The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-03-26
rho Downrer Counties. Of Errex.


since the deceased lady was ennobled by her
marriage with the fifth Earl Of Essex, and
for forty-three years she had been widow.
II Is not the demise of leader Of fashion ~
that we are recording. The late Dowager
Countess had not been, like the late Sophia,
Countess Brownlow, the spectator and the
chronicler ofmomentous historic events. She
was not, as the still happily surviving Wis
countess Combermere is, the reliot Of one Of
those Peninsillar heroes whose names yet
stir, as with the sound Of a trumpet, the
hearts of Englishmen, and to very many of
the public the style and little Of the aged and
estimable peeress now numbered among the
dead will convey no kind Of purpcrt or sig
nifcance. Far different will be the feelings
of those who are versed In the history Of the
English lyric stage, for they will remember
that of the English operate profession the
late Lady Essex was during many yeats one
OF the brightest ornaments and, although
the younger generation Of playgoers may
have but vague and shadowy remembrance
of her fame, the "veterans of the first line,"
the seniors who can remember Vestris, Patton,
and Maria Tree in their prime, and who
have heard their fathers talk of Ellington
and STORAGE and Catalini, will be deeply
moved by the passing away OF the noble
lady who was once the enchanting "Kitty
Stephens.
The father OF Katherine Stephens was
respectable carver and glider at the West
End of London. II was al a very early age
that she began TO manifest her genius for
the lyric art, and when she was old enough
to receive scientific instruction she was
placed under the tuition of Signor LAMA, a
professor of Italian singing of some merit,
bat much inferior TO Sapio and to Velluti.
She became Signor Lanza's pupil in 1907,
when she was only thirteen years of age, and
remained with him five years, singing con-
stantly, and gaining many laurels at con-
certs in the provinces; but in ISL she passed
from the tutelage of her Italian professor to
that of the we'll known I" Tom " WEIGH, who
is contemptuously alluded to-such is fame
as ga Mr.. WEIGH" Mr.. Thomas WEIGH
was, during the Regency as famotts in the
musical world of London as John Cramer or
Henry Bishop. He was the proprietor of the
Argyle Concert-rooms in Argyle Place, Re-
gent street, which were destroyed by fire; and
IL was probably through his connection with
Harlow, of whom he was the munifcent pa
iron, that Miss Stephens's portrait appeared
in the {" Trial of Queen Katherine" picture.
1t was Mr.. Welch who perfected the musical
education of Miss Stephens, fitted her for the
stage and on the 23d of September, 1913,
brought out the young debutante, who was
just nineteen, at Convent Garden Theatre in
the part of Mundane iii Dr. Arnes sweet but
now obsolete opera of Artaxerxes.' The
musical critic of the Examiner was enthusiasts
tic about the youthful singer. He declared
that the harmony, the delicacy, and the origi-
nal fancies of Arne's songs lost none of their
graces in passing through her melodious
tones, and that " the difficulties of the COM
poser's airs vanished before one who had no
rival except in the inimitable Catalini."
The elegant prettinesses and mellifuous ar
ticulations of Miss Stephens reminded the
critic frequently of Bertinotti. Her voice
was described as very flexible, and only
wanted the confidence of habit to initiate,
with success, the tones of every passion.
1t was also admitted that in addition to
her exoelences as a singer Miss Stephens
acted with tolerable skill. Her face was said
"not to lack animation, and to be very
pretty" while it is amusing to read touching
| the personal appearance ofthe future Coun-
tess of Essex that her person and demeanor,
although not ladylike, were far removed
| from vulgarity." On the whole the musical
Aristarc6us of 1913 approved of Miss
Miss Stephens's Mundane, and had no doubt
that she would be equally successful as Polly
in "Thn Beggars' OPERA The critic in this
| instance was true prophet, for Katherine
| Stephens created almost as great q " furore,
as the heroine of /" The Newgate Pastoral as
nearly hundred years before had been
created by the original Polly, the bewitching
Lavinia Fenton. II is curious to remember
that the " Beggars Opera" at the old Gear
den, has given two Polles TO the peerage.
Miss Fenton became Duchess of Bolton and
Miss Stephens Countess of Essex. 1t is not
less worthy of note that in 1914, the yeai
following /" Ktty's" debut, London
newspaper was deploring &c the decline OF
the popularity of Miss Stephens She was
told that the public had begun to withdraw
its favor from her. She was compassionately
reminded that the English were not must.
cal people, and that, with the exception of a
few national melodies, their ears were in
capable of deriving pleasure from any must
cal sounds. She was politely informed tina
her popularity had arisen "partly from tn,
real admiration of some people of science
but chiefly from the exceeding hustle which
the noisy tribe of small composers snC
smaller music masters, who will he eventu
ally still smaller composers themselves, al
continue TO make among their humble ad
mirers and paFsve pupils" She wa
warned that" a popularity so formed coul'
not be lasting" and consoled with the pros
pect, when few more months of bustling APP
plause were over, of sc enchanting a selec
few with her sweet science" As matte
Of fact, Katherine Stephens retained her won
derful popularity wholly undiminished TO
a quarter of a century.
In the year of her Majesty's coronation
1888, it leased pier of the realm, who ha
only been few weeks a widower, to talk
unto himself a second wife. The noblema
in question was the Earl of Essex, distin
guished patron of the drama, and one of tn
first to salute the rising star of Edmun
: Kean. The lady whom his Iordship sc
/ lected as his second spouse was the admira
!, BILE actress and vocalist, Miss Katherin
i Stephens. She had attained the mature az
4 of forty -four, but was still as charming a
ever, when her noble admrer laid his heal
Q and his coronet, together with splendi
settlement, at her feet. The Faction
. James Smith, one of the authors of I'll
n " Rejected Addresses" did not omit to tax
note Of the marriage of the delightful voca
ist and igh-minded woman whose virtu,
a we're to adorn the British aristocracy; an
n in his " Poetic illusions" published in ls4
5 after eulogizing Miss Farren, who BEGAN
3 Countess of Derby; Miss Bolton--anoth,
Polly-who was espoused by Lord Thurloy
. and Miss 0'Nell, who became Lady Beche
the bard addressed the Sweet singer who's
n popularity had been qualified as declil
& ing SO far back as 1914. Thus wrote Jam,
{ Smith in 1888: " Last of this dear deligh
t full list--Most followed, wondered In II,
mems odds and evens, Old Essex Gagged OF
nightingale, And finished thy Theatre
: tale, Enchanting Kitty Stephens" No
9 "mrth is changed to melancholy" an
/ Katherine, Countess Dowager of Essex,
!, dead.
\ II has been said that no English singer b
: fore or after her has ever built SO pure an
& perfect an English style upon AN elabora
: Italian basis, and that her purity rendere
i her performance the very model of what OF
Q nation calls " chaste u singing. Thorn,
y Noon Talford declared that "the same una
IS fected simplicity, the same quiet Patio
!; the same graceful tenderness which Ia
= enchanted him in the Katherine Stephei
j; of 1914 remained unframed in 1880, whe
. she was as delightful in " Love in Village
a as she had been delightful in Polly. Leig
a Hunt, when he came out of jail, declare
IS that " her bird-like triumphs in the part
10 Polly were like nothing else heard on II