New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-02

And she did this while admiring en-
Enthusiastically the best results Of the
dramatic spirit which pervades musical
composition to-day. Her talent was so
many-sided and so astonishing, no mat
ter from which side it was viewed, that
rhapsody seems to be the only Ian
guage left one who attempts analysis
or description of it. Her voice, of un-
cqualled beauty, was no more a gift of
nature than the ability to assimilate
without effort the things which cost or
binary mortals years of labor and vex-
alton Of soul. 1t was perpetually amaz-
ing how her singing made the best ef-
forts Of the best of her contemporaries
pale, especially those who depended
upon vocal agility for their triumphs.
Each performance of hers made It
palmer than it had been before that
her genius penetrated the mere out
ward glitter of the music and looked
upon the ornament as so much means
to the attainment Of an end; that end
beautiful Interpretation of the COM
poscr's thought. No artist of her time
was so perfect an exponent as she of
the quality Of repose. SO far as ap-
pearances went, it was as easy for her
to burden the air with thrills and rou-
ladies' as it was to talk. She sang as
the lark sings; the outpourng of an
ecstasy of tones of almost infinite num-
Der and beauty seemed in her to be
natural means of expression. Her
ideas Of art were the highest, and it
was singular testimony of her ear
nestness that, while educated in the
old Italian school Of vocalization and
holding her most exalted supremacy
as singer of Rossini's music, her
warmcst love, by her own confession,
was given, not to its glittering confec-
tons, but to the serious efforts of the
dramatic writer's. This must be re-
membered in the list of her astonishing
merits now when her voice can no
longer call up more than "the tender
grace of day that is dead"
And now that the reminiscent mood
Is upon mo | must needs become per-
sonal and drop the editorial i've"
Shortly after she came to New York
IN 1881 | had long chat with her.
we covered n wide range of subjects,
from her castle in Wales to tho ole
waited railways OF New York. from her
imperial career In the opera houses of
Europe back to her rccollcctions Of the
time when she, tiny slip Of girl,
used to creep out of bed ut night and
mimic the scenes in which she had
seen her father and mother at the
opera. We canvasscd everything musi-
cal. even the German critics, and she
told me how she enjoyed chat with
Dr. llanslck in the Viennesc dialect
In her linguistic rcpertory there were
then not only all the European tongues
but nearly all the provincial dialects.
1t reminded mo Of Professor Heinrich
Ehrlich's pun with which at a rccep-
ton in Berlin he gained the coveted
pleasure Of escorting her to table She
was tanning VI HcI acquisition OF
tongues.
"Je chante dams toutcs les langues,"
she said, "Italien, Francois, Russo,
Allemand, Espagnole, Anglais-"
"Oui," replied Ehrlch, Madame
vous enchantcz."
1t was during this talk that she con-
fessed or professed her love for Wag-
ncr's music. 81 sing it much in my
room" she said.
Then why not in public?'
Some day, perhaps, but not yet.
Wagner's operas take all the fresh
ness out Of your voice. You see, you
can't sing Wagner's music and breathe
correctly; that u.s. SO AS not to be de-
tected. | think a great deal Of that
| often 20 to hear Mallingcr, because
she Is great artist. But she breathcs
dreadfully. You can hear her three
miles off She knows better, but can't
help It, The music, you know. keeps
the vocal chords strained apart like
that"~and she spread out her fingers.
"Oh, no; I love dramatic music (you
know my best SUCCESSES hre In drn
matte opcras)"~ blessa the holy sim
plicity Of the artistic Boull So. Nine.