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JENNY LIND,--THE ARTIST.
W O L. I.
º- 18+5
- M. º/ ///* º/* % *


M. E. M. O I B. - ~ T
* 70 A 2.
MADAME JENNY LINI)-(30LDSCHMIDT.
HER EARLY ART-LIFE AND DRAMATIC CAREER,
1820-1851.
FROM ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS, LETTERS, MS. DIARIES, &c.,
COLLECTED BY ME. OTTO GOLDSOHMIDT.
HENRY SCOTT HOLLAND, M.A.,
CANON AND PRECENTOR OF ST. PAUL’S,
AND
W. S. ROCKSTRO,
AUTHOR OF “A GENERAL HISTORY OF MUSIC,” “LIFE OF HANDEL,” “LIFE of MENDELssohn,” ETC.
IN TWO WOLUMES.—WOL. I.
WITH PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
L ON DO N :
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1891.
L ON DO N :
PRINTED BY WILLIAM C L O WES AND SONS, LIMITED,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
JB eljicately
BY G R A CIOUS PERMISSION
TO
HER MAJESTY
T H E O U E E N.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
—e-e—
PoRTRAIT, AFTER MAGNUs
CROELIUS, JENNY LIND’s FIRST MUSIC MASTER
FACSIMILE LETTER .
STOCKHOLM
EARLY PORTRAIT
THE WICHMANN ROOM, AT BERLIN .
FACSIMILE PAGE OF ENGAGEMENT Book.
(VOL. I.)
Frontispiece.
page 21
, 36, 37
To face page 65
85
301
428
P. R. E. F. A. C. E.
THE following memoir tells its own tale, and requires no
further explanation. The justification that we offer for the
date at which it closes is given in the body of the book.
Nothing therefore remains for the Preface to deal with
beyond a few matters, chiefly personal, upon which it may be
well to say a word.
It will be seen from the title-page that the whole of the
materials used in these two volumes have been procured, and
sifted, and sanctioned by the one who alone could act with
complete, intimate, and legitimate authority. Everything
possible has been done under this competent and exact
scrutiny to secure that the memoir should be trustworthy
and authentic ; and, for further warrant, the sources whence
the materials have been drawn have been continually recorded
in the Notes.
For the use made of the materials thus industriously
collected, the two authors are solely responsible ; and this
general responsibility they have shared in common, so far
as was practicable. But, within that common responsibility,
each has undertaken separate Sections of the work, so that
to the one has fallen the story of Madame Goldschmidt’s
life so far as it belonged to Sweden, together with that part
of it which followed her farewell to the stage; while the
other has taken in hand the whole of her dramatic and
musical career in its European development.
X PREFA CE.
A divided authorship must, perforce, lessen the effect
which follows on perfect unity in ideal and in expression ;
but, on the other hand, a personality such as hers, which was
as unique in moral character as it was rare in artistic quality,
lends itself to double treatment. Even if such a treat-
ment involve some repetitions, the completeness of the
impression may nevertheless gain thereby.
It Only remains to thank those who have more especially
contributed to the material placed at our disposal. Such
thanks we do, indeed, express in the pages of the book itself
to all who have so helped us; but some there are without
whose aid it would have been simply impossible to make the
book what it is; and to these we desire to pledge our peculiar
gratitude.
First of all we would do so for the privilege of the
Dedication so graciously accorded to us, which is, moreover,
beyond its own direct favour, a witness to the personal and
immediate interest taken in the work by Her Majesty the
Queen.
Then we would offer our heartiest thanks to Her Majesty
Queen Marie of Hanover for the vivid reminiscences which
she so freely and willingly contributed out of her private
records.
We beg leave to thank His Majesty the King of Sweden
and Norway for the use of his father's—King Oscar I.-
autograph letter. And we thank, for the use of autograph
letters and papers that were invaluable—
In Germany.
Herr Rudolph Wichmann (member of the German Reichs-
tag). .
The family of the late Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
Frau von Hillern,
PREFA CE. xi
Herr Kammersaenger Joseph Hauser,
Herr Dr. Edouard Brockhaus,
Frau W. von Kaulbach, and
Fräulein Auguste von Jaeger, at Vienna.
In Sweden.
Judge Carl H. Munthe,
Count A. L. Hamilton,
Herr Krigsråd C. L. Forsberg,
Madame Anna Hierta-Retzius, and
Count G. Lewenhaupt (of the Swedish Embassy at Paris).
In England.
Mrs. Vaughan,
The Lady Rose Weigall,
Mr. Augustus Hare,
Mrs. Salis Schwabe, and
The Baroness French, of Florence.
Nor can we fail to name in the list of our special
benefactors—
Miss Jessie Lewin, the late Mrs. Grote's literary executrix;
Madame Schumann, who wrote out for us with ready
affection her remembrances of old days;
Mrs. C. T. Simpson, for the MS. record by her father,
Mr. Nassau Senior, by the aid of which it was pos-
sible to track our way through an anxious episode
in the spring of 1849;
Madame Wetterberg (née von Platen), who with permission
of Baron Ugglas, the owner of Fröken von Stedingk's
MS. Diary, furnished us with the valuable extracts
from her aunt's journal;
xii PREFA CE.
Miss Olivia Frigelius, of Stockholm, for her excellent
aid in reviewing and correcting the details of our
Swedish narrative;
Fru Celsing (Louise Johansson), for autograph letters and
valuable information.
And, in thanking Mr. and Mrs. Grandinson for the use of
the precious Lindblad letters, we cannot but express our
gratitude to him also for the pains, zeal, and accuracy with
which he worked on our behalf to make the account of the
life in Stockholm true and full.
H. S. HOLLANT).
W. S. ROCKSTRO.
March, 1891.
( xiii )
C O N T E N T S OF W O L. L.
*@*-
BOOK I.—ANTICIPATION.
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION { } * * © e { } tº e page 1
CHAPTER II.
CHILDHOOD.
Birth of Jenny Lind—Her parents—The child entrusted to Carl Ferndal
at Sollentuna—Her love of the country—Return to Stockholm—Fru
Tengmark, her grandmother—First discovery of musical gifts—The
Fanfare—Jenny at the Widows' Home—Mdlle. Lundberg hears her
sing—Introduction to Herr Croelius—Jenny transferred to the School
of the Royal Theatre . * e e tº e page 11
CHAPTER III.
PUPI LAGE.
The Royal Theatre, Stockholm—Jenny’s life at school—Is boarded with
her mother—Contract with the Directors—The training of an Aktris-
Elev–Jenny’s general education—Difficulties with her mother—
Friendship with Mina Fundin—Takes refuge with Mdlle. Bayard—
Jenny's letter to Fru Fundin . tº * e º page 23
CHAPTER IV.
CAREER,
Jenny's dramatic power–Her first appearance as “Angela” in The Polish
Mºne—Acts “Johanna” in Testamentet–Criticism in the Heimdall—
Extract from the play—“Otto” in Johanna de Montfaucon–“ Janette”
in the Pasha of Suresne—“Louise” in the Students of Småland, etc.—
The Daily Allehanda protests against its performance—Other parts—
xiv. CONTENT'S OF WOL. I.
Sings at concerts — Herr Berg and his pupil—Lindblad’s opera
Frondôrerne—Sacchini's CEalipus in Athens—Receives a salary from
the R. Theatre—Appearance in 1837—Hard work—Rise of Meyerbeer
—Robert de Normandie—Jenny Lind's success . e page 40
CHAPTER W.
DISCOVERY.
The moment of inspiration—“Agatha”—“Julia.”—Rise in salary—
“Alice” in Roberto–Upsala—Escort home and Students' song—
Country life—Popular enthusiasm—Fru Lind—Louise Johansson—
Jenny Lind’s removal to Herr Lindblad’s—Operatic successes—Pre-
sentation—The judgment of Sweden . e º ſº page 55
CHAPTER VI.
CIHARACTER.
Soirée at Stockholm—Moral independence —“A unique apparition”—
Personal appearance—A transparent countenance—An original panel
—Height—A typical Swede–Undertone of melancholy—Friendship
—Influence of Lindblad—Geijer's songs . º e page 71
CHAPTER VII.
PILGRIMAGE.
Appointed Court Singer—Unsatisfied longings—Offer from the Royal
Theatre— Refusal—Parisian scheme—Provincial tour accompanied
by her father—Charity—Stockholm—“Lucia.”—“Alice”—“Norma”
—Overstrain—Salary—Farewell o e º © page 92
BOOK II.-ASPIRATION.
CHAPTER I.
IN PARIS, 1841.
On the way—Arrival in Paris—First introduction—Nervousness—Garcia's
first impressions—Jenny Lind's anguish—Rest . & page 105
I
CHAPTER II.
THE MAESTRO DI CANTO.
Linguistic studies—Street cries—End of probation—Garcia's lessons—
Scales and exercises—What to unlearn—The worst over——Musical
intuition º - e º • tº e e page 112
CONTENTS OF WOL. I. XV
CHAPTER III.
THE STUDENT.
Home at Mdlle, du Puget's—Home thoughts—Mdlle. Nissen's influence—
Madame Persiani—Rachel—Dramatic inspiration—Despondency—A
merciful escape . * º . . º ... page 119
CHAPTER IV.
WITHIN SIGHT OF THE GOAL.
Recovery of voice with enhanced powers—Technical skill—Cadenze–
Breathing—The Artist complete . g gº {e page 128
CHAPTER W.
UNDER WHICH KING 2
Dislike to Parisian artist-life—Reasons for visit to Paris and return to
Stockholm–Longings for home * e º g page 134
CHAPTER WI.
THE RETURN.
Offers from Stockholm—Engagement concluded—Lindblad’s opinion—
Interview with Meyerbeer—Trial at the Grand Opera—Meyerbeer's
judgment—M. Pillet's defence—The second phase ended page 141
BOOK III.—ACHIEVEMENT.
CHAPTER I.
HOME : AND AFTER 2
The Continent passive—Residence at Stockholm—Invitation to Louise
Johansson — Opening in Norma — The messa di voce—Stockholm
enraptured—New characters—Swedish laws as to unmarried women—
Jenny Lind and her parents—Appointment of an official guardian—
Description of Herr H. M. Munthe—“The mirror of a noble soul”—
National Jubilee—A May-day in Wärend—The poet Topelius—Aid
to Josephson–Success at Copenhagen–Touching anecdote—Lind-
blad’s songs—New parts—Gluck's Armida—Opinion of Andersen’s
Tales—Proposals from Meyerbeer . tº © tº page 155
xvi CONTENT'S OF VOL. I.
BOOK IV.—MASTERY.
CHAPTER I.
IN DRESIDEN.
Study of German—Josephson's welcome—A soirée at Dresden—Renewed
offer at Stockholm—Jenny Lind’s refusal——A momontous journoy
page 185
CHAPTER II.
AT THE COURT OF JBIERLIN.
Predecessors of Jenny Lind—Suspense—Meyerbeer's attentions—Cour-
tesy of the Royal Family—Success in Society—Impression on Lady
Westmorland—Transfiguration—Indifference to dress—First meeting
with Mendelssohn . º & º e e ſº page 194
CHAPTER III.
THE NIEW OPERA. HOUSE.
Das Feldlager in Schlesien—Fräulein Tuczec as Wielka . page 202
CHAPTER IV.
THE DáBUT.
Norma — Success — Contrasts—Rellstab's critique —Visit from Herr
Josephson—A Swedish Christmas Eve t e e page 211
CHAPTER W.
T) AS FELDLAGER IN SCHILESIEN.
German studies resumed—Rapid progress—Meyerbeer enchanted—The
public astonished—The critic's summary—Invitation to London—At
Tieck's—Serenade and presentation . e º e page 218
CHAPTER WI.
THE BUNN CONTRACT.
Mr. Bunn’s Career—Journey to Berlin—Hears Jenny Lind—Proposals—
Contract signed—Terms—The Ambassador's Box at the Opera—Salary
of Malibran . º e e - e tº e page 228
CONTENT'S OF VOL. I. - xvii
CHAPTER VII.
HoMAGE TO webER (EURYANTHE).
Weber's death—His burial—Jenny Lind and Euryanthe—Der Freischütz
and Euryanthe—Jenny Lind's interpretation of Euryanthe—Critique
—The apparition of Emma—La Sonnambula—Critique — Sudden
indisposition and letter to Bumn—Diffidence of Jenny Lind—Bunn’s
insistence—False reports—Last appearance—Norma—Critique
page 237
CHAPTER VIII.
IN THE CONCERT ROOM.
Soirée by the brothers Ganz—Facility and expression—Court Concerts—
Farewell—Swedish songs—At Professor Wichmann's—Unrest
page 253
CHAPTER IX.
AT HOME ONCE MORE.
The homeward journey—The Bunn shadow—Guest performances at Ham-
burg—Joy of return—Delight of her people—A welcome—Eighteen
performances—“Fiorilla” in Il Turco in Italia—Die Tochter des
Regiments for soldiers—A concert—Country life—Summons to the
Court of Prussia . te {º * e e ge page 259
CHAPTER X.
IN PRESENCE OF THE QUEEN.
Her Majesty’s reception by the King and Queen of Prussia–Inauguration
of the statue of Beethoven at Bonn–Extract from Herr Brockhaus’
diary—Jenny Lind sings at the State Concerts—Mrs. Grote's account
of a State Concert—A sorrow—Meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Grote at
Frankfort—Mrs. Grote offers to intercede with Bunn—Jenny's wish to
retire and her reasons—A London journalist’s opinion of Jenny Lind's
personal appearance and voice—Proposals for Vienna . page 268
CHAPTER XI.
WITH THE DANES.
Critique by a grave Art historian—Letter to Madame Birch-Pfeiffer—
Impressions of Copenhagen—The Mind-World of the North—Poems
by CEhlenschläger and Andersen . gº e e page 278
b
xviii CONTENT'S OF WOL. I.
CHAPTER XII.
THE BUNN CONTRACT-continued.
The London engagement—Letter to Bunn and his reply—Mrs. Grote's
withdrawal — Unfounded reports — Needless anxiety from inex-
perience e tº tº * © º gº tº page 290
CHAPTER XIII.
THE RETURN TO BERLIN (Don Juan).
True friends—Happy evenings—A brilliant season—“Donna Anna’—
Mozart's Don Giovann?—Finale to Il Dom Giovanni—Hoffmann's
Phantasiestücke—Rellstab's critique upon Jenny Lindas “Donna Anna”
page 299
CHAPTER XIV.
DER FREISCHÚTZ.
First production—The Berlinische Zeitung upon Jenny Lind's impersona-
tion of “Agathe ”—The discovery of March 7th—The opera of Nature
page 310
CHAPTER XV.
Metſov Šē roörov i öyárm.
Jenny Lind's devotion to Art — Self-depreciation — Artistic position
reviewed by Jenny Lind in letter to Madame Erikson—Desire for re-
tirement—Account of appearances at Berlin—Appreciation of a good
accompaniment—Later praise of Herr Goldschmidt on American tour
page 315
CHAPTER XVI.
AT THE GEWANDHAUS.
Jenny Lind's opinion of Mendelssohn—Reflex action—Mendelssohn con-
ducting at Berlin—The two great Artists at Leipzig–Great popular
excitement—Free list suspended—Indignation of the Students of the
Conservatorium—Rush for tickets—Duet by Jenny Lind and Miss
Dolby — Herr Heinrich Brockhaus' diary—The note-book of Herr
Edouard Brockhaus—Serenade and presentation—Mendelssohn returns
thanks for Jenny Lind . * • te e page 323
CHAPTER XVII.
DIE WESTALIN.
Madame Wichmann's salon—“Julia’’ in Die Vestalin—Libretto revised
by Jenny Lind and Madame Birch-Pfeiffer—Rellstab's glowing panegyric
on the performance—-Jenny Lind's unerring dramaticinstinct page 335
CONTENTS OF WOL. I. xix
CHAPTER XVIII.
AT WEIMAR.
Children of the North at Berlin on Christmas Eve—An al fresco toilette—
An enthusiastic admirer—Andersen and Jenny Lind at Weimar—
Visit to the Fürstengruft—Verses by Rollet—Visit to the Mendels-
sohn family at Leipzig—Re-appearance at Berlin in Das Feldlager in
Schlesiem. . tº & g * * & © page 345
CHAPTER XIX.
LES HUGUENOTS.
Meyerbeer's punctilious regard for perfection of detail—Personnel of the
cast in Les Huguenots—Rellstab's criticism on Jenny Lind’s “Valen-
tine” , e ge º & e g * & page 352
CHAPTER XX.
AUF WIEDERSEHEN .
An unfortunate accident—General sympathy—Mendelssohn's letter—
Allusions to the Elijah —Three weeks' imprisonment—Medallion
portrait modelled by Professor Wichmann–Portrait by Magnus—Re-
appearance of Jenny Lind in Norma—Benefit recorded by Rellstab–
Detailed list of appearances during the two Berlin seasons page 358
BOOK. V.—PROGRESS.
CHA1PTER I.
AT THE GEWANDHAUS ONCE MORE,
Visit to the Brockhaus family—Mendelssohn’s home-life—Home-life of
Professor Wichmann — Herr Ferdinand David — Mendelssohn as an
accompanist—Madame Schumann . g tº • page 371
CHAPTER II.
THE DEBUT AT vſ ENNA.
Residence—Madame Birch-Pfeiffer's delineation of Jenny Lind's character
—Mendelssohn’s letter to Herr Franz Hauser—The “Theater an der
Wien” and its history—Die Zauberflöte—Norma—Timidity of Jenny
Lind—Herr Hauser's reassurance—Success—Press notice of Jenny
Lind’s appearance . e ſº * > c © (> page 378
XX CONTENT'S OF WOL. I.
CHAPTER III.
CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN.
Strong party against Jenny Lind—Successful appearance in La Son-
wambwla—Countless calls before the curtain—Scheme for a libretto
for Mendelssohn by Madame Birch-Pfeiffer—Difficulties—Die Welfen
wnd Ghibellinen—A wreath from the Empress-Mother—An ovation—
Accident to the man-servant Görgel. wº page 386
CHAPTER IV.
CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN–comtºwed.
Mendelssohn engaged on the Elijah—Hauser's estimate of Jenny Lind—
Verses by Grillparzer . gº * & gº g page 401
CHAPTER V.
THE LOWER RHINE MUSICAL EESTIVA),.
The Rhenish Festivals—“St. Paul” in 1836—The present festival at Aix-
la-Chapelle—Consideration for an invalid servant—Haydn's Creation
—The Jenny Lind Fest—Letters from Mendelssohn and others
—Departure from Aachen—Elijah on the eve of production
page 407
CHAPTER VI.
IN VIA REQUIES.
The Drachenfels—Appearances at Hanover—Friendship with the Royal
Family—Second season at Hamburg—Press attacks upon Jenny Lind
—Overstrain—Project for holiday in Switzerland–Elijah still um-
finished—Swiss plan abandoned—Cuxhaven substituted page 417
CHAPTER VII.
CONTRACT WITH MR. LUMLEY.
“Annotations-bok " of Jenny Lind—Visit to Frankfort—Mrs. Grote and
Mr. Lumley–The Bunn Contract—English influences—Mr. Edward
Lewin–Mr. Lumley’s efforts—Mendelssohn's introduction of Chorley
—Mendelssohn's appreciation of the English character—Chorley’s im–
pressions of Jenny Lind—Darmstadt—Lumley’s trust in Mendelssohn's
influence—Engagement with Lumley signed—Fresh endeavours to
obtain a libretto—The Lumley Contract sº g page 426
B O O K. I.
*Cºmme
A N TIC IDATION.
WOL. I.
JENNY LIND,--THE ARTIST.
CHAIPTER I.
INTRODUCTION.
JENNY LIND–the name carries music with it to English ears.
The memory is very tender and fragrant of her who, to our
joy, found, for so long, a home among us. And yet it may
well be questioned whether we English have even yet formed
an adequate estimate of her gifts and character.
Eor what is it which we have in our minds as we recall
her name 2 It is, first, some tale of the wonderful days when
all London went mad over her singing. We have heard
people tell, as their eyes kindle with the old passionate
delight, how she came tripping over the stage in the Figlia,
and how the liquid notes came rippling off her lips. We
hear of the hours they waited in the historic crush at the
Opera in the Haymarket; of the feverish energy with which
they toiled to catch one glimpse of her passing. We
remember, with a smile, some picture in an old copy of
Punch, or the Illustrated London News, of scenes in the Opera
passages on a Jenny Lind night.
And then we add to this memory of that surpassing
triumph, the thought of one whose purity and simplicity
won all hearts to love the girl who, in the hour of her over-
whelming success, remembered others rather than herself,
and poured out her money in charities, and devoted her
B 2
4 JENNY LIND. [BOOK I.
marvellous gifts to the relief of poverty and the healing
of pain.
That is our English picture, and it is good and pleasant
enough ; and it is quite true, so far as it goes. But it is
Strangely imperfect and fragmentary. It assumes that her
operatic career is to be identified with the brief passage of
those London Seasons, and that her fame is a private
possession of our own here in England, where she lived and
died. There prevails no general conception that the English
visits were but the latter episodes of a long dramatic ex-
perience—an experience which had begun, with extraordinary
promise, before she had passed out of her childhood, and
which had already won to her the same enthusiasm which
greeted her in England, not only in her own Swedish home
and in the kindred capital, Copenhagen, but in the great
musical centres of Germany—Berlin, the Rhine, Leipzig,
Munich, and Vienna.
Nor was it only the enthusiasm of the general public for
a most beautiful voice, which had been already given her;
but it was the authoritative chiefs of the musical art who had
signalised in her the arrival not only of an exquisite singer,
but of a supreme and unique artist. The admiration for
Jenny Lind was not a mere popular fever, such as has now
and again followed the steps of some favourite of the Opera.
Its peculiar force lay in this—that it held enthralled the
highest and best minds in Europe. It was the men of genius
who recognised in her something akin to themselves. In her
native land it had been those who dominated in the musical
and literary world who were drawn to sing, and write, and talk
of her—Geijer, historian and poet; Lindblad, the “Schubert
of Sweden”; Bishop Thomander, Fredrika Bremer, Topelius.
At Copenhagen it is the chief artists and poets, and writers
and sculptors of the day who are profoundly sensitive to her
influence—Jensen, Hans Andersen, Thorwaldsen, Melbye,
CHAP. I.] INTRODUCTION. - 5
CEhlenschläger. In Berlin it is Meyerbeer, who can talk of
nothing else but this marvellous Swedish girl. In London it
is Moscheles, who writes, “What shall I say of Jenny Lind?
It is impossible to find words adequate to describe the
impression she has produced. This is no short-lived fit of
public enthusiasm. So much modesty and so much great-
neSS united are seldom, if ever, to be met with.” It is
Thalberg, Taubert, Schumann, who welcome her into the
elect company of the masters, “who know.” It is Tieck and
Kaulbach at Berlin, it is Grillparzer at Vienna, who are her
friends and her hosts. And, finally, it is Mendelssohn
himself, who, as will be seen in the letters that follow, is
fascinated by her personality, and feels all his gifts roused
in him to compose something worthy of her, and is eager and
on fire to put out all his power in an opera which she may
sing, and bends before her judgment as to his own place and
Career, and delights to share with her the deepest motives
and convictions with which he sets to work at the Elijah.
Does not our picture of the Haymarket crush rather fade into
insignificance as a standard of Jenny Lind’s position as an
artist when we recall the high notes of the soprano in the
Elijah, giving out the cry of Seraphim to Seraphim, “Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth,” and remember that it was
with her image before him that Mendelssohn wrote that
music—that it was to catch the peculiar beauty which he
loved in her voice that the high F sharps ring out so
appealingly in the “Hear ye, Israel” 2 And have we at all
realised that she was one of whom he could say, “She is
as great an artist as ever lived; and the greatest I have
known " ? “
The question that we have put was one which her visible
* Recorded by Mrs. Grote, in her Note-book, as said to her by Mendels-
sohn in 1846. Cf. Mendelssohn's words to Hans Andersen, at p. 288 of
this volume.
6 JENNY LIND. [BOOK I.
presence would at once suggest. Surely those who first saw
her in much later life must have instinctively felt a jar
between the popular ideal and the realisation ; not that she
was less than their expectation, but that she was so much
more than the general report tended to convey. They had
come to be introduced to her, murmuring perhaps to them-
selves some air from the Somnambula, or the Figlia,
with which her early fame was associated ; but the air was
forgotten when they found themselves in her presence; that
strong and solemn face, with its deep lines and grey pathetic
eyes, with its grave dignity, with its serious exaltation—
what had this face in common with an Opera of Donizetti?
Charm, animation, lightness, grace—these, no doubt, she had
at command, and she could brim over with gaiety and
humour; but not in these lay the impression she produced—
not here was the dominant note struck. Rather one felt
oneself to be facing a character of emphatic force and vigorous
outlines—a character that it was difficult to imagine curbed
within the conventional artificialities of the Italian drama.
It had far more of the impressive pose of a powerful
tragedienne. Even the name of “Jenny Lind” seemed to be
inadequate to the occasion. It is a name which English lips
caress with affection, having in it the sense and sound of
some homely and endearing diminutive. But here, one felt,
was something more than affectionate diminutives could
express; something more than a delicious singer; something
more, even, than the pure and simple and beneficent woman.
All this there certainly was, but with it and above it was
that which startles and quells and even alarms—something
of a rare and majestic type, which broke through the ordinary
layers which encrust and imprison our average human life;
a character solitary and distinct, dowered with strange in-
tensity, retaining its free original spontaneity, drawing ever
on its own resources, independent and somewhat contemptuous
CHAP. I.] INTRODUCTION. 7.
of those external tests and standards by which the mass of
men guide their hesitating judgments. Susceptible, indeed,
She was, as an artist must be, to outside influence and
atmosphere, but her individuality had not succumbed, or lost
its sharp and unique distinction under this liability to
sensitive impression; it had never yielded to the grinding
years. It retained, obviously and undeniably, the rarity and
the grandeur of genius; and all who had eyes to see knew, at
a glance, that here before them was a pilgrim-soul, aloof and
uplifted,
“One of the small transfigured band,
Whom the world cannot tame.”
It is to justify this high estimate of her powers and gifts
that this book is written. It starts from the level of
Mendelssohn's judgment of her. If, indeed, she was the
greatest musical artist that he had ever known, it is well
worth while to ask whence her capacities took their rise, what
was their artistic development, what are the special notes
and features which were most characteristic of her genius.
The very existence of an artist who responded to Mendels-
sohn's Ideal, is bound to set us thinking. What was the
Secret of her sway ? In what was she emphatically herself,
individual and unique 2 What elements of power and skill
did she owe to external influences 2 The book proposes to
respond to such questions as these ; and, with this end in
view, after lightly tracing the records of her birth and early
infancy, it offers a sketch of her dramatic career from the
year 1829–30, when she first passed within the doors of
the theatre, to the year 1850–51, when, after having bade
farewell to the stage for ever, she signalised her new position
by her triumphant passage to the New World beyond the
Atlantic. Within those full twenty years she was a Child of
the Drama in an intimate and peculiar sense. Within that
time she won the experience, under the pressure of which the
8 JENNY LIND. w [BOOK I.
gifts with which she was endowed received their impress, and
moved forward to their perfection. By the close of those
years she had gained everything that gave its unique
character to her artistic genius; for, not only had she proved
her complete mastery over all the manifold opportunities
and material of the opcratic stage, but she had already, in
earlier days, by her singing of selections from the Creation,
and the Seasons, and more especially by her marvellous
rendering of the soprano part in the Elijah, in London, on
behalf of the Mendelssohn Scholarships, on December 15th,
1848, attested her supremacy in that domain of art which
was so singularly congenial both to her special capacities and
to her spirited temper, and through which she was, in after
years, to carry such a high message to her hearers—the
domain of sacred Oratorio.
Those twenty years, then, contain the secret of her growth
as an artist. The years that followed, besides the splendid
opportunities which they brought her of exercising the
powers which were already matured, added, also, to this,
much which matured and deepened the woman's inward
history—added the good gifts which she herself had, by hard
necessity, most pitifully lacked in her early days—the gifts
of tender domestic love, of watchful devotion—the back-
ground of warmth and confidence which belongs to home,
and husband, and children. All this would, for herself,
measured by her own balances, be of priceless worth in the
estimation of her life, and for those who knew and loved
her, it would be of inexhaustible interest. But it is the
artistic life, alone, of an artist, over which the world has
a positive and undeniable claim. The rest is a matter for
private judgment, for personal consideration; it may be
made public or not, according to the decision of those who
have full right over it. But an artist is, in a sense,
public property; his or her art makes direct appeal to public
CIIAP. I.] INTRODUCTION. 9
judgment; it offers itself as a public endowment to the world
at large. Its development, its movements, its story, are
public facts. And it is due to mankind, when it gives to an
artist a generous and unstinted welcome, that it should know
the peculiar growth and training, the advantages and the
perplexities, the hindrances and the helps, through which
that gift, which was at last so triumphant, won its slow way
forward out of darkness into light. Such a story may not be
without profit, if it aids men to understand how better to
cherish and foster those germs of genius which are to be found
scattered in such strange freedom, amid conditions which
seem least calculated to rear them in hardihood and grace.
And, certainly, the tale of Jenny Lind may well be told for
the sake of bearing splendid witness, to all those who feel
themselves stirred by some inherent native power, of the
unconquerable force with which a pure and strong individu-
ality, if it be true to the inner light and loyal to the outward
call, can dominate circumstances, however harsh and rude,
and can, with a single eye on the far goal of artistic perfection,
and upheld by faith in God, move straight to its aim with an
unswerving and irresistible security, shaping its passage, amid
pitfalls and Snares, over this perilous earth with a motion as
free and sure and faithful as a star that passes, in unhindered
obedience, over the steady face of heaven.
Nor will it be without significant interest that those twenty
years begin with her earliest attachment to the Royal
Theatre in her own home-city of Stockholm, and end with
her tribute-gifts, made out of her wonderful winnings, as
thank-offerings to that theatre and home to which her heart
had so often and so tenderly turned. The years of her main
artistic growth are those in which, whatever her successes
elsewhere, Swedish influences dominated her life. It was
from the Swedish stage that she derived all her dramatic
training. It was Swedish literature, Swedish literary men,
10 JENNY LIND. [BOOK I.
who first made her sensitive to the high motives that were at
work within her. It was in their company, under their
encouragement, that she learned the truth and power of her
own spiritual promptings. It was to carry back to her
beloved Stockholm the rich fruits of her Parisian discipline
that she toiled in exile. And oven though, as an artist
could not but do, she felt her spirit expand when she found
herself taken into the full sweep of the musical forces at a
great centre like Berlin, still her Swedish heart beat true to
the old home-country, and it was out of her innermost self
that she bent herself, as soon as the currents of her public
triumph carried her far abroad, to the sweet task of securing
for Sweden, out of the gains that Europe and America poured
into her lap, records and pledges of her faithful remembrance
of the needs and necessities of her own people, and her
fatherland.
( 11
)
CHAPTER II.
CHILDHOOD.
“A CHILD of the Drama "-so we have named her—and not
without reason; for it was within the shelter of the Royal
Theatre at Stockholm that she first found the comfortable
warmth of a steady and a tender home, in which her child-
heart, with its intense affections, could freely and candidly
expand. She was hardly ten years old when she came under
the guardianship of the Royal Theatre ; and throughout
those nine early years, she was a forlorn little pilgrim, often
passed about through the hands of strangers, and pitifully
deprived of that deep security which a fixed and stable
home-life inbreeds in us through its traditional sanctities and
immemorial kindnesses.
Her birth, which took place in the parish of St. Clara, in
Stockholm, on October 6, 1820, found both her parents some-
what under difficulties. Her father, Niclas Jonas Lind, Son of
a lace-manufacturer, seems to have been able to do little or
nothing towards providing a home for mother and child. He
was very young, only twenty-two years old ; he had, through
lack of energy, failed to continue his father's business, and
at this time, kept the ledgers at a private merchant's house;
in virtue of which office he is entered as “Accountant ’’ in
the church register at the baptism of his little daughter,
who was christened, on the day after her birth, with the
name “Johanna Maria.”
Such a post would, no doubt, bring him in but little ; and
12 JENNY LIND. |[BK. I. CH. II.
perhaps he was not very likely to make the most of what he
got. For he was good-naturedly weak; much given to music
of a free and convivial kind, such as was widely popular in
Sweden at that day, when the influence of Bellman was at its
height. This brilliant Anacreontic genius, whose songs are
to the Swedes what those of Robert Burns are to Scotchmen,
though he had himself died as long ago as 1795, had, under the
Tégime of Gustavus III., gained a sway which enthralled the
people during the first thirty years of the century. His songs
were Sung with unbounded enthusiasm ; great popular feasts
were held in his honour. Even now, we understand, on
Bellman's Day in July, his admirers gather to pour libations
before his bust; and still a Society meets every month to sing
his songs. In 1820 this poetic thraldom was in full posses-
Sion; and Mr. Lind had a good voice, and took an eager part
in the musical festivities. Such a life, it will be easily
understood, does not tend to foster steadiness or thrift ; and
he was perfectly unable to provide mother and child with
either lodging or board, though he probably contributed to
it in Some slender way. All the practical management had
to be left to the energy and determination of the mother,
who was, at the time, making her own way through the
world under conditions which were not favourable to a baby's
entry on the scene.
She was, herself, of very respectable burgher-stock. Her
maiden name had been Anna Maria Fellborg; but she had
been first married, in 1810, at the age of eighteen, to a
Captain Rådberg. Her marriage had proved very unhappy,
owing to the bad character of the husband; and after about
eighteen months she obtained a divorce from him in the High
Ecclesiastical Court, the Court assigning to her, in decisive
recognition of her husband's misconduct, the custody of a
little daughter who had been born to them, called Amelia
Maria Constantia, together with aliment to the amount of
1820–30.] CHILD HOOD. 13
half Rådberg's income, whatever that might be. She was
thus thrown upon her own unaided exertions; but she was a
Woman of great force of character, well-educated for her cir-
cumstances, resolute not to be beaten. She got along, in one
way or another, chiefly by means of education; and in 1820,
at Jenny's birth, was keeping a day-school for girls, one or
two of whom she also boarded ; it was one of these little
boarders, nine years older than Jenny, who became after-
wards So helpful to her as companion and friend—Louise
Johansson, whose name will frequently recur in the course of
our story.
A baby would be, no doubt, a most tiresome inconvenience
in the management of such a household ; and so her mother
seems to have placed the child, at once, under the care of
Carl Ferndal, who was organist and parish clerk of the church
at Ed-Sollentuma, some fifteen English miles out of Stockholm.
She was tended by this man and his wife for about three
years, her mother visiting her, it seems, at intervals, and
spending with her the summer of 1821. Owing to some
dispute with the clerk, she took Jenny back in 1824, pro-
bably in the early part of the year, to Stockholm ; but it is
possible to believe that those early years in Sollentuna were
not without some influence on the child's character, for they
seem to have woke up in her, from the very start, that innate
and instinctive sense of the country which was so noticeable
in her. The instinct itself is, indeed, native to the Swedes,
for whom “the country’ is a passion ; and this national
characteristic held, in her, a deep-rooted dominion. Some-
how, one felt, in her company, as if she had come out of the
country. She was in close touch with all that belongs to a
simple peasantry. She knew the tones of its songs; and the
rhythm of its dances; its simplicity, its charm, its pathos—all
were hers. Something of its native depth and dignity seemed
to have passed into her. She ever felt herself at home in
14 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. II.
the country; she breathed there freely; she revelled in its wild
flowers, in contrast with cultivated garden-flowers for which
she had little love. She had an intense delight in the songs
of wild-birds, with whose ways and habits she had intimate
acquaintance. She enjoyed, especially, the expanse of wide
waters. She delighted to be at large; she lated crowds, and
the pressure of a city, and the unresting stir of Society. She
did not desire the constant company of many fellow-creatures;
the town-instincts did not draw her. Her need of music
might bring her to live there where she could best satisfy it;
but her heart was, naturally, away in country-scenes, where
men were not too thick and near ; and where God seems
closer; and where the soul can feed its own high thoughts,
somewhat aloof and alone, unfretted by man’s insistent noise.
Yet, after these first four years, she was brought up alto-
gether in a city, winning the sight of the country only in her
holidays. Something, Surely, sank down very deep into the
tiny baby, as she toddled in and out of the clerk's house, in
the village of Sollentuna—something, which made her at
home, ever, amid trees and fields—and something which was
still strong in her to the end, linking the first days in the
Swedish village to those last hours when she waited for her
death, hid in the English home, where she had made for her-
self a refuge of peace, amid the Sweet solitude of the Malvern
hills.
Back, however, to Stockholm, she was then quickly
brought ; and there, in her home, she, most likely, found a
new arrival in the person of Fru Tengmark, her grandmother
on her mother's side, now in her second widowhood, who had,
hitherto, lived with one of her daughters, Fru Perman, at
Östersund, in the north of Sweden, but who had now come
to press her claim for admittance into a certain Home for
the Widows of Stockholm burghers, an established and
endowed institution of some importance in Stockholm.
1820-30.] OHILD HOOD. 15
Already, in 1822, the old lady had put in her plea that she
was unable, at an age which made employment impossible,
to save herself, by her own efforts, from need; but it was
not until 19th August, 1824, that rooms were finally
allotted to her. Jenny, therefore, it would appear, found her
at her mother's house; and she seems to have received from
Fru Tengmark a more kindly and appreciative treatment than
it was in her mother's nature to bestow upon her. She
always spoke of her grandmother with strong admiration and
affection. Above all, she took in from her a profound im-
pression of religion; and it was to her that, in after-years, she
was accustomed to trace back those spiritual influences which
became the very soul of her life.
It was the grandmother who was the first to detect the
musical gifts of the child; and this detection left a profound
impression on the child herself, as if she, too, then first made
a discovery of what was in her through the surprise which
she found herself producing in others. The story formed her
earliest distinct memory. Coming up from the country to
the town, she was struck by the music of the military bugles
that daily passed through the street; and one day when she
fancied herself alone in the house she crept to the piano on
which her half-sister used to practise her music, and, with
one finger, strummed out for herself the fanfare which she
had caught from the soldiers. But the grandmother was at
hand, and, hearing the music, called out the name of the
half-sister, whom she supposed it to be; and little Jenny, in
terror at being found out, hid under the square piano; she was
so small that she fitted in perfectly; and the grandmother,
getting no answer to her calls, came in to look, and presently
discovered her, and dragged her out, and was astonished, and
said, “Child, was that you ?” and Jenny, in tears at her
crime, confessed; but the grandmother looked at her deeply,
and in silence; and when the mother came back she told her,
16 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. II.
and said: “Mark my words, that child will bring you help.”
And, after that, the neighbours used to be called in to hear
her play. As she told the story in later years, she would re-
produce most vividly the frightened look of the child creeping
away to hide; and the significant look of the wonder-struck
grandmother as she took in that it was indeed the tiny crea-
ture of three years old who had played the tune. She never
forgot the historic “fanfare”; and, as the earliest signal of
her after-career, it is given in the form in which she herself
committed it to the memory of her daughter.

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At this day-school Jenny continued with her mother, for
three or four years; but, at last, the only boarder, Louise
Johansson, was taken away, and her mother found herself
hard pressed for funds. She determined to go out as gover-
ness; and, perhaps with this intention, answered an adver-
tisement stating that a certain childless couple were anxious
to have a child to take care of. It turned out that this
couple lived in the very same Widows' Home, in which Fru
Tengmark had rooms, the man being the Guardian or Steward
of the Home—a thoroughly comfortable and respectable posi-
tion, by right of which he occupied the Lodge at the gate.
This all seemed to fall in admirably, as Jenny would have the
companionship of her favourite relation. So thither she was
1820-30.] CHILD HOOD. 17
sent, probably in the year 1828; and her mother retired from
Stockholm and took a place as governess, in Linköping,
carrying with her her daughter Amalia Rådberg to help her
in her educational work.
For a year and more she lived in the Widows' Home, but
there is nothing recorded of her life there until we come to
the famous incident which brought about her removal, and
which fixed, for ever, the lines of her future career. It came
about in this fashion. “As a child I sang with every step I
took, and with every jump my feet made.” So she herself
records in her letter to the Editor of the ‘Swedish Bio-
graphical Lexicon,’ written in 1865;” and, apparently one of
the forms which the perpetual song took was addressed to a cat,
“with a blue ribbon round its neck,” of which she was very fond
The rest of the story shall be given in her own words as they
were taken down by her eldest son, to whom she told it at
Cannes in the spring of 1887. “Her favourite seat with her
cat was in the window of the Steward's rooms, which look out
on the lively street leading up to the Church of St. Jacob's, and
there she sat and Sang to it; and the people passing in the street
used to hear, and wonder; and amongst others the maid of a
Mademoiselle Lundberg, a dancer at the Royal Opera House;
and the maid told her mistress that she had never heard such
beautiful singing as this little girl Sang to her cat. Made-
moiselle Lundberg thereupon found out who she was, and
sent to ask her mother, who seems to have been in Stock-
holm at the time, to bring her to sing to her. And, when she
heard her sing, she said, “The child is a genius; you must
have her educated for the stage.” But Jenny's mother, as
* The Editor of this Biographical Dictionary had written to her to ask
if she could give him any account of her artistic training. She wrote back
a most characteristic letter, of which fragments only were inserted in the
Dictionary, among the “Addenda” to Vol. viii., New Series, p. 363 (1868).
The letter is given in full in the Appendix to the present memoir.
WOL. I. C
*
!
#
*— ”
18 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. II.
well as her grandmother, had an old-fashioned prejudice
against the stage; and she would not hear of this. “Then
you must, at any rate, have her taught singing,” said Made-
moiselle Lundberg; and the mother was persuaded, in this
way, to accept a letter of introduction to Herr Croelius, the
Court-secretary and Singing-master, at the Royal Theatre.
Off with the letter they started; but, as they went up the
broad steps of the Opera House, the mother was again
troubled by her doubts and repugnance. She, no doubt, had
all the inherited dislike of the burgher families to the
dramatic life. But little Jenny eagerly urged her to go on ;
and they entered the room where Croelius sat. And the
child sang him something out of an Opera composed by
Winter. Croelius was moved to tears and said that he must
take her in to Count Puke, the head of the Royal Theatre, and
tell him what a treasure he had found. And they went at
once ; and Comte Puke's first question was, “How old is
she 3’ and Croelius answered “Nine years old.” “Nine !”
exclaimed the Count ; “but this is not a Crèche . It is
the King's Theatre | " And he would not look at her, she
being, moreover, at that time what she herself (in her
letter to the ‘Biographical Lexicon’) calls “a small, ugly,
broad-nosed, shy, gauche, under-grown girl!” “Well,” said
Croelius, “if the Count will not hear her, then I will
teach her gratuitously myself, and she will one day as-
tonish you!” Then Count Puke consented to hear her
sing; and, when she sang, he too was moved to tears; and,
from that moment, she was accepted; and was taken, and
taught to sing, and educated, and brought up at the
Government expense.
So she told it in her own graphic manner; and what these
last words imply we must now See, for they mark the most
crucial event in her life. We have seen how her mother re-
pelled the thought of the stage. It was a deep-rooted tradi-
1820–30.] CHILD HOOD. 19
tional repugnance; and her child, in after-years, when she
herself had come strongly under the influence of the same
repugnance, used to regard it as inherited from her mother.
“She, like myself, had the greatest horror of all that was
connected with the stage.” So she wrote in 1865. How
far these words about herself need qualification, we shall see
as our story advances; but as, in its later years, this repug-
nance played so vital a part in fashioning her life, it may be
well to note it here at its first appearance, where it makes
the mother hang back, at the very door of the theatre, and
is only overcome by the entreaties of the eager little child,
longing to give proof of her gift. Those stairs, so haunting
to the two who then crept up them, were to become familiar
enough to the little feet which then first felt them. Up
that broad flight she stepped on to the platform on which,
for twenty years to come, she was to live out her life, and
win her unexampled victories. As she pulled at her mother's
unwilling hand that day, she took the step which determined
her whole destiny.
For, radical as her mother's dislike might be to the stage,
yet fate, on the one hand, was too strong for her, and, on
the other, she was pressed Sorely by her straitened means.
Croelius and Count Puke were not going to let their new-
found treasure slip through their hands. They made an
immediate offer to relieve the mother of all direct respon-
sibility for her child's maintenance and education; they
proposed to adopt her into the School of Pupils, which was
attached to the Royal Theatre, looking to repay the expenses,
which they risked, through the after-success which they
anticipated. It was a generous proposal; it came at a
moment of pressure when it was almost impossible to refuse
the opportunity of relief; and the mother yielded. To her it
still seemed an act by which, in her own words, used after-
wards to the directors of the theatre, she was “sacrificing her
C 2
20 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. II.
own child to the stage.” But circumstances were unfortunate,
and she could not but agree. So Jenny passed over from the
Widows' Home to become a little nursling of the Drama; and
the world owes a debt of genuine gratitude to the directors
of the Theatre Royal for so quick and bold a recognition of
the wonderful gift which lay hid in that tiny body. Rare,
indeed, in the annals of art is it that the official authorities
are so swift in their appreciation of strange and exceptional
genius or so ready to make a venture on its behalf. And the
chief honour, in a deed most honourable to all concerned,
must lie with Herr Croelius. It was his insight that saw
what there was in the “shy, gauche, and ugly, under-grown
girl; ” it was his courage that laid compulsion on the natural
unwillingness of Count Puke. “The person,” she herself
wrote in the letter we have already quoted to the editor
of the ‘Biographical Lexicon,” “whom alone I have to
thank for the first discernment of my gift of song was the
Court Secretary Croelius, Singing-master at the Theatre
Royal. He told me all that which in later years came to
pass.” It is pleasant at this point to read a letter from
the old man himself to Jenny Lind, written from Stock-
holm, 4th March, 1842, in answer to a letter of hers from
Paris, in which “her kind heart,” as he says, has expressed
its gratitude to him. He fears to put himself forward
too much lest he should seem to be claiming that which
her later masters had done for her; “but,” as he writes,
“when your talent and your other excellent qualities
called forth general homage, I considered I had a right to
present myself as your admirer and friend. My interest in
you is, and will always remain, the most genuine. Your
honour, your success will be the comfort of my old age and
a balm for my sufferings.” He died that year. His kindly
features, quaint and dignified, are recorded in the accompany-
ing sketch, on which she herself, long afterwards, wrote her
1820-30.] CHILD HOOD. 21
witness to the goodness of him who was “the first to discern
her gifts,” and whose insight and courage determined her
Career. -
So closes her early childhood. Hitherto she has sung
as Nature bade her, singing to herself, singing to her cat,
singing “at every step and jump which she made with
her baby feet.” Something, indeed, she may have caught
from her mother, who was qualified to teach music, and from
her half-sister and the day-pupils who used to practise on
the piano on which Jenny made her first famous experiment;
and she would have heard her father, who used to come in
the evening and sing, while her mother played the guitar,
when the little one lay probably in bed. And, even at
Sollentuna, she would have listened, in baby-wonder, to
Ferndal as he played his organ in the church. But her
young life had been, as we have seen, strangely wandering,
chequered, and untutored, and nearly everything she had
must have come from her own instinctive spontaneity. She

22 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. II.
was now to pass at this tiny age into a school devoted
to the drama, under the definite training and discipline
of skilled masters in music. In Croelius' room she made
her début ; there she found her vocation. The little
foundling of Nature was henceforward to become the child
of Art.*
* Her half-sister, Amalia, who, during the break-up of the home,
wrote affectionately to her “dear little Jenny,” urging her to pray to
God to keep alive “our dear good mother,” and to bring back the
pleasant days, seems to have appreciated the gifts of the child; for in
the P.S. to a letter written on March 24th, 1830, which was found pre-
served among Madame Goldschmidt's papers, she wrote: “Whatever
you do, pray cultivate your music, for then you will make your mark.”
( 23 )
CHAPTER III.
PUPILAGE.
THE Royal Theatre, at Stockholm, into which Jenny Lind
passed in the September of 1830, was to be, for the next ten
years, the scene and centre of her life. In it she found a
nursery for her child-talent; a school to direct her entire
development; a playground in which she tasted the delights
of companionship; a home, which watched over her with
fatherly interest and authority; a stage on which she was
greeted with unstinted appreciation. It became, for this
spell of years, the pivot of all her efforts, the focus of all her
associations and hopes, the environment within which all her
gifts opened and discovered themselves.
The theatre was subsidiscd from the Royal Civil List, and
was directed and controlled by the office of the Lord Chamber-
lain. Its chief officer was a Royal Director (Intendant),
under whom, among other officials, was the Chief of the
Singing Department. The first office was occupied, at the
time of Jenny's entry, by Count Puke; while the second was
filled by Herr Croelius, who was dignified with the title of
Court Secretary. The official finances came under the super-
vision of Herr Forsberg, an official in the War Office, who
was charged with the honorary superintendence of the
Theatre-School. He took an almost fatherly interest in
Jenny Lind; and she retained an intimate and affectionate
friendship with his family, until her death.
The theatre stands in the heart of Stockholm, close to the
24 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. III.
Norrbro (North Bridge) overlooking the wide basin of the
Norrström : it is a large, handsome building, facing the street
known as the Gustaf Adolf's Torg, with its basement and
double stories, on the second of which, in fine and airy
rooms, was housed the School of Girls attached to the theatre,
into which Jenny was now introduced, herself the very
youngest of all, as we may gather from Count Puke's com-
plaint that Croelius was treating the theatre, as if “it were a
Crèche.” $
The “Directors of the Royal Theatre,” “ as its authorities
were called, were in the habit of boarding out the pupils at
some certified home, or homes, in the town, under the charge
of some lady with whom the theatre made terms for food,
lodging, and educational supervision. And, here, we come
to a rather curious arrangement, which might, if it had been
llappily carried out, have combined, most fortunately, Jenny's
new conditions with her natural home-relations. Her mother
had moved back to Stockholm just before Jenny's entry at
the theatre: she had taken, in the spring of 1830, a
flat in No. 4 Quarteret Hammaren, in the Jakobsbergs-
gata. Had she taken it for the very purpose of boarding
the pupils of the theatre ? It is impossible to say: but,
certainly, this parish of St. Jacob is close at hand; and, very
soon after her return, she appears to have been intrusted by
the Directors with some of their boarders; and, among them,
probably, her own little daughter. It is true, that the first
formal records of this arrangement that we possess do not
begin until the years 1832–1833, but we have no notice of
where Jenny boarded during the two intervening years, and
the fact that her mother already had taken, in 1830, the
house in which she is found boarding the children in 1832–
1833, seems, certainly, to suggest, that Jenny may have been
placed with her from the beginning. And, indeed, this is
* K. Teater Direktionen.
1830–36.] PUPILA GE. , 25
made almost certain by the fact that her very earliest recol-
lections of the Theatre-School, as she often told her daughter,
was her running to the school, to keep herself warm, in the
cold winter mornings, dressed in the vivid Smart colours,
which her mother and half-sister loved, and which she so
hated that she used to pull the bright feathers out of her
bonnet as Soon as she was out of sight of home. Anyhow, in
1833, the thing took shape in a legal contract, drawn up
between the “Directors” and Jenny's mother, which implies,
by its language, that it was formularising an arrangement,
which had been going on already in some tentative fashion,
at least since April, 1832. The conditions of the bond are
most precise, and remarkable; and their definite precision
is, itself, a witness how clearly the authorities had per-
ceived, and proved, the value of the gifted child, for whose
sake they were prepared to make so remarkable a venture.
They begin by stating that they have, already, since April,
1832, been paying for * “Jenny Lind’s board and educa-
tion,” and that, through the progress she has made since
then, they have “formed the best hopes of her usefulness
for the theatrical profession,” and that they “desire to
attach this young talent, by more definite conditions, to the
Royal Theatre.” They wish, therefore, to close a contract
with her mother, with the terms of which, as they carefully
insert, “Jenny Lind has declared herself satisfied.” The
child is to be received in the capacity of “actress-pupil at
the Royal Theatre *; and cannot, without the consent of the
directors, be released from her engagement until she have,
through her after-efforts, “made restitution for the care and
expense bestowed on her education.”
* “Jenny Lind” appears as the formal name, even in the official
document. Only once, i.e. in the Confirmation certificate, 1836, does the
full name of her christening reappear, “Johanna Maria Lind.” In the
letter to the Biog. Lexicon, she herself says that she was “never called
Johanna.”
26 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. III.
“During her growing years, and until she is competent to
be allotted a fixed salary, she is to receive, at the expense of
the Theatre, food, clothes, and lodging, together with free
tuition in singing, elocution, dancing, and such other branches
of instruction as belong to the education of a cultivated
woman, and are requisite for the theatrical profession.” The
carrying out of this instruction is then committed to her
mother, who engages to teach her “the Piano, Religion,
French, History, Geography, Writing, Arithmetic, and Draw-
ing.” She is also to see to all matters of “food, fire, furni-
ture, and clothing, bedding and washing”; and to have for
her a tender mother's care.
For these purposes she will receive from the Directors 250
Riksdaler Banco (i.e. 20 guineas), while Jenny herself will
be given two Riksdaler Banco every month for pocket
money, ouſ of which she is to pay (poor child!) for her own
needles and tape as well as for silk and cotton towards the
mending of her clothes; this will leave not very much over
for Jenny’s private purposes; but on the other hand she is to
be allowed the use of a pianoforte belonging to the Royal
Theatre, of which her mother pledges herself to take proper
care; and moreover, after the 1st July, 1835, she will actually
be supplied with a chest of drawers, as well as bedstead and
bedclothes, at the special cost of the Royal Theatre. Her
mother is to see to it that the aktris-elev carefully observes
the hours for lessons, rehearsals, and representations. The
Royal Directors are to judge when the little creature will
become competent to enter as actress with a salary from the
Civil List, after which a new contract will be made, by which
she will be pledged to remain for ten years in the service of
the Royal Theatre for such a salary as the Directors, having
proper regard to her talent and usefulness at the time, shall
decide to grant her; but, in case “the aktris-elev Lind, con-
trary to the good hopes entertained on her behalf, were for One
1830–36.] PUPILA G.E. 27
reason or another to prove of no use to the Royal Theatre, or,
again, if she were to fail in that obedience she owes to the
Royal Directors, it shall have full right to discharge her from
the theatre after three months' notice, in which case the
contract is to lapse.”
So runs the deed, signed, on behalf of the Directors, by
P. Westerstrand, who had succeeded Count Puke as Intendant,
and by Carl D. Forsberg, of the War Office; and, below their
signatures, Jenny's mother declares herself to be satisfied
with the proposed conditions.
Such was the bond. It resembles in general outlines other
agreements of the kind; but it is exceptional in its details,
and in its special care for the “high talent” which it desires
to attach to the theatre. The assumption of an almost
paternal authority by the Directors is quite in accord with
its habitual tone. In the case of Matilda Ficker, for in-
stance (afterwards the well-known Mme. Gelhaar), who had
only a grandfather alive, the bond declares that the “Direction
undertakes a father's duties towards her, and acquires, also,
a father's rights”: wherewith it will decide about her resi-
dence, education, occupation, and conduct. Both this bond,
and that with Jenny Lind’s close friend “Mina Fundin,” “
are made when the child is about fourteen years old, which
Was, perhaps, the usual age.
The present bond has been given almost in full, not only
for its intrinsic and historic interest as marking a momentous
epoch in Jenny Lind’s career, but also in order to bring out
the conception which is there embodied, of the educational
qualifications requisite for a pupil of the theatre. The com-
pleteness of the instruction proposed is most striking. We
* Wilhelmina Christina Fundin, daughter of the Precentor of St. Klara
Church, Stockholm ; she was born in 1819, entered the Elev School 1833,
and remained there until 1841. She remained connected with the Royal
Opera until 1870, when she retired on a pension.
28 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. III.
may smile at the long list of subjects in which the little
girl is to be schooled, or at the abrupt appearance of
“religion” sandwiched between the piano and the French
language. Doubtless, these numerous branches of study
were but touched in an elementary manner: but, still,
they are rocognised as essential: and the remarkable phrase
stands which declares that the training for the dra-
matic profession includes all that belongs to the “full
education of a cultivated woman.” There, in that phrase, is
a distinct ideal. It implies that the drama is no narrow,
specialised function of a mere expert; but is an affair in
which the entire mind and character of the artist are con-
cerned, so that the theatre itself may well spend its money
in Securing, not only the technical and professional training,
but also that the pupil shall have the intelligence developed
and fertilised, so that it be level with the average culture of
the time.
And then, again, the completeness of the more professional
instruction is well worth notice. Elocution, dancing, the
piano—all are necessary to perfect the dramatic singing.
The memory of this completeness in her early theatrical
education left an indelible impression on Jenny Lind. She
felt that she owed to it so much that contributed to, and
enriched, the full effect of her musical gift ; and especially
she valued her trained skill in expressive and beautiful
motion, gained in the dancing school at the Theatre Royal.
She moved exquisitely. Her perfect walk, her dignity of
pose, her striking uprightness of attitude, were characteristic
of her to the very last ; and no one can fail to recall how
she stood, before, and while, she sang. Her grace, her
lightness of movement were all the more noticeable from
the rather angular thinness of her natural figure; and there
can be no doubt that they threw into her acting a charm
which was positively entrancing. She knew the value and
1830–36.] PUPILA G.E. 29
necessity of all this completeness of training; she felt its
lack in those who had entered on the operatic stage by
accident as it were, taking it up only when fully grown
simply on account of possessing a beautiful voice. She missed
in them the full finish of the perfected art ; no beauty in the
Singing could quite atone for the ignorance of dramatic
methods, and of all that constitutes the peculiar environment
of the stage.
We shall see how deeply this early ideal of all that was
involved in the technical training coloured her intentions,
when she was planning the endowment which she, at first,
desired to devote to the theatre-school where she had served
her own apprenticeship. And this ideal still lived in her, to
play a large part in those interests, and anxieties, with which,
even at the very close of her life, she worked to found a
School of Song, at the Royal College of Music, in South
Kensington, and which she embodied in a memorandum
drawn up by her, at the request of H.R.H. the President,
before entering on her official post.
