The Washington times., 1906-12-20

The annual performance Of the Mes
siah.- 60 be given by the Washington
Choral Society on Friday evening in
the First Congregational Church, Is es-
peciaIIv attractive this year because Of
the novelty observed in the selection Of
,he soIoists Instead OF the Jime-hon-
ored quartet of sOloists. there viii be
a double quartet consisting Of local
singers all Of whom are prominent in
Washingtou's music circles. In the Sc
lectiHk o. '7e singers. an effort was
made by the management TO select two
voices Tor each part, which were dis
tinetly different in style and caliber, and
in this they have been mainly successful
The solos have been apporuoned by the
committee according 10 their best Judg-
meHts
Baroness Harden-Hickey.
Baroness Refine Hickey, daugh-
ter Of the late Baron Harden-Hickey.
of Paris. will be heard in oratorio on
this occasion for the first time She
has spent the past two seasons in Wash
ngton and ha won her way in the mu-
steal atmosphere absolutely on ler
merit She is a young artist. Of great
talent and cultivation. Her voice is
distinctly dramatic. her tones free and
well placed and of beautiful quality
and much strength. Mile Harden
Hickey's family is well known in lis
and throughout France, where her
| father was prominent as a royalist and
| the editor OF a famous royalist news
paper
He was also well known at one time as
the King OF Trinidad, which island he ac-
uuired by seizure and the possession of
which afteTWard almost became the
Icause OF international complications be
| tween Great Britain and Brazil. BY
many of her fathers associates in the
affairs of the island of Trinidad. she Is
still known as the Princes OF Trinidad.
! Mile Harden-Hickey's IA a,her's family
We're Of Irish origin, and their title OF
4 baron dates back so far IN the annals
Iof Irish aristoCraCy that trace of il is LOST
about the time of the Druids. Mile
/ IHarden-HIckey' mother, the baron frs
wife was an Italian woman. the Ccun,
/ tess Sampieri. daughter of one of the
distinguished PapaI Guard at the VatI
can. and who had a voice just such as
Mile Refine has. She died quite sudden.
/ ly at the early age of thirty-two.
! Raron Harden Hickey's second wifeant
widow is the daughter OF John H Fla.
gler. Of Standard oil fame and VIII,
now lives in New York.
| The young Baroness Refine spent a few
/ winters in San Francisco with her pa.
/ ternal grandmother, the Dowager Bar
ones Harden Hickey. and there gradu
ated from the Convent of the Sacred
Heart. She returned to Paris. her birth
place. at the death of her grandmother
and completed her study of singing an,
| repertoire 1t was during this period O.
| study that she met and became fas
I friends with Mrs. TiSdel and Miss lis
del. Of Washington. the mother and sis
ter of Nadine de Wollant. wifA OF III
Russian minister 10 Mexico. who mad
a visit here only few weeks ago. Mis-
Tisdel has been almost her constan
companion since their return L
America.
Mile. Harden-Hickey, who recentl
resigned from the position of sopran,
soloist in the choir of the Calvary Bap
tist Church. expects 10 leave Wash
ington the last of this month for Bos
ton, where she will pursue her art
| Richard Harding Davis has devoted
large chapter in his newest book. 'Rea
Soldiers of Fortune" TO the life o
! Baron Harden-Hickey. which chapte
| Mile Harden Hickey is now making
some corrections in at the personal re
quest of Mr.. Davis. who knew hei
! father in New York
Miss FTanceSka KaspaT-
Miss Franceska Kaspar, daughter o.
Mr. and Mrs. Josef Kaspar, who viii
he the other soprano. is almost too vel
known TO need any comment She, too
studied in Paris for some years, anC
there met Mile Harden-H Hickey ShI
was born and brought up in an artists
and musical atmosphere. and when sh
was four years old could sing half I