The San Francisco call., 1906-08-05
OW THE SECOND
HIGHEST NOTE ON
RECORD WAS SUING
BY JENNY LIND
IN A PORK
HOUSE GN
CINCINNATI.

to enter door which the CInclnnatians
had forgotten to scrub. They con-
templated with amazement the dressing
room. on two sides a black grimy wall,
the other being unpainted pine boards.
they walked about horri7ed at the
odors. holding their handkerchiefs to
their faces and laughing in spite OF
themselves at the idea OF singing in
porkhouse. Some or them wished to
terminate the engagement then and
there and leave the town by the next
boat. The gentlemen OF the party
strongly favored the suggestion, for
no more than the ladies did they relish
ings.
But Jenny Lind said no. 1--WE have
promised to give concert and we shall
do IL, even IL the place does smell bad
ly," so the gentlemen lighted their ci-
gars in their dressing room TO help
them to endure the odors. and the la
dies poured more perfume on their
handkerehiefs and suppressed as well
as they could their looks OF disgust at
the smell. and their smiles of merri-
ment at the little tailor in his en-
powered chair just in front OF the stage.
with its borrowed carpet. and the con-
cert was given.
1t was closed with a solo from the
cants trice. who rendered 20. gioga che
81 senti," from Lucia di Lammermoor."
in inimitable style. though evidently
convulsed with merriment at her unique
surroundings. and just before the con-
clusion of the aria, as though inrcere
playfulness, she burst into one OF Sose
cadenzas as spontaneous as the trVlinS
OF lark, and vet the moss wonderful
evidence OF her taste and skill in ex-
ecution. The little party Of musicians
in the porkhouse greenroom was cleo
trihed as the Swedish songstress gave
-..k -.-Ts 81 - -
bellishments, and displaying to the Ut
most the power, f1exibiHty and COM
pass of her wonderful voice. Mr. Wal
dauer hastily caught up sheet OF
note paper from his portfolio and. hnd-
ing blank page, noted down the con-
cluding cadsnza. On returning to the
hotel he complimented the prima donna
on her performance and showed her his
notation, with request that she verify
| its accuracy. So far as she could re-
member IT was correct. and it's high
est notes are second only to those sung
by Agujari.
Among the cantatrices who held the
boards in the seventeenth and eight
eenth centuries there were many little
Inferior either to Agujari or Lind in
range OF voice. power OF execution or
delicacy of expression. Anastasia Rob-
inson. Cuzzoni. Bordoni, Gabrielli.
Mara, Ellington, Catalani, Pasta and
several others were by many OF their
time reckoned the equals of La Agu-
jari. but the records so far as made
do not bear out the popular belief In
the compass OF their voices.
The sopranos OF our own day, too.
can bear favorable comparison with
any OF those mentioned, save the first
two. 1ne voice of Melba easily
reaches E-flat on the third line above
the stave; that of NOrdica attains
C-sharp, Calve sings Bhat,. 1Rdski
sings TO ID, Eames and SembrichYeach
easily attain z above. only two notes
below the highest note Of Lind and
four below that of Agujari. Emma
Abbott, when at her best, sang 70 d;
Yaw exceeds even this. while Patti.
with a voice of no great power, but
of extraordinary fexibility and pathos.
attained F. one note below the highest
of Lind. and it is quite likely that
when at their best each Of these could
sing one or two notes above her re-
corded scale.
But it is one Of the curiosities OF
music that the highest note ever re-
corded as attained by the human voice
should have been sung for the amuse-
ment OF boy Of fourteen and the next
highest in sportive playfulness to en-
tertain an audience in porkhouse.