To what degree the full education of a cultivated woman
was actually attained in her case, it would be hard to
exactly define. A great musical gift like hers carries culture
with it ; and, then, she had, all her after-life, revelled in the
society of the most cultivated men in Europe. So that it is
difficult, from knowledge of her in later days, to say how
much she had gained out of the formal instructions given her
in childhood. But, naturally, these can only have been of an
elementary and superficial type. She never possessed the
sure mental instincts which are the fruit of a literary
education. Her judgments on books, for instance, depended,
for their brilliancy, on her unaided and unconventional
spontaneity, and on her rapid perceptions. But they had not
the proportion, and balance, that comes from accurate know-
ledge, or trained intellectual discipline. One felt that she
30 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. III.
had never had this, in the strict sense. She was, so to
speak, at the mercy of any book that interested her ; she had
no secure sense of its limitations; she did not know how to
place it. Evidently, the education had been quite simple
and unscientific. - |
Nevertheless, the list of general studies named by the
Directors was not merely nominal; pains were taken ; the
instruction was given. Religion, in spite of the hostile
proximity of French on the One side, and of the piano on the
other, was carefully attended to ; and her Confirmation cer-
tificate, given her on May 10th, 1836, witnesses, by the hand
of the rector of St. Jacob's parish, Herr Abraham Pettersson,
that she passed the public examination in the Christian
doctrine of Salvation “with distinction.”
Tor French, she went, probably, to the classes of M.
Terrade, teacher to the Royal Theatre; the instruction was
slight, but a certain degree of conversational French was in
free use in Stockholm at the time, and would be habitual
round about the theatre. Still, before her visit to Paris in
1841, she thought it necessary to take special lessons; and
she had, when there, as we shall see, to grind at the grammar;
so that her early knowledge must have been quite unscientific.
As to the piano, she, certainly, gained, at Some time in her
early life, a complete mastery over it, which stood her in
good stead, and afforded her great enjoyment in later years.
It was true that she had injured her left hand, when young,
while striking fire with a flint on tinder, which to a certain
extent crippled its full use ; and, besides, she feared to
fatigue and contract the vocal organs by serious practice on
the piano. But, in spite of this, she handled it freely, and
finely; she delighted to improvise on it, which she did with
a touch of genuine genius; and part of the peculiar charm of
her northern Songs, as she sang them, came to them from her
delicious playing of the accompaniment. There seems to be
1830–36.] PUPILA G. E. 31
no doubt that, from quite early days, and more especially at
about the age of sixteen, she could use it with easy familiarity;
for, while still at this school, she used to “coach " the other
girls through the musical parts of the plays, beating them
out, herself, on the piano.
She had an eager and intense appreciation of her native
literature; but, no doubt, this would be largely due to the
influence of the Stockholm literary world, into which she was
heartily welcomed at the time of her first triumphs; and,
above all, to her intimacy with Geijer and Lindblad and
Beskow.
A specimen of her drawing still remains—some painted
flowers, done in the exact and formal manner of the day, but
bearing sufficient witness to her having had the regular
lessons; and those, probably, from her mother, who has left
designs of the same type.
One accomplishment must be mentioned with special
honour, her sewing. She worked magnificently. “Madame's
stitches never come out,” is the later testimony from her
maid to her powers. And she loved to do a piece of work,
designing it herself, and achieving it, with the thoroughness
of an expert.
Her knowledge of history was very vague, and general;
nothing very definite, probably, was made of that, at the
theatre-School.
German, which, afterwards, she loved, and pronounced
beautifully, she did not begin until after her twenty-fourth
year; her limited knowledge of it was a difficulty, as we
shall see, at the first début in Berlin under Meyerbeer in
1844; she went to Dresden to work at it in July, 1844; but,
even as late as the year 1848, wrote it incorrectly.
English was only slowly won, after her English visits.
Her usual speech in this country at that time was French.
So much for her general education and accomplishments;
32 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. III.
but we have been anticipating the course of our story, to
which we now return.
The little girl, them, started in the spring of 1833, with
what might well seem good hopes. Her career had taken a
definite shape; she was provided for, if nothing went wrong,
for years to come ; she was to receive a regular education ;
and a future position was assured to her. In the meantime
she was to be housed, and cared for, by her own mother, in
the happy companionship of other girls. Among these
companions, and boarding with Jenny, at her mother's house,
were several who subsequently filled considerable positions
on the royal stage; e.g., Charlotte, and Matilda Ficker (after-
wards Mesdames Almlöf and Gelhaar), and Fanny Wester-
dahl, prominent in Tragedy and severe Comedy.
Mdlle. Bayard, the lady superintendent of the school, was
a person much respected; and the pupils were sure of enjoy-
ing care and attention from her. Jenny seems to have been
exceedingly happy both with her, and with the other girls;
but, alas ! her trouble came from where we might least expect
it—from her mother. Was it that her strong, and resolute
nature had been warped by early disappointment 2—that the
early marriage with Captain Rådberg at eighteen, with its
rapid disillusion, had left serious damage behind it on
temper, and character ? Certainly, the world had gone hard
with her. She had had to fight her way along for herself,
under the burden of straitened circumstances. These things
are apt to tell; if they do not sweeten, they sour. And she
was somewhat proud, and stubborn, and self-willed. She,
probably, fretted at the Sense of being below the conditions
which her burgher blood might expect and justify. From
passages in her letters, we shall see, that she was quick to
resent a slight, and hard to pacify. She had a strong idea of
her rights. She would not yield them, even to her own
convenience. Altogether, from her recorded words and
1830-36.] PUPILA GE. 33
expressions, we can feel that she was one for whom things
would not run smoothly,–one to whose exasperated sensi-
tiveness life would never prove an easy, sleek, comfortable
affair. There is a tone of defiance in her, as if she were
at war with her fellows. She had a touch of haughty pride
in her, which would find itself engaged in many battles.
It is perfectly natural to suppose that she had got a bit
worsened by the vigour of the strife. She had not much
softness of sympathy to spare; she did not make people love
her. She was apt to show herself cross-grained, violent,
harsh; and this, not only to others, but also to her child.
Before going on to tell the pitiful story of this early harsh-
ness, it may be well to remember that the daughter's
memory of her mother was not all dismal and unkind.
Their characters had, probably, many elements in common;
her mother's force, her mother's haughty persistence re-
appeared, to Some extent, in Jenny Lind. She, too, was not
apt to take life too easily. And, again, she warmly recog-
mised all that she owed, at this early time, to her mother's
talents, and resolution, and effort. There was, below all the
divergence, a strong tie of underlying attachment. The
actual intercourse was, indeed, unhappy; it was marred by
cruelty, and narrowness, and suspicion, which left a life-long
shadow on the child. But it was not without something in
it, which could, under brighter circumstances, open out into
the tenderness and gentleness which belong to the name of
mother. It is comforting to find with what emotion Jenny
Lind could look back on the past, in spite of its bitterness,
when death had closed the record. It was, indeed, far on in
life when this death occurred; but it may soften us, as we
approach the story of Fru Lind's faults, to read, by anticipation,
the words, in which her daughter sums up the tale. It was in
America, in 1851, that the Sad news reached Jenny Lind; and,
reviewing the event, she wrote to an old friend in Sweden:-
WOL. I. D
34 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. III.
“My mother's death I have felt most bitterly; everything
was now smooth and nice between us; I was in hopes that
she would have been spared for many a long year . . . and
that, now that she was quieter and more reasonable, I might
have surrounded her old age with joy, and peace, and tender
care. But the ways of the Lord are often not our ways.
Peace be with her soul!””
The affection is there, and the deep bond of blood; but,
alas ! there had been bad days when all had not been so
“smooth, and nice,” and when the mother had not been
“quiet and reasonable.”
It is these bad days of which we have now to speak. It
appears that the pupils found the treatment they received
from her too stern and hard; and they were soon removed to
rooms at the top of the theatre itself; and placed under the
charge of Mdlle. Bayard. Here they fared excellently; and
were extremely happy. Jenny, who remained at her mother's,
used to visit them there; and it was now that she struck up
her intimate friendship with one of the pupils, Mina Fundin,
who became her favourite playmate, and with whom she kept
up, for life, an affectionate relationship. This lady is still
alive, residing in Stockholm. It would seem that the contrast
between the lonely severity of the home and the lively
society of the theatre-rooms was too much for Jenny; and,
at last, after some bout of harsh treatment, on the 30th of
October, 1834, she took matters into her own hands, and ran
off to Mdlle. Bayard. The Directors saw the merit of the
proceeding, and allowed her to remain there. But her
mother was not a person to acquiesce in such an arrange-
ment, and the result was a long dispute with the theatre for
the recovery of the child. It can serve no good purpose,
now, to follow the track of this unhappy wrangle. It is
enough to say that the mother was not content, until she had
applied the pressure of the law against the Directors; that,
* Written to Herr Carl Forsberg, of the War Office, in August, 1852.
1830–36.] PUPILA G.E. 35
at first, she only rested her appeal on the bond with the
theatre, and that, when this failed, in January, 1835, she set
to work with a more determined effort. Mr. Lind, who had,
hitherto, kept in the background, was called to the front to
take part in the struggle; and, together, they combined to
make good their full parental claims over their child. Such
a claim, once formally established, and put in force, was,
necessarily, irresistible; and the theatre was obliged to
surrender Jenny, by a final judgment of the Royal Upper
Town-Court, on the 23rd of June, 1836; and was, also,
directed to recognise the existing contract of 1833 as still
standing, and to pay, therefore, to the parents the stipulated
sum for Jenny’s keep, which was owing from January 1st,
1835, to April 1st, 1836, together with lawyer's fee, etc.
There the quarrel ended; on June 6th the theatre notified to
the parents that Jenny would return to their house on
July 1st, to be boarded at the old terms; and both Mr. Lind,
and his wife, countersign the notice.
It is pleasant to think that, in spite of these most un-
comfortable proceedings, the little creature over whose
person home and theatre were fighting so strenuously was
spending a most happy time at Mdlle. Bayard's ; and it is
delightful to read the brimming letter which she wrote, in
the very thick of the wrangle, in August 1835—the very
first word that we actually possess from her pen. It is
written from Skytteholm, a place lying on one of the inland
lakes which, in Sweden, are called by the pleasant name of
“Sweet-Waters,” where the pupils were taken for their summer
holidays. It is addressed to the mother of her little playfellow,
Mina Fundin—the Mina mentioned in the letter, who has
made such desperate resolutions from which she is only saved
by the state of her nerves and the motherliness of the “sensible
old woman.” With Mina's mother, Jenny is evidently on the
brightest and most affectionate terms. Here is the letter:—-
D 2
36 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. III.
zººſ. e º %. 2%, 2. ozº a gº-
3.2% A *A*2-v a. * - ºw
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/
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* º acº, Ao-vºzz» -ms-
zºr " %.º.º. 2 / */
[TRANSLATION.]
- * Skytteholm, 5 Aug., 1835.
MY DEAR LITTLE AUNTY,
Pardon me for taking the liberty to write to you—but
—I really don’t know what to write about ! Yes, I know !
I hope that my little Aunty and Lotta are quite well;-we
are flourishing, all of us !
Ah! thank God! Soon we return to town; Ilong dreadfully,
for now there is no more fun down here. You must not feel
uneasy, Aunty, about Mina going to drown herself, for she
has not yet done so, because she is too nervous even to go
near the water—Oh, yes!—occasionally she does run the risk

1830–36.] PUPILAGE. 37
vº 2. 2e.” 2%. - ve. ^* on 2-22 & 23–2
62 zz-rºyº 2 & evo-voz ”” • * ~~~~, &raº,
2
242. Zoº 2c/ ecz”
2— Zeeee 2 ºzzzz7 a”.
2 : ~ … … <2*
vº, 2 .22% ºr. ax' _--

22° 4 º'coe, ar” a__
• . .**)
r
t
º


7~~~~ 2.3%
2” “
*22222 × 2 º
of it, but I will look after her—I, who am a sensible, old
WOIOl{}]]. 3 * * -
We eat fruit in such quantities that sometimes we are not
able to walk, but we can’t get so very much, for the simple
reason that there are so few ripe ones; we only eat currants,
and those are most wholesome, aren’t they 2
Adieu, kind little Aunty I Do not mind my having Written
so badly, I shall write better another time. I venture to
enclose myself in Aunty's friendship. -
Yours truly obliged,
- * JENNY LIND.
Oh! how beautifully written
38 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. III.
The applause of the last phrase refers to the signature,
a facsimile of which is here given, that we may all enter
into her burst of enthusiasm over it. The tone of the
letter is delicious, simple, gay, and tender. They must
have been bright days out of which such words came ;
and it must be confessed, we fear, that some of the bright-
ness was probably left behind her, on the day when she
returned to her own mother's house on the 1st of July.
The nature of the return, to begin with, was not likely to
be very auspicious; and, then, there was the partial loss
of her merry companions. However, there is a letter from
her mother to Mr. Lind, written on the 2nd of August,
1836, which tells of Jenny’s intense happiness: “You
may imagine how Jenny enjoys herself among the hay-stacks
every day. Do you know, the child enjoys the pleasure of
country-life with all the lively brightness of innocence.”
“And she has with her, to share her enjoyment, Mina, of
whom she is so fond.” “It is a treat to listen to their
charming little duets together, which, no doubt, one day
will enchant papa, too.” At the close of the letter comes
a postScript: “Welcome home, sweet papa, and do take care
of your health; this is the wish of your faithful daughter,
Jenny.” This is all happy, enough : and there must have
been many times like this, in which all went smoothly, and
the relations of the household were free and affectionate.
And, in the mean time, too, success is coming, and con-
tinually growing, to enliven, and enhearten the days.
Whatever the struggle, and trouble, that her life brought in
it, certainly of one grief, which is apt to darken the days of
young artists, she was absolutely free. She was never
troubled by a lack of recognition. From her earliest child-
hood, her gifts were felt to be surpassing; and this feeling
never flagged. From the beginning of her dramatic career to
its close, it is one unbroken triumph; and she had this
1830–36.] PUPILA G.E. 39
singular good fortune of finding her way to the exercise of
her gifts, before a sympathetic public, as Soon as she had
them to exercise. We shall see, in the next chapter, the
way in which this happened, and the direction which her
success took. We shall see that this risk on her behalf,
which the Theatre Royal ran, and to which we have ventured
to give cordial praise, was one which justified itself, by
practical results, almost as soon as it had been run. The
theatre had hardly sown before it found itself reaping. The
child, whom Count Puke thought more of an age for a
Crèche than a Royal Theatre, was already, before she
was in her teens, bringing grist to the Royal mill.
40 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. IV.
CHAPTER IV.
CAREER.
WE have seen that it was the child’s musical talent that,
first, evoked the wonder of her neighbours. The stupor of
the grandmother at the baby's fanfare on the piano; the
amazement of the passers-by at the song which was being
confided to the ears of the patient and appreciative cat ;
the tears that started to the eyes of Croelius—these are the
earliest signals of her marvellous gifts. But we, now, have to
recognise a new characteristic, which was almost more pheno-
menal than her singing. Indeed, it may well be doubted
whether, during her first ten years at the Royal Theatre,
it did not surpass her voice in witnessing to the presence in
her of a unique genius. This was her dramatic power. It
was through the marvellous acting which she combined with
her singing, that, as a tiny child, she won her first triumph,
and fascinated the spectators: and, as we shall learn from
the deeply interesting account of the development of her
voice given to this volume by a contemporary critic,” it
was not her vocal power alone which, at her earliest operatic
period, would account for her overwhelming attractiveness.
Precocious and extraordinary as her child-voice had been,
both in versatility and in tenderness, yet her early woman's
voice did not exhibit or develop its after-gifts of high sonority
until after her return from the Paris training. It was still
thin, and veiled. Rather, at that time, the secret of her
* See page 156.
1830–37.] , OAREER. 41
Success lay in that intense and irresistible identification of
herself, voice and all with her part, which is the highest proof
of dramatic genius.
In later years, those, who heard her sing in Opera, would
often say, that if she had not been the greatest singer in the
world, she would have been the greatest actress. And we
shall see the evidence for the truth of this anticipation, if we
glance over the early records of her performance at the
theatre; and we shall, also, understand through what years
of actual experience it was that she had obtained that thorough
mastery over all the detail and method of the stage, which
made her acting so consummate.
The long list of her performances, kept in the records of
the Royal Theatre, reveal to us that already, in the very first
year of her admittance to the school, as a little creature of
ten years old, she made her appearance on the boards, on
November 29th, 1830, in a play called The Polish Mine,
described as a “Drama, with Dance ’’; and in which she
played the part of “Angela.” “Angela’ is a little girl of
Seven, who has been carried off to a wild castle in the hills
by a tyrant lord, to amuse and cheer her mother, whom he
has seized and shut up as his prisoner. The child is to amuse
the company at a grand fête in the castle, and contrives,
in an improvised dance, to convey to her mother comfort and
affection. But, on recognising her father disguised among
the guests, in pursuit of his wife, a cry of surprise escapes
her; the father is detected, and all three, father, mother, and
child, are thrown into prison in the Mine. There little
Angela succeeds in getting hold of the warder's key while he
is speaking with her mother, and in opening the barrier
without being discovered. The father and mother are thus
enabled to meet, and to fly, with their child, from the Polish
Mine; after a series of exciting adventures, they make good
their escape; all is made right. It is a part full of occasions
42 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. IV.
for the brilliant little dancer, whose ingenuity and skill are
the key to the plot. The play was repeated five times in the
December, and twice more in the January, following. On
March 18th, 1831, she made her first appearance in the play
that is noticed in the newspaper quoted below; it was called
‘Testamentet, a Drama, in which her part was that of
“Johanna.” She appeared, in this character, for the third
time on April 14th, 1832, and on the 24th April, 1832, we
have the following notice of her appearance in a periodical
for literature and art, called Heimdall, which signalises the
extraordinary significance of her child-efforts. The paper
begins by an apology for not having, long ago, put on record
the wonder that had already for some time been aroused.
“We take this opportunity,” it writes, “ of performing a
long-neglected duty—that of calling attention to a young
pupil of the theatre, Jenny Lind, only ten or eleven years of
age, who has, several times appeared in the play Testamentet
which preceded Fidelio. She shows, in her acting, a quick
perception, a fire and feeling, far beyond her years, which
seem to denote an uncommon disposition for the theatre.”
This play The Will is a charming piece by Kotzebue;
and the part taken by Jenny is one which would give
delicious opportunities to her arch and winning grace. It
is impossible, as one reads the part, not to picture her every
look and gesture, so admirably is it suited to qualities in
her which were vividly present to the very last. We
venture to extract a scene from it. The plot turns on an
old Colonel wounded in the wars, who has been carried,
unknown to himself, to the house of a daughter whom he
had utterly cast off for a marriage of which he disapproved.
He is full of gratitude for the care with which he has been
nursed. His heart is stirred with a longing for home : he is
longing to leave his fortune to his kind nurses; but the
daughter, who has recognised him, keeps ever out of sight;
1830-37.] CAREER. 43
and he only sees her two children, Henriette and Johanna.
Henriette, the eldest, having been told by her mother who
this old man is, has been singing him a song which he had
loved in long-past days, “O sweet, and holy Nature l’’ He
has broken down under the strain of bitter memories: and
he has to beg her to cease singing, and to send him her little
sister, for “the gracious child knows so well how to charm
away all bitterness.” After a sad monologue, bewailing the
loneliness in which he is drawing near to that last hour,
when there will be no one ever to say over him, “Here lies
a brave man in peace l’ Johanna (Jenny) comes springing
into the room, saying:—
“Good morning, dear old Colonel — Mister Colonel, I
ought to have said My mother scolds me, if I don’t l”
“COL. Good morning, little Jacky Come, and be merry
with me ! Do Some of those funny tricks, that you are so
fond of . And call me “Colonel,' plain and simple, please —
Or, what do you think of calling me ‘Papa 2
“JOH. Papa? Oh! that I could never do My papa is
in the plcu- "pstairs, and he is so beautiful, and young,
and kindly
“COL. Well, I own I am not young and beautiful: but
kindly —that I am, indeed I Don’t you believe it 2
“JOH. Oh yes! very often you are
“COL. You must remember how ill I was: sick people
cannot be very kind to others: but now, you shall always
find me bright and good, right until I go away.
“JoH. What ? Must you go away from us 2
“COL. Certainly : in a few days.
“JOH. Are you in earnest ?
“COL. I am, indeed.
“JOH. Oh I don’t go away from us ! We all love you so
dearly
“Col. Do you love me?
“JOH. Oh yes! At first, you know, I was very frightened
of you ; but now—not a bit !
“COL. And how did you get over your fright 2
“JOH. Why, because when you are as kind as you were,
no one could help being fond of you. And when you are
dull, and cross, then I just take myself off.
44 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. Iv.
“COL. Ah! then, to-day, my Jacky will not take herself
off, will she 2
“JOH. Yes, I will, if you ever again call me “Jacky’ſ
that is a dreadful name !
“Col. Why dreadful?
“JOH. I don’t know. But there are such lovely names in
the books which my sister reads; and specially nice English
names, like Liddy, and Betty, and Arabella Oh if only
they had asked me before I was baptized, I would have
chosen the very loveliest of them all !
“COL. It was, really, a great shame that they did not ask
you. -
“JOH. My mother says, that she only had two names to
give to her daughters, because my grandfather had but two.
names, John, and Henry !
“COL. John Henry | Why, those are my names, too !
“JOH. Once I cried over the stupid name, Jacky. But,
then, my mother began to cry, too, and she said: ‘I)earest
child, you bear a name which reminds me of a noble man l’
Now, I don’t know at all why I should remind her of him.
But then mother began to cry; so, you see, since then, I
don’t take any notice of it ! -
“COL. Well, let me try and teach you why you have th
name. - I am too old, you say, to be your father, so will you
try to think that I am your dear old grandfather, John
Henry
“JOH. Yes! All right ! But then, you know, you must
never go away !
“COL. Or will you come with me, when I go 2 -
“JOH. Away from mother ? Oh what a horrid thing
to do &
“COL. Well, but, some day, you will have to leave her,
when you go to be married. -
“JOH. Ah! yes! when I am married I say I have you
got a son ? t - -
“Col. Why? - - t
“JOH. Why, because, if he is nice, I would marry him
and, then, we might all stop together. t * -
“COL. No, Jacky I have no son—no child at all!
“JOH. Poor old man |
“COL. (Sighing). Yes, indeed -
“JOH. It’s a shame ! A horrible shame ! I should have
been so glad to have married your son |
1830–37.] CAREER. - 45
“Col. Why so glad 2
“JOH. Why, because you are rich ; and, then, I should be
rich; and I could help my sister
“CoI. What is there that she needs 2
“JoH. I’ll tell you. Only, you must promise never to
betray me !
“CoI. I promise faithfully.
“JoH. Well, you know, she loves the head-ranger, and
the head-ranger loves her; and my mother says that it is all
right: she often says, “It would be the joy of my old age ' '
But he has nothing, and we have nothing : So nothing can
be done. -
“COL. Dear me ! Is that how it stands 2
“JOH. Ah! if only I could manage that mother should be
able to say to me ‘You are the joy of my old age l’ That
would be lovely . I declare that if only I could do that, I
would not mind calling all my own children, ‘Jacky 1’
“COL. Listen to me, dear child ! I have an idea. If it
was in your power to make your sister rich enough to marry
the head-ranger, would you not do it 2
“JOH. Of course I should !
“Col. Well, then, you can do it.
“JOH. You are only laughing at me?
“COL. No | I promise you ! Come away with me; be my
little daughter; and I will give your mother enough money
to buy this joy for her old age
“JOH. Oh that's very hard Where shall we have to go 3
“COL. Far, far away from here.
“JOH. Oh dear ! and shall I never see my mother again 3
“COL. Oh yes! I shall let you have a beautiful carriage
with four beautiful horses, and you will jump into it, and
cry ‘Coachman, drive me quick to mamma ’
“JoH. Will you really give me that ?
“COL. I promise it.
“JOH. And I shall, then, bring joy to my mother's
old age
“COL. Yes, you alone of your own self!
“JOH. Come along, you dear old Colonel; I will be your
daughter.
“COL. Away we'll go, my Jacky Only wait a minute
I must go and arrange things. (Goes out).
46 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. Iv.
“JoH. (alone). Oh! How happy mother will be and my
dear sister 1 and the head-ranger! And it shall be a splendid
wedding ! and we will have the musicians to play ! Oh yes!
we must have musicians ! My old man must not refuse me
that, or else I won’t go with him Oh dear! I wish I was
not going ! I shall cry so; and the others will cry too; for
they all love me !—Ah! but then just think what it will
bo when I colue back in the beautiful carriage with four
horses; and say “Coachman, drive me home !’ and away
we go, over stock and stone, until we draw up here at
our own house, prº prr; and mother will put out her
head at the window; and cry ‘Jacky is come ! Jacky is
come !’”
Such was the delightful part played by the tiny little girl
of ten years old. Every word in it would suit her—the
merry quickness of the child, the sudden turns from gaiety
to tears, and back again to gaiety, the mysterious con-
fidences, the prattling innocence, the brimming affection.
In all this she would instinctively revel. It will be seen
that the part gave great scope for versatile acting; and no
wonder that the Heimdall was fascinated.
In the year preceding this notice, 1831, she had played, for
three nights, in what is called by the serious name of “an
historic drama”—Johanna de Montfaucon, in which she took
the part of “Otto”; and, besides this, had appeared five
times as “Jeannette,” in a “Comedy, with Dance,” called
the Pasha of Suresne. During the following year, 1833, she
appeared in twenty-two performances—her new characters
being “Louise” in a bagatelle in one act, called The Students
of Småland, and “Georgette,” in a drama of five acts, called
Thirty Years of a Gambler's Life, which ran for ten nights
during November and December; and was constantly repeated
in 1834. This early brilliancy was apparently at its very
height in 1834—when, on June 24th of that year, a paper,
The Daily Allehanda seems quite bewildered by the child’s
extraordinary power. “In the play known in its French
1830-37.] CAREER. 47
form as La fausse Agnès” (so it writes) “there is a child’s
part which is rendered with an almost incomprehensible, a
really unnatural cleverness, by Jenny Lind.” This cleverness
must indeed have been almost incomprehensible: for it leads
the critic to indulge in an anxious complaint that the little
girl’s “temperament seems readily to lean to everything that
is not of a serious character.” So absolutely had she dis-
guised herself by the freedom with which she had thrown
herself into her part All that deep impressive seriousness,
which was the innermost note of her being, had absolutely
vanished out of sight; and the paper feared for her light-
headed frivolity Yet, in calling, as it does, upon Jenny's
instructors and guardians to see to it that the danger be
averted, and that “her happy natural gifts, high-spirited as
they are, should be carefully and judiciously dealt with,”
the Daily Allehanda was giving proof of a tender and noble
Solicitude for the good guidance of the child. . And it does
more. For it goes on to complain of the immoral character
of this play, in which she was allowed to appear; it speaks
strongly of the deep ethical corruption of the society which
it portrayed, and of the responsibility incurred by those
who permitted a child to put out her powers in a part so
full of “coquetry, boldness, and heartlessness.” It does
honour to the press of Stockholm that it should have made
this protest. As we read it, we shudder at the terrible
perils which were swarming round the child. Here was a
case in which her very innocence of evil, at that tender
age, allowed her to revel in the fun and the audacity of such
a character, without any of the checks which a know-
ledge of the villainy in it would have suggested to a pure
mind. Her very innocence is used to encourage her to
abandon herself to the fling and swing of the scandalous
play. So perilous was her path ! Yet along it she moves,
untainted and unhurt, in the security of the pure in heart,
48 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. Iv.
with such sure feet as those with which, on Raphael's
canvas, St. Margaret passes, without an effort, or a fear, in
maiden gentleness, over the writhing Dragon and through
the gate of Hell.
It is not to the credit of the Directors, that they let her
appear in two more performances of this abominable play, in
Llle year aſlel Llle proles, llad been made. The play, itself,
was a sign of the French influence, which began to make
itself felt in Sweden during the reign of Adolf Fredrik
(1751–1771), mainly owing to the sway exercised by the
France of the Grand Monarque over civilised Europe; and
which culminated, under Court pressure, during the reign of
his son, Gustaf III., who was, for political reasons, murdered
at a Fancy Ball in 1792. Since then, the national literature
has gradually thrown off this malign shadow; and has
recovered its own native inspiration. But, in 1830, the
older atmosphere, with its corruption, still widely pervaded
the Swedish theatre.
She appeared, altogether, twenty-two times in 1834, and
twenty-six times in 1835—the principal new character being
“Pierrette,” in a drama from the French in three acts, called
The Foster-Son, which ran for thirteen nights in the course
of the year; and “Leonora.” in a vaudeville, with music by
Berwald, called The New Garrison.
In several of these plays, there seems to have been music
and dancing; possibly, too, some singing from Jenny. At
any rate, she sang publicly at Some concerts in the theatre,
during these years; taking part in a duet from La Straniera,
with her master Herr Berg, on November 24th, 1832; and in
a trio, on November 28th, 1835. And long before this there
appear to have been performances given, in private rooms, by
Herr Berg, in which to exhibit her phenomenal talent, the
news of which spread abroad: for, in the Heimdall, the
periodical from which we have already quoted a description
1830–37.] CAREER. 49
of her acting, there is the following record given, in its
number for April 24th, 1832:—
“Her (i.e. Jenny's) remarkable musical gift, and its
precocious development, have made quite a sensation in the
circle in which she has appeared, guided by her master, Herr
Berg. Her memory is as perfect as it is sure; her receptive
powers as quick as they are profound. Every one is, thus,
both astonished, and moved, by her singing. She can stand
a trial, in the most difficult Solfeggi, and the most intricate
phrases, without being bewildered; and whatever turn the
“improvisation’ of her master may take, she follows his
indications with the liveliest attention, as if they were her
own. Nothing can be more interesting than to listen to Herr
Berg with this little pupil by his side; and one is tempted to
believe in a magnetic “rapport’ between them, so entirely do
both seem to be one soul and one heart.
“If this young genius does not ripen too prematurely,
there is every reason for expecting to find in her—although
alas ! not until the distant future—an operatic artist of high
rank.”
This is a fascinating little glimpse of the child of twelve,
absorbed in her teacher, miraculously interpreting and
reproducing his mind. It is an omen of the receptive speed,
with which she, afterwards, absorbed, in a short ten months,
everything which Garcia had to teach her. Her innate
originality of character did not at all stand in the way of
her rapid assimilation as a pupil. Her musical genius carried
her into the very heart of what was set before it, with extra-
ordinary rapidity of insight. We shall find many instances
of this. And, here, it leads us to dwell, for a few moments,
on the name of this, her early master.
Berg had succeeded Croelius, as Head of the School of
Singing, within a year, or So, after her entry at the theatre.
Already, in April, '32, he had made the child entirely his
own, in the manner described in the periodical. Croelius
had the merit of first believing in her; but it is Berg, who
is to be credited with her entire training for the Swedish
WOL. I. E.
50 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. Iv.
stage. It was out of delicacy for Berg, that good old Croelius
forebore from pressing his claims upon her grateful remem-
brance, in the beautiful letter to her which was given at the
close of Chapter II. He, evidently, took the most intense
and devoted interest in her from the very first ; and she
became the intimate friend of his home. He was a clever
and cultivated musician, confident, Sanguine, and eager; well
considered in Stockholm Society. How far he succeeded,
and how far he failed, in developing her full powers of
Song, we shall be better able to judge when we have
seen her pass from out of his hands into those of the
great Parisian master, whose help she afterwards sought.
At least, we can say this—that Berg, to his infinite credit,
never appears to have shown himself wounded at the
prompt reversal of method, which took place as soon as she
had passed under the new training. He neither seems
to have been irritated at her resolution to seek further
instruction elsewhere; nor do we hear of his being slow to
recognise the immense improvement which was the result.
He remains always her devoted admirer; and she is ever
drawn towards him by strong affection. Their relations keep
warm and intimate to the very end. It is he who, by her
desire, accompanies her long afterwards to England, in 1848.
It is his deep personal influence on which the King of
Sweden relied, when he sent him to Lübeck, in 1849,
to try to persuade her, if possible, to sing yet again in
opera, at Stockholm. Her own feelings towards her first
teacher cannot be better expressed than in the words which
she wrote at that time to her guardian, Judge Munthe, in
November, 1849.” “Herr Berg arrived so unexpectedly
I was delighted to see him Oh I God! those memories
* This letter, together with all the others addressed to Judge Munthe
which are made use of in this book, have been kindly supplied by Judge
Carl Munthe, his son.
1830–37.] CAREER. 51
of childhood At this unexpected meeting with him,
remembrances of all kinds from my early years arose in
my soul! We all, indeed, have our shortcomings, that is
certain—therefore, let us cover them over ! Herr Berg is
one of my nearest friends; and gratitude is a feeling that
I love, and desire to cultivate. . . . And old friend Berg is
interwoven with the history of my whole life.”
Such, then, was her master; alert, talkative, confident, with
a quick-eyed face, not unlike Schubert in type; too pressing,
perhaps, in his zeal for his pupil, to estimate the overstrain
on her powers—an overstrain, forced on, no doubt, by
theatrical necessities behind him, but constantly noticed and
feared by the Press of the day.
In 1836, there is no record of Jenny Lind appearing at
any concert; but her dramatic engagements continue, and
some of them, with music, and singing. And, especially is
to be noted her first attempt in an Opera, during the month
of February, when she played “Georgette,” for four nights, in
a “grand opera,” by Lindblad, called Frondôrerne. Long
afterwards, in 1860, he sent her the piano-score of this, his
only Opera, then newly published, and wrote on the fly-leaf,
“not even your singing could save it !” But, on its revival
in the same year, it met with warm appreciation, and Geijer
refers to it in glowing terms.”
Apart from this, the year was not specially signalised; she
made rather fewer appearances, only eighteen during the
year, her new parts being “Emilie” in a comedy with song
from the German called The New Blue-Beard—and “Carolina,”
in a big drama in five acts, of Kotzebue's—called The Un-
known Son. She sang again in the popular vaudeville, The
Mew Garrison, which had for its second title Seven Girls in
Uniform ; and just at the close of December, she took the
part of a girl in Sacchini's opera CEalipus in Athens—the
* Collected Works, vol. viii., Ed. 1873–75.
E 2
52 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. Iv.
masterpiece of that composer, which retained its popularity
at the Paris Academy right down even to 1844. It depends
for its effect mainly on its use of the chorus. It was given
only once, in this December at Stockholm, perhaps for some
special occasion.
The 1st of January, 1837, marks a new departure. Accord-
ing to the contract of 1833, with the mother, the Directors
were to decide at what date Jenny Lind should be given a
fixed salary, as actress at the Royal Theatre. Hitherto the
money paid her by the Directors, has been simply an
arrangement for her keep ; she has performed, on their
behalf, under this arrangement one hundred and eleven
times, besides her appearances at concerts. It is now con-
sidered time to give her a fixed and salaried position, after
which she is still bound, by the original contract, to be in
the service of the Directors for ten years, if they require it
of ker. Her salary is fixed at 700 R. D. Banco; about £60 a
year.” And, certainly, she was to do a lot of work, in the
course of the year, in discharge of her obligations under the
bond. She appeared ninety-two times on the boards; in
twelve new characters. Four of the pieces were produced for
the first time in Stockholm. The parts varied greatly in
character: “Betty,” in a drama, with music, chorus and
dancing, called Jenny Mortimer; “Zoe,” in a comedy of
that name, by Scribe; and “Marie,” in another of his
comedies called Adèle de Sénanges; “Justine,” in a verse-
comedy of five acts, from the French, called The Jealous Wife;
“Lovisa,” in a burlesque comedy, with song, by Nicolo
Isouard, called The Ludicrous Encounter; “Rosa,” in a two-
act comedy by the Princess Amelia of Saxony, called The
Bride of the Capital; “Erik,” a boy's part in a drama, with
* In estimating these figures concerning her fixed salary, it must be
remembered that there was, besides, “Play-money,” i.e. a bonus given
on each appearance.
1830–37.] CAREER. 53
music and dancing, called The Fisherman; “Laura,” in The
Sentinel, a comic Opera by Rifaut; “Fanny,” in Marie de
Sivry, a drama in three acts. Here was a great deal of bright
and light business; and besides this, there was work of a
imore Serious kind: “Emma,” in a three-act tragedy in verse,
by Delavigne, called The Sons of King Edward; “Clara,” in
The Bride of the Tomb, an historical drama in five acts, which
ran for eight nights on end; “Dafne,” in Victor Hugo's
Angelo Malipieri; and “Fräulein Neubrunn,” in The Death of
Wallenstein. Two performances were given of Mozart's
Zauberflöte, in which she sang as “Second Genius.”
Evidently, she had a wide range of characters; and she
must have accumulated a mass of dramatic experience. It
will be noticed that this is all in her sixteenth and seven-
teenth years; and this disposes of a familiar rumour that, at
that period, her voice entirely failed, and that she had to lie
by. There was no positive pause in her work. The year 1836
was, no doubt, one in which she did least; but, then, it was
the very year in which she first used her voice in a grand
opera. The year 1837 was, as we see, a time of growing, and
incessant work, and is the first year of her official engage-
ment. The rumour arose from her own pronounced opinion
that it is a time at which a girl's voice absolutely requires
rest; to which opinion she had been brought by her bitter
experience of the damage done to her own vocal organs by
the absence of this needful relaxation. Her voice was
terribly tried by the exertions of that particular time, which
made demands upon it just when it was not in a fit condition
to respond. It was no peculiarity of her own voice which
was in question; it was the normal conditions under which
all voices develop into their final state. She ought to have
had the repose for quiet and Orderly growth, which all need,
and which she was not allowed.
Before 1837 quite closed, a noticeable event took place,
54 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. IV.
full of prophetic meaning, to our heroine. A new name is
becoming important in the operatic world,—the name of
Meyerbeer; his fame stands high in Berlin and Paris; and
the Royal Theatre is anxious to test the prospects of his
popularity in Stockholm. So a concert is arranged, in which
a part of the fourth act of Robert de Normandie should be
tentatively given. Oddly enough the part of the Opera
Selected for the experiment was one that is not generally
given when the work is performed as a whole. It is the
scene in which, after a chorus of women, the Princess Isabella
recognises the face of the girl, Alice, as she enters; and
learns from her what she bears to Roberto from his mother.
Four performances of this excerpt were given in the course
of that December; and Jenny Lind was chosen to sing the
short passage in which “Alice” appears. There is a melo-
dious phrase, twice repeated, in the recitative, and a pathetic
cadence at its close. The tradition still lives of the instan-
taneous effect produced by her on those who heard it. It
was a short flight; she just felt her wings; she was to hear
much more of Meyerbeer, and of “Alice.” For the moment
all is still again. It is but a passing trial. We must wait
a little longer.
( 55
)
CHAPTER W.
DiscovKRY.
YET it is to be but a very little longer; for we now
come to the year which was, to her, the epoch, the
turning-point of her career. It had opened with an
immense run, for twenty-two nights, all through January and
Eebruary, of a French melodrama in two acts, The American
Monkey, in which she played “Hyacinthe.” Then followed
three performances of the serious tragedy, in verse, The Sons
of King Edward. And, then, on the night of March 7th,
came the moment of moments. “I got up, that morning,
one creature: ” she herself often said; “I went to bed another
creature. I had found my power l’ And, all through her
life, she kept the 7th of March, with a religious solemnity;
she would ask to have herself remembered on it with
prayers; she treated it as a second birth-day. And rightly ;
for, on that day, she woke to herself; she became artistically
alive; she felt the inspiration, and won the sway, which she
now knew it was given her, to have and to hold.
She achieved this in the character of “Agatha’ in Weber's
Freischäffº.
She used often to tell how, in studying this part in
preparation for her début, with Madame Erikson, one of
the chief leaders and teachers in the school, of whom
she was very fond, and who did much for her, she, one day
when they two were alone, was seized with a desire to Satisfy
her teacher, and put her whole soul and power into her
56 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. V.
portrayal of the character—only to be met with dead silence.
“Am I, then, so incapable and so stupid?” she thought, till
she saw the tears trickling down her teacher's face; and all
Madame Erikson could say was, “My child, I have nothing
to teach you; do as nature tells you!”
The day of her début was an agony; but, with her first
note, she felt all fear and nervousness disappear. She had
discovered herself; and, certainly, the discovery was absolute.
The experience of that night was final. “She had found her
power.” That is her own record of what happened on that
evening. We know not all the details; but, evidently, the
expression signifies, not merely that she had the witness in
herself to her own capacity, but that she received proof, from
without, of the mastery she could exercise over others. She
who was perfectly accustomed to a public audience, and to
the applause of a public audience; she who had, already, for
years, won her steady successes; she, who had already charmed,
and astonished, and excited; still, felt that all this success
had never shown her the real potency which it was in her to
wield. Still, for her, that 7th of March, was a disclosure, a
revelation, a new thing. It was not so much a better edition
of that which had preceded it. It was a step out into a new
world of dominion. Something happened that night which
had never happened before. She knew, at last, where it
was that she stood; and what she was to do on the earth.
She caught sight of the goal. She learned something of her
mission. For, to her religious mind, the discovery of a gift
was the discovery of a mission. She saw the responsibility
with which she was charged, through the mere possession of
such a power over men. The singer, with the gift from God
—that is what she became on that night. “She went to bed
a new creature.”
The memory of that eventful moment remained perma-
nently recorded in the shape of two silver candlesticks,
1838–40.] I) ISCOVERY. 57
presented to her by the Directors of the Royal Theatre, “in
remembrance of March the 7th,” so the inscription ran. It
was the first of the many tributes that were made her in
her life; and it had, as such, a peculiar value which no
after-gift could exceed. We can fancy the joy of such a
tribute, paid by the spontaneous admiration of those who
could best appreciate her task, to the young girl of seventeen.
She held those silver candlesticks, in special affection; and
left them, at her death, to her daughter.
The Freischütz was given nine times in the course of
1838; but, for most of the year, she returned to her old
parts which she had already played, appearing in melodrama,
comedy, and burlesque. Her most popular character seems
to have been “Lovisa,” in The Ludicrous Encounter, which
she played as late as February 1st, 1839. She undertook one
new dramatic character, “Marie,” in a drama of that name
by Herold, with music and dance. This was the last play
that she appeared in before she passed over to opera, playing
it for three nights in April, 1839. After that, the opera
possessed her wholly. And this was heralded, before the
year 1838 was out, by three signal operatic appearances: i.e.,
“Emmelina,” in Weigl's The Swiss Family; “Euryanthe,”
in Weber's opera, which ran for four nights in the first half
of December; and “Pamina,” in the Zauberflöte, for four
more nights, before the year was over. In all, she had made,
for her salary of £60, seventy-three appearances.
In 1839, her success bore its fruit in a rise of the salary to
900 R. D. Banco. She appeared, in the course of the year,
only fifty-three times; but, perhaps, this is to be explained,
by the growing importance of her operatic parts, and the
gradual dropping of the light comedy characters in which she
had figured hitherto. She sang the part of “Laura” in an opera
called Le Château de Monténéro, by Dalayrac—a famous com-
poser of the French school, whom not even the Reign of Terror
b8 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. V.
could deter from producing new operas. She repeated
“Agatha’’ four times. She appeared in a character which
she greatly enjoyed, and in after years frequently repeated
—that of “Julia’’ in Spontini’s Vestale. In spite of her
enthusiasm for Weber, she was very fond of this work of
Weber's historic opponent. It was one of her famous rôles,
in the great days at Berlin, and on the Rhine.
But the event of the year was her appearance in her
traditional part of “Alice” in Roberto, by which she was
destined to win her most memorable triumphs. It was a
character in which her splendid dramatic power fused itself
with her gifts of voice, so as to leave an indelible impression
of force and of beauty on the imagination of those who saw
and heard. It was a part which drew on her own vivid per-
sonality, with its intensity of faith, with its horror of sin,
with its passionate and chivalrous purity. Voice, action,
gesture, and living character were all combined into a single
jet of dramatic individuality.
She opened, in this part, on May 10th and, evidently, with
overwhelming effect; for she has to play it for twenty-three
times before the year is out, and to repeat it for twenty-three
more, in the following year. It is on “Alice,” that the interest
is concentrated, in Stockholm drawing-rooms, when Jenny
Lind's name is announced as a guest. She will have to sing
the part 60 times, on those same boards before she has
done, between the 10th of May on which she first sang it,
and the 30th of December, 1843, when she will give her last
performance of it in the Royal Theatre.
Bournonville, a distinguished composer of operatic ballets,
in Copenhagen, of whom we shall hear more later on, Writes
in his ‘Theatrical Life’ of this performance:
“She was only eighteen when I first heard her, but had
already so eminent a talent, that her performance of ‘Alice ’
could be compared to the best I had seen and heard in Paris.
1838–40.] DISCOVERY. 59.
Although her voice had not yet reached the high development
it afterwards attained, it already possessed, even then, the
Same Sympathy, the same electric power, which now makes it
So irresistible. She was worshipped.”
The year 1839 was marked by several appearances at
concerts in the Royal Theatre: on February 11th, and
February 14th, she sang some verses of Berwald's, the
Royal Capellmeister, in connection with the tableau vivant of
Saint Cecilia; on March 10th, when she sang an aria from
Oberon, as well as in a quartette; on April 13th, when she
Sang a recitative and aria from Fidelio, and on April 20th, a
rectitative and aria from Tancred. On November 5th, it is
noticeable that she sang in a duet from Norma, the first signal
of her interest in that drama: and on November 16th, she
Sang, for Kellerman's benefit, a romance of his, accompanied
by a violoncello Solo. But, above all, on May 12th, she gave
her first great concert on her own behalf. At this, she sang
a recitative with aria, from Anna Bolena, and in a duet
by Mercadante : besides giving a scena from the second act
of the Freischütz.
Not only at Stockholm did she sing. We find her at
Upsala on the 19th June, giving a concert in her own
name, in connection with the great Whitsuntide festivities,
of which that university town is, annually, the scene. Here,
for the first time, she had the fascinating triumph of an escort
home, accompanied by the Students' Song. And here, too,
is the first note of danger given, as to the strain that is being
put on her voice. Evidently, her inner genius is already
beating against the bars of her technical skill. In her
“strivings after perfection ” she is attempting more than her
present knowledge and training enable her to express. She
“surpasses the limits” which, according to the paper, “Nature
has set"; though, indeed, it was not “Nature,” but the lack of
knowledge, which had set the limits. “Nature * was yet
60 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. V.
imprisoned, waiting for the sure insight of the Parisian
master to set it free to overleap the limits against which it
was now, ineffectually, struggling. It is just about this time,
in May, 1840, that the famous Swedish historian Geijer, who
was a most sympathetic admirer, notices “a certain inequality
in her acting” in the part of “Lucia.” Something there was,
which was, as yet, missing to her full development. Here is
the interesting extract from the Correspondenten, a journal of
politics and literature, in which the tone of warning or alarm
is So gracefully struck.
“We could hardly name any musical treat, given in Upsala,
which has met with a more general appreciation than Fröken
Jenny Lind’s concert, last Sunday. The spacious hall was
required in order to prevent a crush amongst the public,
which in number, no doubt, was nearer two thousand than
One thousand persons. The well-merited applause, which
the charming singer earned, burst forth in the most spon-
taneous manner, in repeated plaudits and cries of ‘Bravo,”
during the concert, whence she was escorted home with the
Students' Song, which was offered again, later in the evening
before her lodgings. The modest bearing which is so notice-
able in this gifted singer contributes, in no mean measure, to
enhance the enthusiastic reception, with which she will
always be greeted by an impartial public. But she herself,
and those who, in one way or another, are disposing of her
talents, ought to bear in mind that an artist’s strivings after
perfection can, in the case of a delicate physique, easily
become a devouring fire. May we err in our conjecture, but
there seems to be some foundation for the fear that this
enchanting voice not rarely surpasses the limits which Nature
itself has suggested. From here Fröken Lind, according to
report, went to Gothenburg, having, however, promised to
visit us again, later on.”
At Gothenburg, Jenny Lind had a most delightful rest for
the Summer. She stayed there all July, singing indeed at a
concert now and again, but withont any serious work, and
in hearty enjoyment of the delicious open-air country-life
which was so near her heart. Her mother is with her, and
1838–40.] I) ISCO VERY. 6]
writes to Mr. Lind on July 12th, 1839, a vivid account of
the pleasant days, in which we can feel how the public excite-
ment is working round Jenny, who “receives many visits.
every day from all possible artists and amateurs.”
“In my last letter I gave you an account of our pleasant
journey, etc. We have now settled down temporarily at the
sweetest little spot, called ‘ Gubbero, belonging to the Russian
Consul Lang, whose chief property is separated only by a
garden from our lodgings which consist of three furnished
rooms with ante-room. I think this year we should not
travel any further, for, truly, we could not wish for a better
place to spend the summer than this one. Besides, for grea
part of the day, we have the company of the Consul’s charm-
ing family. His wife was my school-fellow and there is a
daughter of Jenny's age. All this makes time pass in a most.
agreeable way; and, moreover, we have a great many visits.
every day from all possible artists and amateurs. Our Jenny
recruits herself daily, now in the hay-stacks, now on the sea
or in the swing, in perfect tranquillity, while the town people.
are said to be longing for her concert and greatly wondering
when it will come off. Once or twice she has been singing
in rather good circles, the divine air of ‘Isabelle’ from
Robert le Diable. Nearly everybody was crying—one lady
actually went into hysterics from sheer rapture; this has got,
abroad already. Yes, mon, petit viewa, she captivates all,
all ! It is a great happiness to be a mother under such
conditions. She sends fondest love to her papa, wishing from
all her heart to meet you in quite good health. About the
20th, Jenny will give her first concert—everyone says she
ought to raise the usual price.”
The last touch is as eminently characteristic of Fru Lind,
as it is unlike her daughter. We find the same note again
in an amusing bit of disappointed complaint with which she
closes a most pretty account of a surprise which they had
had, earlier in the year—an account which we insert here,
not only as a graphic story of the way in which Jenny was
responding to the buzz of popular enthusiasm which already
began to besiege her, but, also, as illustrating what Fru
{52 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. v.
Lind here notices, of Jenny's power to draw tears of joy, by
her singing. Ever in her voice rang the sympathetic vibra-
tion, at which tears flow. As it had been at her earliest
‘interview with old Croelius at nine years old, So it is now
with this old Baron, when she is all but nineteen.
“Do you know,” writes the mother from Stockholm, on
the evening of Feb. 22, 1839, “the other day we had a
curious visit, a certain Baron de G–, an old gentilhomme,
who had travelled all the way from his country-seat, with
the hope of seeing and hearing Jenny in the Freischütz,
but he was disappointed, through a change of performance,
owing to Almlöf's indisposition. Randel” (whose patron this
man is) undertook to forward, in the most delicate way, his
request to me and to our Jenny, that he might call upon us
and be allowed to hear, ever so little, the voice of the adored
one, so highly spoken of in his own part of the country.
Jenny agreed, and so they came—Randel, Baron de G–,
and his son. Little Jenny was liberal, the noble aspect of
the old man prepossessed her in his favour, she sang both her
grand airs. The old man was delighted, and this was clearly
visible, because he could not keep back his tears. Our little
home looked particularly neat, and chocolate was served, and
they parted with us, quite charmed. But probably, it ends
there ! For who rewards talent in our country; even when
people are ever so rich 3’ And “what,” she asks in this
same letter, “ has this good, this incomparable Jenny for her
increased labour ! Not even the advantage of providing for
her indispensable wants, without incurring debt l But I say,
like you, ‘Come day, comes counsel’; we shall see.”
These characteristic passages, which we have quoted to
illustrate the stir of fame that is moving about the daughter,
will well serve to explain a domestic crisis which we are now
approaching—a crisis which had, for its issue, an event that
told deeply upon Jenny Lind’s artistic development. For,
indeed, as we read them, we cannot but be conscious that this
mother, proud as she is of her wonderful child, and delighting
* Randel was, then, 2nd Leader of the R. Orchestra. He became 1st
Leader in 1861.
1838–40.] DISCOVERY. 63
in the glow of her success, yet lets drop expressions which
reveal the gulfs that gape between the two temperaments.
Every one who reads can understand why it was that, in
spite of the pleasant, and affectionate intercourse of these
summer holidays at Gothenburg, there was something which
would make mother and child impossible companions for one
another. This practical and determined mind which was bent
on acquiring the just profits that were due from a public
that talked so enthusiastically about “our incomparable
Jenny”—how it must have offended the primary instincts of
the artist herself? How was it conceivable that she should
tolerate this insistent voice in her ear, suggesting always how
easy it would be to raise the price of the tickets; while she
was, on the other hand, shaping steadily, into clearer vision,
her recognition of her gift as a charge from God, to be used
in His service, for the help of mankind 2 There might
be much affection, at heart, between the pair, but companion-
ship, there could not be. They had antagonistic consciences:
and neither of them had the temper that easily yields. This
very letter from which we have been quoting contains a most
characteristic instance of the temper of which we are speak-
ing—a temper which was bound to fill a house with the
noise of clash and quarrel, such as would be misery to
one who needed in her home, shelter, Softness, refuge, ease,
and peace. Here is the story:—
“I must tell you” (she writes) “that I have just returned
from the theatre with rather a long face, to find that no seat
is accorded to Jenny's mother, although there still were
empty seats, and, besides, the performance had already
begun. M--, with his insinuating smile, asked me to
wait on the chance of there being room after the second piece
had begun. But I answered, as no place is accorded me, I
shall go without altogether,’ and so I left. Z– is always
overbearing and rude. This is the gratitude we get for our
leniency with these people. Jenny, on hearing of this mis-
64 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. v.
adventure, went straight up to Z , and gave him to
understand her annoyance at my not having a seat. His
answer, that there could not be room for everybody's mother,
was just like him ; but Jenny's remark on this took him a
little down; a messenger was despatched to offer me a seat
on the first tier; but, to Jenny's surprise, mother was gone
——and best so l’’
This episode is amusing enough ; and, moreover, no one
who knew the daughter can resist the recognition of qualities
in her which vividly recall the mother in this most cha-
racteristic scene. Certainly they bore likeness to one
another. But, then, this would only make matters worse
where, as in this case, the mother's sensitive haughtiness had
all been brought to the surface by the unfortunate hardships
of her life. Her jealous pride in Jenny seems to have rather
aggravated than soothed her sense of wrong, her irritability,
her suspicion. We cannot be surprised if such an atmosphere
became intolerable, and if explosions occurred.
So it was that, towards the end of 1839, Jenny took the
decisive step which, finally, separated her from actual home-
life. It came about with a certain touch of humour. She
had, some time before this, pressed her old friend, Louise
Johansson, now engaged in a Magasin de Modes, to take a
spare room, which was to be let in the Linds' house. This
secured her a companionship which she greatly valued, and,
through which, things were tolerable. After a year Fru
Lind proposed to raise her terms: and, when Mdlle. Louise
could not agree to this, she lost her temper, and declared
that both Jenny and she were welcome to leave her roof.
This was told to a well-to-do relation, Mdlle. Apollonia
Lindskog, known to Jenny as “Tante Lona,” living with a
sister of Mr. Lind's father, Fru Strömberg, who, having
adopted Mr. Lind at his father's death, was known to Jenny
as “Grandmother.” These two ladies agreed to receive the
exiles: but how were they to manage the transfer ? In this
Bonde Palace. R. Theatre.
- -
-
-
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||||
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- - -
III. IIIºTT
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- -
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STOCKHOLM. [To face p. 65.


1838–40.] I) ISCO VERY. 65
way. Jenny packed all her clothes into a large wash-basket
on the plea that they were to go to the dressmaker. She,
then, invited her parents to a performance of Roberto, in
which she played “Alice:” during which time Louise put
up her things, and sent them off to Mdlle. Lindskog. Next
morning, at breakfast, Louise announced that she wished to
leave her present lodgings. Fru Lind, with much heat,
broke out into her old phrase, and declared that if so, she
might take Jenny with her. Jenny, then, took her at her
word; and left the house, going, first, to Herr Berg, and,
then, joining Louise at Mdlle. Lindskog's. Her parents ap-
peared there, to claim her: but found themselves unable to
force a girl of nineteen from the house of so near a relation.
Yet Jenny, in fear that they might yet succeed, on a Sunday
shortly after, left the house, escorted by her maid, Annette,
and turned her steps toward the Bonde Palace, close to the
theatre, overlooking the Norrström, in which lived the
famous musician, Adolf Fredrik Lindblad, the chief of
Swedish song-writers, her warm admirer, and friend. Into
his family she was received : she found, in Madame Lindblad
a second mother: and from Herr Lindblad himself, and from
the Society into which he brought her, she inhaled an in-
fluence, which affected her entire development, artistic, in-
tellectual, and moral. Of this, we shall have more to say in
the following chapter. In his house she remained until her
final departure for Paris in July, 1841. Back to rooms in
that house, she came, on her return to Stockholm in 1842.
There was her home. There she could rest at peace. There
she found the sympathy, the understanding, the inspiration,
which her nature ardently needed. Though in some points
endowed with a “Finnish ’’ stubbornness, she was, in others
singularly self-distrustful, uncertain, easily unnerved. She
greatly needed an atmosphere of affection to give her con-
fidence, and security. She was passionately domestic ; she
WOL. I. F
66 - JENNY LIND. [BK. I. C.H. V.
must have the assurance of love about her, to Save her from
the miseries of suspicion and of distrust, into which her lofty
idealism was very apt to lapse, unless buoyed against the
shock of rough and hard facts by the encompassing force of
Sympathetic intimacy. It was not that she did not have
affection for her parents: on the contrary, she held them
very deep in her heart. But it was impossible for them to
enter into her motives and aims: and, moreover, Fru Lind
had a certain twist of temper which made actual life with her
exceedingly difficult. *
So it happened: and Jenny, now, could at last bring
together her life into a single whole. Her daily surroundings
were no longer in collision with her artistic inspiration.
Rather, they aided, fed, succoured it. Her spirit breathed an
air that was congenial, and bracing: her heart found warmth,
and nourishment in the cherishing kindliness of a family.
The year must have been a happy one. It was full of
success. It opened with a brilliant continuation of her
“Alice,” in January, to be repeated in April, and all through
November. She sang, again, in her former parts of “Agatha ; ”
“Euryanthe;” “Pamina; ” “Julia’’ (the Vestale); and
“Marie,” in Herold’s operatic drama of that name. All is,
now, Opera: not a single one of her old comedy parts does
she play. Her career in pure acting is alas! over altogether.
She adds, to her score, two important characters; “Donna
Anna,” in Don Juan, ; and “Lucia " in Lucia di Lammer-
moor. This last part, one of her famous rôles, had a furore.
