National Republican., 1885-08-10

struction at the Conservatoire, for the
tuition is free TO every nationality. Miss
Griswold, believe, is the only Ameri.
can girl who ever obtained first prize
in vocal music, but the rarity of Ameri
can pupils in this branch is explained by
the great difficulty Of sufficiently over
coming the foreign acceht-an indispens.
able condition for successful French
career. In the instrumental classes there
have been several American pupils, and
recall the names of Miss Harkness, Miss
Carpenter, and Miss Maud Powell among
those in recent years who have studied in
Prof. Dancla's violin class.
Thus far this week the only class cx.
amined is the singing class, aud the re-
suit as far as the theater is concerned is
not encouraging. Most of the male com.
petitors have passed the age when their
voices are young and flexible, and il
some Of them succeed in becoming good
professors very few of them will have any
chance at the theater. Two Of those rare
birds, the tenors, have been found out
Of twenty.one competitors, and we shall
see when they sing IN the opera and
opera comiquo classes if the stage is
likely TO count two more artists. The
first one Is M. Gandubert, second
prize of last year, who sang an air from
'Tphigenie," and the second, M Due,
who sang an air from Gounod's "Reine
de Saba" M. Gandubert has q very
sweet voice, and sings with style, but
M. Due has strong and piercing voice,
which is devoid Of the charm so notice.
able in his comrades organ. Two sec.
ond prizes were given to M. Delmas and
M. Balleroy, the first o bass and the
second barytone. There were twenty.
two competitors in the female class to-
day, and although the jury awarded q
lesser number Of prizes than yesterday,
the singing was, as whole, much bet.
ter. The two first prizes given to Miss
Moore and Mile. Salambiani were ap.
proved by everybody, and even some of
the aspirants who met with no favor
from the jury were awarded recompenses
by the enthusiastic audience. Miss
Moore isa pretty blonde Of %; some
say she is American, others Irish, but
want of time has not permitted me to find
out the exact truth. J ~ events she
is an Anglo.Saxon, and is bound to have
q success in the future. 1t was the first
time she competed for the prize, and the
way she sang the difficult mad air Of the
fourth act of "Hamlet' shows that she
has an artistic nature, as well as q fine
mezzo-soprano voice at once flexible
and solid. In spite of her accent she
triumphed over all the difficulties of the
morceau and captured the jury and
public. Her place is at the Grand
nnara ,,,hara ,,a aho1I ,N.ahnhl,, hen,
her later on. Mile. Salambiani has
fresh and agreeable voice, and sings
with much feeling. She will make q
good Dugazon for the Opera Comique.
Mile. Ribeyrie, who gained the second
prize, had the misfortune to choose the
same morceau as Miss Moore. She
sang it well, but not as brilliantly as her
rival. Out OF the twenty-five competi-
tors there were two contraltos, but the
jury was merciless for them, although
one of them, Mile. Vidal, sang the air
from the "Favorite" with great taste
and feeling
DEATH OF FORMER BEAUTY.
There has just been buried here lady
who, under the empire, was one of the
most brilliant members of the Polish
colony, and who by her marriage with a
distinguished novelist and dramatic au.
thor became Parisienne in name as
well as in fact, Nine. Jules Lacroix was
80 at the time of her death, and her dis
appearance recalls great many sonve-
Mrs of social and literary life in the
French capital during the last thirty
years. 1t was after the death of her
first husband, Count Chrkovitcil, that
she came TO Paris, where her younger
sister had recently preceded her as the
wife of Honore de Balzac, the author of
the "Comedie. Humane" Both the
sisters were remarkable for their intelli-
gence and beauty, and it is not sur.
prissing that, after the younger one had
conquered the greatest French novelist
Of the century, the elder one should have
captivated so distinguished mind as M.
Jules Lacroix. The marriage took
place in 1861, soon after the
successful production of "Valeria" at
the Comedie Franchise. Ever since the
Polish insurrection of 1880 there has
been a numerous Polish colony at Paris,
but it was in the early years of the last
empire that this colony was remarkable
for its intellectual brilliancy. 1t was in
the salons of several Polish ladies' that
the dying art of conversation still found
q refuge, and it was there that the cream
of the French intellectual world met all
that was charming and gracious in the
Polish society that had been driven from
its own land. Nine. Lacroix opened her
salon Immediately after her marriage,
and IL at once became one of the most
distinguished. Gautier, Janin, Viennet,
Dumas, Louis Boulanger, Merry, Ma.
quet, Paul de Saint Vitor, in short,
all the most illustrious men and beau.
tiful women of the epoch we're among
Nine. 1acroix's usual guests. Some
years ago M. Lacroix became blind, and
it was eceRsary to interrupt these regular
gatherings, but the friends of former days
always remained faithful to tho host and
hostess in spite of increasing age and in
6rmities. In the last years of her life
Nine. Lacroix was the devoted aid of
her husband in his literary work. She
read to him all the books and news.
pers, and acted as his amanuensis in
transcribing all his thoughts. Certainly
this noble woman will be greatly missed
by the companion whose steps she has
so faithfully guided during all these
years of darkness.
LORD RANDoLPH's EASY VICTORY.
At home, as usual, Lord Randolph
Churchill has monopolized public atten-
ton. The latest aud perhaps most fiat.
tering triumph of this young man has
been the address unanimously adopted
at Liverpool by the Tory Association