The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-01-14

0oyD Hrlt6k WIZ WOUb0 R0yO Oobl8uotou uoE-
est 40 - isdy critic" Increases the charm.
He looks pure, natural. and vigorous. rs i'm
agne Adam in Paradise. His inspired soul
dwslis In strong frame Of admirable proper
lions, and looks out intensely from his earaest
eyes. 80 When he takes his violin and holds It
90 caressingiy to his ear. to catch the faint
vibration OF It's strings. tho angels pass into
his soul. give him their tones and look out
from his eyes with the wondrous beauty OF in
SEPARATION. His motions sway TO the music like
q tree in the winds: for soul and body chord"
This effort Of a gifted" critic made a great
sensation In Its day. but 20 far. 1t will be OBJ
served. We hear nothing about the artists tech
nical proficiency; tho feminine eye has been
daxzled By personal appearance and stAge bust
ness. But In the following extract the critic
has rousod herself to more serious and pene-
tratlng study Of tho vlolinist's powers: He
played on four strings ut onoe and produced
the rich harmony OF four instrumental. His
how touched tho strings as II In sport. and
brought forth light leaps Of sound with electric
rapidly. yot clear In their distinctness.
He mals his violin sing with dute-like
voice. and accompany itself with q guitar.
which came In over anu anon like big drops OF
musical rain. Oh, the exquisite deli
cacy OF those notes! now tripping and fairy
like a. the song Of Ariel; now soft and low -
the breath OF q sleeping babe yet clear "a a
1ne.toned boil: now high as u lark soaring up
ward. till lost among the starsl Noble
families sometimes double their names to dis
tinguish themselves from collateral branches
Of inferior rank. have doubled his and. In
memory OF the Persian nightingale. have
named him Ole Bulbul." After this Bulbul
episode. In which the critic touches the
high water mark OF hor genius. we
are not surprised TO hear that her
exquisiteiy attuned organization was almost
ruinously shattered By subsequent contact with
tho common sights and sounds OF earth. As
/ came out" she tells US. of tho building. tho
street sounds hurt me with thoir harshness.
The sight OF ragged boys and Unfortunate
coachmcn Jared moro than ever on my feel
inys. wanted that the angels that had min
istered to my spirit should attune theirs Also"
We infer that. failing to emerge from this fno
frenzy the author Of this "critique" stumbled
UP the wrong door step. and tried her latch key
In vain. for she says In conclusion: passed
by my earthly homo and knew 1t not"
The truth Is that the Norwegian minstrel pro-
duced on our flne writer's OF that day the stimu-
lating maddening effect OF red rag upon q
bull In 1852. on the occasion OF the violinist's
second visit. Mr.. George William Curtis rushed
into the arena. but. although he acquitted him
solf creditably. no failed to reach the level OF
tho criticism from which we have quoted. and
which. as We have said. was penned for Boston
audience. There were moments. however. when
Mr.. Curtis, too, was very fne. rs for example.
In tho following flowers OF rhetoric which have
naturally been culled for tho present biography:
ole Bull was the Oo Bull OF old His andante
and adagiO movements revealed In remarka-
bio degree that singular subtlety OF his play
Ing Ivy which the instrument and the means
1n-k .,vpA ss,a "
What pity 1t is that Mr. Curtis did not here
DO where tho instrument and the means are not
lost sight Of. But tho inquiry IL frivolous. Let
us try to follow Mr.. Curtis In his rcsolute chase
Of metaphors from the realm OF sound to that
OF light. In which he seems equally at home {:
" Certain OF his str okes are like rays OF light;
they seem to fash and gllsten sound. rather
than produce It by mechanical means" Again
we read: 81 II We return more directly TO his
performance Wa fnd purity. q firm
ness. a sweetness and breadth OF tone
which Is unprecedented" What exhaustive
experience. what absolute knowledge. are
calmly postulated In the word unprecedented.
But We must indulge ourselves In one extract
moro. Tho VIOLIN" continues Mr.. Curtis.
eloQuently. hns NO secrets from him. 1t waits
upon him - Arioi unon P-ospero There is no
lddle left In 1t. 1t sings and shouts and weeps
rs he wills 1t Is an orchestra. or q flute. or an
Kolian harp. as the mood siezes him. The
brilliancy. the incredible articulation and the
rapidly OF his execution-upon one string. or
four strings-with all kinds OF marvellous ef-
fects and whims. with the intensity and pre-
cIsion Of his bowling. are In harmony with all
the rest. They are called tricks. but they are
only such tricks Us the wind and clouds play"
We have made those quotations from the
early American criticism on Ole Bull not only
because they oxemplify q curious chapter Of
our literary history. but because they enable
the Intelligent and instructed reader to divine
the Crude among artists to which the Nor
weglsn violinist belonged. and to appreciate
the causes and nature OF the popularity which
he acquired. 1t Is significant that nowhere
was Ole Bull so rapturously applauded ~ in this
country. and that next to the United States the
provincial cities Of Great Britain afforded him
tho most tumultuous and bewldered audi
ences. De Bull was not ono Of those who as
pire to satisfy fit audience though few" and
his biographer is constrained to rely. for the
most part. for proof Of his technical excellence
on the irreiragable fact that he made q great
deal OF money. and on such auxiliary credcn-
tials Us are furnished by the ediiyiny criticism
reproduced above.
Wsasa's Dress fren the Firth t. tie Mae.
tsesth Century.
No ono but Frenchman could cope with
so serious q subject as The History OF Fashion,
for no one but Frenchman could revel with
such philosophic air In the mysteries OF
nounce and furbelow. The history OF fashion
In France is the history OF fashion In the world.
and N. AUoUsrIN CHALLAMEL finds all the ma
terlal he can use in his own country. and We
nta vofk,, TO- D,-