She introduced it into Stockholm on May 16th and played
it for twenty-eight nights in the year. It was after her
thirteenth performance of “Lucia,” that, on June 19th, 1840,
a number of the actors, together with members of the or-
chestra, and chorus, gathered before her dressing-room, and
serenaded her: and, on her return home, she was presented
with a silver tea and coffee service, which was ever highly
1838–40.] DISCOVERY. 67
valued by her, and was left, by specific direction in her will,
to her eldest son. The donors appeared in gala costume,
among them being his Excellency Count J. G. de la Gardie,
Count Carl de Geer, Count Carl Axel Löwenhjelm, Count
Gustaf Trolle Bonde, etc., etc. Lindblad’s eldest daughter,
now Mme. Lotten von Feilitzen, remembers well how Jenny
Lind had to go to the window, after receiving the present, to
wave her handkerchief to the crowd that had collected below
in the street. Altogether, she made sixty-nine appearances.
In the half-year that remained, before her departure for
Paris, she played forty-nine times more, chiefly in Lucia
and Roberto and the Freischütz: her new parts were
“Alaida’ in Bellini’s Stranſiera ; and in a selection from
Gluck's opera “Armida,” for a single performance. She sang
in eight concerts at the theatre, in 1840, and in two more in
1841. In two of them she sang a duet from Jessonda, with
Herr Günther: and in three, she sang a duet from Norma,
with her playmate at the school, Fru Gelhaar.
Two special events may be, finally, noticed. First, she
goes again, at Whitsuntide, to Upsala : and we have a letter
of Geijer, written at the time, which speaks of the intense
interest of Lindblad in his charge.
“Lindblad, who in the general enchantment is particularly
enchanted with Mdlle. Lind, was also here and staying with
us. He left this morning, upon which Upsala may be likened
to a barrel from which the bottom has been taken out, so
that the contents run away.”
And our old paper, the Correspondenten, has some graceful
words which we cannot but insert, for, besides the warm and
intelligent enthusiasm of its praise, it uses the symbol of
the nightingale which became, afterwards, her familiar
patronymic.
“But, in addition to Nature's beautiful singing-birds,
there came, flying thither on Whitsun eve a nobler nightin-
F 2
68 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. V.
gale, the famous Jenny Lind, whose arrival many a one has
heartily looked forward to. For, indeed, she has been the
object of a homage, such as, in its truest form, can be given
only in a city of culture and of youth. True, it is in the
first place, a great, an extraordinary talent one admires in
her; but how infinitely is the value of this artistic power
increased by the unpretending, modest, charming manner,
in which it progents itself to all eliraptured listener. With
her all seems Nature, simple and glorious, so as to make
one forget what great influence Art has also exercised on
her development. It is by this harmonious combination
of a noble nature and art, that Fröken Jenny Lind in
every respect stands out as of exceptional and unalloyed
Worth.”
So goes the judgment of Sweden. It could not be better
expressed. It embodies, exactly, the constant impression,
which, year after year, in far lands abroad, she is to create.
Somehow or other, wherever she is to go, and whatever her
triumphs in Denmark, Germany, England, and America, no
One can succeed in recording his experience without arriving
at this very identical conclusion of the Upsala periodical.
Always he finds himself saying, that “great and extraordinary
as is the talent which one admires in her, how infinitely is
the value of this artistic power increased by the modest
and charming manner in which it offers itself to the en-
raptured listener!” That is it. That is what everyone feels:
and what everyone tries to say. We shall find that type of
comment quite invariable. It is this especial interest of her
singing to which we propose to devote the following chapter.
Here, we pause, for a moment, in our narrative of her early
dramatic career, and take note of where we stand. We
have followed her from the lowest rung of the ladder, a
tiny mite in the theatre-school, performing its first miracul-
ous feats—to the high platform on to which she has
passed, in secure possession of unqualified supremacy on
her native stage. Nothing has interrupted, or broken this
1838–40.] I) ISCOVERY. 69
sure progress. Nothing has come to traverse, or criticise it.
It has been a steady upward movement towards its final
bewildering triumph. As a child, she had fascinated by her
acting: as a singer, her very first début had been to her an
immediate and unmistakable revelation of her Supreme
powers. Her nation have greeted her with acclamation.
Their enthusiasm for her voice can only be outdone by their
enthusiasm for herself. So it is, as we look back along the
road she has travelled. Her troubles have all been domestic.
As an artist, her career has been unchecked, and unclouded.
She might well think that she had, at twenty, already touched
the summit. All the world about her was ready to assure
her that it was so. How little she herself thought so, we
shall soon See.
But, before doing so, we are bound to stop, and review the
personal character, which had developed under these con-
ditions. What type of person was the Jenny Lind, of whom
all Sweden was now talking 2 In answering this general
question, we shall not refuse the help which records and
memorials of her in her later life supply, in emphasising
those distinct and enduring lines, which formed the unchang-
ing ground of her character. And we do this with con-
fidence, because nothing comes out more obviously from the
records of her story, than the absolute and continuous
identity, from end to end, of the main elements of her per-
somality. Always, at all periods of her life, the terms used
to describe her are the same. Always the same person
walks, and speaks, and stands, and sings, whether it be the
simple girl in her Sweet modesty, or the grown woman in
full possession of her assured powers. Whatever men tell
us of her, whatever she does, or says, we recognise her at
once. A single phrase, or pose, or gesture is enough. “That
is Jenny Lind,” we say ; no one can mistake it. Whether it
come early, or whether it come late in the day, it is all of a
70 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. v.
piece; it tells the same tale; it leaves the like impression;
it belongs to the same picture.
We need not, then, be at all afraid to mingle the evidence
yielded by differing years, and varying places: for, indeed, it
is only by So doing that we can receive the full impression of
this strong and unbroken continuity of type, which was so
marked a feature in her character.
( 71 )
CHAPTER WI.
CHARACTER.
THERE are artists, in whom their art is so predominant, that,
like a despotism, it concentrates all efforts and capacities
upon itself. The man is absorbed within his main interest.
Through it alone does he find energetic vent. In it he
verifies the attributes of genius: he gives evidence of some-
thing in him which is surpassingly excellent: but, outside
its ring-fence, in all the other departments of life and
character, he shows himself as ordinary, and unremarkable
as the rest of us. His artistic genius does not flow over, and
animate, his other sensibilities, and gifts: it abides in itself:
and seems, even, to drain originality out of all rival channels;
so that we might think the man commonplace, and dull, until
we saw him transfigured and illuminated in the exercise of
his own peculiar talent. This is a perfectly possible type of
genius: and, because it exists, men are loud in asserting the
proverbial disappointment often felt at meeting, in Society,
some one who has been, through his gift, the inspiration of
their lives. In the Ordinary affairs with which all are
concerned, this glorious hero, this poet, this musician, with
whose fame the world is ringing, shows no particular power,
has no especial facility, may, indeed, prove himself
inferior in judgment and in insight, to many a man who
prides himself on making no claim to be a genius. More
especially, in the field of executive art, involving curious,
and special facilities of organization, we may expect to come
across such surprises as this.
72 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VI.
All the more noticeable then is it, that, in the case of
Jenny Lind, the surprise is all the other way. There is a
universal consent, in all who record her influence, that what
they experienced was the effect of a character whose genius
penetrated every corner of her being, so that her unique gift
of song appeared but as an incidental illustration of the
originality which was everywhere in her. Even those who
felt her singing most profoundly, felt ever as she sang, that
she was more than her singing: while those whose lack of
musical perception made them impervious to her special
talent, experienced as much as any the full fascination of her
personality. This impression of her belongs to her early, as
well as to her after years; and it cannot be better given than
in an expressive phrase, used long after our present date,
indeed, but which vividly and exactly embodies what was
already so characteristic of her. “After all, I would rather
hear Jenny talk, than sing, wonderful as that is,” writes
Mrs. Stanley, the wife of the Bishop of Norwich, to her sister,
Mrs. Augustus Hare, in September 1847, after a rapturous
account of what her singing had been. Surely, a most
striking remark to make : and one which cannot be too
emphatically reiterated, as giving a cue to the indescribable
impression left by this great artist on the memory and the
hearts of those who came nearest to her. “I would
rather hear her talk than sing !” And at the very moment
when the words were written there was another person,
in that palace at Norwich, who gave a cordial adhesion
to this sentiment. There could be no better instance of
Jenny Lind’s social impressiveness than her intercourse with
Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, son of the Bishop of Norwich,
afterwards the famous Dean of Westminster. He was a man
of the highest type of culture, of sensitive imagination, of
most delicate intellect—a man, too, who was habitually in
contact with all the finest minds and the richest experiences
1840.] CHARACTER. 73
of his day—and yet he was absolutely excluded from even
the slightest sympathy with all that made her “the greatest
artist whom Mendelssohn had ever known,” for he was
unable to enjoy one note of her music; and still, though her
voice is no more to him than an inexplicable interruption to
their conversation, he was absorbed under the sway of her
personal fascination, and became her life-long and intimate
friend.
And, again, far down her career, the same instinctive
impression greets us, showing how from first to last, this was
her typical character. We quote from notes made by Mr.
Parker Willis, at the time of the American tour, in
November 1850, published in 1856 in a work called ‘Famous
Persons and Famous Places.’ These notes express, with
wonderful felicity and vividness, the particular point on which
we now are dwelling. For they tell how the author, after
being enthralled by the magic of her singing, obtains the
privilege of intercourse with her; and the effect on him is
just that recorded in Mrs. Stanley's happy phrase. He
cannot resist the impression that she could have written at
least as brilliantly as she sang; and that, somehow, it is only
circumstances that have chained her to what he ventures to
call “her lesser excellence.” He feels as if she were a
“Poetess whom song has hindered and misled.” He notices,
especially, as the key to her character, her “singularly
prompt and absolute power of concentration.” “No matter
what the subject, the “burning glass’ of her mind was
instantly brought to bear upon it,” “her occasional anticipa-
tions of the speaker's meaning, though they had a momentary
look of abruptness, were invariably the mile-stones at which
he was bound to attain, . . . . and the graphic suddenness
with which she would sum up, could receive its impulse from
nothing but genius.” And, after much more, he winds up
with this remarkable conclusion :-
74 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VI.
“In reading over what I have hastily written, I find it
expresses what has grown upon me with seeing, and hearing
the great songstress—a conviction that her present wonderful
influence is but the forecast and shadow of a different and
more inspired exercise of power hereafter. Her magnetism is
not all from a voice, and a benevolent heart. The Soul while
it feels her pass, recognises the step of a spirit of fall stature,
complete and unhalting in its proportions. We shall yet be
called upon to admire rarer gifts in her than her voice.”
It would be hard to give better, or fuller expression than
this, to the sense that we desire to convey—the sense, the
feeling that Jenny Lind was, not less, but more, than her
Art. What men saw, and found in her was, not that a
common piece of the stuff of human nature had been caught
up, by the artistic inspiration, into some unspeakable heaven,
and been transfigured by some sudden and strange glory
which carried the human spirit beyond itself. No 1 rather
they felt that here was a character of supreme value, of
unique excellence, which had contrived to find its way down
into the world's scenery, through the particular channel
provided for it by song. Music gave it its chief opportunity
for discovering itself to men; but it itself stood above the
Art which it used as its finest medium of communication,
Hence the intensity of spiritual interest, which greeted her
singing. Men seemed to themselves not so much to be
listening to a voice, as to be catching sight, through the
door which music opened, of a high and pure Soul, moving
down to them, through the pathway of song, out of Some
far untainted home of purity and joy. It was this Soul
which they greeted with such amazement, such warmth;
it was its felt presence which made the tears start, always,
to their eyes as they listened. . It was Jenny Lind herself,
who, by means of her wonderful gift, was the revelation
to them of the heights which it was still open to men to
attain. -
1840.] CHARACTER. 75
And, because this was so, we desire, both in the present
chapter, and in chapters to come, to dwell, especially, on the
Social impression produced by her, wherever she went. This
book, it is true, is a memoir of Jenny Lind as the artist.
But the distinction, which we have attempted to draw
between the two types of artists, will make it clear why, in
her case, it is impossible to dissociate her artistic success from
her effect as a woman, as a personal character, upon the
people among whom she came. She was one of those whose
art reveals a character behind it, out of which its own
excellence is drawn; and, in estimating that Art, therefore, we
inevitably find ourselves drawn into the presence of this
inspiring force of character which it disclosed. It would be
impossible to represent the effect of Jenny Lind, as an artist,
without making it continually clear what it was which
Mrs. Stanley meant when she said in 1847, “After all, I would
rather hear Jenny talk than sing,” or, as she wrote again in
the same year: “Her singing is the least part of her charm ;
she has the simplicity of genius.”
We shall have frequent occasion, as our story proceeds, to call
attention to this significant characteristic ; as, for instance, to
note that wherever she goes, over the cities of Europe, she is,
somehow, always found to be staying in the house of someone
who is of special, and even European, reputation. Men of
this high stamp seem, always, to foregather with her ; she has
the entry; she finds her home with them. And, again, in her
own city of Stockholm, where the circumstances of her life,
with which we are familiar, might be expected to stand SOme-
what in her way, and where there was, necessarily, so much,
in her bringing-up, which would make it difficult for her to
break down social barriers, nothing is more remarkable than
her complete acceptance, before she has passed her girlhood
not only into those circles where details of birth and position
are supposed to be of vital importance, but what is far
76. JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VI.
more, into those high literary intimacies where nothing but
character counts. -
Let us give illustrations of this. Here is a most graceful
and brilliant picture of a soirée in Stockholm in 1839, which
we cannot but give as a whole. It is perfectly trustworthy,
being the record of a lady, still living, in whose old home the
scene took place. Evidently, as all who read it must feel, the
impression of that marked evening stamped itself upon the
girl’s brain, so that every detail stood out sharp and clear,
when, in 1887, nearly fifty years later, she wrote out the
sketch for a periodical called the Dagny—published by the
“Fredrika Bremer Association,” the object of which is to
further the cause of those women who are anxious to make
their own living. The lady, who wrote it, herself ‘the
daughter of the house’ mentioned in the narrative, intended to
send it in a letter to Madame Lind-Goldschmidt herself, in
order, by reminding her of the evening it records, to interest
her in the Fredrika Bremer Association; but, before the
letter could be sent, the news of her illness and death reached
Stockholm ; and it was, then, published in the Dagny, as
a memorial of her who had gone. Here is the account:—
“It is a cold winter's evening in the year 1839. In the
house of 11 Regeringsgatan chandeliers and lustres are gra-
dually being lit. Along the street is stopping a row of
closed carriages, which, each in its turn, drive up to the
entrance. Footmen in livery open the carriage-doors and
Smart women, followed by men in uniform, get out cautiously
and disappear through the porch of the faintly illuminated
passage. A few minutes later the fresh arrivals find them-
selves in the cloakroom, the wraps are taken off, silk dresses
are rustling, shawls are draped, a look in the glass is directed
to the fantastic head-dresses, while the men are touching up
their plumed cocked hats or straightening their gold-fringed
epaulettes—and now they enter the glowing Suite of rooms,
either in groups or one by One.
“In the first Salon, where various musical instruments are
Seen, they are received by the host, Baron L , all
1840.] j CHARACTER. 77
elderly man, with noble features, shaded by silver-grey hair,
of dignified deportment, and an air of kindliness and refine-
ment about him generally. Passing through a smaller ante-
chamber, the guests now proceed to the great, half-round
Salom, where the hostess is awaiting them. She is a tiny little
lady, about thirty, youthful in her movements, with expres-
sive eyes and a smile of great fun, as well as of courtesy,
round her lips. With an unconventional and graceful
movement, she gives her hand, introducing the people
to one another, showing that she understands the art of
forming acquaintances, right and left, by means only of a
few words.
“There comes Baron B , with his wife and daughters,
one of whom, later on, married a Minister for Foreign Affairs,
whilst the other became the mother of Sweden's greatest poet
in our times. In their wake are seen Baron F , the great
Chamberlain to the King Carl Johan, and General C tº
There some fashionable young ladies are advancing, surrounded
by their court of a few officers and civilians. Behind these
are seen the popular violinist in the Court-Chapel, Herr
Elvers, a young cellist, Herr F--, etc., etc. And now there
appears a striking couple ; it is Count and Countess B 2
both bearers of great historical names, and she a queen in
the realm of beauty. A murmur of homage follows her as
she moves on and she is scarcely seated before a crowd of
admirers throw a ring round her. However, all of a sudden,
the whispering becomes louder, changing tone altogether,
while every head is directed towards the ante-chamber.
“On the threshold stands the host and by his side, shaking
hands with him, a young girl, with an abundance of curls
round the pale cheeks; a gown in simple style softly clings
round the maiden figure and there is a dreamy, half absent,
and fascinating look in the deep-set eyes.
“The hum is increasing still more when the old nobleman
leads the visitor into the midst of his guests; but he has not
time to pronounce her name, it is already on everybody's lips,
and is now flying round the room with a subdued sound:
Jenny Lind / Jenny Lind /
“The beauties of the season are forgotten and, what is
more, they forget all about themselves; flirtation is Sup-
pressed; etiquette is sinned against unpunished; and as soon
as the new guest has been cordially welcomed by the hostess,
and by her, personally, introduced to the principal ladies, a
78 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VI.
crowd of the high assembly gathers round the plain-looking
young girl, thus for once justly conceding the preference of
genius to birth—of beauty of soul to beauty of features.
“A singular liveliness is breathing through the hitherto
rather formal company. The hostess attracts both young and
old to her animated conversation with the honoured guest ;
and every one is gratified who catches a word or a look from
this Jenny Lind who, for the last few weeks has, as ‘Alice.’
in Rubert le Diable and ‘Agatha' in the Freischütz captivated
and enchanted both themselves and the whole Stockholm
public.
“Somewhat monosyllabic, at the start, amongst all these
strangers, the guest begins, by-and-by, to shake off her
reserve. She smiles an incredulous smile when one of la
jeunesse dorée compares her to ‘la divine Malibran,’ and laughs
openly at some old general’s grotesque flattery. To a senti-
mental inquiry as to what heavenly thoughts had filled her
mind when, the preceding evening, she had, as ‘Alice’
embraced the cross, she answered, a little hesitatingly: ‘I
believe I was thinking of my old bonnet.' But, wherever
she encounters genuine and deeper understanding in the
compliments uttered, her answers are sympathetic, almost
humble.
“By her side stands the clever pianiste Mina Josephson, a
sister of one as yet unknown to fame—Axel Josephson. A
girl of fourteen, the eldest daughter of the house, timidly
approaches her in order that by her she may be introduced
to Jenny Lind, who bestows upon her a warm pressure of
the hand.
“How the gay party went on, how the musical programme
was opened by the daughter of the house and her teacher,
after which followed one of Beethoven’s most beautiful trios;
and how Jenny Lind sang the “Lieder’ of Geijer and
Lindblad as they never were, nor ever more will be sung—
we must here only glance at. And further how the host and
hostess were obliged to check the too eager wishes of their
friends to hear more and ever more—in order to show that
the object of the invitation had been the personal acquaint-
ance of the charming artist, not only the enjoyment of her
song lovely though it be. That Jenny Lind was satisfied
with her evening, and, in this milieu, found several of her
most enthusiastic, and faithful admirers, is quite certain.
And, as she was the first operatic singer received in the best
1840.] . CHARACTER. 79
Society of the capital, in which she became a dear and
honoured guest, it has seemed of Some interest to preserve a
few details of her appearance in this domain.
“In the memory of the writer of this paper, Jenny Lind
stands out a unique apparition, like no one else, simple,
unpretending, but dignified—penetrated by a sort of Sacred
responsibility for her mission—the mission of Art in its
lofty purity—which she felt that God had confided to her.”
The last touches of this graphic record will serve to
justify our insistence on this social aspect of Jenny Lind's
life; and to redeem our motives from the suspicion of any
unworthy interest in these formalities of society. For it is
just through this lofty sense of artistic mission that she took
her place amid her fellows. As at Stockholm, so everywhere,
it is this, her spiritual sense of responsibility, which gave her
Social distinction, and carried her, in dignified ease, through
these surroundings. It is deeply interesting to notice how it
is exactly this characteristic, here noted by the Swedish
lady as the secret of Jenny Lind's effect upon those about
her, which afterwards won to her the intense devotion of
the Stanleys at Norwich. “Every morning when she got
up, she told me,” writes Mrs. Stanley, “she felt that her
voice was a gift from God, and that, perhaps, that very day
might be the last of its use.” And Arthur Stanley repeats
this, as if this was what gave her such fascinating interest.
It was this, which secured her that aspect of independence, of
detachment, which is so vital, if an artist is to preserve moral
dignity, in face of a “society” which is too apt to flatter
itself that it is doing a favour to those to whom it kindly
permits an entry, and which is encouraged in this self-
flattery, if the artist is obviously grateful for the attention.
Nobody could see Mademoiselle Lind for two seconds, and
suspect her of any such flattery. She moved about “like an
apparition”: like one “with a mission ”: charged with a
serious responsibility. That is her social character: that is
80 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VI.
her note, her charm, as this paper beautifully records: and
this made all touch of over-deference to external position
absolutely impossible to her. No one could mistake that
free independence : that moral “ detachment.” Indeed,
criticism on her social qualities, would turn on the very
opposite defect to that at which we have been hinting. It
might be said that this spiritual aloofness gave a sense of
haughtiness to her manner in public, and with those who were
not intimate. There was a “hold-off” look—a drawing
away, a critical Survey of a new comer, which made many an
introduction to her, in after years, a moment of Supreme
agony to those who had, perhaps, dreamed of that happiness
for hours and days before, but who now that it had come,
and that she was looking them over with a cold and lofty
gaze, could only pray that the earth might yawn, and swallow
them up, before things had gone any further. It was a
severe ordeal: and, unquestionably, no worldly rank, or
position, would have the slightest effect in modifying its
severity.
Again, this spiritual attitude of one “charged with a
mission,” made “Society” most distasteful to her. She
never could care, the least, for it as such ; she hated its
frivolous distractions, its Social pettiness, its wearisomeroutine;
it had no attraction for her. She liked “intimates.” And
“Society,” therefore, in admitting her, never felt that it had
done her a great kindness, or that she hung on its favours.
IRather, it knew that something was there in her, which made
all social distinctions become very Small matters indeed.
IFor the standards, which her presence forced to the front,
were not “social” but moral and spiritual: and it was
impossible to have intercourse with her, without becoming
conscious of this: and, tried by those standards, it was she
who brought the honour, not society which conferred it.
“There is no one,” writes Mrs. Stanley, in 1847, “who does
1840.] OHARACTER. 8)
not feel, that it was an honour for the Bishop, to have given
her the protection of this house.”
In this temper of moral independence, she passed up, out
of the struggles and clouds of her childhood, into the full
sunlight of success, with absolute ease, without a shadow of
encumbering consciousness, without a breath of worldliness
ever crossing her spirit. She retained, without even an
effort, all her inherent and native simplicity, her freshness,
her undaunted sincerity. Never did she slacken, for a
moment, her demand that the worth of men should be
estimated, wholly and utterly, according to their moral value,
Never, for one instant, did the mists of conventionalism dim
her vision, or confuse her insight. She had one set of
balances; and one only. She never even seems to have been
tempted to exchange them. Swept up, in the sudden rush
of an overwhelming success, out of obscurity into the company
and the friendship of princes and kings, this girl, in her
simple-hearted virginity, kept a conscience as true and fine
as steel. No illusion bewildered her: no worldly splendour
ever succeeded in beguiling her. Failings of another type
might be laid to her charge. She could be hasty, and hard,
sometimes, in her judgments. She was liable to misunder-
stand people. She had vehement impulses, and equally
vehement reactions, which were apt to gain for her, from those
who knew her little, the character of Capricious fitfulness.
She could magnify slight lapses into great sins. A certain
spiritual haughtiness there was in her; a certain suspicion of
the motives on which she, by bitter experience, learned that
men too often act. All this might be said. But one thing it
was for ever impossible, even for an enemy, to imagine: that
Jenny Lind ever condescended to lower the steady standards
by which she tested all human worth, high or low, rich or
poor. Thus it was that she secured, as we shall hear, “a
homage" from the best Society in Stockholm, which was
WOL. I. G.
82 JENNY LINI). [BK. I. C.H. VI.
quite peculiar in its type. “Homage l’ that is the
very word to express what it was that was given her.
One feels it, in the delightful refusal of the lady of the
house, in the Dagmy sketch, to ask her to sing again, lest she
should seem to have been invited for her singing, and not
for her perSU11al qualities. It was this complete acceptance
of her, in her own independent character, which worked a
real and lasting change in the Social respect given to actors
and actresses in Stockholm, by which the difficulties that
had stood hitherto in their way disappeared. And this
absolute sincerity of character which won her this homage as
a girl of nineteen, remained so entirely untouched to the last,
that every gesture and every look, recorded in that graceful
portrait of her behaviour on her earliest début, is familiar to
those who only knew her in the latter years of her English
life. That is the very lady whom they knew : every phrase
recalls her. They can see her, as she stands there, at the entry
of the salon, when the old nobleman is receiving her: rather
monosyllabic, at first ; and, then as she shakes off her reserve,
responding, to any genuine speech, with a sympathy, that is
“almost humble.” They can feel her as she bends and
smiles incredulously, at the pretty compliments paid her by
the young men: they can positively hear her laugh as the
old generals come up to fumble out their “grotesque flattery”:
they can catch the very ring of her voice, and the very look
in her arch eyes, as she meets the earnest inquiries as to the
nature of her secret thoughts when clasping the cross in the
scene from Roberto, with the frank Statement that “she was
thinking of her old bonnet !” “A unique apparition, like
no one else; simple, unpretending, dignified " How much
the words recall! How many a similar Scene was embodied
in them To the very last hour of her life, they would have
been the only possible description of her. Surely, a singular
force of sincerity lay in her, which could make that early
1840.] CHARACTER. 83.
picture of her so speak to those who saw and loved her forty
years after, as if it were alive with her very presence, and
instinct with her very tones | Not a jot or tittle of that
intense and spontaneous originality of hers had “the world.”
succeeded in moulding to its own liking, or Society in
refashioning according to its own convention. There she
stood, from first to last, “a unique apparition, like no one
else; simple, unpretending, dignified.” The notes of Mr.
Parker Willis from which we have already quoted, describing
her in America in 1850, convey, admirably, the identical
impression, which belongs to this Dagmy sketch and which
belonged to her throughout:
“the freshness, and sincerity of thoughts taken as they rise—
the truthful deference due to a stranger, and yet the natural
cordiality which self-respect could well afford—the ease of
one who had nothing to learn of courtesy, and yet the im-
pulsive eagerness to shape word and manner to the want of
the moment—these, which would seem to be the elements.
of a simple politeness, were all there ; but in Jenny
Lind, somehow, they composed a manner which was alto-
gether her own. A strict lady of the court might have
objected to the frank eagerness with which she seated her
company like a schoolgirl preparing her playfellows for a
game at forfeits;–but it was charming to those who were
made at home by it. In the seating of herself in the posture
of attention, and disposal of her hands and dress (Small lore
sometimes deeply studied, as the ladies know) she evidently
left all to nature—the thought of her own personal appearance
never once entering her mind. So self-Omitting a manner
indeed, in a case where none of the uses of politeness were
forgotten, I had not before seen.”
In saying all this, it is not intended that she could be ever
called, in the strict sense, a “conversationalist.” Her talk
was not continuous enough, to give it the character. Her
lack of literary and scientific education forbade it. She
talked as an artist, not as a conversationalist. She dropped
out a vivid Sentence, a pungent epithet ; she shot out a
G 2
84 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. C.H. VI.
Sudden, and brilliant expression : she put one in possession
of a whole situation by a gesture, or a glance: but she did
not follow up a theme, or argument : she did not carry on
a train of thought, or help a conversation to develop a
sequent thread of consecutive reflection. That would not be
her manner. She would be dramatic, abrupt, intense : but
she could not yield herself to the stream of a common dis-
cussion, carrying all along in a persistent process, according
to the Socratic ideal of talk.
And here, as we speak of her social effect, it is necessary
to touch upon her personal appearance. Yet how useless it
seems | No words can be used which will not convey a
wrong or exaggerated impression to those who never saw
her : and to those who have seen and known her, no words
are necessary. Her features were strong, and homely ; of a
usual Swedish type, we believe: very pliable, and expressive,
especially about the nose and the mouth; and it was this
expressive pliability, which allowed such strange, and delicious
transformation to pass over it, as it changed from repose to
action. We shall come upon a vivid description, in the
course of this book, in which the contrast between her actual
appearance as it first caught your eye, and that which she
became when once she began to speak, or move or sing, will
be spoken of as nothing short of “transfiguration.” ” At the
start, you would pronounce the face plain; but, then, it lent
itself to express, in a peculiar degree, the winning simplicity,
and freshness of girlhood: it was full of animation, and into
it, moreover, there ever passed the singular grace of her
“pose,” and her movements. It was a face which it was
delightful to watch. It could express everything with a
graphic intensity that made one laugh from pure joy. It
could brim over with fun : it had an irresistible archness,
when she was amused : it was capable of an almost awful
* Cf. page 198.
///, ///^^* %%% * /º/,


1840.] CHARACTER. 85
Solemnity: and it could, when she was suspicious and on
her guard, become absolutely stony. A transparent counte-
nance, indeed, on which every emotion revealed itself with
unqualified spontaneity. It was the ever-changing mirror
of her soul, and therefore became charged with interest : a
speaking face, which could captivate by its overflowing
vitality, until it became delightful to observe, and to re-
member, for its own sake; and this illumination from within,
combined as it was, with the buoyant movements which filled
her whole body, gave her, both off and on the stage, when-
ever she was animated, that positive charm, that personal
fascination, which is associated, generally, with beauty.
She was, firmly, persuaded of her own plainness. Her
description of herself, as a girl, has, already, been given, in
all its comic exaggeration, “broad-nosed, ugly, gauche,” etc.
And Mr. Parker Willis notices that she was perfectly in-
different to the photographs taken of her, and allowed,
“with careless willingness, painters, and Daguerreotypists to
make what they will of her.” Perhaps, this indifference
renders touching one tiny hint of her finding a humble
pleasure in a compliment to her looks. It was on an occasion
when she appeared, at a Stockholm party, in a tâbleau-Vivant,
as Carlo Dolce’s St. Cecilia : and it was said that she looked
exceedingly like the picture: and she took special delight in
this personal resemblance to the Saint Cecilia; and after her
death there was found, among her private stores of little me-
mentoes, the rouge-card used at the tableaux, with her own
writing on the back to say that it had been given her by
Fredrika Bremer as a memorial of that evening.
The picture on the opposite page is taken from an original
panel, which was in her own possession, which has no story,
but which, devoid though it be of artistic merit, and common
and crude in its workmanship, yet seems to preserve the
likeness of what she was when about eighteen years old. It
86 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VI.
is the earliest record we have of her appearance: and though
the artist has not the skill or the insight to give the anima-
tion that illuminated the face, or the movement that gave it
its grace, he has preserved the main outlines.
She was five feet three to four inches in height : but she
held her head so erect and had trained herself so carefully
in standing and walking that she appeared to be taller.
All the portraits taken of her, take notice of the fine mould
of her arms, and especially, of their characteristic position, in
repose, with her hands clasped on her lap. In the Stockholm
days, she wore her hair in bunches of curls at each side of
the forehead, as is the case in Södermark’s portrait of her,
painted in 1843, which she had in her own possession.
About the year 1844, she seems to have adopted for herself,
that wavy droop of the hair, laid down low about her ears,
which becauſe so familiar and noticeable a mark of her
appearance, that it alone sufficed to make a likeness resemble
her. As long as the lines of her hair were given, one knew
whom it was intended, at least, to portray.
The main elements of her character, as of her type of
countenance, were radically national. She was a down-
right and typical Swede. She was fond of dwelling on the
artistic capacities of her people, to whom she owed her own
quick sensibilities, her alert and receptive imagination, her
vivacity of temperament. She believed them to have all the
artist's possibilities in them, with all the attendant perils.
And, in view of these perils, to which all such gifted natures
must be liable, it is remarkable that she should have included .
within this national groundwork of her character, a profound
moral stability, a depth of seriousness, such as would be rare
in any race; and, moreover, with this, she had a persistence, a
stubbornness, which, among Scandinavian races, is traditionally
attributed to the Finn. And if she had the vivacity of her
people, she inherited also from it the strong, passionate feel-
1840.] OFIA.R.A.C.T.E.R. 87
ings, and affections, which make the home-relationships, in
Sweden, so rooted, and so deep ; and, also, that undertone of
melancholy, into which such artistic sensitiveness is prone to
re-act, an undertone, which seems to creep, like the sighing
of a wounded spirit, out of the black heart of Swedish pine-
woods, and to hover over the wide surfaces of her inland
waters. Such notes of pathos underlie the songs of her
people : and she was a true Swede when she wrote of herself,
“When I am alone, you have no idea how different I am—so
happy, yet so melancholy that tears are rolling down my
cheeks unceasingly.”
This personal impression, which we have faintly suggested,
told, as we have said, not only upon the higher social circles
of Stockholm, but also upon the literary and cultured society,
where, again, she formed affectionate intimacies with the few,
and the best.
There was Johan Thomander, Professor of Theology at
Lund, of which place he was, afterwards, bishop, a celebrated
preacher, and an eminent member of the Swedish Academy.
There was Fredrika Bremer, the famous novelist, and in-
defatigable philanthropist.
There was Baron Bernhard von Beskow, a distinguished
author, member and permanent Secretary of the Academy,
whose name, as Intendant of the Royal Theatre, will appear
in connection with the Lind Scholarships. -
There was Atterbom, one of Sweden's best poets, an
eminent student in the history of literature; University Tutor
of Philosophy, a man of peculiar gentleness and amiability.
Then, again, we might mention the Count Jacob Gustaf de
la Gardie, Grand Master of the Ceremonies, and a warm friend
of poetry and art, the owner of a superb library of 12,000
Volumes; who was one of the first to detect the great gifts of
the child-singer. g
Here was the environment into which the girl of nineteen
88 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VI.
found herself admitted, and, within which she made fast
friends. But two names must yet be mentioned, which
embody a special interest in her life.
First, A. F. Lindblad, the famous song-writer. We have
Seen into what close contact they had been drawn. In his
house she found a reſuge, and a home, through which she
was brought into constant contact with the higher culture of
the Swedish capital. Lindblad was born in 1801, and
studied music in Berlin, under Zelter : and also in Paris,
between 1825–27, after which he returned to Stockholm, and
lived there until 1864, when he moved to near Linköping.
His renown rests, chiefly, on his songs.
“They are eminently national, and full of grace, and
Originality, tinged with the melancholy which is characteristic
of Swedish music. In short songs, in which extreme sim-
plicity is of the essence of their charm, his success has been
most conspicuous.””
There can be no doubt that Jenny Lind’s intimacy with
Lindblad had an immense influence on her musical develop-
ment. Besides the vital effect of his personality, she heard
at his house all the best instrumental music of the great com-
posers then flourishing: it was there that she was first intro-
duced to the music of Mendelssohn, especially, to the
Songs without Words, which had, just at that time, taken
Europe by storm. Nor was she herself merely receptive: she
brought power to bear on Lindblad, which had a positive
effect upon his work. The effect has been emphasised by
Professor Nyblom, in a memoir on Lindblad in 1880 in
which he mentions that there were few only who were able
to render his works in the right manner ; and, among those
few, was “Jenny Lind: who impressed the individuality of
her genius, in flaming letters, on not a few of the composer's
works of that time when she had her home in his family:-
* Grove’s “Dictionary of Music,” Art. “Lindblad.”
1840.] CHARACTER. 89
works easily identified, and made interesting and precious to
those who are willing and able to observe the mutual at-
traction and meeting together of two burning artist-Souls l’’
She wrote herself, in 1882, after having read this biography
of Lindblad:
“I have to thank him (Lindblad) for that fine com-
prehension of Art which was implanted by his idealistic,
pure, and unsensual nature into me, his ready pupil. Sub-
sequently Christianity stepped in, to Satisfy the moral needs,
and to teach me to look well into my own soul. Thus it became
to me, both as an artist, and as a woman, a higher chastener.”
So she described her spiritual progress, looking back to the
influence of Lindblad as anticipatory of that yet deeper hold
of the meaning of Art which was given her under the later
dominance of the full Christian ideal. Not only did she
repay, in counter-influence, all the attention that Lindblad
concentrated upon her, but also, she by her singing, carried
his songs into fame all over Europe. And still, in long
after-years, in England, in hours of lonely quiet, or at times
when she was depressed and needed comfort, she would sit
at the piano, and “croon' over to herself those songs of
Lindblad’s, which had in them, so many memories—memories,
that had passed into her very being, of far days in the old
country, when those sounds, so saturated with the inspiration
of her home, were, first, in her ears, and she was tasting the
spring sweetness of her fresh young powers.
And, lastly, we must mention the great name of Erik
Gustaf Geijer, a man at the very summit of Swedish litera-
ture. Born in 1783, he became Professor of History, at the
University of Upsala, in 1816: where his lectures had un-
exampled popularity. In spite of the offer of a bishopric,
Professor he still remained, planning the great history of
Sweden, of which his introduction was a masterpiece of skill
and knowledge: and producing various historical works. He
90 JENNY LIND. [BK. I CII. VI.
was much occupied with political and economical specu-
lations; and, for thirty years, continued to be one of the
chiefs of the Swedish literary world. He died on April 23,
1847. Besides his historical and political work, he had a
real talent for music ; and published a volume of songs, of
which Lindblad wrote a famous account.” Throngh music,
he crossed the path of Jenny Lind; and in her he took a most
Warm interest.
“Jenny and I have become very good friends,” he writes
in January 1840. “I call her ‘Thou’: and she calls me
“Uncle.” She is a simple attractive being. Lindblad, and
Madame Lindblad both stand to her in almost fatherly, and
motherly relation, which becomes both parties very well.
All the same, I am afraid she is a kind of ‘comet' which
may interfere with their domestic peace, for comets have tails:
and their house is besieged by Jenny's admirers, who now
may be said to consist of the whole public.”
Again, in March, he writes, “Jenny Lind sang two of my
songs, i.e., “The Drawing-Room, or the Wood, and ‘Spring,
will it come 3’ It was quite excellent. I went behind the
curtain to thank her, and accompanied her home to her
door. I do not think lightly of the good graces in which
I believe myself to stand with her.”
For her he wrote songs, both words and music: and it is
in one of these songs, that we discover the record both of his
estimation of her character, and, also, of the profound effect
which such an estimate, coming from such a man, had upon
her to whom it was addressed. And, indeed, we cannot
wonder at this effect: for the author of the song is not afraid
to acknowledge, in this fresh young girl, the signs and Omens
of that supreme genius, which is the highest born of Heaven,
and which, yet, because it is highest, is also as a “consuming
flame,” to which the devoted and sacrificial Will must yield
itself, as a victim, offered on an altar. The deep and serious
import of such momentous words, addressed to her by the
* Cf. Biography in Geijer’s Collected Works, 1873-75.
1840.] CHARACTER. 91
highest intellectual authority of her native land, and ranking
her, the young opera-singer from the Theatre School, with that
rare band of spiritual heroes whose lives are as a torch lit by
divine fire, must have been as a revelation : and the traces of
this remain on a copy of these verses, in her own hand-
Writing, found among her papers, across the bottom of which
she has written, “On these words I was launched into the
open sea.” To her, they marked the date at which she felt
herself a public, an historic, character. For her, they con-
tained the secret of her mission, of her expectations, of her
future. It was his insistence, as we believe, which urged her
to seek a wider world: and, now, from him she learned with
what spirit she was to make her venture. She was to move
Out into the open day of her fame, not to win a reputation,
not to enjoy, not to taste triumph, not to Satisfy her own
craving for expression, not to find a world of honour, and
Wealth, and ease. Nay! She was to be clad about with
prophetic Solemnity. She was to yield herself to the stern
necessities of genius: she was to consume, in giving : the
steps up which she was ever to be passing, were to be the
steps of an altar: and she was the sacrifice. Such were the
Words that were behind her, when she found herself “launched
into the open sea.” "
We give them in a free and rough translation—
“Oh if from yon Eternal Fire,
Which slays the souls that it sets free
Consuming them, as they aspire—
One burning spark have fallen on thee!
“Fear not | Though upward still it haste,
That living fire, that tongue of flame !
Thy days it turns to bitter waste;
But ah! from heaven—from heaven it came !”
* They were printed, with music, in the ‘Linnaea Borealis Poetisk
Kalender,’ 1841:
“Mod och fürsakelse. Till en ung Sångerska den 24 December, 1839.
“(Upsala, 1840.) (Signed) E. G. G–r.”
92 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VII.
CHAPTER VII.
PILGRIMAGE.
THE sign of the sacrifice was already upon her, in the year
1840. On the surface, she had everything which could satisfy
her. She had become the idol of the National Drama. She
had been made Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of
Music in 1840, and had received the high official recognition
by being appointed Court-singer, on the 13th of January,
1840, by His Majesty, Carl Johan. This was an honour
which her mother had, already, been anticipating, from the
Summer of 1839, and had rejoiced over the fact that it
included a salary. “It is a great mark of distinction,” she
writes to her husband; “and a great joy for us!” She had
the best social “world” at her feet. She enjoyed the
delightful companionship of some of the most cultivated men
and women in Sweden. Her position at the Royal Theatre
was assured her. The Directors were, at the very moment,
proposing to her a fresh, and advanced contract. Indeed we
shall see that their zeal outran their discretion and their
proper consideration for her ; for they were but too anxious
to use her gifts, at the risk of overstraining them. Her
popularity was at its height ; she was pursued with
enthusiasm. The musical authorities of Stockholm had no
more to teach her; they were content to praise her, as the
perfect exponent of their art.
And, yet, what was it that worked within the girl’s heart,
and told her that all this was as nothing—told her, that, far
1840-41.] PILGIRIM.A. G. E. 93
from having reached the end, she was not even at the
beginning—told her that her art had secrets yet to unfold to
her, and that this adulation which encompassed her was but
a prophecy of what she ought to become hereafter 2 What
was this insistent whisper of some buried conscience within
her, which spoke to her alone—spoke of some perfection
which could be sought and found elsewhere ? As she bowed
in courteous acknowledgment of the loud plaudits of an
enthusiastic theatre, she heard, above all the genial tumult
this “still, small voice ’’ within, which said to her, “Yes |
you may, some day, live to deserve that kindly, that
encouraging applause ; but, to-day, you know that, by rights,
it is not yours You know not, as yet, how to merit it. It
is given you, in spite of yourself. But you have that in you
which may, indeed, deserve to receive that which is generously
offered you, in anticipation, to-day. Far away, over the Sea
the secret is kept which will unlock the shut doors, and will
set free your true self. Far over the sea, there is a power at
whose touch the sleeping queen will wake and Spring to life.
There it is that you will know what now is hidden from your
eyes. There it is that Art will disclose the mystery, which is
now felt but not perceived—the mystery, that moves veiled
behind the glory of to-day’s success.” It was the inspiration
of genius which spoke to her. She had but her own soul to
trust to. She had no ideal, no articulate standard given her,
by which to test herself; yet she knew her lack, she felt what
she was missing. And, in so feeling, she knew, also, that, to
discover the ideal, to win that which was lacking, all her
present triumph must be surrendered, must be thrown to the
winds. The voice within must be obeyed at all costs; out
over the sea, far from home and its happy honours, she
must seek, alone, and undirected, the meaning of the
mysterious summons. Surely, the pressure of the prophetic
Words was upon her :
94. JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VII.
“Fear not, though upward still it haste,
That living fire, that tongue of flame !
Thy days it turns to bitter waste;
But ahl from heaven—from heaven it came !”
So it was that she took her own resolution. We give
it in her own remarkable words. They were written in
answer to the new proposals made by the Directors, who,
on the 15th of December, 1840, “wishing,” as they said
“most particularly, to attach to the Swedish stage, a talent
so eminent as the Court-singer, Fröken Jenny Lind, make
her the highest offer of which their regulations afford them
the power.” This highest offer was, it is true, not ex-
travagant; it ensured her £150 a year; it provided her
with all her costumes out of theatrical funds; it allowed
her one “benefit ’’ every year; and special “extra service
money for the parts in which she appears.” It offered her
the months of July and August for study abroad; and
promised to try to extend this interval. The engagement
was to last for the full period permitted, i.e., three years.
To this, Fröken Lind sent the following answer:
“To the Directors of the Royal Theatre.
“In reply to the letter from the Directors of the
Royal Theatre, dated 15th December last year, I have
the honour to state as follows: The musical and dramatic
capabilities, which, from my earliest years, I have felt
myself to possess, have, thanks to the cultivation received
at home, though hitherto insufficient, still been able to
attract some attention to my dawning talent; but it is
not with half developed, if even happy, natural gifts that
an artist can keep his ground; and, greatly as I prize the
appreciation I have been fortunate enough already to win,
I feel I ought to consider it not so much a homage to the
artist I was and am, as an encouragement to what I might
become.
“With this conviction and in order to attain the artistic
perfection open to me, I have thought it a duty to do what
1840-41.] PILGIRIM.A. G. E. 95
I can, and not to draw back before any Sacrifice, either of
youth, health, comfort or labour, not to speak of the modest
sum I have managed to save, in the hope of reaching what
may, perhaps, prove an unattainable aim. In consequence
I have decided on a journey to, and a sojourn at, some
place abroad, which, through furnishing the finest models
in art, would prove to me of the greatest profit.
“It is, then, chiefly this journey which constitutes the
real obstacle to my immediately accepting, in its entirety,
the kind offer of the Directors of the Royal Theatre; for
it defers, for another year, the possibility of my re-engage-
ment. I am in hopes, however, that the Royal Directors
will not disapprove of my resolution, all the more as it aims
solely at perfecting myself in my art; while all sacrifices,
inseparable from a similar undertaking, will fall on myself
alone. Trusting that the Royal Directors will accord to these
reasons due consideration, and, in accordance with the request
made in their kind letter, I beg leave to submit my counter
proposals.
“On returning to my native country, next year, I under-
take to serve at the Royal Theatre for the two following
years at the salary proposed by the Royal Directors in
the above-mentioned letter of the 15th December last, but
with the following modifications; that my engagement,
for each year, may not exceed eight months, viz., from
1st October unto the following 31st May, so that a leave
of the four months, June, July, August and September may
be accorded to me.
“Furthermore, I must, rather as a humble petition, than
as a condition for my return to the service of the Royal
Theatre, express my wish to be free this year from next
31st May, since in the beginning of June an opportunity
offers for me to start on my intended journey in company
with a family without whose protection I should not venture
to undertake it. I hope the Royal Directors will, kindly,
give due weight to this invaluable advantage, and, in view
of its importance to me, excuse my earnest request.
“JENNY LIND.
“Stockholm, 9 February, 1841.”
A notable document, this. Had she any counsel to aid
her in its production ? Did Berg, did Lindblad advise the
step 2 We have no record of such advice from them. Both,
96 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VII.
indeed, seem to have agreed to the step, and to favour its
carrying out; for Berg is found with her at the start in Paris;
and it is only out of her own delicate affection for her former
master that she delays her beginning with the next one.
Moreover she owns to having consulted him as to what was
to be done when it becauſe clear Lo him as to her, that he had
no more to teach her. But nothing is said of his suggesting
a remedy. Tindblad, also, visits her in Paris, and interests
himself in her final fortunes there. But, still, there is no
sign of their being the prime movers. No evidence exists
of her seeking other counsel than her own heart in making the
final decision.
Yet two influences there were that told strongly upon
her at the time, and urged her forward. The first was
theoretical and ideal: it was that of Geijer. He was clear
that she belonged to mankind, rather than to Sweden, and
he pressed upon her the necessity of widening her range of
knowledge and skill. She, herself, attributed the momentum
that drove her afield to Geijer's insistence. “He kicked me
out . . . into the great World,” she would say, with humorous
vigour. The second influence was direct, and practical.
It was the example of Belletti, the celebrated barytone,
then singing with her at the Royal Theatre.” He showed
her, vividly, what scientific singing in the great Italian
manner really meant ; and he would be able, if consulted as
to where such style could be gained, to say at once,—“At
Paris, under Garcia.”
The decision, then, from which she is not to draw back,
even at “the sacrifice of youth, health, comfort, and of her
* Dahlgren's important History of the Swedish Stage has the following
about Belletti (born in 1813, at Sarzana): “Giovanni Battista Belletti,
came from Italy encouraged to do so by the sculptor, Professor Byström,
who had made his acquaintance at Carrara ; he remained connected with
the R. Opera from 1839—1 July 1844.”
1840-41.] PILGRIMAGE. 97
modest savings” appears to be largely the issue of her own
insight, and deliberation. Later on, in Paris, she speaks as if
it were her own “artistic conscience” whose dictates she had
obeyed. Certainly, it was left to her own courage and
resolution to find the funds by which to carry it out. And it
was, for this end, that she had already in the summer of
1840 set out on a provincial round of concerts, accompanied
by her father; in which she, probably, wore out what
remained of her voice after the hard work of the theatrical
season, but, in compensation, won triumphant successes and
accumulated supplies that would carry her through a year's
training at Paris, whither she was determined to go and
discover the true secret of Song. º *
We have a letter from her written, in the middle of this
tour, towards the early part of July, to her friend Louise
Johansson, from Malmö, at the extreme south of Sweden
whence she could actually see Copenhagen, in which she
records how things have gone in the series of towns through
which she has passed. “The journey has gone off well
enough, thank God . That is to say, the roads were so bad
that the wheels, now and then, sank a foot deep into the
mud, and it was very horrid sitting about in the atrocious
weather; but as soon as I arrive in a town, and see the
exceeding great kindness and friendliness the people have
for me, then I feel it wicked to grumble. You cannot think
to what an extent they all vie with each other in serving me.
It is quite astonishing !”
She tells how they began at Norrköping; how she slept
through a thunder-storm ; how they went to some country
seats, with Herr Cederbaum, and Baron Ahlströmer ; how
they got to Ekesjö on Midsummer Eve; and how, at
QVarnarp they were received for a whole week by the
kindest and most amiable people she had seen for a long
time. “I shall not have so much fun any more, this
H
98 JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VII.
summer,” she laments, “ and besides—be this said without
conceit—my departure was regretted, for they all cried, both
young and old.” Then on to Wexió, Christianstad with its
tiny theatre crowded, and so to Malmö. She is to visit
Copenhagen from there, without singing; and, then, to pass
through Helsingborg, Jönköping, Linköping and Norrköping,
back to Stockholm, giving concerts at each place by the way.
She asks most earnestly after her grandmother; not her dear
old Mme. Tengmark who had died in 1833, but Fru Ström-
berg, a connection of her father's. She fears lest she be
already dead; if not, she sends her, with deep respect, her
fondest love, and an assurance that “Papa is quite well!
God grant I may not come home too late to see her l’’
After Some messages to her Aunt Lona (i.e., Apollonia
Lindskog) the letter closes with a commission which shows
how very early in life her characteristic charities had begun :
“My dear Louisa, would you be kind enough to render me
the service of going to Clara Vestra, Kyrkogata 13 or 25. I
am not sure which of these numbers is the right one, but
after you have crossed the Clara churchyard, and when you
arrive at the gate on the Vestragatan, turn to the left, then
it is the first door on the right-hand side, on the ground floor.
Ask for Bruhn, the painter, a poor sick man ill in bed these
last fourteen years; I forgot to bring him his monthly
allowance, before coming away; will you be good enough to
give him, on my behalf, 8 T. d. banco, and to tell him this is
for the months of July and August. Greet him much from
me, as also his wife, and pardon your friend who troubles
you in this way.
“JENNY.”
A note is here struck, which is to sound on through her
life. It expresses one of the most vital instincts of her
nature—an instinct which roots itself deep down in her
artistic impulses---this instinct which bids her dedicate her
gift to the cause of the poor, and the unhappy. That in
her which made her an artist, made her also charitable.
1840-41.] PILGRIMAGE. 99
It was the sense of possessing a gift which prompts the giving.
That which had flowed in, must flow out. She was respon-
sible for her great possession; she held it in trust; she must
put it out to use. It was no mere liberality of disposition;
it was no mere genial beneficence; it was an obligation,
binding, and urgent; a joyful duty; a holy privilege which
it would be a sin to neglect. Everything in her which made
her recognise the powers lodged in her to be a divine endow-
ment, made her, by a like impulse, recognise her duty to give
away what she gained. No one will understand her, who
does not see how closely her charity was interwoven with
her art; and how it was that, in after days, in deciding the
question of marriage, she made it the prime necessity that her
husband should leave her free in her charities. It is because
it was so interwoven, that it seemed to her to be no work
of merit; it was done by a plain law of right; it was spon-
taneous, natural, inevitable. So it is that already, at twenty,
in the flush of youth and personal Success, her nature is at
work with instinctive security; she has found out the poor
sick painter; and, quite modestly apcłogising for the trouble,
just as if she were giving a commission to buy something at
a shop, she begs her friend to see to it that he gets what he
had the right to look for from her.
Back to Stockholm she got in August, where she was
singing in Lucia di Lammermoor, on August 19th ; and all
through the autumn, and Spring, she is hard at work,
fulfilling her bond to the Directors, though, owing to her
concert-tour, she had had no holiday whatever. No wonder,
that her voice was left fatigued and strained after such
unintermittent work, with all the weariness of incessant
journeys, and the anxieties that beset new appearances in
unfamiliar rooms. It was in this effort to raise funds by
which to reach Paris, that she ran so near to doing ir-
reparable damage to her vocal powers. Twenty-three times
H 2
©
©
;
:
100 . JENNY LIND. [BK. I. CH. VII.
does she perform in Lucia, between August 19th when she
returned, and June 19th, when she closed her engagement.
Fourteen times did she give “Alice,” in Roberto ; and
nine times she repeated her former rôle of “Agatha’ in
the Freischütz. And, besides these, there were incidental
appearances; in the Zauberflöte as “Pamina "; in The Swiss
Family as “Emmelina’’; and, seven times, as “Alaida" in
|Bellini’s Stranierå. And, moreover, there were concerts at
the theatre, in which she sang, on August 27th, and October
17th, and November 14th, and on January 11th and 20th.
And, finally, for the closing nights in May and June, came
her first seven performances of Norma. At the last of
the concerts, she had sung, as her piece, a duet from Norma,
with Mme. Gelhaar, her old playmate in the school. And, on
May 19th, the full opera was produced, in which her own
people recognised, and greeted, one of her most brilliant and
impressive impersonations. They loved to see her in this
character; and they prize as their favourite memorial of
her, the picture taken of her by Södermark, as “Norma,” of
which a print is given in our second volume. r
With Norma she ended, on June 19th ; it was her 447th
appearance on the boards of the Royal Theatre, since, as a
tiny child of ten, she played “Angela’’ in The Polish Mine,
on November 29th, 1830. The Directors had, indeed, been
justified by the venture they made with the little creature,
whom they sent on the stage to dance and sing before she
had been many months at the School. She had well repaid
them. For her sixty-nine performances in the year 1840,
she is only receiving, besides the regulation play money,
1100 r. d. banco—about £95 a year. Her voice is fatigued,
and worn; she has done more work than she could rightly
afford. But her spirit is not looking back, but ahead. She
is not calculating her present gains; but is all on fire with
the great hope, that is astir within her, at the bidding of
1840-41.] PIL GRIMAGE. 101
which she will wander out, a pilgrim of Art, seeking the
better country, sure that there is a vision to be seen, a victory
to be won, to which as yet she has not even come nigh.
She has found her opportunity; and has made her resolu-
tion. Some good, kind friends, M. and Madame Von Koch
in whose house she found constant friendship and affection,
have arranged for her journey, and have lent her a maid,
as a companion. A Safe road is thus laid open for her to
Paris. So, on June 21st, she gave, in the Ladugårdslands
Church, a final concert on her own behalf, singing an
aria from Anna Bolena, and another from Norma; winding
up with a ‘Lyrical Farewell,’ written and composed, for
the occasion, by Lindblad ; and, in July, she leaves the
Lindblads' house, and enters on the pilgrimage which was to
mean so much. Home has been gracious to her; she loves
her country which has loved her so freely; her one desire is
to return to Stockholm, worthy of the enthusiasm which it
has poured about her. But home cannot tell her the great
secret. Somewhere else it lies, far off; she must seek it, and
find it, even though, on its behalf, she sacrifice “youth,
health, comfort, labour, and Savings.”
B O O K II.
* ſºmeº
A SIPIERATION.
( 105 )
CHAPTER I.
IN PARIS.
ON Thursday, the first of July, 1841, after taking leave of
Herr and Madame Lindblad, Mr. Edward Lewin, and her
friends in Stockholm, Mademoiselle Lind embarked, on the
steamship Gauthiod—Captain Nylén—for Lübeck; in com-
pany with His Excellency, Count Gustave Löwenhielm, the
Swedish Minister at Paris, Signor Belletti, and one or two
less intimate acquaintances; and attended by a trusty female
companion, recommended to her by Madame von Koch.
“The dear little girl,” wrote Madame Lindblad, “was
almost crushed. I never thought that it would cost her so
much. On the last night she never slept, but wrote letters
the whole night through, coming occasionally into our rooms
to have a good cry. On the first of July she left, at
11 o'clock, A.M.” -
On reaching Travemünde, Count Löwenhielm disembarked,
and proceeded by land, to Hamburg. Mademoiselle Lind
and Signor Belletti continued their voyage to Lübeck; and
thence travelled to Hamburg by post. On arriving there, they
rejoined Count Löwenhielm, who introduced Mademoiselle
Lind to the Swedish Minister in Hamburg, and left nothing
undone which could make her short sojourn in the old
Hanse-town agreeable. t --
It was a pleasant little episode—a delightful holiday, on
the road to hard work.
106 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. I.
After these few days of rest and enjoyment, she proceeded
with her companion to Hávre by the steamboat; and thence,
by diligence, to Paris.
To a nature so sensitive, the change from the natural
simplicity of domestic life in Sweden, to the restless activity
of the French capital, with its crowded streels, its ceaseless
craving for pleasure and excitement, its passion for amuse-
ment, its caprices of fashion, above all, its splendid theatres,
its art-collections, and priceless opportunities for mental
cultivation and improvement—to such a nature, all this, so
new, so unexpected, and, in many respects, so strangely
incomprehensible, must have been fraught with an all-
absorbing interest. -
And we must not forget, that the Paris of eight-and-forty
years ago was a city, very different from, and, in many
respects, very much more interesting than, that in which it
delights us to spend our holidays to-day.
