New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-10-10
Recollections of Jenny Lind
And the Cult She Created
Famous Swedish Singer Was Largely the Creation
of ingen'ously Stimulated Curiosity Akin to
! Modern Publicity Propaganda

understand this, and though there was
something grievous about it it was not
wholly discreditable. To all she was a
phenomenon. Even those who could %
mack IN their memories to the beginning
Oh Italian opera had not heard any
singing comparable to hers.
Mahoran, who preceded her bv a
quarter OF a century, had not reached
her prime when she left New York
never TO return. Those nearer her
tlme-~Anna Bishop, Clinthie Damoreau.
Carnadori-Allan Mrs. Wood. Mrs &c.
gum Steffanone, Tedesco 1--WE have
no time to look up their dates)-
were IN no respect comparable to
her. Alboni, d'Angri, Frizzolini. Gaz-
zaniga, Nanticr-Didier, Vestali. Grisi
and Sontag, ali came here within the
1--WE or SIX years Immediately succeed
ing her American career, and, no doubt.
Ike farodl, who was the star of the
opera during the Lind furore. suffered
from comparison with her. The cult
winch she created lasted longer in Lon
aon than it did here but that was be-
cause the Swedish singer, even after
hel retirement from the concert stage.
continued to be an active influence in
the musical affairs of the British me-
tropolls. She stood by the side of her
husband, Otto Goldschmidt in the train
ing OF the Bach Choir, which he had
created; sang often enough to keep the
popular Imagination warm and to keen
bright the halo which had surrounded
Ter from the time of her first coming
to London. Though she died in 1897
her influence has endured as a potent
thing down to the present day.
Of that fact l can testify from per
sonal experience. In 1896 l published
book entitled How to Listen to Music.
In discussing operate singers ] said.
on what l considered good authority.
that Jenny Lind would brook no RI
vary on the stage and that She had
carried her jealousy to the extreme
OF demanding that a large portion, if
not all, of the part Of Isabella be cut
out Of Robert lie Diable" because
she wanted to be the only woman
among the principal characters of
the opera. | don't know how
this could we'll be done, but can
readily understand that after she
had sung "Quand je quittai la Nor
mandie" Gin the character of Alice.
one of her first battle horses) she
might not like to have a good forid
singer follow her with robert tot que
jaime which in my boyhood days used
to ravage the concert rooms Of the
world. When the plates Of the American
edltlon of the book went to London the
English publisher refused to issue the
work unless this anecdote was elimi-
mated. | inquired the reason for this
since the statement had often been
printed, and was told that an inf1uen-
tlal person in the English house had
objected to it as q reflection upon the
memory of Nine. Lind Goldschmidt
who was his mother, or grandmother,
or aunt, or grandaunt, or something Of
that sort-at least the person was
against the publication of the book
unless the offensive passage was elimi-
mated 1t was a matter of no impor-
lance to me and SO I elided the pas
sage and filled the hole with some
thing else quite as important or I'M
important, no doubt.
How Jenny Lind Sang
How did Jenny Lind sing? ! have
spoken to many persons who heard her