New-York tribune., 1921-11-27
Memories of Christine Nilsson
And Her American Career
From The Concert Season Of 1870 to the Opera
Season OF 1854; The Magnetism of Voice:
Notes on Some of Her Impersonations
By II. E. Krehbiel

he uvSs tHS Aoie frequently Is he
obliged to place memorial wreaths be-
side the portraits of those whom he
oaes looked upon and listened to in
he hesh. OF all ehe artists whose
activities have commanded my atten.
Hos, the one who strains the reaches
of my merory NEST was she whose
dsath was recorded in the newspapers
Il last Wednesday morning. To tell
ssuething Of what personally know
about Christine Nilsson. must pro-
jsct my memory back to period three
years before any records Of my own.
What may be better told In the writ
,nrs Of others dc not concern me now
They are opeL to all who wish to
rad. Perhaps 1t will interest the
psycho-analyst III seems to be the
proper thing to refer to this indi-
yidual now-a-dsys} to learn why a
musical reviewer OF to-day happens to
retain 8 peculiarly vivid recollection
al . concert which he attended some
thing more than fifty years ago. If go.
he shall know it. In the spring of
1871 | was studying to be a lawyer.
was reading law. as the phrase has
1t, In Cincinnati, In the Office of a
lawyer who had retired from active
practice, but liked to spend his days
surrounded by fine collection of text
books, d:gests and reports. Besides
ais books, he, an elderly gentleman,
had young and lovely wife. She was
found OF music. he was not He found
out q wonder how?o that the strip
ling whom he saw day after day por-
ing ever his calf-skin volumes, was
also fond Of music.
One day he remarked: Edward. my
wife tells me that she wants to hear
uHtS OWtQiSu c4AkC1 WuO 10 W kttC =
concert in Pixies Opera House next
Friday l don't want to go. Will sou
take her? You must take my carriage.
call for Mrs. Burrowes, escort her to
the concert. take her to supper at the
st. Nicholas and see that she gets
home. De it up brown; III give you
money to pay the bills" Native bash
fulness went down before such an op-
yortuuity ltickets at So fioated before
ne like iridescent dreams in those
days--they do ct, for that matter)-
did the best that could after apollo
gizing for the want of dress suit
played escort to the lovely lady, won
the old gent eman's thanks and ] heard
Christine Nj sson and Annie Louise
Cary in the first concert tour In which
Strakosch presented them to the Amer.
lean public. 1t was not many Years.
only three in fact-befofc was turned
from my purpose to become lawyer
and became newspaper scribbler in
at.ad Perhaps Christine Nilsson anc
Annie Louise Cary and Theodore
Thomas. and Clara Louise Kellogg and
2ubinstein, and Pauline Lucca. and
Wieniawski and Teresa Carreho, anl
Yieuxtemps. and few others whom
] see now only as ghosts had something
70 do with the professional change.
Nilsson and LUCIA
II Faust"
do not know; and Il doesn't matter
now even If an ornament to the baI
~as lost In the shuttle Before ] began
- write about such musical notables
and smaller fry had heard Christine
Nilsson in opera, and Lucca and Cary
also. but from the gallery. not from So
chairs heard both the Swedish and
German artist In Gounod's Faust" and
while was thrilled by the dramatic
fervor of Lucca's black-haired Gretcb-
an, kneeling among the worshippers on
the bare floor of the cathedral, and
compared her agonizing appeal in voice
and gesture with the statuesque Mar.
ghsrita of Nine. Nilsson kneeling aloof
from the other stagefolk at her owr
private priedisu, | never escaped the
strange influence which the latter's
voice exerted upon me-the physical
effect, the alternate chill and hot flush
the up-rush of tears to the eyes, the
aorripilation of the flesh under my col.
lar heard her also as Mignon in
Ambrose Thomas's opera with Miss
Gary dividing my allegiance and admir-
alton by her saucy antics and glorious
go'ce in the character Of Frederick
Anc then became a reviewer, or critic
u yon please, and in 1880 came to New
ierk and began to record facts and
impressions In The Tribune.
on the opening night Of the Metro.
pel1tan Opera House. October 22 1888
hme- Nilsson sang in Faust" and by
snat time ] saw the character of Mar.
susrite through vista opened up by
20 experience Of over z decade. Te
seme Of my Impressions shall recu,
srsenfly. stopping now only to record
vHs incident indicative Of the poular-
~ which the singer then enjoyed.
quote from my review of the perform
"es IN The Tribune: After she had
unne the scintii,ass waltz tthe Jewel
soag'l, however. the last Glm Of ce
'ass asd held the public In decorous
Ieck vas melted and an avalanche OF
Wsudits overwhelmed the fair singer