Eight-and-forty years ago, there was no Boulevard Haus-
mann; no Temple of the Muses worthy to be compared with
the new home of the Grand Opéra which excites our envy
and admiration, every time we indulge ourselves with a loge
in its goodly saile; no sign of the new streets, and squares,
and palaces, which were destined to spring up, as it were, in a
night, under the influence of the ‘Second Empire.” But in
place of these, there were sights, infinitely more pleasing to
the sense of the artist, and the poet. Whole streets, like
the Rue du Tourniquet-Saint-Jean, described by de Balzac,
were so little changed since the dark days of the Terreur, that
it needed but little effort of the imagination to re-people them
with the Sansculottes, and the tricoteuses, who had whirled
through the giddy mazes of the carmagnole, or yelled the
Marseillaise, within their time-stained precincts, in the days
of Robespierre and Danton; streets which formed part of an
older Paris, as different from the Paris of to-day, as the
1841.] IN PARIS. 107
Hamburg of to-day is, from the Hamburg that suffered in
the conflagration of 1842.
It was to this older Paris that Mademoiselle Lind re-
paired, in the summer of the year 1841, in the hope of per-
fecting herself in the technicalities of the Art she so dearly
loved—that Art of Singing, of whose mysteries she knew So
little, and longed to know so much ; and the details of which
she found it so impossible to acquire satisfactorily in
Stockholm.
For her advancement in Dramatic Art, she trusted to
herself alone. No one could teach her to act, and she
sought no teacher; for her method was part of herself, based
upon her own natural impulses, idealised by the deep and
noble romance which, in all that appertained to the stage,
was her never-failing guide, an inward light, by aid of which
she was enabled to identify herself with every character she
cared to impersonate, and even to “create,” anew, many
famous parts, which she interpreted in a manner peculiarly
her own. She needed no help for this. But her need of a
competent Maestro di Canto was a very pressing one, indeed ;
and she had long been convinced that one, and one only, could
teach her what she so much desired to know. But it will
be readily understood that the assistance and hearty co-
Operation of such a master as she needed were not to be had
for the mere asking; and some little time elapsed before her
desire was accomplished.
On first reaching Paris, Mademoiselle Lind found a com-
fortable home with a family named Ruffiaques, who kept a
boarding-house, in a street near the Rue Neuve des Augustins.
Here, she was visited by Madame Berg, the wife of her
former singing-master, who was then staying in Paris, with
her little invalid son, Albert; and, also, by Herr Blumm, a
Swedish gentleman of kindliest disposition and infinite
bonhomie, who held the appointment of Chancelier to the
108 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. I.
Swedish Legation, in the Rue d’Anjou,” and to whom
she was indebted for innumerable acts of courtesy and kind-
ness, during the period of her residence in Paris.
On leaving Sweden, she had brought with her letters
of introduction, from Queen Desideria, f to her relative,
the Ducheggc de Dalmatie (Madame la Maréchale Soult);
and, soon after her arrival in Paris, she was invited by
this lady to an afternoon reception. Among the guests.
present at this little réunion were Count Löwenhielm, and the
Comtesse de la Redortes (Maréchal Soult's married daughter).
It was understood that Mademoiselle Lind would be asked to
sing: and, by invitation of the Duchesse, Signor Manuel
Garcia, the brother of Madame Malibran and Madame
Viardot, and the most renowned Maestro di Canto in Europe,
came to hear her.
She sang some Swedish songs, accompanying herself on
the pianoforte; but, either through nervousness, or fatigue,
she does not appear to have done herself justice, and her
singing seems to have produced no very favourable effect
upon the assembled guests. Her voice was worn, not only
from over-exertion, but from want of that careful manage-
ment which can only be acquired by long training under a
thoroughly competent master. Such training she had never
had. She had formed her own ideal of the difficult rôlés
that had been entrusted to her—all too soon for her welfare,
if those in office at the Royal Theatre in Stockholm had but
known it !—and had tried to reach that ideal by the only
means she knew of means, very pernicious indeed. The
result was, that the voice had been very cruelly injured.
The mischief had been seriously aggravated by the fatigue
* Then called Rue d’Anjou St. Honoré. The street still exists, but
not the house formerly occupied by the Swedish Legation.
f The wife of Maréchal Bernadotte, who became King of Sweden and
Norway, in the year 1818, under the title of Karl XIV. Johann.
1841.] ... IN PARIS. 109
consequent upon her long and arduous provincial tour; and
the result was a chronic hoarseness, painful enough to pro-
duce marked symptoms of deterioration upon the fresh young
voice, which had never been taught either the method of
production, or the cultivation of style necessary for the
development of its natural charm.
Signor Garcia was not slow to perceive all this; and he
afterwards told a lady, who questioned him upon the Subject,
that Mademoiselle Lind was, at that time, altogether wanting
in the qualities needed for presentation before a highly-
cultivated audience.
Soon after this, Mademoiselle Lind called, by appointment,
upon Signor Garcia, who then occupied a pleasant deuwieme
étage, in a large block of houses in the Square d’Orléans, near
the Rue Saint Lazare; a handsome residence, built around a
turfed courtyard, with a fountain in the centre, and a large
tree on each side of it.” As, on this occasion, she formally
requested the great Maestro to receive her as a pupil, he felt
it his duty to examine her voice more carefully than he had
been able to do at Madame Soult's afternoon party; and,
after making her sing through the usual scales, and forming
his own opinion of the power and compass of the vocal
registers, he asked her to sing the well-known scena from
Lucia di Lammermoor—“Porche nonho.” In this, unhappily,
she broke completely down—in all probability, through ner-
vousness, for she had appeared in the part of “Lucia,” at the
Stockholm Theatre, no less than thirty-nine times only the
* The house is still unchanged. The Square, now called the Cité
d'Orléans, is situated midway between the Boulevard des Italiens, and
the Barrière Montmartre, and forms No. 80 of the Rue Taitbout, near a
spot formerly called the Rue des Trois Frères. Chopin, and Professor
Zimmermann–the father of Madame Gounod—once lived here; the latter
keeping a ‘pension' for musical students, in which Garcia's pupil, Made-
moiselle Nissen (of whom more detailed mention will presently be made),
for some time resided. " . .
110 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. C.H. F.
year before, and the music must, therefore, have been more
than familiar to her. However, let the cause have been what
it might, the failure was complete; and, upon the strength of
it, the Maestro pronounced his terrible verdict—“It would
be useless to teach you, Mademoiselle ; you have no voice
left "-‘‘ Mademoiselle, vous m'avez plus de voia.’”
The effect of this sentence of hopeless condemnation upon
an organisation so highly strung as that of Mademoiselle
Lind may be easily conceived. But her courage was equal
to the occasion, though she told Mendelssohn, years afterwards,
that the anguish of that moment exceeded all that she had
ever suffered in her whole life. The shock must have been
a cruel one, indeed; yet her faith in her own powers never
wavered for an instant. She could not forget the triumphs
of the past. Her success in Stockholm had been so genuine,
and so brilliant, that many a prima donna would have been
satisfied to accept it as the final reward of a long and
honourable career, the just recompense of a life devoted to
the service of Art. But she herself was far from satisfied.
She knew that she was capable of greater things, and meant
to accomplish them. She knew what Garcia could not
possibly know—that there was a power within her that no
amount of discouragement could ever subdue.
Instead, therefore, of accepting his verdict as a final one,
she asked, with tears in her eyes, what she was to do. Her
faith in the Maestro's judgment was no less firm than that
which she felt in the reality of her own vocation. In the full
* It is necessary that these words should be very distinctly recorded;
for, their frequent misquotation, in the newspapers, and elsewhere, has
led to a very false impression, equally unjust to master and pupil. The
Maestro’s exact words were, “Mademoiselle, vows m'avez plus de voice”—
not, “Vous n'avez pas de voia.” Mademoiselle Lind had once possessed
a voice; but it had been so strained, by over-exertion, and a faulty
method of production, that, for the time being, Scarcely a shred of it
remained.
1841.] - IN PARIS. 1II
conviction that, if she could only persuade him to advise
her, his counsel would prove invaluable, she did not hesitate
to make the attempt; and the result fully justified the
soundness of her conclusions. Moved by her evident distress,
he recommended her to give her voice six weeks of perfect
rest; to abstain, during the whole of that time, from
singing even so much as one single note ; and to speak as
little as possible. And, upon condition that she strictly
carried out these injunctions, he gave her permission to come
to him again, when the period of probation was ended, in
order that he might then see whether anything could be done
for her.
112 JENNY LIND. [BK II. CH. II.
CHAPTER II.
THE MAESTRO DI CANTO.
To any really earnest aspirant, six weeks of enforced idleness
would have been a martyrdom. For Mdlle. Lind, such a
period of inaction was simply impossible. Disobedience to
the Maestro’s orders was, of course, out of the question. But,
if she was forbidden to sing, or to speak, she was, at least,
permitted to read, and write. Never doubting, for a moment,
of her ultimate success, she knew that she would, one day,
have to sing in Italian, and possibly, also, in French. She
therefore spent the six weary weeks in the diligent study of
those languages; and there are actually in existence, at this
moment, no less than sixty-one large foolscap pages, in her
own handwriting, closely filled with exercises in Italian
grammar, and twenty-three similar pages in French, the
greater part of which appear to have been completed during
this trying period; not mere notes, or scattered memoranda,
but systematic declensions of nouns, conjugations of verbs,
long lists of exceptions, and other methodical work, such as
would have been executed by an industrious student on the
eve of a severe critical examination.
But, the time was a weary one, nevertheless. Her
nerves were excited to the last degree of tension, and never
did she forget the exasperating effect of the cries which, day
after day, reached her, from the street, as the long dull hours
dragged on. Two of these, repeated with a persistence truly
agagant, she imitated, sometimes, when speaking of her Paris
1841.] THE MAESTRO DI CANTO. 113
life, in the presence of her daughter, who thus noted down
the “words and music.”

ſ)
—R NTNTNTITI,
N=N-Hå–== ==HE
Ha-ri — cots, ha - ri-cots verts l
M. |
%–N–S-s—is H
-*—º–º Ç |
\SU *TI | T

-a-
Ah! le vi - tri - er!
The first of these street-melodies speaks for itself. The
second is the cry of a wandering glazier; and may still be
heard, in the poorer streets of Paris, sung by men who carry
panes of glass on their backs, to mend broken windows.
Intense indeed must have been the relief, when the time of
probation—hard enough to bear, in spite of the conscientious
labour by which it was lightened—expired, at last. Once
more, Mdlle. Lind sought an interview with the master, in his
pleasant deuaième, in the Square d’Orléans; and, this time
her hopes were crowned with success. Signor Garcia found
the voice so far re-established, by rest, that he was able to
give good hope of its complete restoration, provided that the
faulty method of production which had so nearly resulted in
its destruction was abandoned; and, with the view of attain-
ing this important end, he agreed to give her two lessons,
regularly, every week—an arrangement which set all her
anxieties at rest, and for which she was deeply grateful, to
the end of her life.*
* The exact date of these two interviews with Signor Garcia cannot
now be ascertained. The account given in the text rests upon information
furnished by Signor Garcia himself, many years afterwards, to a lady who
questioned him upon the subject, and to whom he narrated the circum-
stances, as nearly as he could then recollect them. No doubt, the account
he gave was, in the main, correct; but, it is not easy to reconcile it with
the date of some of Mademoiselle Lind’s letters. In a letter, dated the
15th of August, 1841, she told her friend, Louise Johansson, that she
WOL. I. I
114 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. I.
The delight of the artist, at being once more permitted to
sing, may be readily imagined. Though discouraged, some-
times, by the immense amount she had to learn—and, with
still greater difficulty, to un-learn—she never lost heart ;
and so rapidly did the vocal organs recover from the
exhaustion from which they had been suffering, that, before
long, she was able to practise her scales and exercises
for many hours daily.
To the uninitiated, this amount of study may seem exces-
sive, for a voice that had so narrowly escaped destruction
through over-exertion. But the experienced teacher well
knows that the danger lies, not in the amount of work accom-
plished, but in the manner in which it is accomplished. A
vicious method, a want of due attention to the management
of the breath, attempts to produce extreme notes in an
unsuitable register, and a hundred other fatal habits well
understood by those who have carefully studied the subject,
exert a more deleterious influence upon the voice, and injure
it more seriously, and far more surely, than any reasonable
amount of honest and well-directed practice.
was then practising her scales, from three to four hours a day, without
a master, not wishing to take lessons until after Herr Berg's departure
from Paris: in another, dated the 19th of August, she told Madame
Lindblad that she sometimes delighted Madame Ruffiaques' boarders,
after the day’s practice was over, by singing to them some of the Swedish
Songs which she afterwards made so famous: and, in a third letter
written on the 10th of September, she told Fröken Marie Ruckman that
she had already taken five lessons from Signor Garcia. This leaves no
time for the compulsory silence, of six weeks’ duration, prescribed, by
Signor Garcia, as the condition of her admission to the privileges of his
instruction. That the condition really was prescribed, on the One side,
and loyally observed, on the other, we know, on her own authority; for,
she herself—as the writer perfectly well remembers—related the circum-
stance to Mendelssohn, in the winter of 1845–6. But we have been
unable to collect any evidence tending to fix the exact time at which the
occurrence took place.
1841.] THE MAESTRO DI CANTO. 115
Under the vigilant supervision of Signor Garcia, it was im-
possible that Mdlle. Lind could relapse into the errors which
had already cost her so dear; for she had now a guide upon
whose experience she could unhesitatingly rely. Signor
Garcia's claim to rank as the greatest singing-master of the
present century, was, even then, and still is, incontestable.
In fact he fills, in the vocal school of the nineteenth century,
the place that was so nobly filled, in that of the eighteenth,
by Niccolo Porpora. Not only do many of the greatest
vocalists of the age owe their mastery over the art, and their
brilliant and well-earned reputation, to his judicious training;
but many more, unable to benefit by his personal instruction,
have nevertheless benefited largely by his experience. For,
his researches into the mechanism of the human voice, his
discoveries with the laryngoscope, and the clear-sighted intel-
ligence with which he has turned those discoveries to account,
have placed the art of singing upon a sounder physiological
basis than it has ever previously been able to claim. The
vocalist can now study, with certainty, phenomena which, at
the beginning of this century, were either totally misunder-
stood, Or, at best, regarded as mysterious possibilities; and
the advantage accruing to technical Science from the know-
ledge thus patiently acquired, and intelligently utilised, is in-
calculable.
The lessons appear to have begun about the twenty-fifth,
or twenty-sixth of August ; and to have been continued, twice
a week, from that period, until the month of July, 1842.
Mdlle. Lind thus describes her first introduction to the new
System, in a letter to her friend, Fröken Marie Ruckman :-
“I have already had five lessons from Signor Garcia, the
brother of Madame Malibran. I have to begin again, from
the beginning; to sing scales, up and down, slowly, and with
great care; then, to practise the shake—awfully slowly; and,
to try to get rid of the hoarseness, if possible, Moreover,
I 2
116 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. II.
he is very particular about the breathing. I trust I have
made a happy choice. Anyhow, he is the best master;
and, expensive enough—twenty francs for an hour. But,
what does that signify, if only he can teach me to sing:
Mdlle. Nissen has been his pupil, now, for two years, and
has made immense progress.” "
A fortnight later, she writes to Madame Lindblad:—
“I am well satisfied with my singing-master. With
regard to my weak points, especially, he is excellent. I
think it very fortunate for me that there exists a Garcia.
And I believe him, also, to be a very good man. If he
takes but little notice of us, apart from his lessons—Well!
—that cannot be helped; but I am very much pleased,
may ! enchanted with him as a teacher.”f
And, again, to Herr Expeditionschef Forsberg:-
“Paris, February 1, 1842.
“Garcia’s method is the best, of our time; and the One
which all here are striving to follow.”
And, it is pleasant to know that the Maestro was
equally well pleased with his pupil, who, in a still later
letter, writes:—
“Paris, March 7, 1842.
“You know, to-day, four years ago, I made my début in
Der Freischütz.-No! five years ago, I mean. No 1 it is
four, I think.-Well! yes! I do not know.—Anyhow, it
was on the 7th of March.”f
“My singing is getting on quite satisfactorily, now. I
* From a letter to Fröken Marie Ruckman. (Paris, September 10,
1841.) For the rest of the letter, see Chap. W., page 134.
f Letter to Madame Lindblad. (Paris, September 26, 1841.) From
the collection of letters in the Lindblad family, kindly furnished by
Madame Grandinson (née Lindblad).
f The début really took place on March 7, 1838; i.e. “four years ago.”
See pp. 55–57.
1841-42.] THE MAESTRO DI CANTO. 117
rejoice heartily in my voice; it is clear, and Sonorous, with
more firmness, and much greater agility. A great, great
deal still remains to be done; but the worst is over.
Garcia is satisfied with me.”
We may readily believe that Signor Garcia was more
than “satisfied” with a pupil so apt to learn, and So well
able to profit by the instruction she received. So Swift
was her comprehension, that she learned without knowing
it. In all save that which concerned the mechanical basis of
her art, her unerring musical instinct taught her far more
than the greatest of living masters could impart to her. Of
the management of the breath, the production of the voice,
the blending of its registers, and a thousand other technical
details upon which the most perfect of singers depends, in
great measure, for success, she knew nothing—and, but for
Signor Garcia, in all probability never would have known
anything. But, of that which concerned the higher life of
her art, neither Signor Garcia nor any one else could teach
her anything at all. She evidently felt this, herself; for, long
years afterwards, she wrote:–
“The greater part of what I can do in my art, I have myself
acquired, by incredible labour, in spite of astonishing difficul-
ties. By Garcia alone have I been taught some few impor-
tant things. God had so plainly written within me what I
had to study; my ideal was, and is, so high, that I could find
no mortal who could in the least degree satisfy my demands.
Therefore I sing after no one's method—only, as far as
I am able, after that of the birds; for, their Master was the
only one who came up to my demands for truth, clearness,
and expression.” "
But, though thus dependent upon her own natural genius
for the high qualities which placed her above the greatest of
her contemporaries in everything which concerned her
* From the letter to the Swedish Biographical Leacicon already quoted.
See pp. 17–20.
118 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. II.
loftiest aspirations in the realm of Art, she was none the less
grateful to Signor Garcia for the “few important things”
which gave her her first practical insight into the technique
of singing—an insight, without which, as she herself felt,
she would never have been able to bring her own great
artistic ideal to perfection.
( 119 )
CHAPTER III.
THE STUDENT.
FOR some few weeks after her first interview with Signor
Garcia, and her subsequent entrance upon a course of regular
study under his guidance, Mademoiselle Lind continued to
reside with Madame Ruffiaques. She found the society of
her fellow pensionnaires very pleasant ; and she was treated
with unvarying kindness by the whole circle, during the
time that she remained with them. But she soon awoke to
the conviction that a boarding-house was scarcely a fitting
place for continuous and undisturbed study; and—a stillmore
serious consideration—she found that the terms for board and
lodging were too high for her slender means. It was really
necessary that she should go to a cheaper and a more
convenient home ; but the removal was not effected without
tears on either side. The Ruffiaques had been SO kind to
her, and had liked her so much ; and she felt that their
good will had been of real service to her. Madame Ruffiaques
cried bitterly when she left, saying that they had all
“hoped for a longer stay on her part,” and “could scarcely
have believed such digrity of conduct possible in a young
person coming alone to Paris; ” “ speaking with such evident
emotion that it was impossible to doubt her truthfulness. But
it was indispensable that the step should be taken. Towards
the close of October, therefore, she removed to the house of
Mademoiselle du Puget ; a lady, who, though not a Swede by
* From a private letter.
120 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. III.
birth, had, at any rate,been educated in Sweden, was thoroughly
Swedish in all her thoughts and habits, and had familiarised
the French with the literature of Sweden by her excellent
translations of many well-known Swedish works—circum-
stances of no Small importance in the eyes of an exile whose
heart was continually yearning for her beloved country, and
who seemed incapable of being thoroughly happy while
absent from it.
Though a pleasant, and, in many ways, a sympathetic
companion, Mademoiselle du Puget was not free from certain
amusing peculiarities which Mademoiselle Lind occasionally
described with genuine good humour. In a letter to Madame
Lindblad, dated, “Paris, November 26, 1841, she narrates an
amusing little episode:–
“You must know that I am beginning to be an ape—a.
fact of which I was not aware until yesterday. I was singing
to Mademoiselle du Puget, and she seemed a little bit
surprised when, just once or twice, I displayed all my powers
—you know what I mean—and she looked at me as if she
had not given me credit for this. (Mademoiselle du Puget—
you must know—is a person who has heard all the great
artists, and is herself musical.) First, I sang ‘in Persiani’s
style, and then ‘in Grisi's'; and she was kind enough to say
it was excellently imitated—‘ could not, in fact, be better.’
The compliment was rather hard to digest. I was so ashamed,
that, for a long while, I could not look up. But, after a
considerable pause, I asked, ‘Do you really think so 2°–with
a feeling of pride which my look—even the look of my back
—must surely have reflected. God help me ! I am so proud
that I cannot bear people to tell me I ‘imitate.’ I loathe
the very word to such an extent that I cannot conceive what
its inventor was thinking of . It seems to me, that to take
what is another's, and use it for one's self, and then to make
believe that it is one's own, is positively to steal. But, I
seize so quickly the impression of what is good, or bad, that
I should not feel surprised if I have caught something from
the Italian Opera, which I have already visited pretty fre-
quently. But be this as it may, the reminiscences I am
carrying away from the Italian Opera here are much better
1841-42.] THE STUDENT, 12.É.
than those connected with Stockholm and the school and
style that prevail there 2 ” ”
But Mademoiselle Lind was not deprived of the com-
panionship of critics better able than Mademoiselle du Puget
to appreciate her talents at their true value. Her most
intimate friend, at this period, was Mademoiselle Henrietta
Nissen,f who was also a pupil of Garcia, and a great favourite
with the master. The two talented young vocalists frequently
sang together; and, before long, a feeling of generous rivalry
sprang up between them, which must have been of infinite
advantage to both. Mademoiselle Lind thus describes her
young friend in a letter to Madame Lindblad:—
“Paris, August 19, 1841.
“Yesterday I went to see Mademoiselle Nissen, to whom
I go pretty often ; and we sang to one another. She has
a beautiful voice. Still, I think I agree with what
Adolff once said—‘it is getting a little thin in the upper
notes.' But, notwithstanding this, it is a splendid voice.
In future we are going to have music together at Herr
5 55
Blumm’s.” $
The meetings at Herr Blumm's became an institution. A
month later, she writes:—
“Paris, September 19, 1841.
“I am just expecting Philippe—|| not King Philippe —
who is going to take me to Herr Blumm's, where Mademoi-
selle Nissen is waiting for us, with an old relative of hers;
and we four are going somewhere into the country for the
* From the Lindblad letters.
f Afterwards, Madame Siegfried Saloman.
† Herr Lindblad.
§ From the Lindblad letters. -
| Philippe was an old servant of Herr Blumm's, who, with his charac-
teristic kindness and courtesy, sent him to attend Madame Lind to and
from her lessons with Garcia. Philippe was said to be the model of an
old French servant of the period, and it was said of him, Tel maître,
tel valet.
122 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. III.
day. She is a very sweet girl. I am really glad to have
made her acquaintance. The divine song draws us to each
Other.””
And, again:-
“Paris, September 26, 1841.
“Mademoiselle Nissen, whom I have already mentioned to
you, is an extremely nice sweet girl. She lives in the same
house as Garcia; so I look in upon her, every time I take
my lesson.”f
But there were other bonds of sympathy between them,
besides those cemented by their mutual love for “the
divine Song.” When Christmas drew near, Mademoiselle
Lind’s heart was torn by yearnings for home. As the time
approached she wrote to Madame Lindblad:—
“Paris, December 9, 1841.
“T)0 you know what I am doing, besides writing to you ?
I am munching away—at what ?—just guess 2—at a bit of
genuine Swedish Knäckebröd, which Herr Blumm has
brought me. . . . . Ah! think of me, when you go to the
Julotta,\ for it is the most glorious thing your poor Jenny
knows of.” ||
And again:-
“Paris, December 16, 1841.
“Ah who 2 who will light the Christmas Tree for my
mother ? No one ; no one She has no child who can bring
her the least pleasure. If you knew how she is ever before
me! how constantly she is in my thoughts how she gives
me courage to work how I love her, as I never loved her
before ” “I
* From the Lindblad letters.
f Ib.
† A kind of rye bread, baked in large thin round cakes, with a hole
in the middle, by which they are hung up in bundles, and thus kept crisp
and fresh for a long time.
§ The early service, on Christmas Day. Jul means Christmas (Yule),
and Otta, 8 o’clock.
| From the Lindblad letters.
* Ib.
1841-42.] THE STUDENT. 123
And, in the midst of this cruel burst of home-sickness,
good Mademoiselle du Puget bethought her of an expedient,
of which we hear in another letter, written four days after
Christmas:–
“Paris, December 29, 1841.
“Christmas Eve passed off better than I expected ; for,
Mademoiselle du Puget went to fetch the dear sweet
Nissen, and, all of a sudden, as I was standing in my room
alone, she came creeping in to me. We Sang duets together
—but my thoughts strayed homewards.” "
It is beautiful, as the time progresses, to mark the utter
absence of jealousy which characterised this rare artistic
friendship between two young students, each of whom had a
reputation to ensure, and a name to render famous. Though
Mademoiselle Lind had already established a brilliant repu-
tation in Sweden, Mademoiselle Nissen was, nevertheless,
far in advance of her on the road to European honours—or,
at least, it must have seemed so to both of them. On the
26th of November, 1841, Signor Garcia gave a “grand soirée’
in her honour. She was to be the star of the evening.
Several hundred people were invited to meet her; and it was
arranged that she should sing not only alone, but also with
the Support of a chorus. Mademoiselle Lind was among the
invited guests, and, it was arranged that Mademoiselle du
Puget should accompany her; but, not one thought of envy
passed through her mind. She spoke of nothing but her
friend's success. Four months later, her generosity was put
to a still sterner test. On April 3, 1842, she writes:—
“Do you know that Nissen is just upon the point of con-
cluding an engagement for three years at the Italian Opera !
For the first year, she is offered four thousand riksdaler
banco; f and, when the three years are over, she will, no
doubt, be able to command from sixty to seventy thousand
* From the Lindblad letters.
f Equal to 8,000 francs; or £320 sterling.
124 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. III.
riksdaler banco” per annum. Ah, yes! God help her | She
is a nice good girl. Yet, notwithstanding all this, I am
contented with my own lot, and would not change with
any one, though my prospects for the future are poor, and
dark.” +
And again on May 1:—
“I am not depressed on Mademoiselle Nissen’s account.
Ah, no Besides, how foolish it would be not to stand aside
for a merit greater than my own—and this I do. Thank
God I feel no jealousy, and—shall I tell you ?—it is true
that I can never get her voice; but I am quite satisfied with
my own. And, furthermore, I shall be able, in time, to learn
all that she knows ; but she can never learn what I know.
Do you understand 2 She is a nice girl; and, with all my
heart, I wish her every happiness. Her stay here is of great
advantage to me, for she spurs me on,”
In truth, every brilliant manifestation of real talent served
only to spur Mademoiselle Lind on to still greater exertions
on her own account. She was a constant attendant at the
Italian Opera; and recorded her impressions of the principal
performers with the most perfect frankness. In one letter
she writes :—
“Oh if you could have heard Madame Persiani sing in
La Sonnambula, yesterday ! Oh! oh it was beautiful!”
Of Grisi, though she admired her greatly as an actress, she
spoke less enthusiastically ; and, especially, of her shake,
which, she said, was not good. The shake was certainly not
one of Madame Grisi's strongest points. Indeed, this parti-
cular grace was then but very little cultivated in the Italian
School, from an idea—entirely fallacious, though very
* It is possible that this may be a lapsus calami, for “six to seven
thousand”—i.e. 12,000 to 14,000 francs, or £480 to £560. The larger sum
seems improbable, to the last degree.
f From the Lindblad letters.
i Ib.
1841-42.] THE STUDENT. 125
generally entertained—that its frequent practice was dele-
terious to the voice.
But Mademoiselle Lind’s observations were not confined
to the Italian Opera, or to singing alone. She was a great
admirer of Mademoiselle Rachel; and studied her perform-
ances with peculiar interest. In one of her letters she
writes:–
“Paris, October 24, 1841.
“There is a remarkable dearth of good actresses here.
Mademoiselle Rachel is the only one—after her, Grisi.” "
And again :-
“Paris, November 20, 1841.
“Shall I tell you my thoughts 2 The difference between
Mademoiselle Rachel and myself is, that she can be splendid
when angry, but she is unsuited for tenderness. I am
desperately ugly, and nasty too, when in anger; but I think
I do better in tender parts. Of course, I do not compare
myself with Rachel. Certainly not. She is immeasurably
greater than I. Poor me !” f
It is evident from this, that, while striving, with all her
might, to master the technical difficulties of singing under
the guidance of Signor Garcia, Mademoiselle Lind never, for
a moment, forgot the importance of the dramatic element.
Indeed, her letters prove that, though she sought no instruc-
tion in this from any one, she was for ever endeavouring to
perfect her own ideal; observing others, but always thinking
for herself, and trusting to herself alone for the final result.
Her correspondence teems with observations which show
how constantly her thoughts were dwelling upon this im-
portant point. In one more than ordinarily interesting
letter, she writes:–
“Paris, October 24, 1841.
“I am longing for home. I am longing for my theatre.
I have never said this before, in any of my letters. I know
I am contradicting myself, but I rejoice over it. Oh! to
* From the Lindblad letters.
i Ib.
126 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. III.
pour out my feelings in a beautiful part This is, and ever
will be, my continual aim ; and, until I stand there again, I
shall not know myself as I really am. Life on the stage has
in it something so fascinating, that I think, having Once
tasted it, one can never feel truly happy away from it,
especially when one has given oneself wholly up to it, with
life and soul, as I have done. This has been my joy, my
pride, my glory ! Trile, it is a great thing to be frce from all
the worries connected with it ; but, when I return home, P
know not what people could have to reproach me with.
Then the die will be cast; and I shall not change very much
for the better after that, I suppose—and, consequently things
will be different.” ”
Later on she writes:–
“Paris, March 7, 1842.
“Sometimes I act by myself; and it seems to me that I
have gained more feeling, more verve, more truth in my
rendering ; at least, I feel, now, better than I used to do,
what life really is. It is just possible that I may not act as
well as before; but I do not think so. Nobody acts as I act.
What do you say such language as this 2 But, you will
not misunderstand me.”f
But there were moments of doubt, bordering sometimes
almost upon despondency. On one occasion she says: —
“Paris, May 30, 1842.
“Then Garcia pretends to believe that I shall never more
act in tragic parts | f What do you think of that ? I leave
him to say what he pleases. In the meantime, may God
preserve me from being altogether bewildered I do not
think there is any danger. I acted ‘Norma,’ this morning,
and it was not much worse than at Stockholm.” $
In the midst of these alternations of hope and anxiety, the
studies were interrupted, for a moment, by a sudden shock
* From the Lindblad letters.
i Ib.
f Possibly, Mademoiselle Lind’s idea of tragedy may have differed from
Signor Garcia's. On such a point, the Scandinavian and the Keltic
temperament were scarcely likely to be in very close accordance.
§ From the Lindblad letters.
1841-42.] THE STUDENT 127
—a merciful escape from an accident so full of horror and
death, that one almost shudders, even now, at the immi-
nence of the danger, after reading the letter in which it
is described.
On the 8th of May, the Baroness Schwerin accompanied
Mademoiselle Lind on an excursion to Versailles.
IHerr Blumm was anxious that the party should return to
Paris by a train which would give them an opportunity of
passing through some very beautiful scenery on their way
home. But, that very morning, the Préfet de Police offered
the Baroness a box at One of the theatres. In order to
render this available, the plans were changed at the last
moment; and it was not until after their return, that the
little party of friends learned that the train by which they
intended to travel had been wrecked by the bursting of the
boiler, and that, of the four hundred persons who were injured
by the explosion, one hundred were either scalded to death
or cut to pieces, in a manner too horrible for description.
Mademoiselle Lind’s account of the occurrence shows that
it affected her, very deeply indeed. But her nature was not
of the weak type which is rendered unfit for exertion by a
sudden fear, however great may have been its effect at the
moment; and her subsequent letters show that after the first
burst of thankfulness was over, she was at work again as
heartily as ever, thinking no amount of labour too great for
the attainment of the end she had in view, and upon which
she felt that all her hope of future success depended. She
had come to Paris to work; and she left nothing undone
which could, even in the slightest degree, tend to perfect her
in the art to which every energy of her life was uncompro-
misingly devoted.
128 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. Iv.
CHAPTER IV.
WITHIN SIGHT OF THE GOAL.
TMDLLE, LIND’s course of study, under Signor Garcia, lasted
ten months, from the 26th or 27th of August, 1841, to the
end of June 1842—by which time she had learned all that
it was possible for any master to teach her.
The result for which she had so ardently longed, so
patiently waited, so perseveringly laboured, was attained at
last. Her voice, no longer suffering from the effect of the
cruel fatigue, and the inordinate amount of over-exertion
which had so lately endangered, not merely its well-being,
but its very existence, had now far more than recovered its
pristine vigour *—it had acquired a rich depth of tone, a
sympathetic timbre, a birdlike charm in the silvery clearness
of its upper register, which at once impressed the listener
with the feeling that he had never before heard anything in
the least degree resembling it. No human organ is perfect.
It is quite possible that other voices may have possessed
qualities which this did not ; for voices of exceptional
beauty are nearly always characterised by an individuality
of timbre or expression which forms by no means the least
potent of their attractions. The natural flexibility of the
Contessa de' Rossi's voice was phenomenal. Mdlle. Alboni’s
involuntary vibrato breathed a languid tenderness of
passion which could never have been attained by any
* The last mention of the chronic hoarseness is found in a letter,
written on the 1st of May, 1842.
1841-42.] WITHIN SIGHT OF THE GOAL. 129
amount of study. But, the listener never stopped to analyse
the qualities of Mdlle. Lind’s voice, the marked individuality
of which set analysis at defiance. By turns, full, sympathetic,
tender, sad, or brilliant, it adapted itself so perfectly to the
artistic conception of the song it was interpreting, that
singer, voice, and song, were one. Time had been,
when, from sheer lack of technical knowledge, she had
been unable to give expression to her high ideal; when
her method was as yet too unformed for the utterance
of her grand conception of the parts of Agatha and
Euryanthe, of Pamina and Domna Anna, of La Vestale and
Alice, and Amina and Norma and Lucia ; all of which
she had already sung, in Stockholm, and felt deeply, and
made her hearers feel, by resistless force of sympathy
alone, though every one had fallen short of the perfect
artistic interpretation which can only be attained when
the poetry of the mental conception is supported by an
amount of technical skill equal to its demands. But this
time had passed away, for ever. Her voice was now so
completely under command, that its obedience to every
changing phase of the singer's thoughis, to every demand of
the composer's genius, was absolute, and instantaneous. All
the technical perfection that could be attained by un-
limited perseverance, under the guidance of an enlightened
teacher, she had gained since her arrival in Paris; the
rest she had always possessed, for it was part of herself.
She was born an artist; and, under Garcia's guidance, had
now become a virtuoso. The scales, sung “slowly up and
down, with great care,” and the “awfully slow shake,” had
borne abundant fruit. Followed by exercises of a more
advanced character, they had resulted in producing a facility
of execution which serves materially to strengthen our faith
in the legendary stories told of Farinelli and “Il Porporino,”
Signore Strada, and Cuzzoni, and Faustina, the Cavaliere
WOL. I. R
130 - JENNY LIND. [BR. II. CH. Iv.
Nicolini, and other marvellous vocalists of the eighteenth
century, whose feats of skill have been described by admiring
contemporaries in such terms of rapture, that one class of
modern critics has been tempted to reject the whole story as
a gross exaggeration, while another school would have us
believe that the art of vocalisation, as practised in Llial
golden age, is lost beyond all possibility of recovery. There
is no logical necessity for the acceptance of either of these
trenchant theories. The music written for, and sung by,
those giants of a bygone age proves that the stories told of
their marvellous power are in nowise exaggerated.” And,
the assumption that the art has been lost is absurd. The
method may have been neglected, and temporarily forgotten.
We do not deny that. But there is not—or ought not to be
—llie possibility of such a thing as a “lost art.” What has
been done once can be done again. And it would be diffi-
cult, in the face of the Cadenze given in the Appendix con-
tributed to this work by Mr. Goldschmidt, to imagine any
tour de force—whether involving difficulty of intonation, or
rapidity of execution, prolonged sustaining-power, or contrasts
* Handel wrote passages, in Riccardo Primo, for the Cavaliere Nicolini,
which no singer now living could execute; and scarcely less trying
divisions, in Ariadne, and other Operas, for Carestini, and Signora Strada,
and Senesino. The Operas of Porpora, and Hasse, abound with similar
passages for Farinelli, and “Il Porporino,” Faustina, and their great
contemporaries of the Italian School. No one now attempts to grapple
with these monstrous tours de force; but Mdlle. Lind proved them to
be still attainable by exceptional talent, supplemented by equally excep-
tional perseverance. Had Edison’s Phonograph been invented, in the
time of Farinelli, we should have been left in no doubt as to our esti-
mate of the powers possessed by the leading singers of the eighteenth
century, as compared with those of the nineteenth. When the instrument
is brought to absolute perfection, this question will be one of very easy
solution; since the critics of the twentieth century will be able to report
upon the performances of vocalists now living, as clearly as the musical
reporter is able, now, to describe them on the day after they have
taken place.
1841-42.] WITIIIN SIGHT OF THE GOAL. 131
obtainable by apparently unlimited exercise of the messa di
woce—of which Mdlle. Lind was incapable after the comple-
tion of her course of study. One great secret—perhaps the
greatest of all—the key to the whole mystery connected with
this perfect mastery over the technical difficulties of vocalisa-
tion—lay in the fortunate circumstance, that Signor Garcia
was so “very particular about the breathing.” For the skilful
management of the breath is everything; and she attained the
most perfect control over it. Gifted by nature with compara-
tively limited sustaining power, she learned to fill the lungs
with such dexterity, that, except with her consent, it was
impossible to detect, either the moment at which the breath
was renewed, or the method by which the action was accom-
plished. We say, “except with her consent,” because, on the
stage, there are moments when, for dramatic effect, the act
of breathing has itself a rhetorical, or, in extreme cases, even
a passionate significance; when the correct delivery of the
words demands that breath should be taken, without any
attempt at disguise, in accordance with the grammatical
punctuation of the text ; and of this means of expression she
fully appreciated the value. But, where pure vocalisation
was concerned, and unbroken continuity became an imperious
artistic necessity, the moment at which the lungs were
replenished remained as profound a secret as it did in the
performances of Rubini—who, fortunately for him, possessed
a much greater natural capacity for abundant inspiration,
and had therefore a less amount of difficulty to overcome in
bringing his art to the ineffable perfection he so well
succeeded in attaining. The result was the same in both
cases; but, in the One, it was materially aided by a happy
physical Organisation, while, in the other, it was wholly
the effect of art—an art which, though possible to all,
is so difficult to acquire, that, through want, in most
cases, of the necessary perseverance, not one singer out of
K 2
132 ' - JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. Iv.
a hundred succeeds in attaining it, even in a moderate
degree.*
With these rare powers at command, Mdlle. Lind was
able, without effort, to give expression to every phase of the
artistic conception which she had formed by the exercise of
innate genius. Her acting, as we have seen, in former
U}
chapters, had grown up with her from her infancy, and
formed part of her inmost being. She had found no one in
Paris capable of teaching her anything that could improve
that, though she thought it necessary to take lessons in
deportment; Dramatic Art she had studied for herself; she
had gained experience by observation of others; with fearless
modesty, she had measured her own powers against those of
Mcille. Rachel, and dared to tell herself what she believed to
be the truth, with regard to their comparative merits; she
had acted the part of Norma to herself, and calmly passed
judgment upon her own performance; she had carefully
thought out the matter, and the acting and the singing had
* Signor Frederic Lablache once told a friend of the writer, that,
when singing, on One occasion, with Rubini, in the Matrimonio Segreto,
he held the great tenor's hand in his own, during a passage in the famous
duet, and, at the same time, looked him full in the face, without being
able to detect the act of breathing in the least degree. This wonderful
power of concealment led the vulgar to believe that Rubini could sing,
during the act of inspiration Of course, it was simply the triumph of
consummate art, misunderstood only by those who were ignorant of the
first principles of singing. An absurd story was even invented, to the
effect that he, who never forced a note, and whose vocal registers were
more perfectly equalised, more delicately blended into one than those of
any other tenor that ever existed, once broke his collar-bone in the attempt
to deliver a mighty Si de poitrine by aid of a violent effort of clavicular
breathing! He was just as likely to have broken his neck; much more
likely to have displaced the odontoid process of the axis vertebra, and fallen
dead on the spot. Yet, to this day, the story is cited as an instance of
the dangers of a vicious method of filling the lungs: a proof that the study
of breathing is still recognised as a necessary part of the singer's
education, though few understand its value as it was understood by the
two great artists of whom we are speaking.
1841-42.] WITHIN SIGHT OF THE GOAL. 133
become so closely interwoven with each other, that they
naturally united in the formation of one single conception.
Each part as she interpreted it to herself was a consistent
Whole, dramatic and musical, breathing poetry and romance
from beginning to end; yet, as true to nature as she was
herself, and no longer fettered by the fatal technical weakness
which had so long stood between the ideal and its perfect
realisation. There was no weakness now. The artist was
Complete.
134 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. C.H. V.
CHAPTER V.
UNDER WHICH KING !
AND now arose the crucial question—should the finished
artist make her début in Paris 2—or, should she return, at
once, to Sweden, and reappear, in all the glory of her newly-
acquired powers, in her beloved Stockholm ?
There were arguments to be brought forward, on both sides
The problem was no new one. It had frequently been dis-
cussed; but her own feeling on the subject was very strong
indeed. She could not reconcile herself to Paris. She
despised its frivolity, its selfishness, its restless love of
excitement, and its lust for gold; and recoiled, with horror,
from its shameless vice. From the very first, she had
suspected the hollowness of its social Organisation. As
early as the 10th of September, 1841, she had written to her
friend, Fröken Marie Ruckman :—
“My BEST FRIEND,-
“There might be much to say about Paris, but I put
it off until I am better able to judge. This much, however,
I will say at once, that, if good is sometimes to be found, an
immeasurable amount of evil is to be found also. But, I
believe it to be an excellent school for any one with dis-
cernment enough to separate the rubbish from that which is
worth preserving—though this is no easy task. To my mind,
the worst feature of Paris is, its dreadful selfishness, its greed
for money. There is nothing to which the people will not
submit, for the sake of gain. Applause, here, is not always
given to talent; but, often enough, to vice—to any obscure
person who can afford to pay for it. Ugh ! It is too dread-
1841-42.] UNDER WHICH KING 3 135
ful to see the claſpueurs sitting at the theatre, might after
night, deciding the fate of those who are compelled to appear
—a terrible manifestation of original sin "
To Madame Lindblad, some six weeks later, she writes:—
“Paris, October 24, 1841.
“All idea of appearing here in public has vanished. To
begin with—I myself never relied upon it; but people said
so many silly things about ‘just one peformance,’ that, at
last, I began to feel as if I were in duty bound to try. But,
monstrous and unconquerable difficulties are in the way. In
any case, I want to go home again. But, if I can arrange to sing
at a concert, before leaving, I will do so; in order that I may
not return home without having at least done something.”.”
Three months later, in a letter dated February the 1st,
1842, and addressed to Herr Expeditionschef Forsberg (who
controlled the Dramatic School attached to the R. Theatre
at Stockholm at the time at which Jenny was numbered
among its pupils), we find her dwelling touchingly on her
desire to consecrate her talents to her native country.
“I came hither,” she says A‘‘ because I felt my talent too
insignificant. I knew, indeed, that it was not really so.
But, having no one to consult but my dear Herr Berg—who
was miserable at his inability to help me through with my
incessant work—I resolved simply to break off, and to take
two years' leave of absence.
“I am gifted by Nature; and to that I am indebted for a
certain amount of success : but, Art, I did not know, even
by name. I felt this bitterly ; and it made me receive the
applause of the public with Sorrow, rather than with joy: for,
I felt that I did not deserve it. I knew that I had not made
myself worthy of it, through my own work. Ah I was
right ! I was perfectly right ! God does all for the best ;
that I know. I was guided by a Higher Hand, when I em-
barked on the Svithiod f en route for Paris. I am working on,
now ; have made progress; and—need I say it—if they want
* From the Lindblad letters.
t This is a slip of the pen. It was the Gauthiod. See p. 105.
136 . JENNY LIND. [BK. II. C.H. V.
to hear me again, in my Sweden, with what joy will I not
hasten thither I have only made these sacrifices, in order
that I may become worthy of the public ; and, if I do not
Succeed, I shall, at all events, have satisfied my artist's
conscience. * - -
“Therefore, Herr Expeditionschef, if I can only learn to
sing, and if my presence is not felt to be quite superfluous, I
shall certainly refurn, in a yoar and a half—quite certainly—
but, not if I meet with coldness, or am regarded as altogether
unnecessary. I am almost afraid of that. Elma Ström has
everything in her favour, which I have against me. She has
a much softer and better voice to work with than I ever had,
during the whole time of my working period. She ought,
therefore, to sing very well. The actress, probably, will come
later On. I do not wish to stand in her way, or in the way of
any one. Rather than that, I would settle down here to give
singing-lessons; for Garcia's method is the best of our time,
and every one, here, is striving to follow it. But, in any case,
I shall come home, in order that people may hear what
progress I have made—if I really have made any. Will
they accept me, and give mº, a suitable engagement 2 If
So, I shall remain. If not, I shall go abroad again. And
yet !—my Sweden my Stockholm All that is dearest to
me on earth is there—two eople, for whom I would give
my life, if they asked for it, ſº apart from whom I could
not spend an entire lifetime.’ But, my stay here has cost
both money, and trouble. I have sacrificed everything, in
the hope of acquiring a “talent.’ I hope, therefore, that I
shall not be misunderstood; that people will not imagine
that I have gone abroad with foolish conceited ideas about
this little self of mine; but, that they will rather meet me
with confidence and good-will. I shall then have no higher
wish, than to go back to my dear theatre, and pour out my
heart in Song, to a beloved public.
“The Italian Opera ! Oh! how lovely it is What a rich
time of enjoyment for me! and the concerts of the Con-
servatoire | Mon Dieu 1 They are the best of all! They
are perfectly divine ! But, apart from them, there is much
here that is very far indeed from divine. And this is well.
For, we human creatures might possibly be unable to bear it,
unmixed. I dare say it would be so.
“But, ah, me ! what a long letter I am inflicting upon
you. Shall I be pardoned ? I will finish directly : but, I
1841-42.] UNDER WHICH R ING 2 137
wanted to tell you that I am living with a certain Mdlle.
du Puget, who was educated in Sweden, and is Swedish,
to the heart's core; and, that I am doing well. I have
had my crying days, and many longing moments; but I
am fairly wise, and work with a will.
“Herr Blumm is quite indefatigable in his goodness to
me, and takes care of me, like the kindest brother; so that I
have nothing to complain of, except—where is my Sweden 3
Where are my friends 2 Do they still remember me ! Shall
I be welcome, when I return ? What do you think, Herr
Expeditionschef ?
“May the future for yourself and your family be as happy
and prosperous as is the most sincere wish of
“Your ever grateful,
“JENNY LIND.”
When the time for arriving at a decision began to draw
near, she wrote to Madame Lindblad:—
“Paris, April 3, 1842.
“I dare not tell you how I long for home ! I dare not tell
you how far from happy I feel, here ! but, there is one thing
in your lette‘. . that really frightens me. You say, that, if I
come back, without having previously appeared in public,
here, they will say I was not fit for it, however well I may
sing. Ho! ho! what will happen, then Ž It might, perhaps,
be better for me to engage myself somewhere as nursery-
maid; for it is a very difficult thing to appear, here, in public.
On the stage it would be out of the question. It could only
be in the concert-room ; and there I am at my weakest point,
and shall always remain so. What is wanted here is—‘ad-
mirers.” Were I inclined to receive them, all would be
Smooth sailing. But there I say—STOP 1
“To sing, without a name, is difficult ; for, here, everything
depends upon the accessories. It matters not how little
talent there may be. My position is, indeed, a hard One
If only I belonged to a country having more self-confidence
When passing judgment on its own artists, then, all would be
well. But, the misfortune is, that they never believe in
themselves. However, I have never said that I should appear
138 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. C.H. V.
in public, though others have. Besides, God will certainly
help me ! I needed a course of exercises—and the rest I
leave in the Lord’s hands.
“With regard to my acting, I can compete with any one
out here. But, there are many other things that I lack.
Should there be any who think it worth while to envy me,
how contented will they not be, when they see me quietly
disembark at the Stockholm Skeppsbro, while Nissen will
Soon be prima donna at the Italian Opera. I do not under-
stand how it is that this takes no effect upon me ! For my
part, I only want to go home.”
A week later she wrote to her father:—
“Paris, April 10, 1842.
“GODE PAPPA —
that you and Mamma are welf. It gives me no slight Com-
fort to know this; and I should be even better satisfied, if I
were also to learn that you prosper in your country home.
“As yet, my dear Pappa, I have not grown particularly
stout; but, what I shall be, when I grow old, I cannot tell.
However, I trust the Lord will save me from being obliged
to sing on the stage, until my life's end; and then, I shall
rest tranquil.
“Apropos of the Opera ! I wonder when I shall next be
allowed to show myself ‘ on the boards,’ as the term is. I
clearly See—yes, I do see, Pappa–that I am born to stand
On them. God grant that I may always stand ‘on firm feet,”
as Gelhaar said. f. In one respect, Pappa knows that I do.
In the other, I am in God’s hands. Think only, if, when I
come home, I find no engagement
“Yes, yes. ‘Comes time, comes counsel.” Perhaps I may
have to sit on the Djurgårds Common, with a little money-
box in front of me, to gather in small contributions, and sing
while the day lasts—for, says the proverb, ‘There is no day
So long that it has not its evening’—and, after that, I go to
my Father's bosom, to awake in a better land. And this is
Surely the highest aim. It does not matter how one gets
there, so that one only does get there, somehow, and, “he that
“So many thanks for your last letter. T see, from if,
* From the Lindblad letters.
f Herr Gelhaar was a member of the Royal Orchestra at Stockholm.
1842.] UNDER WHICH KING 2 139
humbleth himself shall be exalted,’ says the Scripture.—But,
be this as it may !
“I was obliged to act as I did; otherwise, the whole thing
Would have remained at a standstill with me. Perhaps I
have not yet been quite forgotten—though I have some
doubt about it: and, in that case, and if I have also made
Some progress, people may perhaps find pleasure in listening
to me, when I come back again. I wish for nothing better
than this.
“A concert was to have taken place, yesterday, at the
Italian Opera. Rossini's Stabat Mater—his latest composition
—Was to have been given ; and Nissen was to have sung in
place of Grisi, who is away in London. But, the President
of the Chamber of Deputies gave a concert instead, and,
as this was attended by all the great people, nothing came
of it—a very annoying thing for Nissen, for it would have
been a good opportunity for her.
“Adieu, lille Fader. Write, if occasion offers, to your
“AFFECTIONATE DAUGHTER.”
A letter addressed, on the same day, to Madame Lindblad,
announces still greater indecision with regard to the future:—
“Paris, April 10, 1842.
“I am really anxious to see how a life, begun like mine,
will end. Oh what emptiness beyond description there is
around me ! An unwonted amount of courage is necessary,
for prolonging my stay here for another year. But I need
this, for several reasons. This journey has altogether
changed me. The foundation of the building was tolerably
Safe, and needed no pulling down. But, the superstructure
—this has crumbled away, through not having been better
put together.””
The spirit which pervades these letters is unmistakable;
and clearly shows Mdlle. Lind's own feeling, with regard to
the critical question, on the settlement of which her artistic
destiny seemed now mainly to depend.
But, she was not, and could not possibly be, the only, or
* From the Lindblad letters.
140 JENNY L IND. [BK. II. C.H. V.
even the best judge, of what was best for her. From the
very nature of the case, she was placed very much at the
mercy of others, who, moved by feelings of friendship, or self-
interest, as the case might be, took an active part in the dis-
cussion ; and it was mainly through their intervention that
the question was solved with the results which wo propose
to describe in our next chapter.
( 141 )
CHAPTER WI.
THE RETURN.
ON the 24th of May, 1842, while Mdlle. Lind was still
tortured by doubts as to the best course to follow, in this
difficult crisis, the Directors of the Royal Theatre at Stock-
holm sent her the offer of a definite and official engagement—
or rather re-engagement—at the Opera-House in which her
early triumphs had been achieved. It must be confessed,
that the terms proposed by the Direktion were more in
accordance with her former status at the Royal Theatre,
than with that which was the just due of the great artist
she had now become. The engagement was to last either
one, or two years; from the 1st of July, 1842, to the same
date, in 1843, or 1844—the longest period for which an
engagement was legally possible. The salary was fixed at
1800 riksdaler banco, per annum–equal to about £150, in
English money; with the privilege of an extra “benefit”;
and “extra service-money, according to the regulations of the
Royal Theatre,” for each appearance; the necessary “silk
costumes and bridal gowns " being provided at the expense
of the management. In return for these emoluments, Mdlle.
Lind was engaged to submit, in all things, to the regulations
laid down for the direction of the Royal Theatre, in the year
1839; but she was permitted to extend her stay abroad,
until September, 1842, without diminution of salary, as a
compensation for the expenses connected with her home
journey.
142 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. VI.
To this not very tempting offer, she replied, as follows:—
“Paris, June 6, 1842.
“I have had the honour to receive the Royal Direction's
flattering offer of an engagement, for one or two years, from
the 1st of July, 1842, at the Royal Theatre of Stockholm,
and hasten to Submit my humble answer.
“Allllough Llle period which I intended to devote to my
studies abroad does not terminate until next year, and,
therefore, an earlier return home will either interrupt these
studies, or entail redoubled efforts for the accomplishment of
the course on which I have entered, I feel not disinclined to
accept the offer of the Royal Direction, for two years; but,
well remembering the rather too heavy service to which I
had to submit in former times, at the Royal Theatre, and
from the evil consequences of which I am still suffering, I
am compelled to attach the following conditions to my en-
gagement, viz.:-
“(i.) That, while enjoying the salary, benefices, and other
advantages proposed by the Royal Direction, I shall not be
obliged to appear in more than fifty representations during
the season. -
“(ii) That an extra fee of 66 Rdr., 32 sk.,” Banco, may be
granted to me for each representation over and above the
said fifty, during the season.
“(iii.) That the representations be so arranged, as not to
compel my appearance more than twice during the week.
“(iv.) That leave of absence be granted to me, from the
15th of June, to the 1st of October, in each year.
“I trust that the Royal Direction will appreciate the
fairness of the above-named conditions, and will consider
them as pardonable forethought with regard to my health and
future, both of which are particularly uncertain, and difficult
to ensure, by a dramatic artist, in Sweden.
“JENNY LIND.” f
On the same day, she thus confided her difficulties to
Madame Lindblad:—
* Rather less than £5 10s.
f Letter to the “Direction” of the Royal Theatre at Stockholm, kindly
furnished by Herr Bureau-chef Alfred Grandinson.
1842.] THE RETURN. 143
“Paris, June 6, 1842.
“I have been offered an engagement at the theatre in
Stockholm, and this has somewhat altered things. There is
much to be said for, but much also against it. It seems to
me that my demands are not exaggerated, when I propose to
appear fifty times during the season, for 1800 Rdr. Bamco in
the form of salary, with extra money, etc.; while, for other
evenings, beyond that number, they will have to give me,
each time, 66 Rdr., 32 sk., Banco—the same as to Belletti. I
shall not do it for less; So, if they do not agree to this—well
and good |
“Adolf wished me to limit the number to forty; but I
am dreadfully afraid of appearing presumptuous.
“So, it may happen that I come home in the autumn.
What do you say to that ? I rather long for home; and
this offer, on the part of the Direction, will furnish a good
opportunity for closing the mouths of those who might feel
inclined to Say Something about my incapacity for another
theatre.” ”
Herr Lindblad, who was in Paris, at this time, wrote to his
wife :—
“Paris, June 1, 1842.
“Jenny has had an offer, from the Direction of the Royal
Opera, to come home; and she seems inclined to accept it.
If so, she will return, in the autumn. She does not care, at
all, to appear here ; nor are the circumstances tempting.
She is bound up with Sweden, and asks for nothing better
than to make her living there, and thus to give enjoyment
to our people.” f
This seems to imply that Herr Lindblad took no un-
favourable view of the arrangement; yet when, in conse-
quence of a letter from the Direction, dated June 20th,
1842, and agreeing to all Mdlle. Lind’s conditions, the
engagement was finally concluded, he wrote to Madame
Lindblad:—
* From the Lindblad letters.
f Ib.
144 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. C.H. VI.
“Paris, July 4, 1842.
“Jenny has engaged herselſ at too small a salary. This
she regrets, now, but it cannot be helped. Her love for
Sweden, and the kind letter from the Director of the Opera,
have dimmed her vision.” “ -
And again :-
- “Paris, Friday, July 15, 1842.
“I conducted Meyerbeer to Jenny, when she sang for him
airs from Roberto, Norma, and several of my songs. He
thought much of her voice, and wishes to take her to the
Grand Opera-House, in order to hear how it would sound on
the stage there; for he believes that its carrying power would
grow in the large room. f
And, again : —
“Paris, July 18, 1842.
“So it is, however, that, had Meyerbeer arrived here
before Jonny accepted the engagement at Stockholm, she
would probably not—unless tempted by home-sickness—
have returned so Soon to Sweden, for Meyerbeer was not
against engaging her for Paris Or Berlin. Not a soul has
here done the least towards making her known. She has
been living as in a convent. -
“Still, she is not sorry to return home; for, the greatest
stage reputations are here won only through sacrificing honour
and reputation. While the world is resounding with their
praise, every Salon is closed to them ; and this, even in easy-
going Paris. Such homage as Jenny met with in Sweden, no
foreign artist ever received. This, she feels; and it is for
this vivifying atmosphere that she is longing.” f
As may well be supposed, Meyerbeer's influence was
no unimportant factor in the arrangements which concerned
the future. He had come to Paris, for the purpose of makin 9.
preparations for the production of Le Prophète—which,
however, through an accumulation of difficulties, was not
really produced until the year 1849; he had there heard of
Mdlle. Lind—probably, from Herr Lindblad; and—as we
gather from that gentleman's letter of the 15th of July–
* From the Lindblad Letters. f Ib. i Ib.
