The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-05-24


q cascade falling aud gliding over moss
grown rocks
In Italy there are by no means as
many beautiful voices us the uninitiated
think. In the southern portion of the
peninsula one pears often q pleasing
organ, and in Venice have been sew
eral times enraptured by some feminine
voice that had in it all the quality Of
mghtlnsale's notes, but, as rule, the
Italian voice is loud toned and passing
harsh Many n time have when riding
or walking through the orchards and
cornfields of Lombardy shuddered as /
heard the ''yell''-I am sorry that
can find no other descriptive word for the
sound-with which one peasant wom-
an calls another who is ut work at some
distance, or summons her husband and
other male relatives to the midday din.
ner. 1t begins with prolonged
'Oh-h-h-h-hl" which is strung ON in
definitely it seems, and when one can
hardly bear it any longer terminates
abruptly i'll q "He-e-e-e-e-e Nothing
can give an idea of this dismal emission
which comes far more from the head
than from the lungs or throat
The Spanish woman would possess
much sweeter organ than does her Ital-
ian sister were it not that the cultural
pronunciation of her native language
spoils the quality thereof to regret
table extent. Nevertheless one does &C.
casionally hear n fine contralto or mezzo
soprano-low and slumberous and sweet
exceedingly-in the provinces which lie
on the sea border, but this joy is rare.
l have always found that southern
voices have n metallic ring in them
something like the resonance of a clar-
ion, and If some people like brass iu-
struments. 1 am certainly not among
their number. Tho more one goes north
ward, on the contrary, the softer the
voice of women becomes. In Russia and
in Poland this is especially the case, al
though i'll the latter country the "wed-
Hi, p" or plum brandy, which the fair
Sex absorb with quite as much ardor as
do tho men, destroys goodly number
of naturally charming voices.
During n trip which undertook some
years ago through the wilds of Siberia,
heard the most perfect voice which,
truly believe, it can be given mortal
car to listen to. We had driven far that
day Under the SNOW laden sky which
hung like pail of gloom above our
heads, and SO tired were we of the end
less glare of the whitcned "steppc'' that
we did not care to wait until we reached
the next posthouse in order to take q
much needed rest of few hours. So
consequently VIC stopped toward tho de-
cline of the short afternoon at small
struggling farmhouse built of logs, and
which looked anything but inviting
The people within were rough and I'M
couth and did not appear TO be cxtraor-
dinarily well pleased to see us dismount
from our sleigh at their door, but the
hope Of earning few rubles induced
them to make us welcome after their
own very unpleasant and surly way.
We gathered about tho glowing steve
and drank innumerablc cups of tea to
warm ourselves. This tea was brought
to us by blue eyed, flaxen haired girl
Of Is or II years old, whose features
Indicated plainly her Kalnuk origin.
She was far from pretty. but when. an
swering some question which had adj
dressed to her, she spoke 1 felt ready
to kneel down and worship her. Oh,
that voice, pure and soft as that Of a
woodlark'sl 1t sounded like the tin
king OF chaplet of pearls against the
edge Of golden cup, like the falling
of silver beads upon crystal; but no,
nothing can be compared TO that melody,
and, like the great car Nicholas. who
made a young scrf whom he had heard
singing one of the great mobiles of
his empire, / wished that 1 could have
adequately rewarded the girl for the iov
she caused me-
In the orient one hears often a mag
nificent voice within the sacred pre-
cincts of tho harems and zenanas be-
longing to wealthy Turks or Indians.
The Moslems adore fine voices, and are
ready to pay n high price for wives
who possess this natural quality. In
Algiers, too. and in Marocco, there arc
some little orange sellers, yelled partly
with the sable ''yashmak" of their race
who emit the sweetest sounds imagi-
nable from beneath those silky folds.
They offer their wares in kind of
swinging, rolling information, what the
French call a 'lnelopee," which is sin
gularly delightful to hear, and reminds
one lnvoluntarily of the trill of
thrush, but with more chastened bril-
liancy in it's composition yet Very sell
dom does one hear in France really
displeasing voice 1t is charming to
listen to the gay, warm tones of bevy
of pretty grisettes working in some over
l,na N..1 Al.