The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-17
THE ORIGINAL TRILBY.


THE ORIGINAL TRILBY.
Du Maurier's Heroine Famous English
prima Donna-Shc, Too Had Her
svcngall-A Parallel for the Novelist's
Two Characters Fonnd In Actual Life.
According to the New York World.
George Du Maurier's heroine, Tril-
by, was probably modelled after Nine.
Anna Bishop, and his Svengali after
Nicholas Charles Bochsa, the eccentric
Bohemian maestro. The theory Is sup
ported by Frederic Lyster, once Bocha's
chorus master. and now well known In
New York as author, composer ana
operatic manager. Ann Riviere. after.
ward Lady Henry Bishop. then Nine.
Anna Bishop and at last Mrs. Meyer
Schultz, was not successful as singer
until she fell In with Bochsa, then a
harpist in London.
This extraordinary parsonage was
chosen by Anna Bishop as her guide,
philosopher and friend" and under his
instructions and influence she became
a singer of rare excellence. Her beau
tiful voice was modulated, her tntona-
ton perfected, and. eventually, she
broke away from the restrictions i'm
posed upon her by Sir Henry Bishop.
and started on tour Of the world
under the direction and management of
her teacher, Bochsa, who from the first
established such complete control over
his pupil that she became a mere mar
ionette in his hands.
She sang, as 1t were, because he
willed her to sing. She left her busi-
ness as entirely in his hands as If she
were a child and he her father. With
out him, she was nothing; with him,
she was a great prima donna. on the
few occasions when her maestro was
incapacitated by illness from filling the
conductors chair. and his place was
filled by another, her singing lost It's
style, tone and truth of execution.
Though she did not break down SO alb
solutely as Trilby did on Svengalis
sudden death. she showed plainly that
her inspiration came from her conduc-
tor and not from herself. Artistically,
she was a mere puppet of his will, and,
with all this, the connection between
the two was purely platonic and inno-
cent.
Svcngalis Prototype.
Bochsa was very aged man, sub
ject to a complication of diseases, and
the last person in the world to attract
a young and beautiful woman's fancy,
save only in his professional capacity
as a great musician and a man of such
extraordinary will power that with him
to order was to be obeyed. She was of
weak will, a calm, equable disposition,
one of the most amiable Of women and
utterly devoid of passion or personal
vanity. Even In her attempted rivalry
to Jenny Lind in this country during
that great singers season of triumph,
she was never actuated by jealousy or
ambition. She simply sang because
Bochsa willed her to sing, and troubled
herself not at all about the matter.
Svengali-Bochsa Is reputed to have
had the same sensational dread of wa
ter, externally and internally, that
Trilby's master was noted for.
"Il ne Sc baignait jamais." and his
taste in costume led him, as 1t does
most of his countrymen. to furrsd and
braided overcOats with barrel buttons
and elaborate frogs. In other respects
he was exceeding careless in his person.
He had also Svengali's aptitude in
speaking all languages equally incor-
rectly. He used to say:
II vos porn Zu Prague, und I cannot
spik Cherman! I lif many years zu
London. and I cannot spik Anglische!
In Paris | pass oh fiery long taime und
/ cannot spik Vrentch. / haf no lang
witch / cannot spik, noZzing at all but
une deuz dhree fower und damv and,
indeed his instructions to the band
when he was conductor were couched
in language weird and wonderful. 1t
was a common remark in the orchestra
that to look at or listen to the conduc-
tor meant ruin. But as a singing mas
ter and organizer of musical enter
tainments he was without a peer and
many years beyond his time. Is not
this Svengali to the life?
Du Mauricr Hears Of Her.
There was a resort on the Strand.
where Telly's theater now stands. cele-
brated by Thackery as the "Black
Kitchen" In which Jack Sharp. the
well known comic singer( of the time,
used to sing his own songs, some of
them not as savOry as they might be.
There was and Is still the ''Cheshire
Cheese" in Wine Tavern court, off Fleet
street, where the print of DIR. Johnson's
wig can still be seen on the panels, and
which Is still celebrated for its beef
steak pies and toasted cheese. In such
places Du Maurier, then very young
man, used to meet with other fellows,
and their conversation often ran upon
the extraordinary influence exercised
by Bochsa over Anna Bishop. In fact,
II was known to all the world of Lon
don.
Du Maurier, then young man-about-
town, knew Nine. Bishop well, and he
was greatly impressed with the strange
hypnotic influence Bochsa had over
her. Du Maurier commented on II. and
declared that 1t was an admirable
theme for a novel.
Exactly Like tho Story.
An incident occurred In Sydney. New
South Wales. which proves conclusively
the identity of Anna Bishop and Trilby
O'Ferrell. Bochsa's long and eventful
life was drawing to a close. He had
suffered long from hernia, and was SUBJ
ject to spells of weakness that came
without warning. and caused him to
doze or In kind Of coma.
At concert In the town hall Mme
Bishop had come on the platform to
give her exquisite rendering of Home,
Sweet Home" Just as she had reached
the middle of the air Bochsa was seized
with one of his attacks and leaned
back In the conductors chair, partly
insensible. Instantly her voice ceased.
She trembled, turned pale and tot.
tered of the stage, and not until the
old man recovered was she able to 20
on with her part Of the programme.
This was evidently the incident so ad-
worked up by Du Maurier in
the tragic scene Of Svengalis death;
and It was not the only occasion on
which the same thing happened.
In Melbourne, while she was singing
II Know that My Redeemer Liyeth."
In a performance of Handers 'Mes.
siah," similar falntness attacked |
Bochsa: he dropped his baton and she |
ceased to sing. on this occasion, how
ever, he speedily recovered and the per-