1842.] THE RETURN. 145
had already heard her sing, in private. But he seems to
have entertained doubts as to whether her voice was powerful
enough to fill the Salle of the Grand Opéra ; and, in order to
Satisfy himself on this point, he wished to hear her sing on
the stage of the theatre itself. Whether, or not, Signor
Garcia felt any doubts upon the subject, we do not know.
On the 13th of June, Herr Lindblad had written:-
“On Saturday last, I met Garcia, and spoke to him about
Jenny. He has found out that she has much esprit, and
feeling; but considers her voice still somewhat fatiguée.”
But, whatever Signor Garcia may have felt, it is quite
certain that Meyerbeer was determined to carry his point;
and, that he made the necessary arrangements with M. Leon
Pillet, then the Director of the Grand Opéra, for the gratifi-
cation of his wish ; for, on the 22nd of July, he wrote (in
German) to Herr Lindblad:—
“HONOURED SIR,-
“I was unable to answer your kind letter, yesterday,
as Ifound it impossible to speak to the Director of the Opéra.
But I have since seen him, and have arranged that, to-
morrow, Saturday, at two o'clock in the afternoon, precisely,
a well-tuned pianoforte, and an accompanist, shall be in
readiness, on the stage of the Opera, to accompany Mdlle.
Lind in her songs.
“I have told the Director, that Mdlle. Lind wishes to bring
with her six or eight persons with whom she is acquainted;
and orders have been given to the porter to admit them. The
entrance, however, will not be from the Rue Lepelletier, as
in the evening; but, in the Rue Grangebatelière, No. 3,
through the great gateway, on the left hand of the court.
“Begging you, honoured sir, to make my compliments to
Mdlle. Lind, and in the hope of Seeing you again to-morrow,
at the Opéra, at two o'clock,
“Yours most sincerely,
“MEYERBEER.” ”
* From the Lindblad letters.
WOL. I. - L
:
:
:
3
:
:
:
.
:
:
146 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. C.H. VI.
:
Of the proceedings which took place at this probationary
meeting, no detailed account has been preserved. M. Castil-
Blaze º tells us, that the pieces sung were, the three grand
scenes from Der Freischütz, Robert le Diable, and Norma, ; but,
as we shall presently See, his account of the occurrence is SO
glaringly incorrect, in other respects, that it is not safe to
accept any part of it. Herr Lindblad, however, has described
his impressions; briefly enough, it is true, but, in language
which may be accepted as thoroughly trustworthy. His
account of the effect produced is thus recorded:—
“Paris, July 25, 1842.
“Nothing worth mentioning happened, in the course of
last week, except that Jenny appeared at the Grand Opéra,
here; t but, without the lights, and with no other listeners
than Meyerbeer, the Hiertas, Herr Blumm, Branting, the
Director of the Opéra, and myself. It was in order to hear
how her voice would tell, in the immense Salle. Jenny was
unusually nervous ; and, you know, she never does herself
justice until she is in full action on the stage. But, notwith-
standing this, she sang well; though it seemed pale in
comparison with what she can do. Meyerbeer said the
prettiest things: “Une voic chaste et pure, pleine de grâce et
de virginaluté, etc., etc. Yostcrday, I breakfasted with him ;
and, in the presence of Berlioz, and some other Frenchmen,
he spoke of her with an enthusiasm so great, that I almost
felt inclined to question its sincerity—for, Jenny had not
sung nearly so well as she is capable of doing.
“In the meantime, she is coming home, for which she
longs with her whole heart. May the Swedes receive her
well, now, and not soon get tired of her Otherwise, we
shall take her to Berlin, and get her an engagement there, in
accordance with Meyerbeer's wish. He maintains that she
Ought to appear there.” f
This proves, clearly enough, that, after hearing the effect of
Mdlle. Lind's voice, in the Salle of the Grand Opéra, Meyer-
* Histoire de l'Académie Royale de Musique. (Paris.)
f The date of this letter establishes Saturday, July 23, 1842, as the
day on which the trial took place.
i From the Lindblad letters.
:
*
:
:
:
:
:
:
1842.] THE RETURN. 147
beer was of opinion that Berlin would offer a better field for
the exercise of her talents than Paris; and Subsequent events
proved that his judgment was perfectly correct. Neither the
style, nor the tastes of the singer, would have found a con-
genial home, on the stage of the Grand Opéra; and it would
have been a miracle indeed, if the pronunciation of any
foreigner, though never so accomplished, could have perfectly
satisfied a Parisian audience. There was, in all probability,
no difference of opinion between any of the parties concerned,
on this point; and, for the moment, this probationary per-
formance passed off, without any practical result. But, in
after years, the circumstance was brought before the public,
in a distorted form which entirely changed its import, by
giving a glaringly false account of the circumstances under
which the trial took place.
It was said, that “Mdlle. Lind had vowed a profound
artistic dislike to France, in remembrance of the check which
she had there experienced, and for which she retained a lively
resentment; ” that “she constantly refused the engagements
offered to her from Paris, because she had been heard there,
without success, at the beginning of her career, by the
Direction of the Opéra; ” that she had even “made a début
at this theatre;’ that “this début had not been a happy one ; ”
and that it was this “ that provoked her resentment.” "
These false reports were publicly contradicted, in November,
1887, by M. Arthur Pougin—the author of the Supple-
ment to M. Fétis's well-known Biographie Universelle des
Musiciems — who, in an article communicated to ‘Je
Ménestrel, related the circumstances, precisely as they are
here recorded, with the addition of some farther details
furnished by M. Léon Pillet, the Director of the Grand
* See Le Ménestrel, (Paris, November, 1887, pp. 372, 373); also
The Musical World, (London, November 12, and 26, and December 3,
1887).
L 2
148 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. VI.
Opéra under whose auspices the trial performance took place
upon the unlighted stage.
These reports appear to have originated, or, at least, to
have reached their culminating point of falsehood, in the
year 1846, when the management of M. Léon Pillet was
severely criticised, both by the public, and the press.
M. Pillet published, in his defence, a brochure,” in which he
alludes, in no uncertain terms, to the circumstances in question.
In answer to the accusation, that he had neglected more than
One opportunity of engaging so famous a vocalist, he says:–
“It has been pretended : (i) That Meyerbeer himself
presented Mademoiselle Lind to me, four years ago, and,
that I rejected her.
(ii) That, after her success in Germany, he again pressed
me, in vain, to engage her.
“Some have even gone so far as to say, that Mademoiselle
Lind offered herself; and the exact amount of the salary that
I refused her has actually been published, in some of the
theatrical journals.
“These were so many fables, on the value of which it is
necessary that I should enlighten you.
“Four years ago, when Meyerbeer was in search, not of a
soprano, but a tenor, for Le Prophète, he came, on the evening
before his departure,f to ask me for permission to hear, on
the stage, a young person of whom he had heard a very good
account. ‘It is not for you,” he hastened to add ; “it is a
voice which is described as pretty, but too weak for the
Grand Opéra. I want to see whether I can make use of it,
for Berlin.’
“I gave Meyerbeer all the facilities he demanded; placing
at his disposal, not only the theatre, but an accompanist—
M. Benoist. Finally, I myself escorted Mademoiselle Lind
to the stage, where I prepared to listen to her, when I was
told that the Commission, which was then assembled at the
Opéra, was waiting for me.
* Académie Royale de Musique. Compte rendu de la gestion, depwis
le 1" Juin, 1840, jusqu'au 1° Juin, 1846, par Léon Pillet. (Paris, 1846.)
f It will be remembered that Meyerbeer, in his letter, mentions details
which confirm the microscopic correctness of M. Pillet's account.
1842.] THE RETURN. 149
“I excused myself to Mademoiselle Lind, and to Meyer-
beer, and left them, without hearing a single note.
“On the next day, I asked what Meyerbeer had thought
of his singer.
“He had said—I was told—that she was not without
talent, but had still much to accomplish.
“This did not indicate that she had made any very great
impression upon him ; and, in fact, he thought so little of
her, for the Opéra, that he did not even speak to me about
her. It was only last year, when talking about Mademoiselle
Lind, at Cologne, that he recalled the circumstances that I
have had the honour to relate to you.
“As to the other assertion, that, after this period, Meyer-
beer vainly pressed me to engage Mademoiselle Lind, it is
as inexact as the preceding. Meyerbeer did indeed tell me,
last winter, that he had the highest opinion of this artiste's
talent, and that, if it were possible to engage her, and
Madame Stolz, at the same theatre, it would be an admirable
thing. But, he hastened to add, that he believed this to be
impossible ; that it would probably be with them, as with
Nourrit and Duprez; that, both being strong enough to take
the first rank at the theatre, neither the one nor the other
would be content with the second ; that Mademoiselle Lind’s
pecuniary demands would also be very considerable; and
that, so far as he himself was concerned, he would be quite
content with Mademoiselle Brambilla, or Madame Rossi-
Caccia, for the part of seconda donna in Le Prophète.
“On my own account, however, in order to satisfy my
mind, I begged him to ask Mademoiselle Lind whether she
would quit the country of her triumphs, for Paris. But, he
refused to undertake the commission.
“I was about to take this step, myself, when M. Watel—
the then Director of the Théâtre Italien—who entertained the
same desire, sent me the following letter, which he had just
received:—
“‘Berlin, December 9, 1845.
“‘MONSIEUR LE DIRECTEUR,
“‘I have had the honour of receiving your letter of
November 13, and I must ask your pardon for having left it
so long unanswered. But, before replying to you, it was
necessary that I should reflect.
“‘I have decided, Monsieur, to remain in Germany, for
the little time that I shall continue on the stage, and there
to pursue my artistic career.
150 JENNY I, IND. [BK. II. C.H. VI.
“‘For, the more I think of it, the more I am persuaded
that I am not suited for Paris, nor Paris for me.
“‘I shall quit the stage, in a year from this ; and, until
that time, I shall be so much occupied in Germany, that it
would be impossible for me to accept any other engagement,
either at Paris or in London.
“‘Permit me, nevertheless, to express my thanks to you
for having thought me worthy to appear before the first
audience in the world. But, rest assured, also, Monsieur le
Directeur, that I do you less wrong by not running the risk
of bringing a failure upon you.
“‘JENNY TAIND.’”
“‘One can see from this,’ says M. Pougin, ‘what to think
about the pretended resentment of Jenny Lind against the
public of Paris; and, also, about the unfortunate début she
was said to have made, either at the Opéra, or the Théâtre
Italien. This famous début never took place; and, if Jenny
Lind was never heard in Paris, it was undoubtedly because
she felt too much distrust of our public, persuaded as she
was—as she herself says, in her letter—that she was not for
T'aris, nor Paris for her.’” ”
We have thought it necessary to reproduce this corre-
spondence, in extenso, because, of late years, the subject has
been discussed, both in England, and in France, in Leruls
calculated to give Parisian audiences a very false idea of the
esteem in which they were held by an Artist, who, during
the time she spent in Paris, derived such intense delight from
the performances she witnessed at the Grand Opéra, the
Théâtre Italien, and the Conservatoire, as well as those of
Mademoiselle Rachel.
When the great singer—then, Madame Goldschmidt--
gave a concert, at Cannes, in 1866, for the benefit of the
hospital,f Le Phare du Littoral announced:—
* Le Ménestrel. (Paris, November, 1887.)
f The concert took place in the rooms of the Club [Cercle Nautique], at
Cannes, on Une 7th of April, 1866; and, after all expenses were paid,
produced, for the Hospital the sum of 3300 fr. A full account of the
performance, and the enthusiastic reception accorded to the singer, is
contained in the Revue de Cannes for April 14, 1866.
1842.] - THE RETURN. 151
“Jenny Lind will sing in France | | | It is true, that it will
be at Cannes: and, for the benefit of a charity. It is not yet
at Paris. But, it is still a concession of the celebrated
vocalist, who had declared that she would never sing in
France.”
She never made any such declaration. But it is strange
that she should have been accused of this, on the one hand,
and, on the other, of having actually sung in France,
and failed. Both Mendel, * and La Rousse, f assert
that she sang at the Grand Opéra, without success; while
M. Castil-Blaze, in the work already quoted, gravely tells
us, that, “strongly recommended by Garcia, under whom
she had been studying, and by Meyerbeer, who had heard
her sing, Jenny Lind applied in 1840, for an engagement
at the Grand Opéra, but was refused, after a private
hearing, through the influence of Madame Stolz with M.
Léon Pillet; ” and Mr. Sutherland Edwards, commenting
upon this, in the Musical World, for December 3, 1887,
says, that, “justly susceptible, Jenny Lind did not forget the
slight ; and when, seven or eight years later, after her
brilliant success in London, an engagement was offered her
at the Paris Opera-House, she refused it, without assigning
any definite reason.” - .
We have seen, from the letters of Meyerbeer and Lindblad
that these statements are without a shadow of foundation—
so baseless, that, but for the deductions drawn from them,
with equal unfairness to the débutante, to the Director
of the Opéra, and to the Parisian public, we should not have
thought this long digression necessary for their refutation.
Mademoiselle Lind was not in Paris, in 1840. Never having
sung before a Parisian audience, she could have had no
possible cause for resentment against it; and, at no period of
* Musikalisches Conversations—Leocicon.
f Dictionnaire du Dia:-neuvième Siècle.
152 JENNY LIND. [BK. II. CH. VI.
her life did she ever entertain so unworthy a feeling. More-
over, when the trial performance took place, in 1842, she was
not open to an engagement, either in Paris, or elsewhere; for,
the contract with the “Direction * of the Royal Theatre at
Stockholm had already been signed and ratified. The die
WaS Cast.
“Paris, July 25, 1842.
“Jenny is now returning home,” wrote Herr Lindblad,
“ and longing for it, with her whole heart. She will accom-
pany the Hiertas. There is a question of returning by way of
England, and staying there until the 11th of August, when
the steamer leaves for Stockholm. If this is possible, we
might all be back, by the 14th of August, or the 15th, at the
latest.” "
And it was possible. The journey to Paris, with its hopes
and fears, its long hours of diligent study, its cruel alter-
nations of confidence and despondency, dominated by a firm
and righteous determination to achieve success in spite of every
obstacle, at the cost of every sacrifice of personal ease and
comfort that the nature of the case might demand—the
eventful journey to Paris, so carefully planned, and so
bravely brought to its conclusion, had accomplished all, and
more, far more than ever was expected from it. And the
Second phase of the great Art-life was at an end.
* From the Lindblad letters.
B O O K III.
*-*
A CIEIIL VIE MIE N T.
CHAPTER I.
HOME : AND AFTER 2
“LAND of my birth ! Oh, that I could one day show how
dear thou art to me!” That had been the deep desire of
Jenny Lind, as she toiled in Paris. And, indeed, it had
seemed as if the Fates were set on fulfilling her desire.
Pack to Stockholm it was decreed that she should go.
I’aris, in one way or another, failed to open its doors to her.
Berlin, in the shape of Meyerbeer, had hovered about her,
but had let her slip. The Continent remained passive as
yet ; it suffered her to come and go, without any positive
sign. She had made her pilgrimage; and now, at its close,
she was, it would seem, to return to her familiar boards—to
put herself under the old yoke. At home, then, lay her
mission ; not in the open field of European drama. That
great Italian Opera, with its famous heroines of song,
was to remain a vision of what was doing in the big world
outside. She was not to enter, it would seem, on that
magnificent scene. Enough for her to carry out her bond
with that Theatre, which had been her nursery and her
home, in her beloved Stockholm, at a humble salary of
1800 r. d. banco, i.e., £150 a year. Very happily, so far as
we can see, she set to work; though inwardly conscious of
the immense increase of knowledge and power which had
become hers since she had begun again with Garcia “at the
beginning of the beginning,” and had learnt what “Art "
156 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
meant. She arrived in August, 1842, and rented rooms for
herself and Annette, the maid, on the upper floor of the
same Bonde Palace, where the Lindblads still lived. With
them she had the delight of feeling at home, and all the
comfort of domestic affection; but, in the following year, she
found it well to esfahlish horself in an independent position,
and she took rooms in another house, whither she invited
her old friend, Louise Johansson, to come, and be her
companion.
On October 10th she opened, at the theatre, with a per-
formance of Norma—the very Opera in which she had closed
her appearances on June 19th, 1841. It must have been a
direct challenge to the critical world of Stockholm, to
recognise the change that had intervened between the two
performances. What that change was, we learn from an
estimate which has been kindly supplied us by a most com-
petent and judicious critic, himself a musician, who sang
with her often, both before and after her visit to Paris. We
give his own words:–
“So much has already been written, concerning Mdlle.
Jenny Lind’s artistic career, that farther discussion of its
details may possibly be regarded, by some of your readers, as
needless. Those, however, who enjoyed the opportunity of
intimate acquaintance with this rare apparition in the world
of Art, and were gifted with the insight necessary for true
appreciation of its significance, well know that the subject is
far from being exhausted. -
“Among many things still remaining untold, the follow-
ing are worthy of notice, as characteristic of the Artist's
extraordinarily rapid powers of perception.
“When, during the years 1838, 1839, and 1840, Jenny
Lind enraptured her audience, at Stockholm, by her inter-
pretation of the parts of ‘Agathe,’ ‘Pamina,’ ‘Alice,’
‘Norma,’ or “Lucia,” she succeeded in doing so solely
through her innate capacity for investing her performances,
both musically and dramatically, with truthfulness, warmth,
and poetry.
“The voice, and its technical development, were not,
1842-44.] FIOME : AND AFTER 2 157
however, in sufficiently harmonious relation with her inten-
tlOn.S.
“In proof of this, it was noticed that the Artist was not
always able to control sustained notes in the upper register
—such, for instance, as the A flat, above the stave, in
Agathe's cavatina, ‘Umd ob die Wolke’—without perceptible
difficulty; and, that she frequently found it necessary to
simplify the fioritura and cadenze, which abound in florid
parts like those of Norma and Lucia.
“Nay!—there were not wanting some, who, though they
had heard her in parts no more trying than that of Emilia, in
Weigl's Swiss Family—a rôle, which, in many respects, she
rendered delightfully—went so far as to doubt the pos-
sibility of training the veiled and weak-toned voice in a
wider sense.
“Jenny Lind, however, went to Paris, fully determined to
cultivate her Art more fully, under Garcia's direction.
“Garcia, finding the voice fatigued, enjoined three months’’-
absolute rest; and the period of twelve months originally set
apart for study was thus reduced to nine.
“Yet, in spite of this, Jenny Lind, when resuming her
sphere of action at the Stockholm Theatre, proved to have
not only acquired a Soprano voice of great Sonority and
compass, capable of adapting itself with ease to every shade
of expression, but to have gained, also, a technical command
over it, great enough to be regarded as unique in the
history of the musical world.
“Never have the walls of the Royal Theatre at Stockholm
—so famous for their excellent acoustical properties—echoed
to a more finished, more enchanting Song than that of
Jenny Lind, in the part of “Amina, in La Somnambula, after
her return from Paris. What exquisite sonority | What
mastery over the technique ! Her messa di voce " stood alone
—unrivalled by any other singer. As the awakening
‘Amina, in the last scene of the above-named Opera, she made
a long-sustained G (above the stave) express, first, her
Surprise, bordering on consternation, at the sight of ‘Elvino,
penitent, at her feet; then, doubt, as to whether it were
really he , and finally the blissful rapture of receiving back
* A technical term, applied to the art of swelling or diminishing the
tone of the voice, by imperceptible gradation from the softest attainable
piano, to the full volume of its utmost power, and vice versa.
15S JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
again him by whom she believed herself to have been aban-
doned.*
“In like manner, in her shake, her scales, her legato and
Staccato passages, she evoked astonishment and admira-
tion, no less from competent judges than from the general
public : and the more so since it was evident, that, in the
exercise of her wise discrimination, the songstress made
use of these ornaments, only in so far as they were in
perfect harmony with the inner meaning of the music.
“The incredibly rapid development of Jenny Lind’s voice
and technique, caused many people to question the value of
the instruction she had originally received. Such doubts
must, however, be dismissed, as unjustifiable. The true
reason why Jenny Lind's singing, before she went abroad,
could not be said to flow in the track which leads to per-
fection, is undoubtedly to be found, in the first place, in the
fact that she was a so-called Theaterelev–a pupil educated at
thc expellse of the Directors of the Theatre itselſ—and, as
such, was unable to escape from the necessity of appearing in
public before her preparatory education was completed—a
proceeding no less disastrous to the pupil than contrary to
the good sense of the teacher.
“To the impartial critic, it must, indeed, be evident, that,
though the technical development of Jenny Lind is to be traced,
in the main, to her quick reception of Garcia's training, she
was nevertheless greatly indebted, with regard to several im-
portant details, to her first teacher, f for the high rank she
subsequently occupied in the world of song.”
Such, then, was the transformation that had come over her
rendering of Norma. She had sung it before, with a thin
* This wonderful G, in the extended form here described, forms no part
of Bellini’s score. The germ from which Mdlle. Lind developed it is to be
found in a short phrase of exceedingly common-place recitative : —
*
*N
—9 ba, t : ſº ſº E-H
*E===== E= –
el) Pºº-

Ah! gio - ja , Ah! gio - ja ,
The first Ah! gioja I was an agitated whisper; after which, the singer
prolonged the minim G–here marked with an asterisk—to a length
almost incredible, with the effect described in the text. This beautiful,
and altogether original conception, was entirely due to the genius of Mdlle.
Lind; not to that of Bellini.-ED.
t I. A. Berg.
1842-44.] HOME : AND AFTER 2 159
voice, in a “provincial” style, with a throat fatigued, using
bad methods of technique. She sang it now with a voice
that, besides its new tone and sonority, had become capable of
a vocalisation which placed her among the phenomenal singers
of European history. No wonder that Stockholm was wild
with enthusiasm. -
She sang in seven performances of Norma, and in six of
Lucia, besides giving some scenes from Rossini's Semiramide,
and in January, 1843, repeated her favourite “Alice,” three
or four times. -
She took up several new characters — “Amazili,” in
Spontini's Ferdinand Cortez, the second act of which was given
eight times during the spring; “Valentine,” in the Huguenots;
“Minette,” in La Gazza Ladra ; “La Contessa,” in Mozart's
Nozze di Figaro; above all, “Amina,” in the Sonnambula—-
one of her representations which was to become so famous in
after-years, and which she sang, for the first time, on March
1st, 1843. Altogether, before the nine months of the year's
engagement were out, she had made, between October 10th,
1842, and June 21st, 1843, one hundred and six appearances
in thirteen different parts.
But, besides her normal work, those nine months were
chiefly memorable for two main incidents, one, personal and
domestic ; the other, national and dramatic.
The personal event formed the last crisis in her home-
relations. These relations were still strained ; for we must
remember that she has never gone back on that first decision
to leave her parents’ home, which landed her in the Lindblads'
household. She is still living apart from them ; and this is all
the more marked, now that she is independent of the Lind-
blads, and living in her own hired rooms, with the sole
companionship of the faithful Louise. A woman, by Swedish
law, at that time, was bound to be under guardianship until
she married. Yet it must have been as difficult as ever for
160 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
her to remain under the guardianship of parents, who cared,
indeed, for her, and valued her highly, but who, yet, could
not possibly enter into her motives and aims, which were
beyond the range both of the easy-going conscience of her
father, and of the embittered temperament of her mother. We
have only to recall her deep and peculiar sense of the obliga-
tion she was under, to devote her art and its rewards to the
service of God and man, to see how tough a difficulty this
desire would prove to Herr Lind, who had never taken life
very seriously, and to Fru Lind, who had fought her own
way along, with sturdy resolution, under the ugly burden of
poverty, and who had seen no good cause to be over tender
towards a world which had dealt hardly enough with her.
In view, then, of this radical difficulty, Jenny Lind took a
step, which, with characteristic generosity, put an end to
the long and tangled story. Out of her earnings, Scanty
though they were, she managed to secure a little home
in the country, in which she established her father and
mother. And, then, she won their consent to transfer a
guardianship, which they could not well exercise at a
distance, to an official guardian, duly appointed by law, to
whom they would hand over all parental responsibilities.
This they did ; and the transference was a marked moment
in her life. Not only did she thereby put a total end to
all the domestic troubles which had so darkened her young
days; not only did she set free her natural affection for her
mother, by releasing it from all the aggravation of jarring wills;
but also she did something towards securing for herself what
she, always, most Sorely needed—needed, indeed, with all the
innermost necessities of her being—a strong and steady per-
sonal influence at the back of her life, to calm her agitations,
to control her uncertainties, to abide constant throughout her
reactions, to correct her self-mistrust, to dissipate her sus-
picions, to fix her emotions, to anchor her conscience. She
1842-44.] FIOME : AND AFTER 2 161
had all the fervour and the lapses, the starts and the recoils,
of a dramatic genius; and, firm and high as was her moral
ideal, its very force brought it into confused collision with the
bewilderment of circumstances, and it was as liable to perplex
and distress her, as to cheer and impel. This made her pas-
sionately feel for something which could from without
buttress and reassure her spiritual intentions, which so often
found themselves sadly at fault in a world that would not
correspond with them. Shaken, as she herself often was, by
the strong emotions which swept across her soul, she needed
an external mark, a sign, a symbol, of the unshaken security
of that moral End in which she trusted. Some one ought to
be near at hand, from whom she could receive the profound
assurance that “all was well”—that her belief in goodness
had not played her false. This is what her home had sadly
Omitted to give her: and for this loss nothing could now
compensate. But it was, at least, a profound relief, under
such a strain, to have obtained a guardian whose presence
abode with her, from then to his death in 1880, as a
permanent pledge of all that was wise, and kindly, and
excellent, and of good report. Herr Henric M. Munthe,
Judge of the Court of Second Instance, the guardian
chosen, was a man of high character and distinguished
position ; she could confide in his judgment with absolute
confidence, while she could also rely on his apprecia-
tion of her art, as he was himself a cultivated musician,
and took his part in the best amateur quartette in Stock-
holm. His portrait suggests a benignant and benevolent
“Thackeray”—a face full of fatherly interest and mild good
humour, yet with the discreet wisdom of one who knows the
Law. He looks compact with honesty, of unqualified worth,
charged with measured advice, Sober and yet not unsympa-
thetic. And, indeed, with the shrewdness of a councillor, he
combined true sympathy with all that was most deeply im-
WOL. I. M
162 JENNY LINI). [BK. III. CH. I.
planted in her heart. She wrote to him constantly and
freely; and she found in him one who could understand her,
even in those respects in which a legal trustee is most apt to
fail. For it was he who directed and managed for her, so long
as his guardianship lasted, those abundant charities which she
slowered upon her native Stockholm. About these she could
pour out her mind to him, sure of intimate comprehension.
And his open recognition of her ideas in all this, is evidenced
by the fact that he stored up her letters to him, and left them
at his death inscribed with this description, “the mirror of a
noble soul”; though, according to her own words to his son,
these letters were almost entirely occupied with the distribu-
tion of her charitable gifts. She declares this, in a letter
written, in June 1880, to Carl H. Munthe, the son of the
Judge, after she had learned from him of the existence of
these letters, on the father's death in April, 1880. Her letter
throws so much light on her character that the main portion of
it is printed here. It shows her own instinctive feelings about
her gifts, and how natural she thought them. And it shows,
also, how entirely the old man had acquiesced in her designs,
and how faithfully and loyally he had set himself to the task
of carrying them to a wise issue, without raising objections,
or hampering her with cautions; while, by his preservation of
the letters, he evinces his recognition of the special nobility
of the soul which he was serving.
This letter to Carl Munthe has an interest, also, that
belongs to the present memoir, for it will be noticed that she
here mentions her intention of writing an autobiography;
and, above all, of recording her artistic experience. Though
this purpose was utterly abandoned (or, rather, was never put
in action), yet her Words lend a Sanction to the effort made, in
these volumes, to give some record of her career as an
artist. In her last years, she was prone to justify her aban-
donment of the autobiography by indignant remonstrances
1842-44.] HOME : AND AIFTER 2 163
at the hopeless failure of the public to understand Carlyle’s
* Reminiscences.’ Her experience of the cruel stupidity with
which a mighty character like his could be maltreated and
misinterpreted, made her put the thought utterly away. “If
they could so treat him, who was so great, what respect would
they pay me !” she said. “No let the waves of oblivion
pass over my poor little life ”
But we must go back to our letter : here it is :-
Eactract of a Letter from Fru Jenny Lind-Goldschmidt to
JHofrättsrådet Carl Munthe.
“1 Moreton Gardens, June 15th, 1880.
“The letters from me, left in your charge, my dear brothers
and my sister Emma, can contain only dispositions for distri-
bution of pensions and purses to different people. What good
would there be in exhibiting these letters to the curiosity of
the public, long after that the writer thereof is decayed and
forgotten ? To me, the most acceptable course would be the
burning of those letters after you all are gone. There is nothing
I have shunned more, during my life, than praise for the assist-
ance I have been fortunate enough, through the grace of God,
to render to my fellow-men as far as lay in me, and it can
never be a merit to give of that which has been given to us.
These are my views—and if I am not much mistaken about,
you, brother Carl, you will say I am right.
“Moreover, I intend to write an autobiography. My life—
especially as an artist—has furnished material for a biography
in such abundance, that I almost look upon it as a duty to
produce something of the kind, before leaving a world where
I had been called upon to take so active a part. That in such
a biography, written by myself, my beloved guardian should
take his well-deserved place, is only natural; that the help
he gave me with the distribution of my little bounties in my
fatherland, was of the greatest importance for those who
received them, is a fact nobody can dispute, and, conse-
quently, his part in this page of my life must be clear and
unmistakable. Alas! in my letters to him, he does not by
any means occupy the place to which he is entitled, conse-
quently they would be only interpreted to my advantage;
and still, had he remonstrated against my urgent commis-
M 2
164 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
sions—which he was much too noble and much too discreet
ever to do—I should most probably have listened to his
objections.”
Such was the kind and fatherly guardianship which she
won for herself, under a legal sanction obtained from His
Majesty's Lower Town Court on the 30th of January, 1843,
under the chairmanship of the Sous-Préfet, Chamberlain, and
Rnight of the Order of the Royal North Star, M. Kuy-
lenstjierna, when the following request was presented:—
“Having decided to leave Stockholm for good, and conse-
quently being unable to bestow due attention to the guardian-
ship of my dear daughter, the Court-singer, Jenny Lind,
I hereby beg that I may be relieved from this duty, and that
Herr H. M. Munthe, Judge of the High Court, may be
appointed in my place to the guardianship.”
This is signed by N. J. Lind, with the title of “Fabrikör,”
i.e., manufacturer, to which he was entitled through having
acquired ownership of a weaving-loom. After that Herr
Munthe has formally signified his consent, the Royal
Court agrees to the request, and Judge H. M. Munthe
“ is herewith appointed guardian of the Court-singer,
Jenny Lind, in accordance with regulations provided by
the law.”
So happily closes a long and chequered chapter of
domestic history. The parents contentedly enjoy the fruits
of their daughter's generosity. Their discomforts, and their
anxieties are over. They seem to have been very fond
of one another; and henceforward, the days seem to have
begun of which their daughter speaks in her letter from
America, on her mother's death—days of quiet and kindly
peace in which the natural affections found free way.
The second great event of that spring was the National
Jubilee, to celebrate the twenty-fifth year of the reign of
1842-44.] PIOME : AND AFTER 2 165
I(ing Carl Johan. The Royal Family of the Bernadottes,
in spite of their abrupt introduction into the country, have
succeeded in attracting about them the national associations;
and the Jubilee was to be celebrated by appeals to everything
that was native, and popular, and Swedish. The Royal
Theatre set itself to the task by the production of a “Diver-
tissement National,”—a medley of national scenes, with words
and dances by Böttiger, Tegner's son-in-law, and himself a
poet ; and with music by Berwald, the conductor at the
Theatre Royal. In this, Jenny Lind sang, in the character
of a peasant girl from Wermland. This piece ran for
twenty-seven nights, all through February, and March, into
April; and it was followed in May, by another Piece
d'Occasion, of the same type, with national melodies and
dances, called A May Day in Wärend—full of Swedish
customs, and melodies, and dresses; in which she sang
the part of “Märtha,” the heroine, riding in, at one part,
on horseback on to the stage, and singing as she rode.
This ran for fifteen nights before June was over. She
was capitally supported by the barytone, Belletti, in the
character of an itinerant Italian. We can imagine how
her Swedish blood would tingle, as she threw herself,
with her whole heart, into the delight of rendering the
native peasant life which was so dear to her, and which
she so instinctively interpreted. She would pour her soul
out in relodies which touched the very fibres of her being,
as they spoke to her of the Sounds and sights which make
Sweden what it is to Swedish hearts. She must have felt
that the opportunity was indeed come to put out all the
new powers, which she had gained abroad, to prove to her
own people how dear they were to her.
We find that, from this time on, the Court began to
take delight in showing her both favour, and friendship ;
and especially kind to her was the Queen, Desideria, wife
166 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
of Bernadotte. We are allowed to use the interesting notes
from the diary of a lady-in-waiting on Queen Desideria,
which belong to this, and the following years. This lady,
Fröken Marie von Stedingk, had, in quite early days, pre-
dicted a great future for Jenny Lind, when she heard of
her wonderful dramatic gifts, as a child of eleven or
twelve. And, now, after the return from Paris, it was “her
greatest treat, " to witness the fulfilment of her prophecy;
and to hear “Our nightingale, the charming Jenny Lind,”
both in the Divertissement Wational, and in her great parts,
“ Norma,” “la Sonmambula,” etc. She had, also, “often
the advantage of hearing her, through the winter, in private
houses, where one and all treated her with distinction.
FIer behaviour, and her reputation are faultless; her manners
pleasant and modest. Without being pretty, she has an
expression of purity and genius, which, combined with her
youth, and her charming figure, is exceedingly prepossess-
ing.” This is a delightful picture of her at the time—the
simple modest girl, with her light, graceful, quick-moving
figure; and, then, the last, the crown of all—“a look of
purity and genius !” We shall hear more of this diary in
the years 1844 and 1845.
So the first year of the home engagement ended—prospe-
rous, happy, secure. But, after all, was it to be possible
that this great gift of hers should be left to be the private
possession and prize of her Swedish home 2 Coulſ . It be so
hid 2 Was no rumour to creep about of this strarge singing
'mid the northern seas º Was the “Nightingale” caught,
and caged for ever ?
It could not be ; and we have, now, to follow her first
flights outside the home-limits, and to watch her, as she dis-
covers that her voice has that in it which can overleap all the
barriers set up between people and people, and can speak to
the Souls of those whose tongue is unknown to her, and whose
1842-44.] FIOME : AND AFTER 2 I67
eyes have never seen the woods and waters of Sweden.
There was a little experiment first, in Finland, in the summer
of 1843, which met with overwhelming response. A grace-
ful and pathetic record of the visit is given us in the verses
of the aged poet of Finland, Topelius, written for a festival in
1888, on the news of Jenny Lind's death. The old poet is
carried back to recall the days when he first heard her sing
So long ago; and we venture to give, in a free translation, a
few of the opening verses, which describe, with delicate
accuracy, the effect she then made on all—the effect of one,
who, using all the subtlest resources given her by skill and
training, still spoke straight home, from soul to soul, with the
natural direct ease with which a bird sings its heart out, in
sheer simplicity and joy:-
“I saw thee once, so young and fair,
In thy Sweet spring-tide, long ago;
A myrtle wreath was in thy hair,
And, at thy breast, a rose did blow.
“Poor was thy purse, yet gold thy gift;
All music's golden boons were thine:
And yet, through all the wealth of Art,
It was thy soul which sang to mine !
“Yeal sang, as no one else has sung,
So subtly skilled, so simply good
So brilliant yet as pure, and true
As birds that warble in the wood l’”
So it went well in Finland.
But yet another step outward was to be made that
Summer—a step into a country, near enough to be familiar,
yet remote enough to be almost foreign. Once before, she
had just looked in at Copenhagen, in the middle of her pro-
vincial tour, in 1840; and, now, she visited it again. It was
in connection, again, with a provincial tour which she made ;
and of which we have some happy records in the life of the
musician, Jacob Axel Josephson.
168 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
This name is so closely linked with these years of Jenny
Lind’s life, that we must pause upon it before going on
with our story. Josephson was a Swedish composer—
born in 1818, and died in 1880—whose songs have become
widely famous in Sweden. In these songs he has proved
himself a faithful successor to Geijer, and Tindhlad; he
has much of their spirit; on the other hand, he repro-
duced less of the national type of music than they did,
and showed more of the influence of the great German
Song-writers of his own day. The event of his life
was a tour through Germany and Italy, for the study of Art ;
it was this which brought him under the full sway of classical
culture in music ; and it was with this tour, as we shall see,
that Jenny Lind was so personally and deeply concerned. He
returned from it in 1847, and was appointed Musical Director
of Upsala University in 1849. He devoted himself with
indefatigable perseverance to producing the great works of
the great masters, especially the oratorios of Handel, Haydn,
and Mendelssohn. Through these efforts, as well as through
his lectures on the ‘History of Music, given at Upsala, he
has done much to kindle and to purify, by the power of
music, the minds of the present generation in Sweden. All
his compositions, and they were many, including one
Symphony, prove him to have been an earnest and highly-
trained musician.
Now, in 1843, Josephson was just at the critical point in
his musical education; he was longing to get abroad; he had
no sufficient funds. Here was a situation which Jenny Lind
would thoroughly understand; for it had been her own. We
shall soon see how she dealt with it. They met, in the
August of this year, at this town, Linköping, whither
Josephson had gone, on the occasion of an annual concert,
to be given under the direction of Concert-Master Randel, in
aid of the fund for the widows and orphans. It was a
1842-44.] JHOME : AND A FTER 2 169
most pleasant surprise, as he tells us in his Diary,” to
meet with a number of old acquaintances and friends, and
among others Jenny Lind and Günther, who had come to
give a concert of their own, and joined in this preliminary
entertainment. Crowds were present from all parts of the
country, partly owing to the presence of some of the royal-
ties; and the heat and the crush in the church, where the
concert was given, were intolerable, and he did not enjoy it
so much as he expected—“even Jenny Lind was less success-
ful than usual.” This was on the 18th August; but, at her
own concert, in the evening of the following day, she was
in excellent voice, and he was enraptured; “she sang in
a manner unsurpassed. What brilliancy of delivery, side by
side with that grandeur which is so characteristic of her
What energy and pathos, even in the very fioriture / What
In the evening she was
22
classical finish in her cadenzas
Serenaded. And on the following day, at the concert given
by her and Herr Günther, he heard her sing, in costume,
a scena from the Freischütz. “She is incomparable !” is his
verdict. “The beautiful gentle calm during the first part of
the scene; her fine attitudes, full of feeling, when listening
for the horns; her rapture and glowing prayer at the Sup-
posed victory of her beloved—all this is so glorious, so true,
so enchanting, that in reality, nothing can be said, while the
full heart feels all the more from the lack of words.” She
Sang one of Josephson’s own songs, at this concert, “Believe
not in Joy After this musical feast at Linköping, the
friends separated. Josephson and Günther went on a tour of
! »
their own, giving musical soirées, while Jenny Lind took the
opportunity of a run across to Copenhagen. Before the three
meet again, we must see what happened to her there. She
had intended only to make a visit; but there was in Copen-
hagen, an eager, and enthusiastic friend who was not to be
* “Gedenkblätter an Jakob Axel Josephson :’ von N. P. Ödman, 1886.
170 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
denied. This was Mr. A. A. Bournonville, of whom we have
already spoken as being delighted with Jenny Lind’s operatic
singing as far back as 1839, when he was indignant at the
pittance at which she was rendering such magnificent service
to the Royal Theatre. He was eminent, both at Copenhagen
and at Stockholm, as a composer, and master of ballets; he
was made knight of the Danebrog in Denmark, and of the
Wasa in Sweden; he was greatly respected and beloved, and
it was at his house that Jenny Lind usually stayed, on her
visits to Copenhagen. He urgently pleaded that she should
give them “her incomparable Alice” in Roberto; and suggested
that she should sing her part in Swedish, while the rest Sang
in Danish, as the languages were so nearly akin.
“All the theatre showed the greatest good-will,” he writes
in his memoir of his theatrical life; “but the one obstacle
was the fear of Jenny Lind herself; she dreaded a foreign
stage. And when she saw Fru Heiberg act in the Son
of the Desert she felt such enthusiasm for her, and, at the
Same time, such depression for herself, that she begged me,
with tears of anguish, to spare her the pain of exhibiting her
own insignificant person and talent, on a stage which had, at
its disposal, the genius and the beauty of Fru Heiberg. In
addition to this, my counter-arguments excited her to such a
degree that she began to reproach me for having laid a trap
for her. This both frightened, and wounded me ; and I pro-
mised to cancel all. But now the ‘woman’ came to the
front ; for as I began to doubt, she waxed firm.”
An admirable episode, as amusing as it is natural | So
long as it is only her own doubt, it is only due to nervous-
ness, however real its anguish ; but if another doubt her
powers, it constitutes an attack, a challenge; and “the
artist,” as well as “the woman,” is up in arms to repel it.
Bournonville seems to have seen how to reap the advantage of
this mode of argument with her; he must have deepened his
doubts to the point which secured complete conviction in her.
For, certainly, he obtained her consent. She sang; and the
1842-44.] FIOME : AND AIFTER 2 171
success was tremendous, was overpowering. “Jenny Lind
gained in Denmark a second Fatherland,” writes Bournonville.
And, after deploring the slackness which failed to secure her
services for the Danish Opera, he speaks, significantly enough,
of the impression which the event made on her—of the dis-
Covery which she made for herself. “The ice was broken.
Jenny Lind discovered that she could get her living Out of
Sweden; and also she learned that the Artist, in reality,
should not settle down on the native-soil, but, like the bird of
passage, should go there only in search of rest.” The words
are those of the theatrical master, who has made the drama
his world. They are singularly unlike what she would have
used, at any time. But they may describe, in his language,
an effect which she would have differently expressed, if
indeed she could have expressed it at all, but which did
take place within her secret self. She must have experi-
enced a sense that the doors were being flung open, and
that she might pass out through them, if she would. There
Was a World, she now knew for certain, out and away
beyond the range of home, where she would find that her
powers would tell, her gifts be welcomed, her genius be
met with the warmth of sympathy. There were worlds
which she could conquer, elsewhere. This must have,
indeed, been something like a revelation, to one who, as we
have just seen in the scene with Bournonville, was terribly
Susceptible to self-mistrust. There can be no doubt that
Copenhagen marked an eventful hour in her destiny. It was
the omen of what was to come. Bournonville records what
so shortly followed, with a touch of justifiable pride in his
own anticipatory judgment. “Her name soon became of
European fame; gold and praise were showered upon her;
princes and nations vied with one another in their offerings
to her; poets sang of her; in the midst of winter, she never
wanted flowers.”
172 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
She only sang twice in the theatre, on September 10th and
13th: and in one concert, in the large hall of the Hôtel
d’Angleterre, on September 16th. The Opera, on each occasion
was Roberto. The following words from a History of Danish
Dramatic Art, by Th. Overskou, form an admirable comment.
After stating that, in her case, it was not a single party of
admirers, excited into ecstasy by some one or other brilliant
quality, but that it was the entire public which was moved
to enthusiasm by all the harmonising elements of true artistic
beauty, it goes on —
“It was said about Jenny Lind, that in her everything is
combined to make the perfect dramatic singer; a clear, full,
Sonorous voice of large compass; an easy and charming
method of singing, which she never overburdens with in-
appropriate ornament: a style, in the highest degree expressive
and enchanting: and an extraordinary dramatic talent.
Added to this, there lies diffused throughout the whole
personality of this admirable artist, a peculiar charm, a
naturalism rare on the stage, which makes an immediate
appeal to the goodwill of the audience. And, after all, this
eulogy, however detailed and true, can only give but an
imperfect account of the gifts by which, without dazzling
through beauty, she fascinates all by her appearance, her
singing, and her speech; or her power derives its origin and
its life from a loveliness altogether characteristic and
individual, such as it is impossible to describe, and which
banishes all disturbing influences, and collects all her rare
and precious advantages, so as to create an irresistible
impression of grace and purity of Soul.”
No words could be more delicately chosen, to convey the
effect which Jenny Lind invariably produced. It is most
interesting and curious to note how all attempts to describe
this effect, whenever they come from elevated and sympa-
thetic observers, fall into the same language. “Genius and
Purity,” said the Lady of the Court at Stockholm. “Grace
and Purity of Soul,” says the Danish History. “A noble
Nature,” said the Upsala Journal. The same phrases come
1842-44.] HOME : AND AFTER 2 173
to the surface again and again: and all of them testify to the
intensity of the personal character, which fused all the varied
gifts of Art and Nature into a vivid, and irresistible unity.
It is she herself who lends the wonderful bewitchment to the
voice, and to the action : and the impression, so received,
though without the aid of physical beauty, has always (as
they tell us) all the character of that which we call
“beautiful,” so that they cannot but speak of her possessing
“charm * and “ loveliness.”
Nor was it only the possibility of a wider public, which
opened upon her at Copenhagen. She also found that here,
as at Stockholm, she won, in a peculiar manner, the admira-
tion and the friendship of eminent men, such as the artists
Jensen and Melbye, the poet CEhlenschläger, and, above all, of
Hans Andersen, who was absolutely fascinated, and who for
a long time after, paid her a devotion, which had in it all
that delightful mingling of simplicity, and childishness,
which was so characteristic of him. In his ‘Story of my
Life’ he tells in beautiful words how he was called in by
Bournonville, to take part in the work of persuading her to
sing:—
“Except in Sweden,” she said, “I have never appeared in
public. In my own country all are so kind and gentle
towards me ; and if I were to appear in Copenhagen, and be
hissed I cannot risk it !” “When she appeared in Alice,”
he writes, “it was like a new revelation in the domain of art.
The fresh young voice went direct to the hearts of all. Here
was truth and nature. Everything had clearness and
meaning. In her concerts, Jenny Lind sang her Swedish
songs. There was a peculiar, and Seductive charm about
them : all recollection of the concert-room vanished : the
popular melodies exerted their spell, sung as they were by a
pure voice with the immortal accent of genius. All Copen-
hagen was in raptures. Jenny Lind was the first artist to
whom the students offered a serenade: the torches flashed
round the hospitable villa, where the song was sung. She
expressed her thanks by a few more of the Swedish Songs,
174 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
and I then saw her hurry into the darkest corner, and weep
out her emotion. ‘Yes, yes,” she said, ‘I will exert myself;
I will strive ; I shall be more efficient than I am now, when
I come to Copenhagen again l’”
This is the remarkable note of her character—so natural,
yet so rare—that every triumph, instead of satisfying her with
lier skill, spurs her to further efforts to be more worthy of
its joy. Hans Andersen goes on :-
“On the stage, she was the great artist, towering above all
around her ; at home, in her chamber, she was a gentle young
girl, with the simple touch and piety of a child. . . . The
spectator laughs and weeps, as she acts: the sight does him
good ; he feels a better man for it: he feels that there is
something divine in Art. One feels, at her appearance on
the stage, that the holy draught is poured from a pure vessel.”
We will close this visit to Copenhagen with the graceful
and touching words in which Mr. Bournonville has clothed
an incident which seemed to him to embody the secret of
Jenny Lind's significance at that time. In translating the
words from their congenial French, we must, we fear, strip
them of half their charm : but here they are:—
“Again and again have the delights of Nature, the glory of
Art, the enthusiasm for the true and the beautiful, inspired
in me some attempts at verse. How, then, is it that, to-day,
the sweet singing of Jenny Lind has left my lyre mute 2
How is it that I fail to find even an echo within me which
might pass on into the distance the Sound of that music which
laid open to my soul a world as yet unknown 2 Alas! To
paint in words the tones of a voice steeped in all the utter-
most tenderness of the human heart, is as vain as to seek
shadows in the darkness Moreover, the sound of my voice
would be lost in the thunders of a people's praise. The little
flower that alone I could offer to the artist, in the midst of
her triumphs, would be crushed under the feet of the crowds
that press round her. No Rather let me treasure up the
memory of her gifts, and of her story within my home, and
let me leave, as a legacy to those that come after, one trait of
her life, which will serve to bring her honour in the day when
1842-44.] JHOME : AND AFTER 2 175
the loud applause will have died away, and when the poets
will be singing the praises of other, and newer names.
“I had a friend who enjoyed all the privileges of happy
comfort, of public esteem, of cultivated taste, of the affection
of his family, of the love of his fair, young wife. A cruel
sickness brought him down to the very edge of the grave; but
by God’s mercy, he was saved. He was lying, still weak and
faint, in his bed, when the thrill of excitement which Jenny
Lind had kindled in Copenhagen, reached even to his sick-
room ; and bitter were the regrets of the young wife, at the
sick man’s loss of that which would have been to him such a
delight. Jenny heard of her desire, and offered, at once, to
sing to the invalid : and so, in the very heart of her triumphs,
when the Court, and the Town were anxiously craving to
know whether they could yet keep her one day more, she
found time to charm, with her heavenly voice, the hearts of
the two young people. It was on a Sunday, the 16th of
September, 1843, at the hour when all the churches were
filled with the praises of God, that Jenny, without any
strangers to observe her, without any public notice, did this
act of charity; and the tears of gratitude which flowed from
the eyes of Mozart and Mathilde Waage Petersen were the
waters in which they christened her with the name of ‘Angel.’
The emotion, and the pleasure of the visit served to help the
recovery of my friend.
“May God ever bless Jenny Lind :
“May she receive the reward of her charity, if, one day, she
be wed |
“And if God grant her children, may it be given them to
know of this, their mother's act.”
This kindness of hers was not forgotten, we shall find,
when she returned to Copenhagen about two years later; for
on the back of the picture then presented to her—a picture
of white roses by Jensen—appear the names of this happy
little couple, Mozart and Mathilde.
It may be further noted, that she went to sing to the sick
man in spite of having to appear, on the afternoon of that
same day, in the large room of the Hôtel d’Angleterre, at her
great concert, at which she sang two songs from Norma, and
Swedish Ballads, and National Melodies.
176 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
So ended the first flight outside the house, the first brief
act of achievement beyond her native stage. She crossed
back to Sweden, to continue her series of concerts; and on
reaching Westerwik about the 25th of September, by the
steamer “Scandia,” she found herself once again in company
with Günther and Josephson, who had lingered on in the
town, after a successful musical soirée. The friends joined
together at the hotel in the evening. “I greatly rejoiced,”
writes Josephson, “to meet her again after the brilliant
triumphs she has achieved at Copenhagen.”
“Her genial modesty had lost nothing through her
success. Her Nature wins more and more harmony; and in
consequence there is more equanimity in her disposition and
in her friendliness, than before she went abroad.”
Josephson was just parting with Günther, at the close of
their tour; so, while Günther went straight home to Stock-
holm, Josephson decided to tack himself on to Jenny Lind
and her companion, now on their way to give a concert at
Norrköping, where he might be able to help. So, on the
28th, he started after her in a light cart, caught up her
carriage at Vida, and, after that, took his seat alternately on
his own trap or on the box of her carriage, while she read aloud
to him some of Hans Andersen's poems, from a book presented
to her by Hans himself. At the country inn they improvised
a rough dinner, which they enriched with the music of an old
barrel organ, by chance discovered on the premises. They
arrived at Norrköping that night; and spent the next day
in arrangements and rehearsals, while, in the evening, Jenny
was serenaded by singers from Upsala.
“After the rehearsal,” Josephson goes on, “I spent a
pleasant evening with the ladies, partly at the tea-table,
partly at the piano. Jenny Sang many of Lindblad’s newest
and unpublished Songs. Like the earlier ones, they are
marked by genius; and he clearly, in the Lied gains more
1842-44.] HOME : AND AFTER 2 177
and more a character of calm development in the melody.
The mysticism which envelopes most of his earlier songs with
peculiar fascination, has now somewhat diminished; the
melody is more flowing, though not more captivating; the
whole has gained in transparency and sweetness. . . . . .
Through the great development Jenny's song and voice have
attained, through the grandeur which gives colour to her
diction, the Lied, as rendered by her, has lost much of the
unconscious inspiration of the moment. She sings the
Lied better than nearly everybody else, as a matter of
course; but still, not as —. In that case, the character of
the Lied never gets lost, just because the voice has not
arrived at any developed power of execution. Such a power
always must imply reflection upon its own use; the natural
devotion to the subject is not any longer so independent.
The strength and sonority developed in the voice have, with
Jenny Lind, received every kind of noble grandeur, which,
perhaps, ought to draw her, chiefly, to compositions of a
grand character. In the meantime it is always interesting
to hear her sing; her genius always shines through in full
glory.””
This most interesting personal criticism seems to show
that, just at this period, before her own inherent spontaneity
had wholly absorbed her new-trained technical development,
she was apt to prove too overpowering for those lighter and
simpler effects of song, which, a year or two later, when the
mastery over her art was matured, she could render with
such exquisite delicacy of tone, and effect, that she made
those very songs of Lindblad speak with wonderful direct-
ness, to the first musicians of Germany.
On the 30th of September she gave her concert, singing
airs from Figaro, Norma, Roberto, and Niobe. At supper
that evening at General Cronhjelm's she was again serenaded,
and next morning was off to Stockholm.
She returned, for another year's work, at her old salary;
in the course of which, between October 4, 1843, and
July 5, 1844, she made sixty-six appearances, in sixteen
* N. P. Ödman in Op. cit.
WOL. I. N
178 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
different characters, six of them being wholly new. She
reached her sixtieth performance of “Alice ’’; her forty-ninth
of “Lucia”; her thirty-sixth of “Agatha’’; her twenty-
sixth of Norma, ; her eighteenth of the Somnambula. The
jubilee play, The May Day in Wärend, ran on to within a
few days of the National mouriling for the King Carl Johan,
whose death closed the theatre from March 4 to May 2. Her
new parts were “Thyra, ’’ in The Elves, an opera, by a Dutch
pianist of mark, residing in Stockholm, called Van Boom :
“Fiorilla’’ in Rossini's Turco in Italia : “Armida’ in
Gluck's famous work: and “Anna Bolena’’ in Donizetti's
opera of that name. Of Armida, she wrote a characteristic
mote to Judge Munthe, on February 17, 1844 –
“I send you some seats for my ‘benefit’ on the 19th in
Gluck's Armida. I trust that you will greatly enjoy the
music. Both the music, and the piece, are so grand, that my
smallness will be shown out, thereby, in its true light. But
I am so thrilled by the sublime spirit of the music that I am
only too ready to risk my own personality.”
During the opening of this year, 1844, she was, in concert
with Günther, interesting herself greatly in the fortunes of
Josephson. Günther had begun to scheme on behalf of his
tour abroad, during their trip together in the autumn; and
had already in November written to him about a proposal to
give a concert to raise funds for this, in Stockholm. “Jenny
Lind,” he had then reported, “knows all; and has besides
received an anonymous letter from Upsala on the matter.”
On the 12th of January, 1844, Josephson received, with
rejoicing, a kind letter from Jenny Lind, confirming the news
of the concert which she and Günther were to give for his
benefit.” On the 6th of March, he spent the morning arrang-
ing with them the details; but, towards the close of April, the
concert, to his great joy, was shifted from Stockholm to Upsala,
and was fixed for Whit Monday. It succeeded beyond all
* “Biography of J. A. Josephson, p. 106.
1842-44.] HOME : AND AFTER 2 179
expectations. “All have come forward in the most generous,
Spontaneous manner, and the result has, by God’s grace,
turned out for the best. My journey is now guaranteed.” So he
writes on the 30th of May: “If hitherto I have belonged to
Art privately, I am now challenged to work more generally
for the holy cause. This gift from my friends ought to bring
with it a blessing on my way, for their sympathy has had the
largest share in bringing it about. I am all round besieged with
kindness. How remain faithful and grateful!” ” Soloyally
and generously had she worked to fulfil the dream of another,
who shared in her own profound aspiration after the highest
ideal, and was beset by the same obstacles. For two long
years, Josephson had been yearning for this opportunity, and
now it was given him. It was a good work, which proved
well rewarded.
As to the Season, it must have passed much as usual. She
wrote to Hans Andersen, at the time of the national
mourning :—
“Stockholm, 19th March, 1844.
“MY GOOD BROTHER :
“Mr. Bournonville mentioned in his last letter to
me that you have been shedding tears because of my
silence. This, naturally, I take to be nonsense, but as my con-
Science does reproach me in regard to you, my good brother,
I hasten to recall myself to your memory, and to ask my
friend and brother not to be angry with me, but rather
to furnish me soon with a proof that I have not forfeited my
right to his friendship and goodwill. A thousand, thousand
thanks for the pretty tales I find them divinely beautiful
to such a degree as to believe them to be the grandest and
loveliest that ever flowed from your pen. I hardly know to
which of them I should concede the palm, but, upon reflection
I think The Ugly Duckling the prettiest.—Oh, what a
glorious gift to be able to clothe in words one's most lofty
thoughts; by means of a scrap of paper to make men see
So clearly how the noblest often lie most hidden and
covered over by wretchedness and rags, until the hour of
* Ib., p. 124.
N 2
180 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
transformation strikes and shows the figure in a divine light !
Thanks, from all my heart, thanks for all this—as touching
as it is instructive. I long now very much for the moment
when I shall be allowed to tell my good brother by word of
mouth how proud I am of this friendship, and with the help of
my Lieder to express—if even in a trifling degree—my grati-
tude only that you, my brother, are surely heffer fit than
any one to comprehend our Swedish proverb: ‘Every bird
sings according to his beak.’
“This country is now in mourning—peace to those who are
gone ! After all one is happiest when once well out of the
way. Our theatre is now closed for about seven or eight weeks,
and this is not pleasant, but meanwhile, we are busy, studying
new things. I must tell you, my good brother, that I have
here quite a cozy little home. Cheerful, Sunny rooms, a
nightingale and a greenfinch :-the latter, however, is greatly
superior as an artist to his celebrated colleague, for, while
the first remains on his bar grumpy and moody, the other
jumps about in his cage, looking SO joyous and good-
natured, as if, to begin with, he was not in the least jealous,
but, instead of that, supposes himself created merely for
the purpose of cheering his silent friend And then he sings
a song, so high, so deep, SO charming and So Sonorous, that
I sit down beside him and, within, lift up my voice in a
mute song of praise to Him whose “strength is made perfect
in weakness.’ Ah! it is divine to feel really good. My
dear friend! I do feel so happy now. It seems to me I
have come from a stormy sea into a peaceful cottage. Many
struggles have calmed down, many thoughts have become
clearer, many a star is gleaming forth again and I bend
my knee before the Throne of Grace and exclaim : ‘Thy will
be done.' Farewell ! God bless and protect my brother is
the sincere wish of his affectionate sister
“JENNY.”
