of effort IS ais.
an absence Of emotion.