This peace in the “cosy little home” is to be quickly
broken up. A flight abroad is now to be taken, which will
carry her further afield than Finland, or Copenhagen. It is
no less a place than Berlin that has begun to take note of
this wonderful singing, and is preparing to capture it for its
own service and joy. Meyerbeer is there, engaged in bringing
out a work, which is to celebrate all the glories of the
1842-44.] HOME : AND AIFTER 2 181
Prussian kingdom ; and he is anxious to secure all the talent
open to him. He had heard her sing, as we know, in Paris,
and had felt, then, that Berlin was her proper sphere: and,
now, his memory and his zeal are kindled anew by the en-
thusiasm of an artist of no mean ability, who arrived at
Berlin from Stockholm, with a fervent admiration for what
he had seen and heard there. This artist was M. Paul
Taglioni, a brother of the famous damseuse, a descendant,
on the mother's side, of the Swedish tragedian Karsten, and
well known both in Paris and Berlin, not only as a graceful
dancer, but, also, as a skilful composer of Ballets, and a
ludicious and competent critic. During the course of a
conversation with her Son, many years afterwards, Madame
Goldschmidt spoke of the visit of M. Paul Taglioni to
Stockholm as having undoubtedly revived Meyerbeer's
recollections of what he had heard of her singing, at Paris,
in the month of July, 1842; and to M. Taglioni's report of
the successes he had witnessed at the Royal Theatre she
attributed Meyerbeer's marked anxiety to engage her at Berlin
in order that she might take the principal part in the new
opera—Das Feldlager in Schlesien—which he was composing
for the opening of the new Royal Opera House in the
Prussian capital.
The records of the proposals made by Meyerbeer are lost ;
but, some time in that Summer, they reached sufficient
definiteness to induce her to determine on a visit to Dresden
in July, in order that she might work up her German to the
level demanded by an appearance, on such an historic
occasion, in the Opera House at Berlin. Off to Dresden she
resolutely went, as soon as her season was over, ending, as it
did, on July 5, with eight performances of the Turco in
Italia—an almost forgotten Opera of Rossini's—in which she
played the part of Fiorilla. Mdlle. von Stedingk tells us
how she stole off to the Theatre, incognita, owing to the
182 JENNY LIND. [BK. III. CH. I.
Court being still in mourning, and heard her in this Opera, in
which, as she says, “she made even the unpleasant part of
Fiorilla graceful and womanly. But I prefer Norma, which
is her greatest triumph.”
Her enthusiasm breaks out in the record of a tea-party
which slie gave. “In honour of Jenny Lind, previous to
her departure for Germany; Carl and Charlotte” were the
other guests. It was to me an indescribable enjoyment,
when she sat down at my piano, and sang to us. From that
moment, my little room became dearer to me, and more
harmonious than ever.
“The Queen Dowager was extremely kind to Jenny, at
the farewell audience, presenting her with portrait medals of
herself and the late King, and with a watch, which, she said,
is ‘To remind you not to forget the time of your return
to us.’”
So the time came for the new venture. She had thought
herself escaped “into a peaceful cottage from out of a stormy
sea.” So she had written to Hans Andersen in March.
But a greater voyage into a wider Sea is now before her.
The wind is up : the sails are set: she must go. The first
note that she sings in Berlin will have sealed her fate.
There will be no withdrawal possible for her after that.
Out into the deeper floods the strong currents will sweep her.
The great European world, its peoples, its kings, its musicians,
its heroes, will close in round her;-will claim her with
irresistible insistence. Her returns to Stockholm — her
“beloved Stockholm ’—will become rarer, and rarer: at last,
she will come back only to enrich it with endowments, and
to bid it “Good-bye ’’.
* I.e. Count and Countess Carl Björnstjerna.
B O O K IV.
=& -
MIA S T E ERY.
( 185 )
CHAPTER I.
IN DRESIDEN.
AND now, once more, the Curtain rises on a new Act in Our
Drama—a new phase in the great Art-life which we are
endeavouring to depict, as faithfully as we may, by aid of
the records that have been preserved to us, and the memories
of some whose recollections are even more precious than
written evidence or printed criticism.
Now, for the second time, we find Mademoiselle Lind
leaving home and friends and all that lay nearest to her heart,
and departing, in obedience to the call of Art, to seek
new fortunes in a country utterly unknown to her ; and we,
who followed her earlier venture, must once more accom-
pany her on a journey, undertaken, not as in the former
case in the character of a timid student in search of
knowledge, but in that of a profoundly cultivated and highly
accomplished mistress of her Art, distrustful as ever of her
own artistic power, yet quite capable of displaying that
power to the wonder and delight of the most exacting critics
in the world.
The opportunity was a splendid one, and might well have
tempted any aspiring artist. But there was the terrible
home-sickness in the way—the aching void which, in her
case, seemed almost to verge upon physical malady, the cruel
nostalgia of the medical schools.
Still, we may fairly believe that, to a nature so thoroughly
186 JENNY LINI). [BK. IV. CH. I.
Scandinavian, German thought and German habits would
seem less unsympathetic than those of France. For France,
in temper, manners, and associations, stands curiously alone
among the nations of Europe; while between the Teutonic
and the Scandinavian peoples there exist, indubitably, many
ties and bonds, which continue to exercise a vital influence
Such as is recognised and felt in the most intimate depart-
ments of life.
No bond exists of stronger tenure than religious con-
formity. Now, religious thought was no less deeply affected
in Sweden and Norway than in the northern provinces of
Germany by the doctrines set forth in the religious teaching
of Luther and his disciples, and the affinity thus established
when those doctrines were first preached to the world was
certainly not weakened by the terrible experiences of the
Thirty Years' War. -
Again, the touching pictures of Scandinavian home-life,
painted in such glowing and natural colours by Frederika
Bremer and Hans Christian Andersen, find a ready response
under many a German roof-tree, and are in living sympathy
with practical home-life on the banks of the Elbe and the
Weser.
Here, then, are two points which may be fairly looked upon
as connecting links between the two races—to say nothing of
others which it would be manifestly beyond our province to
notice in our present chapter.
We may hope, therefore, if we give due weight to these
considerations, that Mdlle. Lind did not feel herself quite so
much a stranger in Germany as she had previously done in
Erance, though her attachment to her own country was so
deep and passionate that it seemed as if she could never be
truly happy in any other.
But it rarely falls to the lot of genius to choose its own
sphere of action. Events had shaped themselves irrevocably.
1844.] IN DRES DEN. 187
The die once cast, nothing remained but to submit to the
necessities of the case; to press forward on the only
path that still remained open, while all side issues were
hopelessly barred; and to determine that, come what
might, it should lead to success; and this is what Mdlle.
Lind did.
Her farewell to Sweden had been, as we have already
Seen, a touching one.
The reader will not have forgotten the incidents mentioned
in connection with it by Fröken Maria von Stedingk, who
Supplements the account in her Diary with the words,
“I was also present at the farewell representation, and
felt that I had never seen anything so superior as Jenny
Lind.”
She was indeed “superior” in every sense of the word.
It was time that the Germans should know this; but it
needed careful preparation.
It had never been her wont to trust to genius alone for
results which, she well knew, could be attained only by the
union of genius with conscientious industry. As a cul-
tivated musician, a singer, an actress, a sympathetic inter-
preter of the master-pieces of the greatest dramatic composers
of the modern schools, she had nothing more to learn. She
did not even need experience; for, after forming her method
in Paris, she had already had ample opportunity for testing
its excellence in practical connection with the stage. But
in Order to ensure her success at Berlin it was necessary that
she should add to these high qualifications an intimate
acquaintance with the pronunciation, at least, of the German
language, if not, indeed, a thorough mastery of its grammatical
construction. We have already witnessed the zeal with
which, in Paris, she strove to overcome the difficulties of two
ianguages—French and Italian—the necessity for studying
which then presented itself to her for the first time. She
188 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. I.
now found herself placed in precisely the same position with
regard to German; and, far from attempting to evade the
difficulty, she adopted the best possible expedient for Over-
coming it. She determined to set apart a sufficient time for
quiet and regular study, not in the city in which she was to
appear for the first time before a German audience, but
in Dresden, where she would not only be able to obtain
without difficulty the best possible instruction, but could
also usefully supplement it by attending the performances
at one of the best Opera-Houses in Germany. And here,
too, Meyerbeer had arranged to meet her, for the purpose of
consultation with regard to the principal part in the im-
portant work—Das Feldlager in Schlesien—which he was
preparing for the reopening of the Grand Opera House in
Berlin.
To Dresden, then, she repaired, accompanied by her aunt,
Fröken Apollonia Lindskog — familiarly known by her
relatives as Tante Lona—arriving there on the 25th of
July, three weeks only after her last performance in Stock-
holm. Truly, it was not her habit to waste much time in
“ needful rest.”
By the luckiest of chances she was welcomed at the very
moment of her arrival in the Saxon capital by her trusty and
valued friend, Herr Jakob Axel Josephson, who was then,
through her generous assistance, prosecuting his studies in
Germany, and who, while accidentally crossing the Alte.
Brücke, the grand old bridge over the Elbe, passed a crowd
of carriages conveying passengers into the town from the
terminus of the Leipzig Railway, and, peeping into one
of these, Saw Mdlle. Lind with Tante Lona sitting by her
side.
“I hailed the driver immediately,” he writes in his Diary.
‘The carriage stopped; and, as soon as I could force my way
through the crowd, I paid my respects to the travellers; ar-
1844.] IN DRESIDEN. 189
ranged to call on them, later in the day, at their hotel, and
left them to continue their journey.”
After paying his visit, and finding her “happy and con-
tented,” he resumes:–
“It was, in fact, to Jenny that I was indebted for the
means of coming here myself. I had therefore a great deal
to say to her, but I found it difficult to express my meaning,
and she herself seemed to turn a deaf ear to me. Between
old friends there is no need of many words.”f
The evening was pleasantly spent in a walk on the
Brühl'sche Terrasse by moonlight, followed by a friendly
Supper at the hotel; and after devoting the next morning to
an exhaustive exploration of the town in Search of private
apartments for the ladies, a pianoforte for Mdlle. Lind, and
another for Herr Josephson, the three friends walked together,
at six o'clock, to the fine old Opera-House,f to hear Wagner's
Rienzi, which had been produced there, with great success, in
1842, and had furnished the first stepping-stone to its
composer's subsequent reputation.
It will naturally be understood that, having visited Dresden
for purposes of study only, Mdlle. Lind lived a life of com-
parative seclusion, residing in the private lodgings found for
her by Herr Josephson, and very rarely going into Society.
She was furnished however, as a matter of course, with
letters of introduction to the Swedish Consul, Herr Karl
Raskel—who happened to be a personal friend of Meyerbeer
—and Herr Josephson's sympathetic pen has furnished us
with an account of her appearance at an evening party given,
during the last week in July, at the country house of that
* ‘Aus dem Leben eines Schwedischen Componisten ; Geden/ºbliitter an
Jakob Aacel Josephson, von N. P. Ödman (Stockholm, 1886), vol. ii.
f Ibid.
† Long since burned down, and rebuilt on a still grander Scale.
190 - JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. I.
gentleman's father. Making due allowance for the some-
what highly coloured language of a young man just entering
upon an artist's life and determined to employ his critical
faculties to the best possible advantage, we shall find the
narrative a very interesting one.
“It is just a month,” he says in his Diary, “since I left
Sweden. This short time has already been rich in ex-
periences, and brought me into contact with many interesting
acquaintances. I have heard a great deal of music, and
made various discoveries in connection with its condition in
Germany at the present time. Although the love for music
of the best kind, as it has been fostered in Germany for more
than a century, is more at home there than in other countries,
one must confess that it is only instrumental music that is
thus encouraged, while the Art of Song lacks representatives
everywhere. It is therefore not to be wondered at that a
talent so genial as that of Jenny Lind, awakening great and
unusual interest wherever it is brought into notice, should
now, like a lightning flash, illumine the darkness of the
singer's night in Art-loving Germany, penetrate the over-
flowing mass of German music and kindle the flame of
enthusiasm.
“The beginning of this was effected this evening, and
though only in a private Soirée, still in such a way that its
repetition on a larger Scale can Scarcely be delayed. Consul
I(askel had, in addition to some music-loving residents
in Dresden, invited Fräulein Lind, Fröken Lindskog,
Herr Beskow and family, Pastor Odberg with his
pupils, and myself. We were really however the guests
of Consul Kaskel’s father (the head of a rich and influential
banking firm), who lives in a pleasant country house on the
Elbe.
“The evening began, as usual, with conversation, for the
polite and true-hearted Saxons are well known as excellent
hosts and the Saxon ladies as entertaining hostesses. But
after a little time they begged Jenny Lind to sing; and,
sitting down to the piano, she began with Berg's Fjerran i
Skog.” Scarcely had she ended it before a cry of satisfaction
* Herdegossen ; a Swedish song, by Herr Berg, containing some long-
sustained notes concerning which we shall have more to say in a future
chapter.
1844]. IN DRESIDEN. 191
rang through the room. She repeated the song, followed it
up with Tro ei gladjen, Sang Fjerran i Skog, for the third
time, and finished with the Romance from Winter's Das
wnterbrocheme Opfer:fest, which flows so sweetly and lovingly
On the true classical stream. As Jenny, later on, Sang the Aria
from Niobe” in her grand style, and adorned it with her most
beautiful fioritura, the general delight burst forth into loud
applause, and all remained throughout the rest of the
evening simply enchanted, for God knows how long a time
had elapsed since any one had heard anything like it.
“For us Swedes the meeting was a truly brilliant in-
auguration of Jenny's entrance into Germany, and an
especially joyful one, though only in so small a house ; and
we remarked with pleasure how anxious the good Germans
were to hear her in public, whether on the stage or in the
the Concert-room.”f
Apart from the sensation she created on the occasion
to which Herr Josephson alludes, she lived, in company
with Fröken Apollonia, in strictest privacy during the
whole of the time she remained in Dresden. She had
indeed but little time permitted to her, even for consultation
with Meyerbeer or for the purpose of study; for on the
28th of August—One month and three days only after her
arrival at the terminus of the Leipzig Railway—she was
recalled to Stockholm, to assist, in her character of “Court
Singer,” aſ the festivities which graced the Coronation of
King Oscar I.
Queen Desideria's watch had already marked the hour for
the Wanderer's return, f though on this occasion it was to
be represented by a very brief visit.
The Court was now out of mourning, and all Stockholm in
festal attire to do honour to the approaching ceremony.
Unfortunately, Fröken Marie von Stedingk, being in close
* “Il Soave e ben contento,” from Pacini’s Niobe, with its brilliant
caballetta—“I two frequenti palpit?”—in Bb.
f N. P. Ödman, in op. cit. vol. ii.
† See page 182.
192 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. I.
attendance on the Queen Dowager, was prevented by the
imperious demands of Court etiquette from attending the
performances at the Royal Theatre, and her Diary therefore
furnishes us with no account of Mdlle. Lind’s appearances.
But we know, from the archives of the theatre, that they
were ten in number—viz., three of La Somnambula ; three of
Norma : one of Gluck's Armida ; and three introducing
single acts of Der Freischütz, Norma, Lucia di Lammermoor,
and Anna Bolema.”
So well prepared were the Swedes to appreciate their
talented countrywoman at her true value that they could
not endure the idea of losing her. In the hope of pre-
venting her from singing in Germany, Count Hamilton, the
then Director of the Royal Theatre, offered her an engage-
ment as principal singer, for eight years, at an annual Salary
of five thousand dollars,f which was to be continued to her
after the termination of the contract as a pension for life.
To this offer she felt very much inclined to agree, though
her best friends tried hard to make her see that, by SO
doing, she would deprive the rest of Europe of all participa-
tion in the advantages derivable from her exceptional talent.
IFor a long time her resolution remained immovable. But
one day a trusted friend bethought himself of a curious
method of persuasion, which could only have occurred to one
who understood her nature thoroughly. After leaving her,
as he feared on the point of signing the dangerous contract,
he encountered in the street a certain Consul General who
prided himself upon an intimate knowledge of everything
connected with music. To this gentleman he narrated the
circumstance, with many expressions of regret as to the turn
* The dates were:—Sept. 18, 20, La Somnambula ; Sept. 24, Der
Freischütz (act ii.); Sept. 26, Norma and Anna Bolena (single acts);
Sept. 27, Der Freischütz, and Lucia (single acts); Sept. 30, Armida ;
Oct. 2, Za. Somnambula ; Oct. 4, 8, 9, Norma.
f About £420 sterling.
1844.] IN DRESIDEN. i93
affairs were taking. But to his great surprise the Consul
General took the opposite view, maintaining that, notwith-
standing her successes at home, the artist herself must have
known that her powers were unequal to the attainment of a
similar result in a more extended sphere. Well knowing the
effect which this absurd misrepresentation of the true state of
the case could not fail to produce upon Jenny’s mind, her
friend lost no time in making her acquainted with it; and
then and there he had the satisfaction of seeing her tear up
the fatal contract and thus put an end to the discussion for
€Ve]”.
Retreat was now impossible, and as soon as practicable
after the last performance of Norma, on the 9th of October,
she took leave of her friends and started on her trying journey
—a journey now forced upon her by her refusal to accept the
engagement offered to her at Stockholm, but none the less
trying on that account, and rendered painful, moreover, by
those fears for the unknown future which her constitutional
diffidence forbade her to shake off.
WOL. I. O
( 194 ) [BK. Iv. CH. II.
CHAPTER II.
AT THE COURT OF BERLIN.
NOTWITHSTANDING the temporary interruption of her lin-
guistic studies at Dresden, Mdlle. Lind was far from being
unprepared for her approaching trial when the appointed
time drew near.
Of the severity of that trial and the gravity of its inevi-
table though as yet wholly uncertain consequences it would
have been difficult to form an exaggerated idea. The
successes achieved by the young artist in her own country
counted as nothing when considered in connection with the
ordeal that awaited her in Berlin. That a native singer of
rare and undoubted talent should have been received with
acclamation by her own admiring countrymen, that her
reappearance on the stage she had trodden as a child should
have been regarded by the audience assembling at the Royal
Theatre as a national triumph, that the critics of Stockholm
should have been ready to endorse, in its fullest significance,
the verdict pronounced, in a moment of enthusiasm, by the
general public ; all this was naturally to have been expected,
and might indeed have been easily foreseen by any one
with discernment enough to read the signs of the times,
as Fröken Marie von Stedingk’s account of the circum-
stances sufficiently proves. But would the critics of Berlin
endorse the verdict pronounced by those of Stockholm ?
That was indeed another and a very different question.
Stockholm was not, and never had been, a centre of artistic
1844.] A T THE COURT OF BAERLIN. 195
progress, even of the second order. The Royal Theatre, at
its best, gave but a dim reflection of glories which in the
more famous European Opera Houses were of too common
occurrence to excite any extraordinary amount of astonish-
ment. On the other hand, though for very different reasons,
the triumph at Stockholm could not be dismissed as an
altogether unimportant factor in the coming crisis. And
here lay the gravest difficulty in the situation—an almost
unprecedented paradox, which the future alone could solve.
Though, in so far as her European reputation was concerned,
Mdlle. Lind was really preparing to make, at Berlin, her
true début in the great world of Art, she had been preceded
by rumours which rendered it imperative that she should
appear there, not in the character of an unknown débutante,
but in that of a finished and recognised artist of the first
order; of a prima donna, to be judged, not by the measure of
her own merit, but by the achievements of the greatest
prime domine who had appeared before the world since the
beginning of the century. For however limited might have
been the experiences of the Stockholm critics, there were
critics in Berlin who were familiar with the performances
of Mesdames Malibran and Pasta, and Mara and Sontag and
Schroeder Devrient, and even of the famous Madame
Catalani herself, to say nothing of Mesdames Grisi and
Persiani and other brilliant stars in the contemporaneous
Operatic firmament; and it was absolutely certain that
with the performances of these bright luminaries of past and
present years would the performances of Mdlle. Lind be
mercilessly though, it was to be hoped, not unjustly com-
pared,
We hear people wonder sometimes why she was
SO modest, so diffident, so distrustful of her own powers.
But Surely she had reason on her side a thousand times.
She was not blind, could not possibly have been blind,
O 2
196 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. II.
to the perfection of her own ideal; but she did not know,
and had no means of informing herself, how far the great-
ness of that ideal was likely to commend itself to the
severely critical audience before which she was about to
appear. She had never heard either Catalani or Pasta, or
Sontag Ur Malibran, yet circumstances had placed her in
rivalry with them all. Was her ideal really greater than
theirs? Was it even as great 3 How could she tell! She
must have seen the difficulties of the situation; must have
felt that her position was, in many respects, an altogether
exceptional one. Yet, for all that, she did not shrink from
the ordeal, and when the time of trial came she was ready
to meet it.
After her last performance at Stockholm, on the 9th of
October, she made instant preparation for her journey, and,
accompanied by Mdlle. Louise Johansson, arrived, in the
third week of October, at Berlin, where she made arrange-
ments for residing, during the winter, in the house of
Madame Reyer, No. 43, in the Französische Strasse.*
While preparing for her first appearance on the stage, she
passed her time in complete retirement from public life,
but her reception by the circle of private friends to whom
she was introduced was of the warmest character. Meyer-
beer was, of course, unremitting in his attentions. His
position towards her was, indeed, an almost painfully
responsible one. He alone was answerable for her presence
in the Prussian capital, and her success or failure were
matters of scarcely less importance to him than to her. His
taste, his experience, his artistic judgment were staked upon
her fitness to sustain the position to which he had introduced
her. Through him she was privately presented to the
Royal Family, the members of which, and especially Queen
* Madame Reyer (sister to the Baroness von Ridderstolpe) appears
to have been the wife of a schoolmaster in Berlin.
1844.] A T THE COURT OF BAERI, IN. 197
Elizabeth, received her with a grace and courtesy which did
much to render her visit more than ordinarily agreeable. On
one occasion—memorable as the first on which she was
called upon to display her talent in the presence of the Court
—she was invited to a reception given by the Princess of
Prussia * one evening during the last week in November.
Concerning this she thus wrote to her guardian, Judge
Munthe—
“Berlin, Dec. 2, 1844.
“I have sung at Court, and been so very fortunate as to
please greatly. This may sound somewhat conceited, but I
do not mean it so. The Countess Tossi (Sontag) was
present, and my modesty prevents me from telling you what
she is reported to have said. I am meeting with extra-
ordinary success everywhere. I go out much into fashion-
able society, because this gives the first entrance into the
world of Art; and—do you know 2–I am already known by
all Berlin, and people talk of me with an interest so lively,
and so flattering to me, that I begin to think I must be in
Stockholm I
“Forgive me ! dear M. Munthe, for thus openly speaking
of things as they occur. I promise not to become proud or
conceited; only glad and happy when things go well.”
Among the guests present at the reception thus playfully
described were the late Earl and Countess of Westmorland.
Lord Westmorland was at that time the English Ambas-
sador at the Court of Prussia; and, through the kindness of
a member of His Excellency’s family, we are able to present
our readers with a vivid picture of the impression made
by Mdlle. Lind's singing upon the Countess of Westmor-
land, who, it must be remembered, was no unenlightened or
inexperienced listener; for Lord Westmorland was himself
an ardent student of music, an excellent violinist, the com-
poser of no less than one English and six Italian Operas,
and the founder of the Royal Academy of Music in London.
* Afterwards the Empress Augusta.
198 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. II.
When released from his political duties he lived in an
atmosphere of Art; and Lady Westmorland's testimony is
the more valuable since she was in the constant habit of
hearing at home the best music of the time. The lady to
whose kindness we are indebted for our information writes
thus:—
“It was, I think, in 1844 that Meyerbeer brought Jenny
Lind to Berlin, to come out at the new Opera House there in
the part he had written for her in his Opera of Das Feldlager
£n Schlesien.
“He had told all his friends (amongst whom were my
parents *) about this wonderful voice, and predicted that she
would be the greatest singer-artist the century had produced.
There was great curiosity about her, and Meyerbeer talked
of her as ‘wn vrai diamant de génie.’
“Before she appeared on the stage he was asked to bring
her to sing at a small musical party at the Princess of
Prussia's (the late Dowager Empress Augusta) arranged
for the purpose. For some reasons, my father was prevented
from going; my mother went alone. She went in, full of
curiosity, and saw sitting by the piano a thin, pale, plain-
featured girl, looking awkward and nervous, and like a very
shy country school-girl. She could not believe her eyes,
and Said that she and her neighbours—among whom was
Countess Rossi (Henriette Sontag), whose fame as a singer
and a beauty was then still recent—began to speculate
whether Meyerbeer was playing a practical joke on them,
and when he came up to speak to them my mother asked
him if he was really serious in meaning to bring that
frightened child out in his Opera. His only answer was
* Attendez, Miladi.’
“When the time came for her song—I do not know what
it was—my mother used to say it was the most extraordinary
experience she ever remembered. The wonderful notes came
ringing out, but over and above that was the wonderful
TRANSFIGURATION.—no other word could apply—which came
Over her entire face and figure, lightening them up with the
whole fire and dignity of her genius. The effect on the
whole audience was simply marvellous, and to the last day
* His Excellency and Lady Westmorland.
1844.] AT THE COURT OF BERLIN. 199
of her life my mother used to recall it vividly and its effect
upon her.
“When she reached home, my father asked her—
“‘Well, what do you think of Meyerbeer's wonder 2'
“She answered—
“‘She is simply an angel.’
“‘Is she so very handsome 2'
“‘I saw a plain girl when I went in, but when she
began to sing her face simply and literally “shone like that
of an angel.” I never saw anything or heard anything the
least like it.’”
“This first effect did not wear off when she appeared on
the stage. My mother used to say that she thought her
dramatic power was quite as great as her musical genius,
and that if she had had no voice she might still have been
the greatest of living actresses. And there was this
peculiarity about her acting—that it was entirely part of
herself. It seemed not so much that she entered into the
part as that she became, for the moment, that which she
had to express. For this reason her acting was unequal.
She could not render anything in which there was a sugges-
tion repugnant to her own higher nature. But in a part
that suited her—such as the Somnambula—she expressed
every varying emotion of the character perfectly because
She really felt it. And, for the same reasons, she never
acted the same scene twice precisely alike, just as in real
life no one does the same thing twice precisely in the
Same way. In her gestures and tones there were little
unconscious variations, which the people who acted with
her and went through their own parts with mechanical
precision often found disconcerting.
“In these early days she was very careless of outward
appearances—her Art possessed her and left her no time to
think of herself. She disliked the artificial adjuncts of
Touge, &c., which are a necessity of the stage, and as a
natural result was often unbecomingly dressed. My mother
herself and her friend Madame Wichmann remonstrated
With her about this and made her attend more to these
details, and in the end she learned to dress for her parts
becomingly and gracefully, though never conventionally.
“On looking back I cannot help being struck with one
thing. My parents lived a great deal in musical and
theatrical Society of all kinds, and I recollect, from my
earliest childhood, hearing musicians and actors talked of
200 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. II.
and often praised. But even quite as a little girl, in Berlin,
long before I was old enough to know anything about it, or
even to be taken to the Opera, I can distinctly remember
having the impression that Jenny Lind was something quite
different from the ordinary people I heard discussed. And
there has always been a sort of reverence in the way they
spoke of her—as they would have spoken of a very beautiful
and very sacred picture or poem T STippose if was the
intense purity of her nature that made her very acting
religious. I cannot exactly express it, but I very distinctly
recollect, as a child, associating her name with a sort of
mysterious reverence. And even now the same childish
feeling seems to come back to me mixed with the remem-
brance of my mother's enthusiastic love for her.””
These interesting recollections prove conclusively that
even before her first appearance in public Mdlle. Tind had
completely won the hearts of a brilliant and influential circle
of private friends, many of whom remained in affectionate
intercourse with her to the last day of her life. Their kind
sympathy must have encouraged her to face the coming trial
with the resolution and fortitude it so imperatively demanded;
for, strong as was her determination when the crisis arrived,
the time of anticipation was always one of terror and
depression.
At this period also an event took place which exercised a
marked influence on the artistic phase of her professional
career, though less perhaps in connection with the Stage
than with the Concert-room.
She had been invited, on the 21st of October, to a Soirée
at the house of Professor Wichmann in the Hasenheger
Strasse. At the moment of starting Meyerbeer called to
pay her a visit; and having, no doubt, many important
matters to discuss with her, stayed so long that she arrived
at the evening party under the escort of Madame von
* From a private memorandum written by the Lady Rose Weigall, by
whose kind permission it is inserted here.
1844.] A T THE COURT OF BAER LIN. 201
Ridderstolpe some hours after the appointed time. How-
ever, late as it was, she did arrive there, and in a letter
dated October the 22nd she thus describes the great event of
the evening —
“Last night I was invited to a very pleasant and elegantly
furnished house, where I saw and spoke to Mendelssohn
Bartholdy,” and he was incredibly friendly and polite, and
spoke of my “great talent.’ I was a little surprised, and
asked him on what ground he spoke in this way. “Well !’
he said, ‘for this reason, that all who have heard you are of
One opinion only, and that is so rare a thing that it is quite
sufficient to prove to me what you are.’”
This first meeting between the two great artists was a
memorable one for both, and formed the foundation of a
friendship which terminated only with the death of the
beloved composer in 1847.
That Mdlle. Lind stood in sorest need of all the help and
consolation that friendship could afford during the period of
Suspense that preceded her introduction to the general
public is evident from private letters, in which she ex-
presses herself in terms of almost hopeless despondency
with regard to her capacity for fulfilling the expectations
that had been formed of her. Her anxiety had, in fact,
become almost intolerable—so deep that it prompted her to
write, in agonised insistence, to her friends in Sweden, even
before she had any decisive intelligence to communicate to
them either of good or evil.
That the true nature of the intelligence she was really
justified in sending has long since been anticipated by our
readers we cannot reasonably doubt; but though the coming
triumph seemed assured, we shall see presently that the path
to the Stage was not exactly strewn with roses.
* Mendelssohn was at that time residing at Frankfort, but he fre-
quently came to Berlin, either in his character of General Musik Director
to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV. or for the purpose of visiting his family.
( 202 ) [BK. IV. CH. III.
CIIAPTER III.
THE NIEW OPERA-HOUSE.
BEFORE narrating the events connected with Mademoiselle
Lind’s first appearance at the Court Theatre at Berlin it is
desirable that we should say a few words in explanation of
the more than ordinary interest attached to the reopening of
that splendid Opera-House, so famous in the history of Art
and so closely interwoven with that of the Hohenzollern
dynasty.
One of the first acts of King Frederick the Great, after his
accession to the throne of Prussia,” on the 30th of May,
1740, was the foundation of an Opera-House, designed on a
scale sufficiently splendid to eclipse the glories of every other
theatre in Europe.
The scheme was worthy of its author, who was one of the
most enthusiastic patrons of Art then living—a “Royal
Musician * in every sense of the word; and the promptitude
with which it was carried out gave early proof of the decision
which formed so prominent a feature in his character.
The preparation of the design was nominally committed to
the Freiherr von Knobelsdorf, the Court architect ; but, if
tradition may be trusted, its most important features were
suggested by the King himself.
The building was completed in the winter of the year 1742,
and on the 7th of December its inauguration was celebrated
with extraordinary pomp by a magnificent performance of
* Under the title of King Friedrich II.
1844.] THE NEW OPERA-HOUSE. 203
Graun's Cesare & Cleopatra, at which the King and all the
Court were present. The fitness of the theatre for the high
purpose for which it was designed was pronounced by those
best able to form a judgment upon the subject to be perfect;
and, fortunately for the history of Art, an eye-witness of no
small experience who visited Berlin in 1772—just thirty
years after its completion—and was present at a performance
at which the King himself assisted, has left us the following
eloquent description of its then appearance: a description
which we quote in preference to a more modern account,
because it furnishes an exact and graphic picture of the theatre
in which Mademoiselle Lind was to make her début, for
after the calamitous fire of 1843 the present Opera-House was
reconstructed so exactly upon the model of the old one that
one and the same description will serve for both.
“The theatre is insulated,” says Burney, “in a large square,
in which there are more magnificent buildings than I ever
Saw, at One glance, in any city of Europe. It was constructed
by His present Majesty soon after his coming to the Crown.
The principal front has two entrances: one on a level with
the ground, and the other by a grand double escalier. This
front is decorated with six Corinthian pillars, with their
entablature entire, Supporting a pediment ornamented with
Teliefs, and with this inscription upon it—
“FRIDERICUS REX APOLLINI ET MUSIS.
“This front is decorated with a considerable number of the
statues of poets and dramatic actors, which are placed in
niches. The two sides are constructed in the same manner,
except that there are no pillars.
“A considerable part of the front of this edifice forms a
hall, in which the Court has a repast on ridotta days. The
rest is for the theatre, which, besides a vast pit, has four rows
of boxes, thirteen in each, and these severally contain thirty
persons. It is one of the widest theatres I ever saw, though
it seems rather short in proportion.
“The performance of the Operas begins at six o'clock; the
King, with the Princes and his attendants, are placed in the
204 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. III.
pit, close to the orchestra; the Queen, the Princesses, and
other ladies of distinction sit in the front boxes. Her
Majesty is saluted at her entrance into the theatre and at her
departure thence by two bands of kettle-drums placed, one
on each side of the house, in the upper boxes.
“The King always stands beside the Maestro di Cappella,
in sight of the score, which he frequently looks at, and indeed
performs the part of Director-General here as much as that
of Generalissimo in the field.” "
The building thus described by Dr. Burney stood almost
intact, with but slight modifications suggested from time to
time to suit the conveniences of the age, for more than a
hundred years. But a fate hangs over theatres which it
seems impossible to evade. On the night between the
18th and 19th of August, 1843, it was burnt to the ground,
in the hundred and second year of its existence ; and, following
the example of his illustrious ancestor, King Frederick
William IV. commanded its immediate reconstruction almost
exactly upon the lines of the original design. The task of
rebuilding the ediſice was, on this occasion, entrusted to
Baurath C. Ferd. Langhans, jun., who departed from
Knobelsdorf’s design only in narrowing the elliptical form
of the interior, the irregularity of which had attracted Dr.
Burney's notice more than seventy years previously; in re-
arranging the boxes upon a more convenient plan ; and in
making some indispensable changes in the disposition of the
staircases. The modern building, therefore, with the in-
auguration of which we are now concerned, was almost an
exact reproduction of that described by our learned and genial
musical historian in 1773.
The new theatre was completed towards the close of the
year 1844, and opened in the presence of the Court on the
evening of the 7th of December. -
* “The Present State of Music in Germany, the Netherlands, and
United Provinces’; by Charles Burney, Mus. Doc. (London, 1773,
vol. ii. pp. 94, et seq.)
1844.] THE NEW OPERA-HOUSE. 205
It was naturally to be expected that on an occasion so
deeply interesting to the leading members of the House of
Hohenzollern care would be taken to present a piece in
harmony with the spirit of the festival. To this end
Meyerbeer had been commanded, as we have already seen, to
compose the music for an Opera the libretto of which was
founded upon an episode in the history of King Frederick
the Great, and had arranged the meeting with Mdlle. Lind,
in Dresden, for the purpose of accommodating the principal
part to the style of her performance. The piece was to be
called Das Feldlager in Schlesien,” and the libretto, carefully
prepared by L. Rellstab, brought into prominence an in-
cident in the history of that famous campaign in Silesia,
through which the world first learned to appreciate at its just
value the military genius of the redoubtable “Water Fritz.”
This piece was a good one, full of highly dramatic situations,
though entirely free from violence or exaggeration. Meyer-
beer's music was of his best. Fired by the splendour of this
opportunity, he had thrown his whole soul into the work,
and it was in response to his desire that the principal rôle
should be performed by the most finished artist who could be
persuaded to undertake it that Mademoiselle Lind had been
invited to Berlin.
But the intrigues of the stage are inscrutable, and cannot
be foreseen even by the most experienced directors. Meyer-
beer's cherished project was opposed by a local interest.
Eräulein Tuczec, who had for years sung at the theatre
as prima donna, claimed the right of appearing in the
principal part, on the reopening of the house, on the ground
* The full title of the Opera was, ‘Das Feldlager in Schlesien. Oper,
in drei Aufzigen, in Lebensbildern aus der Zeit Friedrich des Grossen,
von L. Rellstab. Musik von Meyerbeer. Tänze von Hoguet.’ ‘The
Camp of Silesia. Opera, in three acts, in Life-pictures from the time of
Frederick the Great, by L. Rellstab. Music by Meyerbeer. Dances by
Hoguet.’
206 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. III.
that she, being a permanent member of the company, enjoyed
privileges of which it would be unjust to deprive her in
favour of a stranger engaged for “guest performances” only; *
and for the perhaps still stronger reason that, when it had
appeared doubtful whether Mademoiselle Lind, after having
been recalled to Stockholm for the coronation of King Oscar,
would arrive in Berlin in time to undertake the part, she
herself had been requested to study it.
The case was not without its difficulties. On both sides
there was a show of justice with respect to the conflicting
claims. -
Meyerbeer was perfectly justified in urging that not only
had he written the part expressly for Mademoiselle Lind, but
that she had been invited to Berlin for the express purpose of
singing it,f while on the other hand he could not conceal
from himself the fact that, since the part had been given to
Fräulein Tuczec for study, when doubt arose as to the probable
date of Mademoiselle Lind’s arrival in Berlin, her chagrin
when she found that it had been withdrawn from her was far
from unnatural. The moral strength of her claim was patent
to every one. Whether or not she had talent enough to
justify her in forcing that claim on the present occasion was
another question, which the event only could decide.
|Meyerbeer, no doubt, foresaw the result of her determination;
but with that result Mademoiselle Lind was in no wise con-
cerned. We have written to little purpose if our readers
have not already obtained sufficient insight into her character
to feel convinced that she would be the last person in the
world either to infringe upon a lawful privilege or to take
advantage of an untoward accident.
* Gastrollen. In the German theatres, performers not belonging to the
regular company, and employed for a limited number of performances
only, are called ‘guests’ (Gäste), and engaged on special terms, without a
formal contract in writing,
f See page 188.
1844.] THE NEW OPERA-HOUSE. 207
When Meyerbeer endeavoured to persuade her to take his
view of the circumstances, she even went so far as to appeal
to the authority of the Haus Minister, Prince Wittgenstein,
in support of what she considered to be Fräulein Tuczec's
just claim ; and it was actually through the Prince's interven-
tion, imported into the case at her earnest request, that
Fräulein Tuczec was able to fight with any prospect of
success against the enormous weight of Meyerbeer's influence
at Court.
But even before the case was decided, and while Fräulein
Tuczec's claim was still in abeyance, a false account of the
circumstances had already found its way into the newspapers;
and to correct this Mademoiselle Lind wrote the following
letter to her friend, M. Lars Hierta, at Stockholm :—
“Berlin, Nov. 25, 1844.
“Herr Königl. Secretär,
“Kindly excuse me if, for a few moments, I beg to
encroach upon your valuable time.
“Having seen, in an article in the “Aftonblad, reproduced
from the ‘Frankfurter Ober-Postamt-Zeitung,” that my friends
in Stockholm are incorrectly informed about my position
in Berlin, I venture, Herr Königlicher Secretär, to call your
attention to the following lines.
“I came to Berlin under the impression that the principal
Tôle in the new opera “ had been assigned to no other than
myself; but I found that it was also given for study to
Mademoiselle Tuczec, under the apprehension that my deten-
tion in Sweden might otherwise have rendered it necessary
to delay the opening of the new Opera-House. On my arrival
in Berlin, however, Meyerbeer took it for granted that I, for
whom he had composed the part, should undertake to sing it
at the first representation. He therefore called upon
Mademoiselle Tuczec, and—perhaps with some temper—
informed her that I had now arrived, that the part was mine,
and that it was consequently my duty to sing it for the first
time.
“Mademoiselle Tuczec, who is very nervous, was altogether
* Das Feldlager ºn Schlesien.
208 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. III.
beside herself, and wrote a petition to the King begging
His Majesty to permit her to appear at the opening of the
new theatre.
“When this came to my knowledge I was greatly surprised,
for I had not heard a single word of it, and did not even
know that the rôle had been given to Mademoiselle Tuczec.
And as I am not fond of strife and understand nothing what-
over of intrigue, I ceded Iny place with pleasure—the more
willingly because I considered that Mademoiselle Tuczec was
right, since she had had the part for some time, and was,
moreover, a great favourite with the public here, while I am
quite unknown and a foreigner also.
“In addition to this there remains the question of the
foreign language. It surely would be very unfavourable for
me, under these circumstances, to make my first appearance
in connection with dialogue and melodrama
“It is I, then, who have really arranged the whole
matter, and Mademoiselle Tuczec seems quite satisfied
with me.
“I hope, Herr Königlicher Secretär, that you have been
able to understand my disjointed phrases, and that you will
be good enough to Say a few words in my behalf in your
paper in order that my friends in Stockholm may be aware
of the true state of the matter—and also of this, that, though
I am a poor sensitive lonely girl, in a foreign land and
surrounded by Cabals and intrigues, I am none the less
possessed of a heart that beats high at the thought of Sweden,
and am consequently not always in a cheerful mood; and this
I know, that the pleasure I have been happy enough to give
my countrymen—at times, perhaps, when my mind was most
oppressed—would be forgotten, beyond all doubt, if at any
moment I appeared here without success, even though my
talent remained undiminished. But rather than involve
myself in law-suits I would renounce everything; and as
long as I have my two hands to work with I would rather
earn my bread, under such circumstances, away from the
stage. -
“I trust, Herr Königlicher Secretär, that you will be good
enough to excuse this long epistle, which now draws to an
end; and should you find anything in it worth writing about,
I venture to rely on the kindness you have always shown me,
and hope you will place me on this occasion in the light I
really deserve.
“Begging you to convey my kind regards to your wife and
1844.] THE NEW OPERA-HOUSE. 209
the other members of your family, I take the liberty of
signing myself,
- “Your obedient servant,
* “JENNY LIND,” *
As the reader will, no doubt, have already foreseen,
her intervention on the side of simple justice produced
a marked reaction in Fräulein Tuczec's favour; and,
to Meyerbeer's intense disappointment, the part of
“Wielka,” in the new Opera, was officially confided to the
privileged prima donna.
The inauguration of the new Court Theatre was celebrated
with the utmost possible splendour on the 7th of December,
in presence of the Royal Family, the foreign ambassadors,
and a brilliant gathering of all the rank and fashion of Berlin.
The general success of the festival was, of course, assured
beforehand; but though Das Feldlager in Schlesien contained
some of the best and most attractive music that Meyerbeer
had as yet produced, it was evident that it failed to make the
desired impression upon the public—for the simple reason
that the principal rôle was unsuited to the style of the per-
former who had undertaken to interpret it. The part of
“Wielka, ’’ had not been written for Fräulein Tuczec. It
bristled with difficulties with which but very few of the best
singers of the day would have been able to contend; and to
add to the embarrassment of the situation, the music, ex-
pressly written for Mademoiselle Lind, had been so exactly
adapted to the quality of her voice and the style of her
execution that, deprived of the individuality which she was
prepared to communicate to it, it would necessarily have lost
its greatest charm if it had been entrusted to any other
singer than herself, however highly accomplished. As it was,
the new piece could scarcely have been regarded as having
* Letter from Mdlle. Lind to Herr Königl. Secretär, Lars Hjerta, dated,
Berlin, Nov. 25, 1844; and inserted by permission of his family.
WOL. I. P
210 - JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. III.
fallen very much short of a failure, and Meyerbeer's chagrin
at the cold reception of his long-cherished work was very bitter
indeed. It is true that Fräulein Tuczec appeared in it
altogether five times,” but after Mademoiselle Lind's début,
on the 15th of December, the two last performances were
treated by the public very uſuell aſler the manner of “off-
mights.” It was an unfortunate mistake, and the more to be
regretted because it placed a really clever singer and actress
—which Mademoiselle Tuczec undoubtedly was—in a cruelly
false position.
* On Dec. 7, 10, 13, 17, and 22, 1844.
( 211 )
CHAPTER IV.
THE DEBUT.
SINCE Mdlle. Lind had been prevented, by untoward circum-
stances, from taking an active part in the festival with
which the new Opera-House was inaugurated, there clearly
remained no reason why she should not make her first
appearance before a German audience in one of her own
favourite parts; and she herself felt it to be eminently
desirable that an Italian opera should be selected for the
Occasion.
Her choice fell upon Norma, in which she had already
achieved immense success, notwithstanding the well-known
fact—or perhaps by reason of it—that her interpretation of
the rôle differed in every one of its most striking charac-
teristics from that adopted by every prima donna of note
who had undertaken to impersonate the unhappy priestess
from whom Bellini’s master-piece takes its now familiar
name. And what prima donna of note had not undertaken
that most difficult impersonation ? It was a part in which
all the greatest Soprano singers of the age had striven to
shine; and though Mdlle. Lind chose it for her début
simply because it was one of her favourite parts, and with-
out a thought of constructive rivalry, she really, by that
bold and, as it turned out, most happy choice, unconsciously
staked her reputation against that of every prima donna,
who had charmed the public, from Madame Pasta, for whom
the part was written, in 1832, to Madame Grisi, who was
P 2
212 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. Iv.
nightly playing it in London and in Paris in the self-same
year 1844. •
The début was fixed for Sunday the 15th of December,
and its success exceeded the warmest expectations of all
concerned. The public was in raptures—the critics were
disarmed. The heroiſies of the past, and preselil were
forgotten. The new reading of the part commended itself to
all. Madame Pasta had rendered it with a noble energy.
a fiery power, worthy of high admiration, though, it must be
confessed, more remarkable for its vigour than its womanly
tenderness. Madame Grisi, inheriting the rôle directly from
her great predecessor, in company with whom she had, in
the original cast, played the secondary part of Adalgisa “
—Madame Grisi, with even less of tenderness and more
exaggerated energy, delineated a Pythoness—a passionate
savage, with whom none but a savage could have fallen in
love. But Pollio was not a savage. He was a true Roman,
voluptuous, inconstant, ready to sink weakly into the arms
of a new mistress without a thought of remorse, when his
passion for his first inamorata began to cool, but incapable
of yielding to the violence of a Maenad. He might reason-
ably have fallen in love with Madame Pasta's Norma, but
not with Madame Grisi's.
Upon these two primary interpretations of the part all
later ones were based, until, for the first time in its history,
Mdlle. Lind presented the impassioned Druidess before the
world in the character of a true woman. The critics of
Berlin, familiar with every tradition of the Stage, early
or recent, yielded at once to the logical consistency of this
beautiful though unfamiliar conception, and accepted the
new ideal as the highest impersonation of the character of
Norma that had as yet been presented to the public. One
* At the Teatro della Scala at Milan, during the carnival of 1832.
1844.] THE DEBUT. 213
of them,” writing in the leading journal of the day, gives us
the following account of the impression it made upon him
both from a musical and a dramatic point of view, After
Some preliminary remarks of no general interest, he begins his
Critique proper with a description of the artist herself:—
“Her voice,” he says, “not without fulness, but more
pleasing than powerful, moves within the two soprano
Octaves, from the once to the thrice-marked C, f with charm-
ing lightness and certainty; though the middle register is
sometimes shaded by a soft veil which serves to bring out
the upper notes in clearest and most silvery contrast. This
beautiful natural gift is supplemented by a groundwork of
most diligent study. Her pronunciation—though the German
language is not familiar to her—is pleasing, clear, and
distinct. She possesses that sustaining-power of tone which
in the best Italian school lends so peculiarly tender a colour
to Recitative. Her melodies she accentuates in truest
measure throughout. But the high cultivation of her style
most strikingly manifests itself in the clearness and pearly
evenness of her passages. We have heard such passages
sung with greater rapidity, but never with greater perfection.
“So much for the Singer.
“And the Actress—especially in the elasticity of her
motions—is of fully equal excellence.
“All her movements have a womanly charm, which gives
a beautiful expression to her voice, while, at the same time,
it shows no lack of character, or energy, or majesty.
“One might not unnaturally suppose, from these general
features in the portrait of our artist, that Norma, at least,
ruled by demons of darkness, would give her some trouble.
But it is exactly here that her conception reconciles us with
this fearful character. She bases it throughout upon the
element of love, that one day changes this proud priestess
into a humble slave; love, that thenceforth vanquishes the
Sombre flames of rage and vengeance with its soft and rosy
rays. I’asta presents a “Norma" before whom, our artist a
* Herr Ludwig Rellstab, critic and poet, the author of the libretto of
Das Feldlager in Schlesien.
f That is to say, from the notes known to English pianists as “middle
C,” to the C two Octaves above it. But Mdlle. Lind's voice really ex-
tended far beyond this in the upward direction.
214 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. IV.
“Norma” with whom, we tremble. The art of the one is
broader, more astonishing; that of the other more sweet and
enthralling. Upon these essential peculiarities the part
depends for its culminating point of interest.
“ Until now no singer has ever sung the cavatina, Keusche
Göttin,” as we think it ought to be sung. Our actress is the
first who has satisfactorily performed this apparently easy
fask. She clothes the melody in that palo romantic moon
light under the influence of which it was conceived, and she
knows so well how to sustain this colouring throughout the
difficulties of the mechanical passages—in themselves less
beautiful—that the highest triumph of her thrilling de-
livery is achieved in the clear execution of the chromatic
runs. The singer here obtained a mark of recognition which
has never before been witnessed within the experience of
any of us—the air was encored, and the artist called forward
in the middle of the act May such barbarous applause,
which destroys all the dramatic propriety of the work, never
become naturalised among us! The singer herself seemed to
feel it in its true light; for her demeanour was so modest, as
the affair proceeded, that on her part, at least, no interruption
was noticeable.f t
“We should be carried much too far were we to dilate
upon every beautiful detail of the performance. The singer
was charming from the first note to the last, and proved
thereby that which we have so often vainly striven to impress
upon many other performers, that the true beauty of Art, as
well as its most powerful effect, lies in the skilful economisa-
tion of the means at command. There was nothing of that
tormenting piangendo, that ceaseless wailing, that destroys
all beauty of tone; yet everywhere there was in most spiritual
expression, even in passages which are treated by others as
* “Casta diva " in the original Italian.
f It is not, we believe, generally known that the opening movement
of the well-known cavatina—Casta diva–was originally written for
Madame Pasta in the key of G. It stood thus in the MS. score formerly
used at Her Majesty's Theatre, and destroyed in the conflagration of
December 6th, 1867, but the only printed edition with which we are
acquainted in which it appears in the original key is the complete One
published some years ago by Messrs. Boosey & Co. in the Series
entitled ‘The Standard Lyrical Drama.” Mdlle. Lind sang it in the
Softer and far more appropriate and congenial key of F, in which it is
now almost universally performed and printed.
1844.] - THE DEBUT. 215
accessories introduced merely for the purpose of attesting to
the brilliancy of a finished execution. The singer firmly
associates each passage with the nature of the situation, and
thus employs, as a necessary living feature indispensable to
the perfection of the whole, that which would otherwise
appear as a dead or superfluous ornament. A proportionate
measurement of many of the tempi, of which expedient Pasta
also availed herself—for instance, in the duet, ‘Empfänge
diesen, Schwesterkuss’”—served materially to enhance the
beauty of the changeful expression, whether of feeling or
paSSIOn. -
“When, however, we, say that the artist attains in the
cavatina the purest and most inspiring effect that we have
ever heard produced by any representative of the part
of “Norma,” the reader would grievously misunderstand us
were he to suppose that she has reached the summit of her
ideal. Oh, no! She well knows how to rise from weak and
yielding moments to passionate ones, and increases in power
from Scene to scene. She is as much mother as lover; and
especially in the closing scene, when she remembers her
children and the fate that awaits them after the sacrifice of
their parents, both acts and sings with inimitable beauty
and power of expression.
“The summons of the singer before the curtain after the
first act and at the close of the performance is a theatrical
accessory which speaks for itself. Among the public there
was not one single dissentient voice: its verdict truly
represented the expression of its thanks for the gift re-
ceived.”f
Warm as is this eulogium, those who are fortunate
enough to remember her impersonation of the part of
“Norma” will confess that it is in no degree exaggerated.
“Norma” was certainly one of her most perfect creations,
comparable only to her interpretation of the rôles of “Alice’
in Robert le Diable and “Amina ’’ in La Somnambula. Even
in the master-pieces of Mozart, her vocal powers were Scarcely
* “Ah! Sifa core e abbracciami’ in the original Italian.
t Königliche privilegirte Berlinische (Vossische) Zeitung. (Berlin,
Dec. 15, 1845.) Wide also, “Gesammelte Schriften von Ludwig Rellstab.’
(Leipzig, 1861, vol xx. pp. 388-91.)
216 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. IV.
displayed to greater advantage, and as an actress she could
not have won higher and purer praise, even in a classical
tragedy.
Prom the moment of this first performance, the reputation
she had already attained, in Stockholm, was more than
confirmed, and her position in Berlin assured. She appeared
in Norma for the second time with equal success on Friday,
December 20th; and again, for the third time, on Wednes-
day the 25th. Then followed a few days of retirement from
the turmoil of actual publicity, concerning the employment
of which we are furnished with an interesting account from a
Sympathetic pen.
On the 23rd of December her young friend, Herr Josephson,
arrived in Berlin on an invitation to spend Christmas with
her. After calling upon her at Madame Reyer's he writes
in his diary:-
“I have seen Jenny again, now that she also has been
abroad– and winning laurels. When we parted, four months
ago, in Leipzig, we little thought that we should so Soon
meet again. Fate, however, shapes our paths in a way we
Cannot foresee; and here we were pleasantly associating
again as in Dresden last summer.
“Jenny seemed satisfied with her reception here—which,
indeed, is as splendid as it can possibly be ; and I found her
in a calm and fairly cheerful mood.
“On the following morning I called on the Swedish
Minister, and again heard what the Baroness Tidderstolpe—
Madame Reyer's sister—had already told me on the previous
evening; viz, that every one in Berlin has been in raptures
Cver since Jenny's appearance.*
Josephson spent Christmas Eve with her at Madame
Reyer's, and on his return home made the following entry:-
“I have spent a merry Swedish Christmas Eve with Jenny
and the Reyers. The Baroness Ridderstolpe was there, and
* N. P. Ödman, in op. cit., Vol. ii.
1844.] THE DEBUT. 217
some Swedish ladies who were here on a visit had been
assisting our hostess to arrange everything in true Swedish
fashion. Amidst joyful friendly faces, cheering and beauti-
ful gifts, and a profusion of lights, a harmonious tone
pervaded the whole, despite a few passing clouds over the
sky of the Swedes when thinking of the dear ones left
behind. If we were to be so far away from home we could
not wish for anything better or happier | * *
The homely little Swedish festival recalls a similar one
which took place in Paris in 1841, at the house of Mdlle. du
Puget.f
But how different the circumstances. Then Mdlle. Lind
was labouring to acquire the technical knowledge and power
of execution, with which she hoped one day to accomplish
something worthy of the high mission which in her heart
of hearts she felt certain had been committed to her. Now
she had accomplished it. The most severely critical people
in the world in matters of the highest Art, admitted that
they had never seen her like. It might well have been said,
without presumption, that her reputation was already made
and her fortune assured. There was hard work before her,
it is true ; and it was not her wont to neglect anything that
she believed to be her duty. Still, it was familiar work
and there could be no reasonable doubt as to its results.
* Ibid.
f See pages 122–123.
( 218 ) [BK. IV. CH. V.
CHAPTER W.
DAS FELDLAGER IN SCHLESIEN.
MDLLE. LIND's triumph was but a few days old when she
began to devote herself to the exercise of that boundless
charity in which, throughout the whole of her life, she took
infinitely greater interest than that which she bestowed upon
her own advancement in the world.
On Sunday, the 29th of December, Herr Josephson—who
had been reading one of Pastor Lindgren's sermons to her
early in the morning at Madame Reyer's—accompanied her,
later in the day, to the house of Madame Birch-Pfeiffer, a lady
under whose Superintendence she had resumed her study of
the German language so inopportunely interrupted in Dresden.
“She had just returned,” says Herr Josephson in his
Diary, “from the Intendant of the Theatre, Herr von Küstner,
who had offered her an engagement for six months, with an
honorarium of six thousand thalers and a benefit.” She had,
of course, not yet given her answer; but she felt grateful and
happy that such a sum should have been offered to her
without any suggestion whatever from herself.
“‘I feel bound,’” she said, “‘in one way or another, to prove
in a practical way my thankfulness to God, who has given
me so much prosperity. You remember—do you not ?—
Something that I once spoke to you about when we were at
Dresden 2 I myself have good reason to remember it, for
now you will be able to go to Italy whenever you like.’f
* Six thousand thalers equal about £900 in English money.
f A sojourn in Italy, for purposes of study, had been the dream of Herr
Josephson's life; and it is evident that he must have spoken to her about
it in Dresden during the previous Summer.
1844-45.] DAS FELD LA GEIR IN SOFILESIEN. 219,
“We had only a short distance to walk. There was no
time for long explanation. I only replied, therefore, that I
thought it was too soon to think of this, and that, moreover,
in accepting her proposal I should always consider myself her
debtor, as even I might hope for more success in the future.
“Every day reveals to me some new trait in her character;
and I know not which is greatest, my gratitude to, or my
admiration for, her. I stand daily on a more and more inti-
mate and brotherly footing with her, and am therefore able
to accept gladly and thankfully from her that which from
many others I could not take without a certain reservation
of feeling. I can only pray that, in her restless life, peace
may one day obtain the victory.” "
Of the result of this conversation we shall have to speak
more fully hereafter. For the moment we must follow
Mdlle. Tind in the fulfilment of her own career.
No record of the contract mentioned by Herr Josephson
has been found among the archives of the Berlin Opera
House, and that for the very good and sufficient reason that
it is customary for the royal intendancies to issue contracts
in writing only in connection with engagements offered to
members of the permanent staff, and not to draw them up in
favour of visitors engaged for Gastrollen only. It is there-
fore impossible now to ascertain whether the arrangement
was actually concluded or not ; though, as the duration of
Mdlle. Tind’s first visit to Berlin was limited to four months,
during which period she sang twenty times only for the
directors—her own “benefit” taking place, as a matter of
Course, as an extra night—it is evident that, if six continuous
months were intended, the engagement could not have been
Completed.
But however this may have been, the strength of her
position, founded singly and solely upon the brilliancy of her
* N. P. Ödman, in op. cit.
f Wide page 206.
220 . JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. V.
success, was incontestable; and we may well believe that she
might have obtained any terms she herself felt justified in
demanding. She was accepted as the greatest singer
and actress then living. Meyerbeer was in raptures with
her, and his desire that the principal rôle in his new
Opera should be assigned to her grew stronger and stronger
every day. Though he had, bongré, mal gré, suffered Fräulein
Tuczec to appear in it on the opening night, he had never
relinquished his long-cherished project. He had written the
part of “Wielka’’ expressly for Mdlle. Lind, and was quite
determined that the task of interpreting it in accordance
with his own idea should be confided to her. It was due to
his artistic position that Fräulein Tuczec should resign into
more masterly hands the duty she had so imprudently
undertaken to fulfil, and fulfilled so imperfectly that the
success of the Opera was more than endangered by the un-
fitness of the rôle for her. To this compromise Mdlle. Lind
was quite willing to assent, but some little time and a great
deal of very hard study were needed in order to secure a
perfect interpretation of the rôle. For, after the manner of
the time-honoured German Schauspiel, the new Opera con-
tained, in place of classical recitative, long passages of spoken
dialogue, and it was chiefly for the sake of attaining a more
perfect accent in the delivery of these that she had resumed
her studies in German under the direction of Madame
Birch-Pfeiffer.
She could scarcely have made a better or a more fortunate
choice, for the lady—of whom we shall have to speak again
more particularly hereafter—had herself been well known
as a clever and intelligent actress, and under her maiden
name—Charlotte Pfeiffer—had appeared on the stage with
success in Munich, Vienna, Berlin, and many other import-
ant German capitals. In middle life, she retired from the
stage, married Dr. Christian Birch, of Copenhagen, the
1845.] DAS FELD LA GER IN SOHL ESIEN. 221
son of a late Danish Minister of State, and, uniting his
name to her own, devoted herself thenceforward to dramatic
authorship, producing at different times nearly seventy plays,
some of which—such as the well-known dramas Die Marquise
von Villette and Die Frau Professorin—have kept their places
on the German stage to the present day.”
|Under the superintendence, then, of Madame Birch-
Pfeiffer, Mdlle. Lind made such rapid progress in the German
language that within less than a fortnight after her third
performance of Norma she was ready to appear in the new
part.
The gifted composer was delighted with her interpretation
of his music, which, as was his wont, he altered, re-wrote,
improved, and not unfrequently injured, with microscopic
attention to every minutest detail till the very last moment.
Herr Josephson was present at two of the last rehearsals, on
the 3rd and 4th of January, which he thus describes in his
Diary —
“January 3, 1845, Meyerbeer was altogether enchanted
with Jenny's singing, and embraced her at the end of the
rehearsal. January 4th. Rehearsed again, in the morning.
I drove back with Meyerbeer and Jenny. I begged the
maestro that I, too, might be allowed to express my thanks
for his beautiful Opera, and he answered me in a very
gracious manner. He is a most polite man; something of
the courtier; something of the man of genius; something of
the man of the world; and has, in addition, something fidgety
about his whole being. Before re-producing the Opera with
Jenny Lind he called upon her, to the best of my belief, at
least a hundred times, to consult about this, that, or the
other. He alters incessantly, curtails here, dovetails there,
and thus, by his eagerness and anxiety, prevents the spon-
taneous growth of the work, and imparts a fragmentary
character to its beauty.”f
* Madame Birch-Pfeiffer died on the 25th of August, 1868; and her
husband, Dr. Birch, four days later, on the 29th.
f Josephson, op. cit., vol. ii.
222 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. v.
In this fastidious desire to secure the most perfect finish
in every insignificant detail Meyerbeer was only following
out his own invariable custom—and, after all, his crowd of
after-thoughts was not greater than that which haunted
Beethoven until his works were actually in print. However,
he was satisfied at last ; in conformity with previous an-
nouncement, Das Feldlager in Schlesien was duly performed,
with Mdlle. Lind in the principal part, on the 5th of January,
1845; and its effect upon the audience was even more
striking than that produced by the great performance of
Norma exactly three weeks previously.
The constitutional diffidence of her character tempted her
to distrust her own powers up to the very moment of
performance. Herr Josephson, who saw her in the morning,
evidently thought she was no less “fidgety” than Meyerbeer
himself.
“Jenny was extremely successful,” he says, “in her début
as ‘Wielka.’ Her singing was beautiful, her acting full of
genius, life, and fire. The applause was spontaneous and
enthusiastic. Her nervousness, which had kept her practising
the whole afternoon and again before the beginning of the
Opera, was not noticed by any one ; neither did it prevent her
either from singing or acting her very best. The public was
enchanted, and Meyerbeer happy. On comparing it with
what I have seen and heard in Germany, I am amazed
at the difference. With her the moving principle is the
nobility of art—with others, less worthy motives are always
apparent. The public sees this, and is astonished and fas-
cinated. How she will be missed when she is gone.””
The verdict of the critics, far warmer than this, was re-
corded without reserve. The most influential journal of the
period gave an account of the performance no less generously
enthusiastic than that which had appeared after the first
representation of Norma.
* Josephson, op. cit., Vol. ii.
1845.] JDAS FELD LA GER IN SOHLESIEN. 223
“Through her second rôle—‘Wielka, in the Feldlager—
Mdlle. Lind has proved,” says the critic,” “that her talent
fulfils the highest conditions not only in One direction, but
in many.
“With unerring sensitiveness, with the clearest knowledge
of the heart, she has based the groundwork of the character
upon a conception of its inner life, by which it can, through
its forebodings, its childlike faith, and its pure intentions,
soar into the regions of marvel. Wielka’s faith gives her
the power to interpret character. Such insight she would be
logically bound to possess; but to display this power of
hers, as our artist does, in a living picture is a rare and a
wonderful gift.
“The deep earnestness with which she entered upon the
first part of her task, when she first delivered the Romanze in
musical form in tones full of ominous foreboding, might well
have given rise to the presumption that she would bring
the light and more pleasing part less prominently forward.
But she justly recognised true earnestness and true cheer-
fulness as perfectly compatible emotions, clothed them in
the natural loveliness and grace of womanhood, impersonated
the loving maiden no less truthfully than the inspired pro-
phetess, and thus in her ideal fulfilled the later conditions
as perfectly as she had fulfilled the earlier ones in those more
exalted moments in which she was brought into contact with
the weightiest concerns of inner life and external history.
“An ever-living commentary on her inward conception is
furnished by her dramatic and imitative expression, both of
which are richly employed in the scene in which, by the
exercise of her magic art, she terrifies, tames, charms, cajoles
the wild country-folk. Nothing can equal the grace with
which, in most modest, most gentle gyrations, she shakes the
tambourine in her dance, and puts in practice all the magic
of her loveliest allurements. The action was irresistible;
and one could not only foresee that the wild warriors would
obediently follow her, but could feel that they had no choice
but to do so.
“ From this scene forward the liveliest and most enthu-
siastic bursts of applause were accorded to her until she was
called before the curtain.
“Our task would never come to an end were we to notice
every striking detail, every truthful charm, with which
* Herr Rellstab.
224 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CII, v.
throughout the entire rôle she illustrated her delineations.
Her outward expression rendered every inward feeling with
the veracity of a mirrored picture. Fear, love, hope, joy, all
imprinted themselves with equal ease and truthfulness to
nature upon every gesture and every significant movement.
She set before us earnest, tragic, joyful, lively surprises, in
endless variety. We remember, for instance, the manner
in which she rendered the little phrase, ‘He is saved He is
hidden l’ in the finale to the first act; how, in the third act,
she dragged Conrad to the writing-table; and—more beau-
tiful than all—how she sang the little added recitative at
the close as she retired backwards from the royal cabinet.
“Some passages allotted to the artist in the dialogue had
been changed into recitative, and many others excised or
assigned to other performers, as she was too diffident to make
use of the foreign language unaided by the music. We
venture, however, to give her the positive assurance that this
precaution was unnecessary, for her fulfilment of even this
part of her task was more than pleasing. Indeed, the soft
foreign accent seems rather favourable than the reverse, and
may well be accepted as a happy characteristic of the rôle,
since the alien ‘Wielka’ might well have retained some trace
of her nationality in her speech.
“But are we to busy ourselves, then, only with the
acting 2 Have we nothing to say concerning the singer ?
“Yes, indeed! to repeat everything that we said after her
first appearance. The singer is here exactly what she was
then. The mild timbre of the voice, the clearness of the
finished passages, the colouring of the tones through their ever-
changing expression, are here, as everywhere, apparent. In a
host of piquant cadences introduced by the composer, no less
than in the duet with the two flutes in the third act,” the
art of the singer asserts itself in its most powerful form.
And thus a picture is presented that, through the romantic
conception of the whole no less than through the charm of
its multifarious details, imprints itself indelibly upon the
soul.” f
* This famous piece, in which the voice is accompanied by two flutes
(obbligati) was afterwards transferred, by Meyerbeer, to L'Etoile du Nord.
f Königliche privilegirte Berlinische (Vossische) Zeitung. (Berlin,
Jan. 7, 1845.) A second and equally enthusiastic critique of Das
Feldlager in Schlesien appeared in the same journal on January 13, and
a second critique of Norma on January 24.
1845.] I)AS FELD LA GER IN SOHLESIEN. 225
It was in all probability this highly favourable critique
which Mademoiselle Lind sent to her friend, Fru Lindblad, in a
letter dated January 8, 1845, from which we reproduce the
following extract:—
“Everything seems to go well in hand. It would be im-
possible to imagine a greater success than I have made here
in Berlin. Sontag herself had not so brilliant a triumph.
Last Sunday, the 5th, I appeared in Meyerbeer's new Opera,”
and I herewith enclose a critique.
“I do feel so happy about Meyerbeer's exceeding satis-
faction. And I feel easier in my mind, for having been able
to put his Opera into better relief; for through Mdlle.
Tuczec's unequal rendering of my part it very nearly came
to grief. I almost think I achieved a greater triumph than
in Norma.
“Last night Josephson and I were at Frau Bettina
Arnim's, f and I cannot conceive how the time passed so
quickly. We did not return till after twelve : The old
lady is divinely child-like sometimes. When she is in her
right element, and creeps up in her chair, with all those
Sweet girls dispersed around her on the floor, one can only
envy their light-heartedness and independence of the narrow
judgment of the world.
“Nowadays the world is influencing me very considerably,
and just now I cannot say that creeping is my principal
pleasure. It looks, however, as if I might become inde-
pendent some day; for I am now invited to go to London,
and it will be curious to see where all this will land me.
This evening I am invited to Tieck’s.”
Continued on the 9th of January, 1845 –
“Last evening was one rich in enjoyment. The talented
old man, with that frail body of his, was a touching sight. I
had the honour of taking turns with him ; for, when he had
recited a poem, I had to sing a song. And in this way the
evening flew by very quickly indeed.”f
* Das Feldlager in Schlesien.
f Goethe’s ‘Bettina.”
f From the Lindblad letters.
WOL. I. Q
226 JENNY LINI). [BK. IV. CH. V.
Though she speaks thus modestly of the possibility that
she may some day “become independent,” it was evident
that her future was now assured. The demonstration
that accompanied her first appearance in Das Feldlager in
Schlesien proved to be no evanescent burst of enthusiasm.
The Opera was repeated on the 10th, 14th, and 19.h of
January, with raised prices and undiminished success; and
succeeded by four performances of Norma on the 21st, 23rd,
28th, and 31st of the month, after which Meyerbeer's Opera
was resumed, for one night only, to be succeeded by Weber's
Euryanthe.
Every one of these performances was a veritable triumph,
and so strong was the popular feeling that, after the fourth
performance of Das Feldlager in Schlesien on the 21st of
January, she was publicly greeted with a serenade, which is
thus described in the journal from which we have already
quoted:—
“After the Opera, in which, as always, Mdlle. Lind
had achieved the most brilliant success, a number of
singers and young musicians greeted the artist at her
residence with a vocal serenade. Four poems, by Messieurs
Förster, Kopisch, Schnackenburg, and Rellstab, had been
set to music for the Occasion by Messieurs Rungenhagen,
Commer, Lührs, and Wichmann. The artist received
this expression of homage to her talent in the modest
manner which so greatly enhances the value of her artistic
gifts, and seemed deeply moved by this acknowledgment of
them. The poems were brought to her printed upon a white
Satin fillet, and presented, with a laurel crown, upon a satin
Cushion.” ”
The white Satin fillet was preserved by Madame Gold-
schmidt. The following is the list of the poems:–
* Königliche privilegirte Berlinische (Vossische) Zeitung. (Berlin,
Jan. 21, 1845.)
1845.] DAS FELD LA GER IN SOHLESIEN. 227
I. “Das Land der Tapfern wºnd der Treuen.” (Words by Förster.
Music by Rungenhagen.)
II. “Ach! wie lieblich ist das Leben.” (Words by Kopisch. Music
by Commer.)
III. ‘Woher erschallen jene Wundertöne.” (Words by Schnackenburg.
Music by Lührs.)
IV. ‘Die durch Töne uns begliickie.” (Words by Rellstab. Music
by Herrmann Wichmann.)
Q 2
( 228 ) [BK. IV. CH, VI.
CHAPTER WI.
THE BUNN CONTRACT.
WE called attention in our opening chapter to the fact
that, notwithstanding a very wide-spread belief to that effect,
Mdlle. Lind’s artistic reputation was neither confined to nor
even made in the country of her final adoption—England.
Nor was it the special property of Germany—though, for
the world in general, it certainly originated there.
Before she had appeared five times on the stage in Berlin
it had spread so far that an attempt was made to induce her
to visit London.
She alludes to this, as we have seen, in her letter to Fru
Lindblad, written two days after her first appearance in the
part of “Wielka.”
The matter was brought about in this wise.
Mr. Alfred Bunn, the then lessee of Drury Lane Theatre,
went to Berlin in the hope of securing Mdlle. Lind, for his
approaching season of English Opera. He was an experienced
manager, well acquainted with the public taste, and past-
master in all that concerned the business aspect of theatrical
affairs. No one knew better than he how to draw up an
agreement, to tempt an aspiring débutante, or to turn to
good account the talent of a popular favourite. He had done
something for Art, but not for Art of a high order. He had
revived Weber's Oberon, brought out a number of popular
Operas, and written a multitude of libretti, original and
translated, some of which had been severely satirised by
1845.] THE BUNN CONTRACT. 229
unfeeling critics. Moreover—and it is with this point that
we are now chiefly concerned—he had attained, by long
experience, the power of predicting, with absolute certainty,
whether or not an artist was likely to find lasting favour
with the public; and by prudent exercise of this precious
faculty he had succeeded, not only in engaging Madame
Malibran, but also in bringing into notice a goodly number
of fairly capable singers of the second order, many of whom,
having done well, both for themselves and for him, under his
management, remained faithful to him to the last.
Mr. Bunn’s visit to Berlin took place at a period ante-
cedent to that at which the difficulty of obtaining tickets for
the Opera became almost insuperable ; he was, therefore,
fortunate enough to hear Mdlle. Lind, and to be thus enabled
to judge for himself how far the rumours he had heard were
well founded. To a man of his long experience one hearing
was more than enough to decide the question. He saw at a
glance that, if he could only succeed in attaching her to his
company at Drury Lane Theatre, his fortune would be made.
He was a man of prompt action, and lost no time in
making an offer which, to a young singer, seemed not
illiberal. But how could she form a fair judgment upon it,
she who was utterly ignorant of everything connected with the
stage except in so far as its artistic aspect was concerned 2
She knew that it was to be the stepping-stone towards the
independence she had mentioned in her letter to Fru Lind-
blad, but in what way she knew not. She stood in urgent
need of an experienced and impartial adviser, but where was
She to look for one 2 She stood alone. A mere child, whose
interest was pitted against that of one of the most acute and
enterprising speculators in the then theatrical world. What
could she do 2 How was it possible for her to solve the
problem 2
Mr. Bunn pressed for an immediate answer. Naturally
230 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. VI.
enough, she hesitated. He was urgent. It was manifestly
to his interest to allow her the least possible time for reflec-
tion, and still less for taking advice ; for the intervention of
a thoroughly disinterested and business-like friend might ruin
everything—for him. Not a word could be said against his
position from a business point of view. He was perfectly
justified in endeavouring to secure the services of the most
splendid dramatic artist he had ever met with on the lowest
possible terms. But it was hard upon the artist, who was
probably less able to form a true estimate of her own value
in the theatrical market than any one in Berlin. She knew
what she was worth to Art; but the manager alone knew
what she was worth to him. And, as a man of business, he
was certainly not bound to enlighten her on a subject in
which her interests were diametrically opposed to his own.
The danger was that some one else might enlighten her at
any moment. And to prevent this he pressed his offer upon
her with the utmost possible urgency. It would be unfair
to blame him for it. Any other manager would quite
certainly have done the same. Yet our readers must surely
feel, with us, that it was very hard upon her.
On the 10th of January the matter came to a crisis.
On that evening—a most unlucky Friday in so far as Mr.
Bunn’s proposal was concerned—Mdlle. Lind was to play the
part of “Wielka” for the second time, and so great was the
excitement with which the announcement of the coming event
was received that Herr von Küstner, the Intendant of the
Opera House, finding it impossible to supply the demand for
places, determined to raise the prices of admission. At any
other time this proceeding would have given rise to serious
dissatisfaction, but on this occasion the public was prepared
to make any sacrifice rather than miss an opportunity of
hearing the new prima donna. And the excitement was no
ephemeral outburst of popular feeling. As the season ad-
1845.] THE BUNN CONTRACT. 231
vanced the demand for tickets increased to such an “extra-
ordinary and unaccustomed extent,” that the number of
applications frequently amounted to twice, and even thrice,
the number of places at the disposal of the Royal Intendantur,
who found it necessary to issue elaborate instructions as
to the form in which preliminary application for tickets
was to be made. Even with these safeguards the number
of final disappointments, when the season came to a close,
was enormous; and so great was the pressure that no
less than four clerks were kept constantly employed in
answering the letters of application in the order of their
arrival.”
In the midst of this excitement Mr. Bunn was fortunate
enough to obtain a seat in the box of the British Ambassador.
We have already had occasion, in a previous chapter, to
speak of Lord Westmorland's deep interest in everything
connected with the Art, of which, during the whole of his
long and useful life, he was so generous and munificent a
patron. He was no less enthusiastic in his admiration for
Mdlle. Lind’s talent than Lady Westmorland, whose opinion
on the subject we have already learned; and his personal
regard for her was sincere and lasting—so lasting that he
remained her friend until the end of his life. He had been
informed that an engagement for London had been proposed;
and, for the credit of his country's taste, he was anxious
that so great an artist should be heard and duly appre-
ciated there. It is more than probable that she had,
before this, asked his advice upon the subject; but what
could he say ? He was as ignorant of managerial business
and managerial terms as she was, and was an absolute
stranger to the manifold intrigues which seem to be insepar-
able from the destiny of a “Child of the Drama.” To him
* See the notice issued by the General-Intendantvºr der Kgl. Schau-
spiele, and published in the play-bills of the day.
232 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VI.
the proposal seemed an advantageous one, and there seems
no doubt that he said as much to her.
Our information concerning the events of this memorable
evening is very far from complete. In after life Madame
Goldschmidt could rarely be induced to speak of the
occasion, the disastrous results of which she could never
recall without pain. We have, however, been favoured with
a MS. sketch of her early life, written in 1855–57 by the late
Mrs. George Grote (née Lewin), the sister of her old and
valued friend (Madame von Koch,” of Stockholm), from which
we extract an interesting passage tending to throw some
welcome light upon the subject, notwithstanding the in-
accuracy of its dates and some other self-evident slips of
memory.f
“It was during her engagement in Berlin that Mr. Alfred
Bunn, the manager of Drury Lane Theatre, London, con-
ceived the hope of alluring Jenny to his theatre, for the
winter season of 1845–6.
“In this view he repaired to Berlin in the month (I think)
of March, 1845; and laying close siege to the fair cantatrice,
induced her to contract an engagement to sing, in English,
at his theatre in the winter of 1845–6.
“Jenny (she often assured me) was not willing to form the
engagement, and hung back for some time; and at the last
moment was, as it were, surprised into putting her signature
to the bargain.
“The occasion on which she was persuaded to sign was
this—
“Between the Acts of an Opera in which she was per-
forming, the Earl of Westmorland—the British Ambassador
at the Court of Berlin—invited her to his loge in the Salle,
* See page 105.
f The late Mrs. Grote—widow of George Grote, the historian of Greece
—left, among her unpublished MSS., an incomplete “Memoir of the Life
of Jenny Lind,’ carried down to the year 1848, and filling between fifty
and sixty closely written pages. This Memoir, which was written between
the years 1855 and 1857, has been committed, through the kindness of
Mrs. Grote's literary executrix, to Mr. Goldschmidt.
1845.] THE BUNN CONTRACT. 233
attached to which was a small private Salon, Jenny com-
plied, all ‘stage-attired” as she was, and on entering the
loge found Mr. Bunn along with His Excellency awaiting her.
The former urgently conjured Jenny to complete the contract
in question, pleading that pressing business compelled him
to leave within a few hours for London. He of course
endeavoured to inspire her with a belief that her appearance
at his theatre would pave the way to permanent advantages
in England, and it is but fair to add that the sum which he
offered her for her services was both liberal and unusual in
amount, and that, considering the conditions on which she
was then acting in Berlin, it bore the appearance of a hand-
Some and advantageous engagement.
“The Ambassador warmly seconded the entreaties of the
manager; and thus beset, and anxious not to lose what
appeared a respectable and lucrative offer—having nobody to
consult with, and wholly ignorant as she was of the state
of theatrical matters in England, Jenny allowed herself to
be persuaded, chiefly (she afterwards said) confiding in the
judgment of Lord Westmorland—she took the pen, signed
the treaty, and returned to her part, not however without
grave misgivings as to the prudence of the step she had
taken. Away sped Manager Bunn, contract in pocket; the
said “contract being destined to entail a concatenation of
difficulties, embarrassments, and wearisome contests for the
three years following upon this transaction.” "
In explanation of the grave anachronisms involved in this
account it would be unfair to the writer to omit her own
confession that “her memory respecting the exact dates of
their occurrence was not complete.”
And it must also be remembered that Mrs. Grote did
not write at Madame Goldschmidt's dictation, but simply
introduced into her narrative the record of events which to
the best of her recollection had been mentioned by her
friend in the course of casual conversation.f In presence of
these elements of doubt it seems not unnatural to believe
that His Excellency may well have expressed his opinion on
* From Mrs. Grote’s MS. “Memoir.’
f Wide supra, ‘she often assured me’ (page 232.)
234 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VI.
the matter without resorting to actual persuasion ;” and we
now know with absolute certainty that he was at first inclined
to regard the proposal in a favourable light, but afterwards
entirely changed his mind, and rejoiced greatly that it was
never put into execution.
Passing from the discussion of the incidental circum-
stances here related, we proceed to put our readers in pos-
session of a literal translation of the now famous “Bunn
contract,” the text of which was originally drawn up in
Erench to the following purport:—
“Mr. Bunn f director of Drury Lane Theatre London
makes the following offers to Mdlle. Jenny Lind and engages
to execute them entirely at his own risks and perils if Mdlle.
Lind accepts them :
“(1) Mr. Bunn engages Mdlle. Lind to sing twenty times
at Drury Lane Theatre either from 15th June to 31st July
1845 or from 30th September to 15th November 1845. It
depends upon Mdlle. Lind to decide which of these two
different epochs is most convenient to her, but she engages
herself to make known her choice to Mr. Bunn not later
than the end of the month of March.
“(2) Mr. Bunn engages to pay to Mdlle. Lind the sum of
fifty Louis d’or f for each of these twenty representations and
allow her also the half of a benefit (gross receipts).
“ (3) Mr. Bunn engages to pay to Mdlle. Lind the
stipulated price of fifty Louis always twenty-four hours after
each represention.
“(4) Mdlle. Lind will sing three times a week and not
oftener except during the last week. She will never sing on
two following days and Mr. Bunn engages to leave an
interval of at least one day between one representation and
the next.
“(5) Mdlle. Lind will make her début in the part of
“Wielka” in the opera Ein Feldlager in Schlesien by Meyer-
* A letter, written some months later, proves that whatever amount
of ‘persuasion' may have been used, it came from a very different
quarter. The moving spirit was undoubtedly Meyerbeer.
f Sic, without the Christian name Alfred.
j. Equal to about £40 in English mCney.
1845.] THE BUNN CONTRACT. 235
beer and she will afterwards sing also the rôle of “Amina ’’ in
La Somnambula by Bellini if Mr. Bunn requires it. It is
understood * that Mdlle. Lind will only sing in two rôles
during the whole course of her representations.
“(6) Mr. Bunn will find at his cost the costumes for the
two rôles of Mdlle. Lind.
“ (7) Mdlle. Lind accepts these conditions but as she has
not time to consider sufficiently the contract which Mr. Bunn
presents to her to-day and as Mr. Bunn must depart
to-morrow she reserves the right of introducing additions and
changes into this contract if that appears to her necessary
but she must make them known to Mr. Bunn by the
1st of March at the latest. Meanwhile it is well understood
that such additions and changes as Mdlle. Lind may introduce
must never apply to the first or second articles which must
remain fixed as they are now.
“It is agreed equally that if the changes and additions are
not agreeable to Mr. Bunn he shall have the right to reject,
them but if this be done the treaty shall be revoked and
regarded as null and of no effect.
“Executed in duplicate at Berlin the 10th January
1845.”f
It has been said that taking into consideration the
difference between the terms demanded by the popular
operatic “stars” of the present day and those received by
the great singers of forty or fifty years ago, those offered to
Mdlle. Lind were both liberal and unusual in amount, and
that the proposed engagement was “a handsome and an
advantageous one”—but it was nothing of the kind.
Some fourteen or fifteen years previously Mr. Bunn
himself had engaged Madame Malibran, for nineteen nights,
at £125 a night, payable in advance; in 1833 she had sung
forty nights at Drury Lane, for £3,200, with two benefits,
which produced an additional sum of £2,000—thus raising
the honorarium for each night to the sum of £130; and in
* “intendu' (sic).
f Translated from the somewhat questionable French of the original
document.
236 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VI.
1835 she had received, at Her Majesty's Theatre, £2,775
for twenty-four performances—that is to say, £115 12s. 6d.
a night.
Surely, after such a début as she had made at Berlin,
Mdlle. Lind’s services were worth more than half as much as
those of Madame Malibran.
However, be this as it may, it was in the terms above
mentioned that the contract between Mdlle. Jenny Lind
and Mr. Alfred Bunn was duly signed and ratified, in the
presence of the British Ambassador, and in His Excellency's
box at the Berlin Opera-House—and therefore, in the political
sense of the term, within British territory—on the 10th of
January, 1845. That is to say, ‘duly signed by Mdlle.
Lind; but, as we shall hereafter be able to show, the
“duplicate given to her was not signed by Mr. Bunn.
As we shall have occasion to recur to the history of this
remarkable document more than once during the course of
our narrative, the reader will do well to bear in mind, not
only the facts we have recorded, but together with these
the doubts we have expressed and the suggestions we have
ventured to place before him.
The subject is a very difficult one, and for the present
we must leave it, to follow the course of our history in other
directions.
( 237 )
CHAPTER VII.
HOMAGE TO WEBER (Euryanthe).
AFTER performing seven times in Norma, and five in Das
Feldlager in Schlesien, Mdlle. Tind was announced to appear,
on Tuesday the 7th of February, in Euryanthe.
She had been familiar with this remarkable Opera in
Stockholm, where she had appeared in it, for the first time,
on the 1st of December, 1838. But she had not revived
the part since her return from Paris, nor had she, as yet,
attempted it in German ; and the occasion for which she was
now preparing to do so was a more than ordinarily interesting
Oſle.
Carl Maria von Weber died, in London, at the house of his
friend, Sir George Smart, in Great Portland Street, on the night
between the 4th and 5th of June, 1826. He had been laid
to rest, on the 21st, far away from home and friends, in a
vault beneath the floor of S. Mary's Chapel, Moorfields. But,
in the autumn of 1844, the surviving members of his family,
aided by a few devoted friends and admirers—foremost among
whom were his pupil,Mr. (afterwards Sir Julius) Benedict,” and
the then almost unknown Richard Wagner—made a vigorous
effort to treat his memory with the homage which had been
denied to him by his ungrateful fellow-citizens during his
life-time, and, at their expense, his remains were exhumed,
transported to Dresden, and, on the night of the 14th of
December, deposited in a vault in the Cemetery of Friedrich-
* See his “Life of Weber,” in ‘The Great Musicians.”
238 JENNY - LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VII.
stadt in which his son Alexander had been buried only a
fortnight before. His widow and surviving children, sup-
ported by Madame Schroeder-Devrient and a crowd of
sympathising fellow-artists, covered his coffin with laurels
and flowers, and it was proposed to erect over it a monument
worthy of his fame. Great offortſ were made to collect,
sufficient funds for the execution of this project, and a grand
performance of Euryanthe had been promised at the Berlin
Opera House in aid of the pious purpose.
It was on this solemn occasion that Mdlle. Lind sang the
part of “Euryanthe ” for the first time in the language in
which it was originally produced.
A prologue, written for the occasion by Herr Rellstab,
was spoken by Fräulein Charlotte von Hagen, and no pains
were spared for the purpose of rendering the performance
worthy of its high intent. The whole musical world took a
vivid interest in the proceedings. Dresden had nobly ex-
piated the long course of neglect which had terminated so
sadly, and so fatally, eighteen years before. And now
Berlin had taken up the good cause, in the name and with
the full consent of the whole Fatherland.
The task assigned to her, in connection with this solemn
festival, was, beyond all doubt, the most difficult one that
had ever been, or was ever destined to be entrusted to her,
during the whole of her artistic career. And she inherited
the difficulty from Weber himself.
From first to last, Euryanthe had never been understood,
either by the critics, or by the public. The Scope and
purpose of its design had escaped them all. In Der
Freischiitz Weber had spoken, for the first time, heart to
heart with the great German people; and they had understood
him as he had understood them, on the evening of its first
performance, without one instant of doubt or hesitation.
With Euryanthe it was different. As a direct inspiration of
1845.] HOMAGE TO WEBER (EURYANTHE). 239
creative genius—not worked out, but flashed in upon the
composer's heart and brain—Der Freischütz stands alone in
the history of the Romantic Opera. Euryanthe is no less clearly
impressed with the stamp of inspiration than Der Freischütz:
only, in this case, the idea is carefully and elaborately worked
out with consummate skill and truest artistic instinct ; with
richest development of musical form and exhaustive employ-
ment of all available technical resources in one direction;
and in the other—involving the aesthetic aspect of the
subject—with intensest sympathy, with virgin purity, with
knightly loyalty, with pomp of chivalry, and, above all, with
the powerful element of the supernatural. It was in con-
nection with this last-named point that Weber was so fatally
misunderstood. He made it the leading characteristic of his
conception, both in his treatment of the music and in the
conduct of the story, which was worked out by the librettist
entirely under his direction; and it was utterly ruined by
the critics, who, mistaking Lysiart's infamous wager for the
true animºus of the plot, abused the libretto for its inanity
while overlooking the motive upon which its whole romantic
interest depended.
When the Opera was first produced at Vienna, in 1823, it
Soared so high above the heads of the audience, that the
brainless wits of the period nicknamed it L'Ennuyante, and the
stupid joke was accepted as a miracle of esprit. When Madame
Schroeder-Devrient afterwards undertook the interpretation
of the principal rôle, she sang the music superbly, but treated
the part as one needing the expression of pure passion only
—a characteristic in which not one of her German con-
temporaries could approach her—and missed the super-
natural element entirely. Mdlle. Lind seized upon it as the
leading motive of the whole impersonation. She penetrated
Weber's meaning, though the critics did not. They could
not withstand the power of her conception—it would have
240 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VII.
been impossible to have done so, but they utterly failed to
Comprehend its moving spirit.
The following quotation from a critique which appeared in
the Berlinische Zeitung on the 13th of February will explain
this clearly enough :—
“In the first act, the singer presents before us all that she
possesses of loveliness and grace. The duet with Eglantine”
—Madame Palm-Spatzer—and the finale f are pearls of
finished execution. But for us, the greatest achievement in
this act is the narrative of the apparition of Emma,
which, in dramatic and vocal expression, fulfils the highest
demands of an Art-ideal.
“In the second act, the artist impresses us with the most
perfect form of womanly innocence and purity. Her task
here fulfils itself by the force of its fidelity to nature. Yet
she would, perhaps, have succeeded in expressing contrasts
more richly varied still if she had seen some of her great
predecessors. For instance, we can scarcely doubt that,
if she had been acquainted with Wilhelmine Schroeder-
Devrient's rendering of the passage, ‘Den Blick erhobt Ihr micht
zu mir, f she would joyfully have availed herself of it for
use in her own representation without losing anything of her
individuality. That which she sets before us is beautiful,
womanly, but not creative—no fitting climax to the long
chain of beauties in her performance.
“The emotional problem, as propounded in the third act,
is solved by the artist from the depths of a pure soul. But
her features exhibit too much morbid bodily fatigue.
Perhaps an atom of rouge might remove this slight defect.S
The dizzy, almost maddened, rapture of the Aria in C
major ||—one of the composer's grandest creations—forms a
crown to the rich treasures of the performance."[
* “Unter ist mein Stern gegangen.’
f That is, the quartet, “ Fröhliche Klänge,” with which it concludes.
† In the finale to the second act.
$ We have already had occasion to notice Mdlle. Lind's dislike to such
stage-accessories. See page 199.
| “Zu ihm 1 zu ihm ' ' An air filled with enormous technical difficulties.
* Kgl. priv. Berl. Zeitung. (Feb. 13, 1845.)
1845.] HOMAGE TO WEBER (EURYANTHE). 241.
The reader cannot fail to notice that, warm as it is, this
critique is the first that has expressed a doubt as to the
truthfulness of Mdlle. Lind’s conception of her rôle. The
critic had formed a conception of his own, founded on that of
Madame Schroeder-Devrient, and the new one did not accord
with it. But unconsciously, as it would seem, he calls
attention to a point, in the new interpretation, which proves
both its correctness and the keen intelligence brought to
bear upon it in connection with the composer's own intention.
He tells us that, for him, “the greatest achievement in
the first act is the narrative of the apparition of Emma’—
that is to say, the precise point at which the Supernatural
element, to which he makes no direct allusion whatever, is
first introduced, and he confesses that Mdlle. Lind’s con-
ception of the passage “fulfils the highest demands of an
Art-ideal.” ”
The importance attached by Weber himself to this passage,
and to all else that concerns the episode of Udo and
Emma, with its ghostly sequel, is—or ought to be—made
unmistakably evident before the curtain rises on the first
act. For, though the design is very rarely carried out in
practice, the overture was intended by Weber to serve the
purpose of a prologue and to fix the attention of the audience
in a marked manner upon the narrative so highly praised by
our critic. ©
At the hundred-and-twenty-ninth bar of the overture—
where Weber introduces the wonderful Largo, with its
weird unearthly harmonies, its long-drawn wail, sustained
by the scarcely audible tones of the four violini con
Sordini, intensified, now and again, by the broken tremolo
of the viole shuddering beneath them — at this most
striking point Weber directed that the curtain should
rise upon a gloomy tableau, intended to prepare the
* See page 240.
WOL. I. R
242 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VII.
spectator for the secret which forms the mainspring of the
plot.
The stage represents a sepulchral vault, in the centre of
which lies Emma's coffin, surmounted by a medieval herse.
Upon the coffin is seen the ring which plays so fatal a part
in the story, behind it is a monumental ſigure ill Lhe style
of the twelfth century, at the foot of the sarcophagus kneels
Euryanthe in prayer, the traitress Eglantine crouches in
the shadow beyond, and in the vaulting of the groined roof
hovers Emma's restless spirit, condemned to haunt the Scene
of its unexpiated sin.
This highly suggestive tableau having been exposed to view
for a few moments only, the curtain slowly descends again,
and the overture proceeds with the contrapuntal treatment of
the bold subject which follows.
The audience is now fully prepared to understand the
secret of Eglantine's treachery; and when, in the first act,
Euryanthe narrates to her the story of the ghostly appa-
rition, the connection is kept up by the recurrence, in the
accompaniment to her recitative, of the weird harmonies
and wailing orchestration already heard in the largo of the
Overture.
Whether this tableau was exhibited or not at the Berlin
Opera-House we cannot say; but however that may have
been, it is certain that Mdlle. Lind penetrated the composer's
idea, seized upon this salient point in his conception,
and brought it out so clearly that even Herr Rellstab,
though so strongly prepossessed in favour of another reading of
the part, pointed to this very scene as “fulfilling the highest
demands of an Art-ideal.” And it is worthy of remark that,
original as her conceptions invariably were, pervaded as they
were, through and through, by the marked individuality which
enabled her to make each part her own, she never attained
her own ends at the sacrifice of the composer's meaning,
1845.] HOMAGE TO WEBER (EURYANTHE). 243
Her ideal, however new it might seem to superficial observers,
rested always upon an esoteric basis, in closest connection
with and logically inseparable from the very heart and life
of the dramatic poem she was illustrating. It is precisely
upon this same basis that every really great composer—and
we speak of no others—builds up his own ideal; and thus it
was that, by following the same path as the composer,
Mdlle. Lind always succeeded in attaining the same end by
the same means.
Jºuryanthe was announced for repetition on the next
Opera night (February the 9th), but in consequence of the
illness of Madame Palm-Spatzer, Norma was substituted for
it; it was however repeated, with the same cast, on the
11th, and with Mdlle. Marx in the part of “Eglantine,”
on the 14th, after which Mdlle, Lind was announced to
appear, on Tuesday the 18th, in La Somnambula. In this
ever-welcome Opera she created so profound a sensation that,
when a repetition of the performance was announced for the
2nd of March, the price of the boxes rose to fifty, and even
eighty thalers, and no places could be obtained for less than
three thalers,” even in the pit—a price which was said, in
in the German theatrical world, to be absolutely unpre-
cedented.
It is—or, at least, was at the time of which we are writing
—the fashion, among German reviewers, to speak very con-
temptuously indeed of the music of La Sonnambula ; but
Mdlle. Lind, by her delightful interpretation of the rôle of
“Amina’—which was always a special favourite with her,
—seems to have disarmed the critics and obtained a free
pardon for the sins of poor unfortunate Bellini. The leading
journal thus speaks of one of her later appearances in the
part :-
* That is to say £7 10s., £12, and 9s. in English money.
R 2
244 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VII.
“She raises the art of singing to a glorious level. Every-
thing that the most cultivated instrumentalist can accomplish
the scatters amongst us, in richest profusion, in lavish pro-
digality. The singer's arpeggios move through closely com-
bined chords which even the player would find it needful to
treat with the greatest possible care, and which, in addition
to this, Croato for tho voice difficulticſ, which only become
graceful and beautiful by the ease with which they are
overcome. The first act is the field in which these blossoms
more especially flourish. For the actress it furnishes an
opportunity for displaying the most maidenly gentleness,
the most charming naïveté, and the merriest laughter of
love. Earnestness is reserved for the second act, in which
dramatic and vocal expression melt inseparably into each
other. In the first half, until she falls asleep, the singer
avails herself only of the indescribable beauty of the
softer tones she has so easily at command : all is sweetness
and stillest enchantment. In the latter half, when the
weight of undeserved sorrow falls upon her, she adds the
strongest colouring of dramatic and changeful expression to the
wailing tones that, in her Song, sink so deeply into the soul.
Here she comes out more strongly than before ; yet we
almost venture to think that the bonds within which she had
previously confined her expression led her into the realms of
a purer beauty. But in the effect she produced upon the
public she evidently won a more brilliant victory, for
the storm of applause burst Out in a veritable explosion.
In the third act, in which the Sun of blessed joy alternates
with the darkest clouds of grief, tragic elevation with elegiac
abandon and rapturous joy, the effect rises to its culminating
point. Here we see the artist in full command of the whole
range of many-sided feeling, and the rich picture, which is
thus illuminated by the dramatic completion given to the
poem, leaves nothing more to be unfolded.” "
We have thought it desirable to insert these long quota-
tions from Herr Rellstab's transcendental critiques, since they
exactly represent the feeling produced by Mdlle. Lind’s per-
* Kgl. priv. Berlinische Zeitung. (October 19, 1847.) See also
‘ Gesammelte Schriften von Ludwig Rellstab.” (Leipzig, 1861, vol. xx.
pp. 408, et seq.)
1845.] HOMAGE TO WEBER (EURYANTHE). 245
formances at the time they were written. In reading them
We must remember that, however extravagant or “high-
flown” their language might appear in an English critique
at the present day, it was not thought “high-flown '' in
German critiques in 1844. Moreover, Herr Rellstab was a
poet as well as a critic, and wrote his reviews from a
modern German poet's point of view. It was only natural
that he should adopt a glowing—may, even an ecstatic tone.
And yet, however glowing his phrases, they were but the
echo of those that passed from mouth to mouth, in the theatre,
in the Salon, in the street, in every corner of Berlin in which
the discussion of artistic topics was possible. He only gave
utterance to the opinions that were openly expressed, oil
every side, by every One capable of forming an opinion upon
the subject.
But the long chain of successes suffered a temporary
interruption.
After appearing twice, in the part of “Amina,” on the
days already mentioned, Mdlle. Lind was announced, on the
23rd February, to sing for the fourth time in that of “Eury-
anthe,” but was seized with sudden indisposition at the close
of the first act, and compelled to omit a considerable portion
of her rôle as the Opera proceeded. The audience, however,
showed the greatest sympathy throughout the evening with
the beloved artist.” "
The indisposition continued for more than a week, to the
unspeakable disappointment of the public. During this
trying time the patient was overwhelmed with visits of con-
dolence, but prudence forbade the admission of more than a
few intimate friends, and these only at favourable moments.
Meyerbeer seems to have been unfortunate in his choice of
days or hours, and expressed his disappointment, on the
28th of February, in the following letter:-
* Kgl. priv. Berlinische Zeitung. (Feb. 25, 1845.)
246 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VII.
“Berlin, Feb. 28, 1845.
‘MY DEAR MADEMOISELLE,
“Though I have called on you several times since
your indisposition, I have not been so fortunate as some of
your other friends in seeing you.
“It Only remains, therefore, for me to express in writing
my congratulations and good wishes on the anniversary of
your fête, which Madame Reyer tells me occurs to-day, and
to beg you at the same time kindly to accept these few
flowers, modest and pure as yourself.
“But what remains for your friends to wish, to-day, for
you whom Heaven has so richly endowed It has given you
that great and sympathetic voice which charms and moves
all hearts; the fire of genius, which pervades your singing,
and your acting; and, in fine, those indelible graces which
modesty and candour and innocence give only to their
favoured ones, and which bring every enemy into sub-
jection.
“One can, therefore, ask nothing more for you from
Heaven, than relief from those doubts in the power of your
talent which turn even your days of triumph into days of
anxiety; the removal of that indecision and irresolution
which throw you into such continual agitation; and, finally,
the disappearance of that diffident temperament, which, ren-
dering you distrustful of the source of the sympathies you
inspire, may perhaps, in the end, deprive you of that most
beautiful consolation of human life, friendship.
“But whether Heaven grants you or not this little supple-
ment to your other precious qualities, you will always be, for
me, my dear Mademoiselle, one of the most touching and
noble characters that I have ever met with during my long
artistic wanderings, and one to whom I have vowed for my
whole life the most profound and sincere admiration and
eSteem.
“Your
“Ever devoted,
“MEYERBEER,” “
It will be seen from the closing paragraphs of this most
kind and sympathetic letter that Meyerbeer, like so many
* Translated from the original autograph, which is written in French.
1845.] HOMAGE TO WIEBER (EURYANTHE). 247
others at this period, was sincerely grieved, and even
pained, by the diffidence for which Mdlle. Tind’s character
was so remarkable. We shall have more to say on this
subject hereafter, but at the moment at which the above
letter was written more than one cause of uneasiness was
at work of which neither Meyerbeer nor any one else in
Berlin entertained the slightest suspicion—more than one
element of anxiety quite serious enough to have originated
the illness which the world, and probably the doctors them-
selves, mistook for the natural result of over-study and fatigue.
IFor instance, the reader will readily understand that, since
the unhappy moment in which the “Bunn contract ’’ was
signed in the box of the British Ambassador, Mdlle. Lind had
never failed to reflect upon it, in secret, even at a time when
her mind was so fully occupied with her work upon the stage.
She had, in fact, written to Mr. Bunn, informing him that,
for reasons which to her appeared quite unanswerable, she
found it impossible to fulfil the terms of her engagement
with him ; and by a coincidence which it is difficult to
believe accidental her letter is dated on the 22nd of February—
the day previous to that on which she was so suddenly taken
ill in the middle of the fourth performance of Euryanthe.
The letter, originally written by Mdlle. Lind in French,”
ran thus:—
“Berlin, Feb. 22, 1845.
“MONSTEUR,
“I have delayed until to-day to give you the re-
quired information concerning the time of my visit to
London (the decision of which was left to me until the 1st of
March), because I wished very much to fulfil my promised
COntract.
* The original draft of the letter was drawn up for Mdlle. Lind, in
German, by her friend, Madamo Birch-Pfeiffer. She herself only tran-
scribed it, in French, from the copy thus supplied to her, and now in the
collection of Frau von Hillern (the daughter of Madame Birch-Pfeiffer),
by whose kind permission it is inserted here.
248 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VII.
“ Unfortunately, weeks of continued study and fruitless
effort have proved to me that it is impossible for me to learn
the English language in the short time allowed to me, for
which reason, if I were to come to London in October, I
should not be ready to appear in English Opera.
“I am therefore compelled to tell you that I cannot
come to London, and that I look upon the engagement as
nTill and Void, because I cannot fulfil the principal condition.
Moreover, the great exertion I have suffered here has so
Shaken my health that the doctors have recommended me, if
I wish to preserve my voice, to take complete and continued
rest during the whole of the summer.
“On this account my guardian at Stockholm *—without
whose consent, and signature, none of my engagements are
legal—has quite forbidden me to undertake the fatiguing
enterprise in London.
“Do not believe the report that I count upon going to the
Italian Opera in London. On my word of honour, which I
pledge to you, I will no more sing, this year, at the London
Italian Opera House than at the English one. And I
assure you I regret very much that I am obliged to disappoint
those hopes the fulfilment of which exceeds my physical
strength and capability.
“With the greatest respect,
“Yours obediently,
“JENNY LIND.” f
To this certainly not very “business-like ’’ letter Mr. Bunn
replied in language which rendered anything like a release
from the conditions of the contract almost hopeless. Nor was
the style of his communication any more encouraging than
its substance—and it was in all probability for this reason
that she left it for some considerable time unanswered.
Mr. Bunn, however, insisted upon his right to a reply, and
Some weeks afterwards demanded it in no uncertain terms.
* Judge Munthe.
f The letter is dated, Berlin, Feb. 22, 1845; and was published, in The
Times, in the form of an English translation, on the 23rd of February,
1848.
1845.] HOMAGE TO WEBER (EURYANTHE). 249
We subjoin his letter, without attempting to soften the
“business-like "tone of the language in which it is couched.
“Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, March 20, 1845.
“MADEMOISELLE,
“You have not replied to my last letter, and I there-
fore address you again.
“I am well aware of your great progress in the English
language, and am also aware that you are deterred from
fulfilling your contract with me by the falsest misrepresenta-
tions; and I know the parties who have made them; and I
know likewise the overtures which have been made to you
to sing at our Italian Opera.
“If you have any doubts as to the payment of your
money, I will lodge it in a banker's hands before you leave
Berlin,” and if there be any other obstacle I will also
remove it.
“The public here would be ready to hear you sing in
German as well as in English, and there is no question of
your having immense success. All I want is, for you to
keep faith with me and for me to keep faith with the public.
I therefore again call upon you to fulfil your contract with
me, or to make me such ample remuneration as will justify
me in releasing you from it.
“I have the honour to be,
“Your obedient servant,
“ A. BUNN.”
It will be observed, that, while Mdlle. Lind cautions Mr.
Bunn not to believe the “report ’’ that she intended to sing at
“the Italian Opera in London,” Mr. Bunn tells her that he
knows she is “ deterred from fulfilling ” her contract “by the
falsest misrepresentations,” and then goes on to say that he
knows of “the overtures which have been made ’’ to her, “to
sing at Our Italian Opera.”
After having made the most minute and diligent researches
in every direction in which it seemed possible that light
* She had left Berlin, for Hanover, some days before this was written.
250 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VII.
might be thrown upon the question, we do not hesitate
to say that no such “overtures” were made to her until
long after the period of which we are now treating. That
false “reports” were current there can be no possible doubt;
but the “falsest misrepresentation ” of all was that which
accused Mdlle. Tind of accepting another cngagement in
London while she left unfulfilled that contracted with Mr.
Bunn. How or where these reports originated no one has
ever been able to discover. But there is ample evidence to
prove that they were extensively propagated, at a very early
period, both in England and in Germany; that they reached
her ears as well as those of Mr. Bunn ; and that they
tended to exacerbate, with fatal effect, the tone of the
resulting controversy.
The coincidence of dates leaves no reasonable doubt that
the worry of this miserable controversy was a primary
cause, though not the only one, of the alarming attack which
prevented her from finishing the part of “Euryanthe ” On
the 23rd of February—that cruel worry which, to sensitive
natures, is a far more potent source of illness than any
amount of predisposition or even of actual infection.
|For a whole week the indisposition continued, to the equal
disappointment of the subscribers and the public.
On the 28th of February a performance of Donizetti's
La Figlia del Reggimento,” with Fräulein Tuczec in the
principal part, was substituted for the serious opera. Mdlle.
Lind was, however, able to reappear in La Somnambula, on
the 2nd of March, with undiminished powers. On the 4th
she sang, for the last time, in Das Feldlager in Schlesien, re-
peated the part of “Amina ’’ on the 7th and 9th–the last two
nights of her engagement—and on the 11th made her last
appearance for the Season in Norma, on the occasion of her
* It was not until some months after this that Mdle. Lind herself
appeared for the first time in this popular opera at Stockholm.
1845.] HOMAGE TO WEBER (EURYANTHE). 251
own benefit. She speaks of her reason for choosing that
Opera, in preference to another which had been suggested, in
a letter to Madame Birch-Pfeiffer :—
4 & ..] : * R
“DEAR MOTHER, Berlin, March 7, 1845.
“I hesitate no more. All is settled, and I adhere to
Norma for my benefit, and sing on Sunday in La Sonnam-
bula. Why 2 do you ask 2 Because I have no time for
reflection, and I cannot and will not appear before the public
in a state of uncertainty. So I have begged to be let off Der
Freischütz, and to sing the part of “Agathe ” on my return ;
and all has been conceded. Only, dearest, kindest, best Frau
Mutter, do not be angry with me; but—I am really delighted
not to be obliged to sing, act, and talk in Der Freischütz,
On Sunday. Greetings, a thousand times (what lovely
German ), * to the Aunt, and my best-beloved little sister,
and two tickets for Nanni, from
“Your heartily devoted,
“JENNy.”f
The announcement of this was followed by so frantic a
demand for places that, long before the performance took
place, it was found necessary to issue an official notice to
the effect that no more tickets could be given out ; and it
was agreed, on all hands, that on the evening itself she
Surpassed herself in the part she had already made so
famous.
“We followed ‘Norma, in her love, grief, wrath, despair,
magnanimity, and self-sacrifice,” says the Berlin journal,
“with the irresistible sympathy she had wrung from us at
her first performance; nay, with more At certain moments
the artist seemed to us to have reached a higher level than
* The original is—Tausend Mal Grüssel
f Translated from the original autograph, in the possession of Madame
Birch-Pfeiffer's daughter, Frau von Hillern, who has kindly given us
permission to quote largely from her valuable collection of letters. In
future cases, these quotations will be acknowledged as, “From Frau von
Hillern's collection.”
252 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VII.
before; as, for example, in her resolution to make known her
fault, in the remembrance of her children, in the abandon-
ment of her humility when she threw herself at her father's
feet. Her art possesses the property of rising, with so clear
a success, into a higher sphere, that, in her interpretation,
she always brings with her something that touches us
supremely, as in those burning passions of the woman's Solil,
which, while thus disclosed, are purified, like asbestos, in
their own flame.
“After all the effect and triumph that necessarily followed
the artist throughout the series of her dramatic interpre-
tations, she reached, at the close, the highest point that had
been yet attained. The stage was covered with flowers and
wreaths thrown from the boxes in the proscenium ; even the
ladies, carried away by the enthusiasm of the moment,
heightened the meed of applause with eyes, hearts, and hands.
The wreath that they gave her was not of laurel, but of roses;
a sister's gift for the artist, who, among the difficulties
of her calling, appears as so fit a guardian of the Palladium
of Womanhood and Purity. As for her thanks, the threefold
Summons before the curtain could win no word from the
firmly closed lips; but the eye overflowed and blotted out
the faults of the mouth,
“The artist appears to-night for the last time. She
leaves us—but we shall see her again, and we hope in
the full possession of her gifts; yes, in fresher, richer un-
folding of their spring-blossoms And may the mild sun
of this spring be the omen of a long, long continuance . * *
And with this touching Auf Wiedersehen the Berlin public
took leave of the actress. But the singer was yet again to be
heard in the Concert-room. -
* Kgl. priv. Berl. Zeitung. (March 11, 1845.) See also, Rellstab's
Gesammelte Schriften, vol. xx. pp. 394–396.
( 253 )
CHAPTER VIII.
IN THE CONCERT-ROOM.
WE have recorded, in a former chapter, the impression
produced upon the Countess of Westmorland by Mdlle.
Lind's singing at a reception which took place in the apart-
ments of the Princess of Prussia not long after her arrival in
Germany.
This, however, was not the only concert in which the
young singer took part during her first visit to Berlin.
On Thursday, the 13th of February, 1845, she made her
first public appearance in the Concert-room at a Soirée given
by the brothers Ganz ; and, if we may accept the verdict
pronounced by the critics of the day as a fair and unbiassed
one, her triumph on this Occasion was not a whit less
brilliant than that which she had achieved two months
previously at the Opera-House.
“Our reporter,” says the leading journal, “entered the
room at the exact moment at which the first note of the air
from Wiobe * was sung by Mdlle. Lind. It was also the first
note that the artist had uttered in the character of a concert-
singer; and, whether it was that the hall resounded with
peculiarly happy effect to the tone of her voice, or that this
very effective air was especially effective for her, it seemed
to us that the splendour of the concert-singer exceeded even
the brilliancy of the dramatic artist—though, of course,
in a subordinate sphere. The tones were of such pearly
clearness, the words were so closely united with the tones;
piano, forte, crescendo shaded the expression so tenderly, and
* “Il Soave e ben contento,” from Pacini's Niobe.
254 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VIII.
yet so certainly, that we never remember having been so
delighted with a concert-singer. We noticed especially the
charm of the little passages of fioritura executed with
absolute certainty in the highest register, the smooth descend-
ing chromatic scales, and some shakes, with which the singer
adorned the tasteful and fascinating brilliancy of the air.””
The same high praise was awarded to the accomplished
vocalist on the Occasion of her next appearance, at Herr
Nehrlich’s concert on the 10th of March.
“Mdlle. Lind,” says the reviewer, “ sang the air of
Donna Anna, in F major, f with womanly depth of expression
and with strict adherence to the text. On the stage we
might perhaps have wished for a little more power in certain
passages, but for the concert-room she exactly reached the
happy medium. The individuality of the artist was still
more captivatingly displayed in her delivery of three
German songs. Each of these little compositions deserves a
word of praise. The first, by Josephson, was perhaps the
most worthy of remark, though the low tesSatura of the vocal
part rendered it the least welcome. To the second— Vergiss-
Trveinnicht –by Herrmann Wichmann, we ourselves should
feel inclined to give the preference, for its simple natural
expression, which the singer brought out with full earnest-
ness. The third, by F. Weiss, was the most successful of
the three. Certain it is that, so interpreted, these three
songs touched the inmost chords of artistic sympathy.”f
Of the Court-concerts in which she took part about this
time the journals gave, of course, no published account.
Apart from the private reception given by the Princess of
Prussia, and already described, she sang, on the 18th of
December, 1844, in company with Herr Bötticher and
other artists, at a Court performance, in memory of which the
King and Queen presented her with a valuable bracelet.
And again, soon after the beginning of the new year, she
* Kgl. priv. Berlinische (Vossische) Zeitung. (Feb. 15, 1845.)
f “ Non mi dir,’ from Mozart's Il Don Giovanni.
I Kgl. priv. Berl. Zeit. (March 12, 1845.)
1845.] IN THE CONCERTL ROOM. 255
assisted at two more Court concerts—the last of the
season. The impression made upon the Royal Family by
these performances and the personal interest taken in her
by Queen Elizabeth, were well known in Berlin, and it is
pleasant to know that the feeling was a lasting one and
not the result of a mere evanescent burst of artistic
enthusiasm.
The actual farewell for the season took place on the
13th of March, at a concert given, in the hall of the Sing-
Akademie, in aid of the “Asylum for Blind Soldiers.” The
room was so crowded that not only was the space usually
devoted to the orchestra filled by the audience, but it was
only with great difficulty that room could be found for the
artists and the accompanying pianoforte. It is pleasant to
find Fräulein Tuczec highly praised on this occasion.
“The most piquant charm,” says the journal we have so
frequently quoted, “was produced by the duet from Sargino,”
sung by Mdlles. Lind and Tuczec, and followed by a storm
of applause, called forth by their zealous efforts to do their
best. Every artist, indeed, contributed his part with the best
possible good will, and thus deserved the liveliest thanks of the
public. Before all, however, these thanks were won by the
beloved and modest Singer who took leave of us in this
concert. She sang the grand air, ‘J’obert, toi gue j'aime,’ f
from Robert le Diable, with expression as intense as her
execution was brilliant, rising to the high D flat in the upper
register; and completed the cycle of her artistic achieve-
ments in our capital city by the performance of some of
those simple Swedish Songs, which Overcame us with so
irresistible a charm. The first—‘Am Aarensee rauscht der
wiel grine Wald’ f—she sang in German ; the two others—one
a very tender one, dying away in the softest scarcely audible
* An Opera buffa, by Paer.
f This famous air belongs to the part of “Isabelle”; not to that of
“Alice,” which Mdlle. Lind always impersonated on the stage.
# A strikingly original song by Adolph Lindblad, composed to German
words by Graf von Schlippenbach, and printed, in the general collection
of his songs, without a Swedish translation.
256 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VIII.
tones *—in the original Swedish; so that her last notes
seemed already vanishing in the distance.
“Amidst the loud outbreak of applause which followed
place was found for a silent sign of acknowledgment. While
Mdlle. Lind was singing, a lady had deposited a wreath and
a garland of flowers upon the pianoforte. The artist now
took them up, with a look of eloquent thanks, and, retreating
backwards, greeted the audience repeatedly, while the shouts
of applause continued until she had vanished beyond the
last steps of the platform.
“Many heartfelt blessings accompany her into her retreat,
where she needs must take with her the rich satisfaction that
she has done so much and been so thoroughly appreciated.” f
And many heartfelt blessings most certainly did accompany
her, not only from the grateful public, but from dear ones
with whom she had found true and, as later events proved,
lasting bonds of friendship.
King Frederick William IV., Queen Elizabeth, and the
various members of the Royal Family, behaved to her as
true friends, not only then but in after years also.
By Lord and Lady Westmorland she was never forgotten,
and among the members of their family her memory is
still held precious.
She has told us, in her own words, of her pleasant inter-
course with the aged poet Tieck, and the innocent little
family party at Frau Bettina von Arnim's.f Madame Reyer
and her sister, Baroness von Ridderstolpe, were kind and
home-like friends; and through their acquaintance with the
family of Herr von Waldenburg, a gentleman of position in
Berlin, she was first introduced to the well-known sculptor,
Professor Ludwig Wichmann, who, with his wife and family,
received her, a little later on, into bonds of closest intimacy.
Professor and Madame Wichmann had been delighted with
* Probably, Berg’s “ Fjerran skog.”
f Kgl. priv. Berl. Zeit. (March 15, 1845.)
† See page 225.
1845.] IN THE CONCERTL ROOM. 257
her first performance in Norma, and had begged Madame von
Waldenburg to bring her to their house, in the Hasenheger
Strasse, which was then a favourite resort for artists and
persons of culture; and this first interview led to the forma-
tion of so intimate a friendship between herself and Madame
Wichmann that their affection for each other never afterwards
cooled for a moment. The reader will not have forgotten
that it was at Professor Wichmann’s house that she first met
Mendelssohn on the 21st of October, 1844; and here also,
in March, 1845, she met for the first time Herr Heinrich
Brockhaus, the then head of the great publishing firm of
that name in Leipzig, a man of high cultivation and great
influence, of whom we shall have occasion to speak again.
Most of these kind friends were intimate with each other,
and many pleasant little réunions took place within the
charmed circle. It was at a party at Madame von Arnim's
that, on the 7th of January, Herr Josephson first had the
pleasure of hearing two of his songs sung by Mdlle. Lind in
the presence of Meyerbeer; “and,” says he, in his journal,
“they won the approval both of the maestro and of the
other listeners—but then, Jenny Sang them in excellent
style.” "
But notwithstanding the sympathy she met with on every
side, the great artist seems—if we may trust Herr Josephson's
opinion—to have been rather dazed than rejoiced, rather
bewildered than delighted, with her almost miraculous
success. He speaks with evident anxiety of her unrest,
and the sudden transitions of her moods.
“She is oscillating,” he says, “between heaven and earth,
not knowing, as yet, on what terms she is with either. In
the meantime my friendship for her is growing stronger
every day. Daily do I call down blessings on her artist-
Soul, so great, so loving, so deep, so enthusiastic. May God
Send her all the peace and consolation of which she stands
* ‘Aus dem Leben eines Schwedischen Componisten, vol. ii.
WOL. I. S
258 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. VIII.
in need; and grant that, in days of storm, she may not forget
the treasures of grace offered her.””
The “unrest" which caused Herr Josephson so much
anxiety may perhaps be partly accounted for by the home-
sickness to which, as we have known from the very beginning
of her wanderings, she was so constantly subject.
She herself justifies us in arriving at this conclusion in a
letter written to her guardian, Judge Munthe, just before the
first performance of Euryanthe –
“Everybody is so kind to me,” she says, “that it is only
through my unbounded love for home that, in the midst of
all these splendours, my whole soul goes out, all the same, in
longing for Sweden. There is an inexplicable home-sympathy
in the depths of my soul, and I look upon its possession as
an unspeakable happiness; for to feel so warmly as this for
one's country is a divinely elevating sentiment.
“The next Opera will be Euryanthe, which is now being
diligently rehearsed. La Sonnambula will probably follow,
and after that Iphigemia in Aulis. But I must make haste,
if I am to get through my twenty appearances. Hitherto I
have only reached the sixth. During the last weeks I shall
have to hurry on and sing a little oftener.”f
Surely this is a sigh of longing—not of bewilderment.
And surely this, added to the ceaseless worry of the Bunn-
contract, may have done a good deal in producing that
“unrest' that gave Herr Josephson so much concern, and
may, possibly, furnish a key to the mysteries of changing
humour which seemed to puzzle him so cruelly.
Tet us bear this last sad sigh for home carefully in mind,
while we take leave, for a time, of the turmoil of Berlin, and
accompany her on a tour which certainly brought her nearer
to her beloved Sweden.
* ‘Aus dem Leben eines Schwedischen Componisten, vol. ii.
f From a letter written by her to her guardian, Judge Munthe, dated
“Berlin, Jan. 13, 1845.”
( 259 )
CHAPTER IX."
AT HOME ONCE MORE.
ON Thursday, the 13th of March, 1845, as we have already
heard, Mdlle. Lind’s last notes died softly away in Berlin at
a concert given for the benefit of the “Hospital for Blind
Soldiers.”
On Wednesday, March the 19th, she made her first appear-
ance at the Court Theatre at Hanover in her favourite
character of “Norma.” The Opera was repeated on Tuesday,
the 25th, and immediately afterwards she left for Hamburg.
We do not propose, during the rapid transitions from city
to city upon which we are now entering, to dilate in detail
upon performances which have already been sufficiently
criticised at Berlin. It will suffice therefore for the present
if we say that the now famous songstress was received by the
public with enthusiastic plaudits, and at Court with a
kindly consideration which, during the reign of the succeed-
ing King and Queen, ripened into undisguised attachment
on both sides. Years ago, in the days of the Electress Sophia
and her descendants, the Georges, Hanover had ranked with
Dresden and Berlin and Hamburg as one of the principal
centres of Art in the north of Germany. Under the direct
influence of the Abbate Steffani, and the shadow of the giant
Handel, the Lyric Drama had prospered exceedingly in the
fine old Theatre. The Electors had thoroughly appreciated
the work of these great Masters, had patronised them
liberally, and treated them with marked consideration and
S 2
260 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. IX.
respect; and the last scions of the old Electoral Dynasty
proved faithful to the traditions of their House to the end.
The visits to Hanover were always pleasant ones; but on
this occasion a disquieting communication from the manager
of Drury Lane cast its ominous shadow over the otherwise
happy scene, as we learn from the following sentence con-
tained in a letter to Madame Birch-Pfeiffer, dated Hanover,
March 24, 1845 –
“I have received a letter from Mr. Bunn, who speaks of
dishonour and ingratitude, etc., etc. Dreadful! (Schreck-
lich 1)**
But that shadow fell everywhere. Let us try to forget it
as long as we can.
On leaving Hanover, Mdlle. Lind proceeded at once to
Hamburg, where, on the 29th of March, she made her first
appearance at the Stadt Theater, in the Opera in which she
had already won so many well-earned laurels for Bellini as
well as for herself. -
And new laurels were won that night.
The following account of the first visit to Hamburg is
rom the pen of a careful and conscientious German Art-
historian. -
“The ‘guest-performances' began on the 29th of March,
1845, with Norma, and created a positive furore.
“It would be impossible to give any idea of the state of
ecstasy into which the whole of Hamburg was thrown. More
than twelve times during her visit she sang, at raised prices,
to houses so crowded that the aid of the police had to be
called in to regulate the crush. The celebrated Swede did
not produce this effect merely by aid of splendid natural
gifts supplemented by diligent study, but also through an
ever-winning personality, shown in little details, which
atoned for the somewhat narrow changes of a not very exten-
* From Frau von Hillern's collection.
1845.] A T HOME ONCE MORE. 261
sive répertoire,” while the artist enchanted every one with her
pure and virgin loveliness.
“Jenny Lind was the first in Hamburg whose whole figure
was so completely bestrown with flowers that she stood upon
an improvised carpet of blossoms. The critics were moved
to exhaust the whole circle of laudatory expressions: ‘Her
Scales are pearls;” “In her mezza voce was a charm like the
tone of an AEolian harp;' ‘While the ear is delighted, the eye
sees poetry alone before it.’
“The serenade which was sung to the artist in front of
her hotel—the old Stadt London—after her last performance
Was quite a popular festival. With this ovation was com-
bined a torch-light procession, a display of fireworks on the
Alster, and other demonstrations, which lasted until long
past midnight.” f
During this visit to Hamburg she sang in Norma five
times, including her own benefit, on Tuesday, the 6th of
May ; five times in La Somnambula ; twice in Lucia di
Lammermoor (for the first time in Germany); and once (also
for the first time out of Stockholm) in Der Freischütz.
She also assisted on the 14th of April at a concert
in Altona, f at which she sang the aria from Pacini's Niobe
—‘Il Soave e ben contento’—in which she had created so pro-
found a sensation in Berlin, and her own favourite Swedish
melodies. On the 21st of April she sang the same pieces at
a concert given by Herr Kapellmeister Krebs—the father of
the celebrated pianiste, Fräulein Marie Krebs—in the theatre
* Although she sang in such an endless variety of characters at
Stockholm—Fidelio being almost the only great operatic rôle that she
never attempted—the persistent desire of the public to hear her in certain
special parts, after her first great triumph in Berlin, and the labour
also of learning new parts in a foreign language, prevented her from
appearing in others in which she was equally great.
f “Ein Beitrag zur Deutschen Culturgeschichte ;’ von Dr. Hermann
Uhde. (Stuttgart Cotta, 1879.) The reader will observe that, in this
case, the transcendental language does not proceed from the pen of Herr
Rellstab. If he was under the spell in 1846, surely Uhde was not in 1879.
f The town of Altona forms a suburb of Hamburg, which it almost
joins, though it was formerly within the Danish territory.
262 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. IX.
at Hamburg. And on the 25th of April she sang at the
Court Theatre of Schwerin, in Norma, followed by La Son-
mambula on the 28th, after which she immediately resumed
her duties in Hamburg, as above described, concluding with
the “benefit ’’ on the 6th of May.”
And now, after the anxieties and fatigues of this most
trying season—trying and fatiguing in direct proportion to
its success—came the moment of its rich reward.
On the doors of the Royal Theatre at Stockholm was
affixed a play-bill announcing that Mdlle. Lind would re-
appear in her native town on the 16th of May, in Norma.
&
It needs but little effort of the imagination to picture the
joy with which the lonely exile—for lonely she had been,
even amidst the glories of her most splendid triumphs; lonely
while critics, finding conventional terms too weak to express
their admiration, were exhausting the hendecasyllabic licence
of German idiom in the fabrication of new ones; lonely,
while she stood upon the carpet of flowers in Hamburg;
lonely, beyond all loneliness, even in company of the devoted
friends whose affection she returned with ten-fold warmth—
it needs, we say, but little effort to imagine the joy with
which this lonely exile prepared to stand Once more upon the
boards of the theatre in which she had sung and acted as a
child, to sing and act, in presence of a Swedish audience, in
that same part of “Norma” which she had already im-
personated upon those very boards no less than thirty times,
* The dates were, March 29, 31, and April 2*, Norma; April 5*, 7*, 10*,
La Somnambula ; April 12*, 15*, Lucia; April 18, La Sonnambula ;
April 30, Der Freischütz; May 2*, 4, La Sonnambula; May 6, (Mdlle.
Lind’s benefit), Norma. Twelve performances, in all, besides the benefit.
The asterisks denote raised prices, which were not charged on the benefit
night.
1845.] A T HOME ONCE MORE. 263
and in which she had in the meantime excited the wonder
and admiration of the most critically exacting nation in
Europe.
Such joy as that is not to be described in words, and we
must perforce leave it to the reader's imagination to paint the
pleasant picture—bearing in mind, however, that it was
distinctly a double one. The Swedes were as glad to welcome
home their great national artist as she was to return to them
—as proud of her as she was of her country. And not
without good cause ! She had left Stockholm the idol of
Sweden, she returned to it the idol of northern Europe.
The Swedish critics had accepted her as the greatest singer
known to them ; the German critics had endorsed and
confirmed—may, glorified the verdict passed by their
northern brethren. It was no small thing for the credit of
Scandinavian Art that its representatives should find their
Opinion so triumphantly vindicated. And here we must beg
the reader to remember the position we assumed in the very
first chapter of our history, and have ever since maintained,
that the reputation with which we have to deal was not a
Swedish, nor a German, nor an English, but an European
one. This great fact, which might have been anticipated from
very early times, was made more and more clearly apparent,
as each successive capital expressed its opinion; and, by the
time of which we are now treating, there could be no reason-
able doubt as to its ultimate acceptation. The Swedes did
not doubt it, at any rate ; and all Stockholm went forth to
greet the national heroine, with Songs of joy and gladness.
“Jenny Lind's return to Sweden caused general delight
and jubilation,” says Fröken Marie von Stedingk, “ and the
first reception was a very cordial one. The steam-boat, with
the celebrated artist on board—our ‘Northern Nightingale’—
did not arrive until midnight ; but notwithstanding this the
port and neighbouring streets were so packed that I could
264 JENNY LINI). [BK. IV. CH. IX.
only with difficulty find a tiny corner for myself and maid
On a ship close by.
“A rocket gave the signal for the liveliest shouts of delight,
and a boat went out to meet the steam-ship with the most
beautiful music on board.
“When the crowd began to disperse I was able to get
home safely, but without having caught go much as a
glimpse of Jenny Lind, who probably went straight to her
home as quickly as possible. Her stay at Berlin, and her
progress through Germany, had been a long succession of
triumphs, and her modesty and great eminence combined
had won friends for her everywhere.”
It was the old, old story. Wildest excitement on the one
side, feverish yearning for retirement on the other. It was
the quiet of home that the wanderer longed for—not the
shouts of the admiring multitude.
During the course of this short visit to Stockholm,
she sang eighteen times: twice in Norma, twice in Der
Freischütz, three times in La Sonnambula, twice in Lucia di
Lammermoor, eight times in Donizetti's La Figlia del Reg-
(ſimento, and once in Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia.f
The terms under which these eighteen performances were
Secured by the direction were laid down in a special contract,
drawn up with the consent of and duly signed by Judge
Munthe, her guardian.
Among the Operas mentioned the reader will observe the
names of several which we have not hitherto critically
noticed. - t
Rossini's Il Turco in Italia (first produced at Milan, in
1814, as a companion piece to L'Italiana in Algeri), is a
delightful Opera buffa, full of genial melody and true Rossinian
freshness. The part of “Fiorilla’’ abounds with passages of
* From the Diary of Fröken Marie von Stedingk.
f The dates were : May 16, 19, Norma, ; 23, 26, Der Freischütz; 28, 30,
La Sonnambula ; June 2, 4, Lucia ; 6, La Somnambula ; 9, 11, 13, 14,
16, 18, La Figlia del Reg. ; 20, Il Turco ; 21, 25, La Fºglia.
1845.] A T HOME ONCE MOR E. 265
most delicate fioritura, furnishing constant opportunities for
the introduction of those inimitable cadenze in the charm
and variety of which Mdlle. Lind stood unrivalled. And
thus it was that the part, though not in all respects a
pleasant one, became a favourite with her audience at Stock-
holm, where she had first introduced it in the previous years,
and now sang it, on the 20th of June, for the ninth and last
time.
Of Der Freischütz we shall prefer to speak in connection
with its performance in Berlin, where it was in the following
year received with unbounded admiration. Our notice of
Lucia di Lammermoor and the world-famous La Figlia del
Reggimento we shall reserve until we meet with them in
London.
One circumstance, however, connected with the last-named
Opera, in which she appeared for the first time on the 9th
of June, we must not omit to notice here, since its interest
is entirely centred in Stockholm.
The reader will not have forgotten the “historic fanfare ‘’
mentioned in our account of the little Jenny's childhood;
how delighted she had been when she heard the soldiers
playing it in the street, or how cleverly she had afterwards
imitated it on the little old family pianoforte. Military
music had always delighted her, and the sight of a regiment
of soldiers gave her scarcely less pleasure in after life than
it had done in her infancy. La Figlia del Reggimento had
therefore a special charm for her quite apart from its claim
for consideration as a work of Art, and she threw so much
spirit into her interpretation of the part of the little vivan-
dière that the Swedish soldiers were wild with enthusiasm
about it. In a letter to Madame Birch-Pfeiffer, dated ‘Stock-
holm, June 26, 1845, she describes her eighth and last
performance of the part, on the previous evening, as a
veritable military triumph :-
266 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. IX.
“I am free,” she says, “and I mean to rest myself right
well.
“Yesterday, the performance of Die Tochter des Regiments
was given entirely for officers and soldiers. The King had
invited them all, and I was never so much amused in my
life. All was cheerful and good-humoured. The soldiers
laughed awfully, and applauded me so furiously that I really
felt quite sorry for their hands. All was enthusiasm, and
it all looked splendid. The whole house was filled with
uniforms. It was beautiful indeed
“This evening I am going to sup with my beloved
widowed Queen—to my unspeakable pleasure, for she is so
very gracious to me.” "
Yes, ‘beautiful indeed’ſ The mischievous little vivamdöere
was evidently as much delighted with the gallant warriors
who applauded her so furiously as they were with her.
What a treat the performance must have been and how the
King must have enjoyed it !
Besides these operatic performances, she assisted, on the
7th of June, at a concert given by F. Prüme, on which
occasion she sang an air from Il Turco in Italia and a duet
(with Herr Günther) from Das Feldlager in Schlesien.
It was a happy time, and the return to home-life and
home-scenery inexpressibly refreshing. The first part of the
visit was indeed too much occupied with professional engage-
ments to deserve the character of a holiday ; but after the
performances at the Opera were over she spent a few
weeks in pleasant retirement at the country-home of her
friends, Herr and Madame von Koch, of whom mention
has already been made in previous chapters.f The eventful
episode was however broken in upon, for the second time
within the space of little more than twelve months, by a
Royal Summons—this time requiring her presence at the
Court of Prussia.
* From Frau von Hillern's collection.
f See pages 105, 232.
1845.] A T LIOME ONCE MORE. 267
Ring Frederick William IV. was preparing to entertain
Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort, first at Brühl, and
afterwards at Schloss Stolzenfels, the restored Castle on the
banks of the Rhine ; and it was his wish that Mdlle. Lind
should add to the interest of the festivities by singing to
his Royal guests.
When the time of departure drew near she received
Some touching marks of affection and esteem.
“The Queen Dowager,” “ says Fröken Marie von Stedingk,
“was exceedingly friendly to her, and gave a little soirée to
which the Royal Family alone were invited, and at which
Jenny Sang some operatic airs splendidly to a pianoforte
accompaniment. I prefer, however, to hear her on the stage.
“Before going to the Queen Dowager she came to tea
with me, in company with the two maids of honour, Lotten
Mörner and Lotten Skjöldebrand ; and we spent together an
hour that seemed too short to all of us.
“After this I went to see her several times; my last visit
being paid for the purpose of taking her a bracelet sent by
the Queen Dowager.
“Jenny Lind resided at that time, in some very comfort-
able apartments, in Norra Smedjegatan.
“Donizetti's La Figlia del Reggimento had been brought
out that season, and universally admired. To me it was a
real happiness to see and hear her. Both her acting and her
singing were exquisite, especially in the scene at the piano
and the farewell to the regiment. Still, in La Somnambula, I
admired her even more. Never had she appeared to me in
such perfection—nature, gracefulness, expression—every-
thing ! It was thus a matter of deep regret to me when, she
left, first, for the country to take some rest, and, afterwards,
to continue her triumphal progress abroad.”f
* The late Queen Dowager Desideria, was the widow of King Karl
XIV. Johann (Bernadotte).
f From the Diary of Fröken Marie von Stedingk.
268 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. X.
CHAPTER X.
IN PRESENCE OF THE QUEEN.
THE month of August, 1845, witnessed festivities of unusual
interest on the banks of the Rhine.
Between five and six o'clock on Saturday evening, August
the 9th, the Queen and Prince Consort started down the river
from Woolwich in the royal yacht Victoria and Albert, com-
manded by Lord A. Fitzclarence; and, escorted by the Black
Bagle and the Porcupine, arrived at Antwerp on Sunday
evening, en route for Brühl, in response to an invitation from
King Frederick William IV. and the Queen of Prussia.
The occasion was especially interesting, as this was the
first time that the Queen of England had visited the Continent
since her accession to the throne, and the highest legal
authorities were somewhat cruelly exercised as to the con-
stitutional etiquette of the proceeding. In this case, however,
fact overpowered theory, and on Monday evening the Royal
party was received at Brühl, about six miles from Cologne on
the road to Bonn, by the King and Queen of Prussia, and
entertained at half past eight with a grand military concert
in the brilliantly illuminated courtyard of the Palace,
where seven hundred performers officiated, beginning the
programme with ‘God save the Queen’ and ending with
‘ Rule Britannia,' supplemented by the famous Prussian
‘ tattoo"—a kind of quick march, for drums and fifes, com-
posed about the year 1720, during the reign of King Frederick
the Great.
1845.] IN PRESENCE OF THE QUEEN, 269
But it was not in the Military Concert that the chief
interest of the musical performance offered to the Queen was
centred. Her Majesty's visit was designedly coincident with
the inauguration of the bronze statue erected in honour of
Beethoven, which was to take place at Bonn on the following
day.
Accordingly, at one o'clock on Tuesday, the 12th of
August, the monument was unveiled, amidst the firing of
cannon, the flourish of trumpets, and the shouts of the
multitudes gathered together from every quarter, not only of
Germany, but of every other music-loving nation in Europe,
and in the presence, not only of the Royal Families of
England and Prussia, but of more Royal and Princely lovers
of Art than we have space to mention. .*
Among the great musicians present at the unveiling of the
statue were Spohr, Meyerbeer, Moscheles, Sir George Smart,
Fétis, Liszt, Berlioz, Rellstab, Lindpaintner, Staudigl,
Madame Viardot-Garcia, Miss Sabilla Novello, with a host of
singers and instrumentalists of the highest order. And
Mademoiselle Lind was also invited—not to the festival, but
to sing privately to King Frederick William’s Royal and
distinguished guests at Brühl and the restored old feudal
fortress of Stolzenfels on the Rhine.
Herr Heinrich Brockhaus, of Leipzig, who, it will be
remembered, had visited Berlin in the month of March,”
makes the following entry in his Diary for the 7th of
August —
“(1845. Leipzig, August 7.) Eduard's f birthday was cele-
brated in quite an exceptional way ; namely, by the presence
of Jenny Lind.
“She had begged us to take post-tickets for her to Frank-
* See page 257.
f Herr (afterwards Dr.) Eduard Brockhaus, then a bright enthusiastic
youth of sixteen.
270 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV, CH. x.
fort on the Main, as she had been summoned by the King of
Prussia, to Stolzenfels, on the Rhine, where Queen Victoria
is to be received with great splendour; and I took this oppor-
tunity of inviting her to spend with us the few hours between
her arrival and departure.
“I met her at the station, and she seemed pleased with my
invitation. Her Swedish companion,” who speaks but little
German and no French, and Herr Berg, who, I believe, was
her first teacher, came with her, and we spent a few hours
very pleasantly together.
“She is still in every respect the dear, sensitive, modest
girl whom I learned to know in the spring; and it seems as
if the usual consequences of the excitement and jubilation
that she everywhere creates pass over her. Art is, to her, a
veritable religion, of which she is, herself, a pure and chaste
priestess. I have known but few womanly natures that have
made So wholly favourable an impression upon me as that of
Jenny Lind. - --
“We accompanied the travellers to the post-carriage, and
our farewell was a very hearty one indeed.”f
A touching little episode connected with the journey is
told in a letter written to Madame Birch-Pfeiffer from
Frankfort, and dated August 10, 1845 –
“I have not much to say; since, as I told you, we spent
most of our time in the diligence. But I had one sorrow.
“When we left Leipzig the conductor took with him a
little dog—a Spitz—as they are always obliged to do, for the
protection of the luggage. The little dog was engaging, and
every time we came to a station I kissed him, but soon
afterwards the poor little animal fell under the wheels, and
was run over. Ah! it made me so unhappy.”f
The English correspondents of the various London journals,
while giving detailed accounts of the “Beethoven Festival”
at Bonn, were, of course, necessarily silent on the subject of
* Mdlle. Louise Johansson.
f Translated, by kind permission of his sons, from ‘Aus den Tagebüchern
von Heinrich Brockhaus? (Leipzig, 1884), Band i. p. 56. Privately
printed, for friends only.
† From Frau von Hillern's collection.
1845.] IN PRESENCE OF THE QUEEN. 271
the private performances at Court; but, fortunately, we are
able to supply, from a private source, some valuable informa-
tion of a very interesting character concerning the occasion
on which the Queen and Prince Consort heard Mademoiselle
Lind sing for the first time.
The late Mrs. Grote, in her unpublished “Memoir of the
Life of Jenny Lind,' from which we have already made more
than one valuable quotation, gives the following account of
the circumstances:—
“The Queen and Prince and their suite having arrived at
the Château of Brühl—not far from Bonn–Mademoiselle
Lind was invited thither, and took part in the musical enter-
tainment offered by the Royal host to his guests.
“An English nobleman *—then Lord Steward of the House-
hold—who attended the Queen to Brühl, and who related to
me not long afterwards all that passed there, said that the
expectations raised in the Royal minds by the reports current
in Germany respecting Jenny Lind's singing were very high
indeed. He himself—an amateur of great experience, and
familiarly acquainted with the stage and its votaries all his
life—was rather disposed to be prepared for a disappoint-
ment. King Leopold of Belgium, who was of the party
at Brühl, and aware of My lord Liverpool's scepticism,
smilingly said to him, “I expect, that you will be satisfied,
when you have heard the Lind; she is something extra-
ordinary.’
“Whilst ‘the Lind’ was singing her first aria, King Leopold
amused himself by watching the effect produced upon his
English friend; and it was not long before Lord Liverpool,
turning his head round, made a gesture sufficiently expressive
to satisfy the King that he surrendered.
“‘It was,’ said Lord Liverpool, ‘a combination of style,
vocal skill, and quality of voice, which absolutely took one by
storm.’
“The Queen and Prince Albert were, both of them, en-
chanted with the treat provided for them; insomuch that the
King of Prussia pressed Jenny to favour him with a farther
visit, at Stolzenfels, another Schloss belonging to him, near
Coblenz. Again Jenny obeyed the Royal mandate, and
* The late Lord Liverpool.
272 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. X.
again Lord Liverpool was captivated by her incomparable
powers, as were indeed the whole courtly circle there
assembled.
“The Queen of England paid her the most cordial com-
pliments, expressing a ‘hope of seeing her, one day, in
England.’
“Jenny was very much pleased with the whole week's
excursion; and being afterwards af liberty to follow her own
bent, she accepted an engagement to perform a couple of
nights in Frankfort, where the utmost impatience was felt to
See and judge one who was beginning to make so strong a
sensation among the whole musical world.” "
The Queen and Prince Consort left Stolzenfels, in the Fairy,
On Saturday, the 16th of August, and proceeded thence to
Mainz. On Monday, the 18th, they quitted the Rhine
Provinces, passed through Frankfort on their way to Coburg
and Gotha, reached the first-named town on the 19th, and
the last on the 28th; re-embarked at Antwerp, on their
homeward journey, on the 6th of September, and returned to
Osborne on the 8th.
After the departure of the Royal party from Stolzenfels,
Mademoiselle Lind descended the Rhine again as far as
Cologne, where, on the 26th of August, she was serenaded
by the company of the theatre, who presented her with a
poem beginning, ‘Wohl beherrscht Gesang die Geister l’
beautifully printed on a white Satin filet, and addressed to
her by “Die Mitglieder des Kölner Stadt-theaters, Köln, den
26 August, 1845.”
On the following day she bade farewell to the Rhine Pro-
vinces, and started on her journey to Frankfort, where she
was announced to appear, in Norma, on the 29th.
It was during this visit to Frankfort that Mademoiselle
Lind first actually met Mr. and Mrs. Grote, of whom she had
frequently heard, through Madame von Koch, and Mr. Edward
* MS. “Memoir of the Life of Jenny Lind; ” by Mrs. Grote.
1845.] IN PRESENCE OF THE QUEEN. 273
Lewin ; and the acquaintance thus formed soon ripened into
closer intimacy. Mr. Grote was a man of business-like
habits and experience, while Mrs. Grote was almost equally
well versed in the ways of the world; and when, feeling sure
of their integrity and confidence, Mademoiselle Lind entrusted
to them the secret of the nightmare which had for so many
months oppressed her, Mrs. Grote offered to do all that lay in
her power, when she returned to England, to induce Mr.
Bunn to rescind his contract, though she did not expect to
obtain this eminently desirable result without to a certain
extent indemnifying the manager for his disappointment—a
condition to which Mademoiselle Lind readily agreed,
“adding,” says her friend, “that she would ratify any terms
which I should deem it desirable to arrange, in the way of
délit, or ‘Smart-money’ as the old phrase used to be.””
Before leaving Frankfort, on her return to England,
Mrs. Grote held another confidential communication with
her, which she thus describes in the MS. sketch already
quoted:—
“Among the things Jenny said to me during those two
days,” she writes, “one was that her earnest desire was to
have done with the Stage, and to retire into private life as
speedily as was consistent with pecuniary independence.
“I manifested some surprise at hearing her speak of her
profession with such dislike. She went on to say that it was
the Theatre, and the sort of entourage it involved, that was
distasteful to her : that at the Opera she was liable to be
continually intruded upon by Curious idlers and exposed to
many indescribable ennuis; that the combined fatigue of
acting and singing was exhausting: that the exposure to cold
coulisses, after exertions on the stage in a heated atmosphere,
was trying to the chest : the labour of rehearsals, tiresome to.
a degree : and that, altogether, she longed for the time to
arrive when she would be rich enough to do without the
Theatre—adding, “My wants are few—my tastes simple—a.
* MS. “Memoir,’ by Mrs. Grote.
VOL. I. T
274. JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. x.
small income would content me.” She would sing occasionally,
she said, both for charity and for her friends, as well as for
the undying love she felt for the musical Art; but not act,
if she could help it.
“I mention this to prove how consistent her language was
all through the subsequent phases of her artist-life. I must
also say that her modesty and distrust of her own powers,
at this period, showed me that she cherished a lofty standard
of ideal excellence, and was far from thinking herself what
every one who heard her thought her—a singer of the highest
Order.””
This however was certainly the opinion of the inhabitants
of Frankfort, whose enthusiasm was scarcely less remarkable
than that of the audience at Berlin.
The engagement at Frankfort was for nine nights, from
the 29th of August to the 15th of September, and included
three performances of Norma, four of La Somnambula, one
of Der Freischütz, and one of Lucia di Lammermoor.f The
* Frankfort’ correspondent of one of the leading London
journals thus speaks of her appearance and reception —
“Rather above the middle height, Jenny Lind is slender,
but peculiarly graceful in figure and action. She is very fair,
with a profusion of beautiful auburn tresses; but it is entirely
in the expression of her eyes that the truly great artiste will
be identified : the feeling and intelligence of those bright orbs
are unmistakable.
“The lessee of Drury Lane Theatre went expressly to
Berlin to engage her, and she signed an agreement with
Mr. Bunn for twenty performances, either for last May or
the present month of October.
“Most liberal offers have also been tendered to her by Mr.
Lumley’s agents, for Her Majesty's Theatre; but we repeat
the expression of our belief that, whenever her début takes
place in this country, it will be on the Drury Lane boards.
“The writer of this little narrative had the good fortune to
* MS. “Memoir, by Mrs. Grote.
f The following were the dates of the performances: Aug. 29, 31,
Norma ; Sept. 3, 5, La Somnambula ; Sept. 7, Der Freischütz; Sept. 10,
Norma 3 Sept. 12, Lucia ; and Sept. 14, 15, La Sonnambula.
I845.] IN PRESENCE OF THE QUEEN. 275
hear Jenny Lind at Frankfort, last month, in Bellini’s La
Somnambula. The house was crowded to excess, and even the
side-scenes were filled with auditors disappointed of places
in front of the curtain. The sensation that she created in the
part of “Amina ’ can only be compared to that which was
wont to attend the delineations of Malibran in the same
part, and that is awarding the highest possible praise to the
Swedish Siren.
“Jenny Lind has a voice of extraordinary compass, the
only defect in which is a deficiency of volume in the medium
register. Her upper notes are delicious, as clear as a bell;
and she warbles with the facility of a nightingale. Her
execution is of the most brilliant kind, and nothing can
approach the exquisite propriety and aptness of her cadenzas.
They always come in at the right moment : she never
sacrifices sense to sound. Her simplicity of style is, indeed,
most rigid ; but this charming naturalness it is which goes so
home to the hearts of her hearers. Her shake is perfect—
truly marvellous—proving that she must have an intuitive
knowledge of her Art as well as the best culture. Her style
is full of impulse ; or, as the French call it, abandon. In the
absence of all stage-trickery or conventionalism may be dis-
tinguished the child of genius. Her opening Cavatina, in the
presence of Amina’s friends, and her finale were contrasted
with the highest skill. In the first was the modest subdued
expression of joy—in the last, the triumphant outbreak of
rapture at being restored to Elvino.” The untiring energy of
this last vocal display, after two encores, electrified the band
as well as the audience. Never shall we forget the amaze-
ment of the conductor, Professor Guhr, a first-rate musician.
Throwing away his bâton, after the exhibition of this wondrous
power on the part of Jenny Tind, he clapped his hands
furiously over the stage-lamps.”f
It was about this time that a proposal was sent from
Vienna, by Herr Pokorny, the lessee of the Theater an der
Wien, for some performances at that famous Opera-House
during the coming winter. It was a great opportunity, but
the idea was not at all pleasing to Mademoiselle Lind, who
* See also p. 158.
f From the Illustrated London News for October 11, 1845. (Pages
232–233.)
T 2
276 - JENNY LIND. BK. IV. CH. X-
thus wrote about it to her friend, Madame Birch-Pfeiffer,
through whom the engagement had been offered to her —
“Frankfurt-am-Main,
“4 Sept. 1845.
“DEAR GOOD MOTHER BIRCH,
“What do you think of me, and my obstinacy 2 For
Heaven's sake do not be angry !—only let me tell you
honestly all about it, and then you will quite certainly be—
more angry than ever !
“Everything goes splendidly with me, and even better
than that ' and yet I have such anxiety about Vienna that I
scarcely believe I shall dare to go there. They have such
excellent singers in Vienna; and what can I do there 2 And,
besides that, I gain just as much money by the journeys
I am now making—though Vienna is the chief thing, on
account of the renown. -
“My good master * is now away, so I must judge for
myself. I have had the privilege of speaking to the Prince
and Princess Metternich, here in Frankfort, at Baron Roth-
Schild's, and they have both advised me to go to Vienna.
And yet—only think l—what if I lose my whole reputation
If I do not please ! And this anxiety grows so much upon
me! And all through next winter the thought of my first
appearance in Vienna will follow me like an evil spirit.
Ah, yes! I am very much to be pitied 1
“Tell Herr Pokorny that I am very grateful to him for the
offered half-receipts and quite satisfied on the score of money;
but—that he must engage Some other singer ; for he cannot
reckon on me, as I cannot accept the engagement, and cannot
believe that I should be able to carry it out in Vienna.
Break it off, good mother. I am contented with very little,
and shall perhaps sing no longer than till next spring, as I
can then go home, by Hamburg, and afterwards live in peace.
For, you see, mother Birch, this life does not suit me at all.
If you could only see me—the despair I am in whenever I
go to the theatre to sing! It is too much for me. This
terrible nervousness destroys everything for me. I sing far
less well than I should, if it were not for this enemy. I
cannot understand how it is that everything goes so well
with me. People all take me by the hand. But all this
helps nothing ! Herr Pokorny would not be very well
* Herr Berg.
1845.] IN PRESENCE OF THE QUEEN. 277
pleased, for instance, if I were to sing there once only and,
that once, fail. For the money he offers me he can get
singers anywhere who are not so difficult to satisfy as I am,
and who, at least, wish for something, while I wish for
nothing at all !
“Mother what do you say to this—that I have so mislaid
your letter to Madame—yes | what is her name 2—that I
cannot find it anywhere 2 It is certainly hidden away some-
where; but where, I cannot tell. For Heaven's sake, do not
be angry ! On the day on which your letter arrived, I
received so many, that it was possibly put aside. I beg you,
above all things in the world, not to be vexed with me and
not to lose your confidence in me.
“To-morrow (La Sonnambula) the Queen of England is
coming to the Theatre, and the King and Queen of Bavaria,
and all the royalties of Darmstadt; that is what they believe
here—but I do not Is not that lovely 2
“Greet the Aunt, my dear Sister, and all,
“From your ever grateful and devoted
“JENNy.” ”
The picture is not a cheerful one. But we shall hear
more of Vienna later on.
* From Frau von Hillern's collection.
278 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XI.
CHAPTER XI.
WITH THE DANES.
THE short visit to Frankfort had been a genuine success, but
a far more brilliant one was at hand.
After singing two nights at Darmstadt, at raised prices,
and to crowded houses,” Mdlle. Lind prepared to renew her
acquaintance with the kindred spirits with whom she had
entered into so close an intellectual communion in the
autumn of the year 1843.
With the delights of her first visit still green in their
memory, the grateful and appreciative Danes went forth to
meet her with demonstrations of enthusiastic welcome.
For the moment their hopes were held in abeyance, under
the circumstances narrated in the following communication,
* In Norma, on the 17th of September; and La Sonnambula, on the
19th. In memory of the impression produced by the performance of
Norma, an anonymous poem, beginning, “Einst war's, dass tief vom
Norden,” was privately printed, on a pink card, and circulated among the
art-loving inhabitants of the town. We subjoin the first two stanzas:—
“Einst war's dass tief vom Norden, im Siegesjubelklang,
In deutsche Herzen stürmte der Schweden frommer Sang;
Der grosse Gustav Adolph Zog kämpfend mit Seinem Heer,
Als Sieger durch Deutschlands Gauen, Zum Schutze und zur Wehr.
“Und nach Zweihundert Jahren tēnt wieder Schwedenschall,
Doch strömter aus der Kehle der Schwedischen Nachtigall;
Sie singt So siiss und innig, so máchtig und so stark,
Ihr Ton schwillt an Zum Sturme, durchzittert Herz und Mark.
>k :k :#: >{: >k >k
“Darmstadt, den 19ten September, 1845.”
1845.] WITH THE DANES. 279
addressed by Herr Schoeltz von Schroeder, the Prussian
Envoy at Copenhagen, to His Excellency Graf von Redern,
in charge of the Hofmusik at Berlin —
“YOUR ExCELLENCY,
“The fêted heroine of the day, Mdlle. Jenny Lind,
was expected here yesterday by the steam-packet said to
be arriving from Hamburg. Expectant worshippers without
number were assembled on the strand; there was no lack of
Wreaths and flowers; the poet Andersen had prepared a
beautiful ‘Welcome —but, alas! all fell through ; and
instead of the Singer came an apologetic letter, which
destroyed all hopes of Seeing her here . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“ &c., &c., &c.,
“SCHOELTZ VON SCHRCEDER.”
“Copenhagen, September 25, 1845.”
“Destroyed all hope”—the writer should have said—“for
that particular day;” for she was positively announced
to appear, three days afterwards, and arrived in ample
time to fulfil her engagement. Her appearances were neces-
sarily few in number, for her time was limited, and on
one of the appointed nights the theatre was unavoidably
closed, on account of her indisposition. But her stay was
sufficiently prolonged to create a profound and lasting
impression among all classes of Society.
She sang three times in Norma, twice in La Figlia del
Reggimento, and also at four concertS. f
The effect of these performances upon the public is thus
described:—
* From information kindly supplied by the General-Intendantur der
kgl. Schauspiele zu Berlin, who courteously submitted the Archives of the
Royal Opera and Hofmusik to Mr. Goldschmidt’s examination for parti-
culars without which these chapters could not have been written.
f Sept. 28, Oct. 3, and Oct. 5, Norma ; Oct. 8, 15, La Figlia del Regg.
f The concerts took place on Sept. 16 and 30, and Oct. 10 and 16.
280 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XI.
“Then came Jenny Lind, whose few special Gastrollen
raised a tremendous enthusiasm among the public, and
every time drew such crowds that the tickets were im-
mediately sold for four times their usual price. This, how-
ever, was of no particular benefit to the theatre, considering
that she was paid two hundred Danish rixdollars for every
performance.
“The reception she had met with two years before was
extraordinary, yet it counts for nothing when compared
with the homage now offered to her in so unprecedented a
manner. On the occasion of her first visit she merely
brought from her own country a distinguished artist-name,
Supported by the rare talent by aid of which she was
destined to acquire European fame. This fame she had
now earned in fullest measure. In Berlin and Paris” she
was now admired and praised, no less by the first musical
authorities than by the enchanted public.
“Everything she did produced a thrilling effect, leaving
behind an impression far more lasting than the most
marvellous execution. Endowed with a mellow, flexible
voice, of large compass, great power, and delightful sonority;
with a noble style of acting, in the comic as well as the
pathetic parts; with a personality which, though lacking
regularity of features, was rendered charming to the last
degree by its womanly dignity; with eyes capable of the
deepest expression; with the highest finish of vocal technique;
with the most refined taste in the use of these musical and
dramatic gifts; with spiritual conception and feeling, even in
the most varied compositions—endowed, we say, with these
precious qualities, she carried everything before her.
“The public had been wondering whether she was really
able now to produce anything more beautiful than that
which had already been so much admired as the highest form
of perfection. But at the very beginning of the first repre-
sentation it became evident, from the lofty calm and clear-
mess, the grace and power with which the notes streamed
forth, that she actually had advanced still farther in vocalisa-
tion, in precision, and in taste.
“Her ‘Norma' had not the wild and glowing passion which
most singers impart to it, but there was such deep feeling,
such energy in the acting as well as in the singing, such
unpretending greatness, such graceful harmony in look, in
* This, of course, is a mistake.
1845.] WITH THE DANES. 281
motion, in plastique, and in diction, that the public was
transported by the poetry of the personification ; and after
the first act, amidst interminable plaudits, the artist was
called before the curtain and received with a gentle shower
of flowers. At the end of the performance the same act of
homage was repeated in a still higher degree ; and from the
theatre a great crowd rushed on to her residence, in Order to
greet her with cheers on her return home.*
“Her performance of the part of ‘Marie’ in La Figlia del
Reggimento was received with no less rapture. Here, again,
she did not interpret the part in accordance with the usual
conception, but in a way which suited her temperament to
perfection. There was so intimate and marvellous a union
of good-nature, poetical feeling, jesting humour, and amiable
naïveté in the delivery of her dialogue that, with whatever
apparent lightness she threw her words about, they all, in
accordance with the needs of the moment, teemed with a
brightness of fun of which she herself appeared wholly
unconscious. The effect of this was to constantly call forth
a burst of applause the spontaneity of which was self-
evident; and yet the chief interest of the performance really
lay in her singing, which, whether the intention was grave or
merry, had in every simplest phrase, in every minutest
Ornament, no less than in the most brilliant bravura.
passages, a fulness of soul and a perfection of technique
which, combined with the truthfulness to nature which
everywhere pervaded it, held the public in a condition of
never-failing enthusiasm.” f
The reader will bear in mind that this is no ephemeral
critique, culled from the pages of a daily journal, but the
deliberate verdict of a sober art-historian ; and it is im-
possible to read his glowing narrative without a feeling of
surprise, that he should have permitted himself to indulge in
a display of enthusiasm so little in accordance with the
traditions of his order; yet his language is certainly no
stronger than that to which we have already become accus-
* As on the occasion of her first visit to Copenhagen, Mdlle. Lind was
the guest of her friends, Monsieur and Madame Bournonville.
f From “Den danske Skueplads; a History of Danish Dramatic Art,
by T. Overskou. (Copenhagen, 1864, vol. v.)
282 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XI.
tomed, in the accounts of the performances at Berlin Con-
tributed to the Berliner Zeitung by Herr Ludwig Rellstab,
whose reviews are regarded by German journalists as examples
of genuine criticism, second only in value and interest to
those of Schumann and Rochlitz. What can we infer from
this but Llat a LaleIIL capable of inspiring experienced
critics with a fire of enthusiasm so foreign, not only to their
practice, but to their fixed and habitual principles, must
necessarily be a very remarkable one—a talent of an order
with which they had not been previously accustomed to deal 2
And the progress of events proved this to be the truth.
Besides the dramatic performances thus favourably noticed,
Mdlle. Lind sang at a concert given, on the 16th of September,
in the large hall of the Hôtel d’Angleterre ; at another, given
in the Ridehus (or Hippodrome) of the Royal Palace at
Christiansborg, on the 30th of September; and at a third,
given on the 10th of October at the Court Theatre, in the
palace at Christiansborg, in aid of the Association for the
Tescue of Neglected Children.
So great was the success of this charitable entertainment
that, on the following day, the governors of the Association
sent her the following gratifying address:–
“MADEMOISELLE,
“During the years that the under-mentioned Associ-
ation has carried on its work, the object of which is the
prevention of crime through the education of children in need
of moral training, the aid received from private persons has
nover represented a richer contribution than that for which
the Association begs permission to express to you its heartfelt
thanks.
“By using the rare talents you possess in such abundance
for the benefit of the Association, at last night's performance
at the Court Theatre, you have procured for it an income
which will render possible a considerable development of its
means of doing good.
“On leaving Denmark you will take with you the pleasant,
1845.] WITH THE DANES. 283
consciousness of having rescued, from dens of vice, many a
child, who now, through your active charity, will be brought
up to a useful and virtuous life, the blessings of which will
follow you wherever you go.”
(Here follows a long list of Signatures.)
“Association for the Rescue of Neglected Children,
“October 11, 1845.
“To Fröken Jenny Lind.”
Truly, this was a worthy beginning of the work which, not
So very many years afterwards, reached so noble a consum-
mation at Brompton, at Norwich, and Manchester, and
now evokes a blessing from the lips of every loyal and
patriotic Swede in Stockholm itself.
The last concert at which she assisted, during this visit
to Copenhagen, took place, on the 16th of October, in the
Ridehus; and the records of the period prove that these
purely musical performances were no less successful than
the dramatic representations. Mdlle. Lind herself—though
She caught a serious cold—was delighted, not only with her
reception by the Danish public, but by the hearty and able
CO-Operation of the artists with whom she was associated in
her arduous duties. Writing to Madame Birch-Pfeiffer, on
the 14th of October, she says:–
“Ah people are here more than ordinarily kind to me.
The ladies of the chorus have decorated my room so beauti-
fully ; and the whole orchestra and chorus have been so
friendly. On my birthday they brought me a Vivat 1 and a
Serenade. Ah, yes! I am quite at home here !
“But the weather has been frightfully bad; so stormy
that, up to this time, I have not dared to venture upon a
voyage by Sea, for several ships have been lost. However, as
I am giving concerts here to four thousand people—for they
have so large a room—I have stayed on a few days longer.
But—alas !—I have caught a horrible cold; had to put off
the performance the day before yesterday; and feel myself
So much knocked up that I can only sing in my farewell
284 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. C.H. XI.
concert, and dare not risk any more singing this month, if I
wish to preserve my voice; and, as I shall have to use that
voice for another year, I have been obliged to write to
Hanover, Bremen, Cassel, and Leipzig, to say that I cannot
come—to my very great regret, for nothing in the world
grieves me so much as not being able to keep my promise.
“It was particularly unfortunate with regard to Hanover,
as the King had evidently looked forward to it. I have
promised to go there as soon as my engagement in Berlin
expires, and my répertoire will then be more extensive. But
it would really not have been right of me to sing any more
now, as I must so soon be in Berlin ; for, as you know,
mother, I need all my strength there.” "
But, the remembrance of the artistic tone which had made
her visit to Copenhagen so thoroughly enjoyable, remained
long after the cold, and the loss of voice, and the stormy
weather had been forgotten. Many years afterwards she
wrote to Madame Bournonville —
“I shall never forget the joy with which I sang at
Copenhagen; for never since have I found more cultivated
artists anywhere.” f
It was a happy time, in spite of the threatened loss of
voice; but it owed its brightest charm far less to the
applause of a genuinely appreciative public than to the
atmosphere of poetry and high intellectual culture with
which the young priestess of Art found herself surrounded
on every side. With all that was best and greatest in the
mind-world of the North, she was admitted to closest and
most unreserved communion. Poet and painter, romancist
and historian, vied with each other in paying homage to
her genius. Thorwaldsen, whom she had known on her first
visit to Copenhagen, had died in the previous year; but her
“brother,” Hans Christian Andersen—as she delighted to call
* From Frau von Hillern's collection.
† From a letter from Madame Goldschmidt to Madame Bournonville,
dated London, June 11, 1877.
1845.] TWITH THE DANES. 285
him, in obedience to the homely Scandinavian custom—was
there to greet her with the ‘Welcome mentioned in the
letter of Herr Schoeltz von Schroeder. An album which she
kept at the period, and which is still fortunately preserved,
is filled with the contributions of her most valued friends.
Andersen wrote in it a poem, dated, “Copenhagen, October 12,
1845 °; and Anton Melbye, the painter, illustrated it with
a beautiful little etching, executed with a reed-pen, and
representing the steam-packet surrounded by the shipping
in the harbour. CEhlenschläger wrote a poem also, and
Geheimrath Jonas Collin. Music was represented by Niels
W. Gade, the friend of Mendelssohn and Schumann, and the
composer of Comala, Im Hochlande, and many other works
of undoubted merit.* Ed. Lehmann was there also. And
Jensen, not contented with drawing in the album, and
unwilling that the “gentle shower of flowers” which had
fallen upon her in the theatre should fade without remem-
brance, drew an inspiration from Van Huysum, and painted
a lovely wreath of white roses, which was presented to her
as a testimonial, and is now the property of her daughter.
The picture was painted at the desire of a few friendly
Subscribers, among whom we find the names, not only of
her genial host and hostess, M. and Madame Bournonville,
but also those of M. Mozart and Madame Mathilde Waage-
petersen, the touching story of whose sickness was related in
a former chapter.f
The poems of CEhlenschläger and Andersen are of so
great an interest that we have thought it desirable to re-
produce them in the original Danish, for no translation
could possibly have done justice to their strong national
colouring.
* Herr Gade filled the post of Hof Kapellmeister in his native city,
Copenhagen, until his recent (lamented) death.
f See page 175.
286
JENNY LINL). DBK. Iv. CH. XI.
JENNY LIND.
Folkesangen har en Werden inde,
Du har kaldt den frem til Liv paa ny;
Sangens Muse kom, en Nordisk Qvinde,
Snillet selv og dog som Barnet bly
Selv du ei Dill bedste Yude kjellder,
Sjelens Reenhed tibevidst tidtalt;
Hellig for Din Kunst Dit Hjerte brender,
Gud er Dig dog Stjernen over Alt.
I Krystal-Skal Nectar-Dricken bydes,
Norden har ved Dig een Stjerne meer,
Ved Din Sang vi lüttres, ròres, frydes,
Gud med Dig –Hans bedste Willie skeer !
med broderligt Sind
H. C. ANDERSEN.
Kjöbenhavn, 12 Oct., 1845.
PHILOMELE.
En lille Fugl i Busk og Dal,
Soedvanlig kaldet Nattergal,
Om den de gamle Sagn os sige
At allerförst den var en Pige.
Og Philomele hendes Navn !
(: Hvad i Stockholm og Kiðbenhavn
Hun hedder, skal jeg strax berette ;
Dog först maa jeg fortaella Dette :)
Formodenlig af Jalousie,
Fordi hun sang sin Melodie
Saa södt, en Trold det Barn fortrylled,
Og i en Fugleham indhylled.
Nu qvad hun–Trylleri til Spot–
Som Fugl vel ikke mindre godt,
Og hver en Vaar i Blomsterdalen
Hun qviddred södt som Nattergalen.
For Elskerne var hendes Sang
Til Kildens Accompagnement
Saa kioer som för. Hunselv, bedrövet,
Beskeden sad i Skyggelövet.
1845.] VTTH THE DANES. 287
Saa gik det mange hundred Aar,
Da vaagned hun engang en Vaar
Igien som Pige. Hendes Stemme—
Hvo den har hört kan den ei glemme.
Thi Fuglens Triller, Örets lyst,
Med Hiertet i et oedelt Bryst
Forened denne hulde Pige,
Saa aldrig för man hörte lige.
Nu stod hun der med Smil paa Kind–
Med Taareblik–som Jenny Lind!
Om Philomele, Nattergalen,
Var der slet ikke mere Talen.
Men ak! vor Gloede var kun kort–
Som Fugl hun flyver atter bort.
Dog tröst dig Hierte, stands din Klage,
Hun kommer snart igien tilbage.
A. CEHLENSCHLÅGER.
MELPOMENE OG THALTA.
Thalia stred med Melpomene
Om förste Rang paa Digterscene,
Apollo skulde fælde Dom,
I strid de hidsigt til ham kom.
Sangguden i det Musamöde,
Som ingen af dem vilde stöde,
Ved Harpen hilste dem og loe.
At begge vandt og ingen tabte
Til Jenny Lind han dem omskabte.
I hende see vi beggeto !
A. CEHLENSCHLÅGER.
Kióbenhavn, 21 Oct., 1845.
The two visits to Copenhagen seem to have made a deep
impression upon the mind of Hans Christian Andersen,
for not only did he celebrate them in verse, but in the
autobiographical sketch entitled Das Mährchen meines
Lebens, he speaks of them at considerable length and in
a Very enthusiastic tone indeed.
"The youthfully-fresh voice,” he says, "forced itself into
every heart. Here reigned Truth and Nature. Everything
was full of meaning and intelligence.
288 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XI.
“‘Yes, yes,” said she, ‘I will exert myself; I will
endeavour ; I will be better qualified, when I come to
Copenhagen again, than I now am.’
“‘There will not be born, in a whole century, another
being so gifted as she,’ said Mendelssohn, in speaking to
me of Jenny Lind; and his words expressed my own full
conviction.
“There is nothing which can dwarf the impression made
by Jenny Lind’s greatness on the stage except her own
personal character at home. An intelligent and childlike
disposition here exercises its astonishing power. She is
happy—belonging, as it were, no longer to the world. A
peaceful quiet home is the object of her thoughts; yet she
loves Art with her whole Soul, and feels her vocation in
it. A noble, pious disposition like hers cannot be spoiled
by homage. On one occasion only did I hear her express
her joy in her talent and in her sense of power. It was
during her last visit to Copenhagen. Almost every evening
she appeared, either in the Opera or at concerts. Every hour
was in requisition. She heard of a society the object of
which was to assist unfortunate children and to take them
out of the hands of their parents by whom they were ill-
treated, and compelled either to beg or steal, and to place
them in other and better conditions. Benevolent people
subscribed annually a small sum each for their support;
nevertheless, the means for this excellent purpose were
Small.
“‘But have I not still a disengaged evening 2 said she.
‘Let me give a performance for the benefit of these poor
children, and we will have doubled prices.’
“The performance was given, and its proceeds were large.
When she was told of this, and that by this means a large
number of poor children would be benefited for several years,
her countenance beamed and her eyes were filled with
tearS.
“‘Is it not beautiful, she said, ‘that I can sing so 2°
“I feel towards her as a brother, and I think myself
happy that I can know, and understand, such a spirit. God
give to her that peace, that quiet and happiness, that she
desires for herself.
“Through Jenny Lind I first became sensible of the
holiness of Art. Through her I learned that one must
forget one's self in the service of the Supreme. No books,
1845.] WITH THE DANES. 289
no men, have had a more ennobling influence upon me as a
poet than Jenny Lind; and therefore have I spoken of her
so fully and so warmly.” "
“She is happy,” says the Danish poet, “belonging, as it
were, no longer to the world.” In the world—as the holy
ones have ever lived—but not of it. Living among its
people, to help them, wherever help was possible, but with-
drawing from contact with all that was mean, and base, and
Sordid. And happy, thrice happy, in the voluntary isolation.
Yes, it was indeed a happy time—but even then the
world intruded itself into the happiness of the moment,
however little the “sensitive young girl” belonged to it. The
nest of the “Swedish Nightingale” was overshadowed—or, at
least, seemed to her to be so—by a “sable cloud,” which
obstinately refused to “turn forth its silver lining on the
night.”
* “Das Märchen meines Lebens,’ von H. C. Andersen (Leipzig, 1880).
WOI, I. U
290 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XII.
CHAPTER XII.
THE “BUNN-CONTRACT’’ (continued).
NOT even her intercourse with the master-minds, in com-
munion with whom she spent so many pleasant hours during
her second visit to Copenhagen, could free Mdlle. Lind from
the nightmare of her dreadful London engagement. The
remembrance of it haunted her everywhere, and in the
midst of her brightest triumphs, oppressed her sensitive and
unsophisticated nature with a quite unreasonable terror,
which, as time wore on, sensibly undermined her health and
caused her a world of unhappiness.
On the 14th of October she wrote to Madame Birch-
Pfeiffer, in a letter which has already been partly quoted in
an earlier chapter:—
“What do you say to Mr. Bunn, who has lately announced
that I must make my début at Drury Lane on the 19th of
October 11 otherwise I shall have shamefully broken my
contract 2 Ah! ah mother More foul weather is in
store | But he can do me no harm, for I shall never in my
life go to London. And—is it true 3—have I dreamed it 2–
or was not the contract signed with my name only, and his
name not appended to it? Was it not so 2 I do not know
where that horrid thing (the contract) is. Is it with you ? or
is it in Sweden 2 In either case, give me comfort | Dear
mother, give me comfort, and write to me once more before I
return to Berlin, as I shall stay a few days in Altona with
Madame Arnemann.
“Your truly loving and grateful,
“JENNY.” *
* From Frau von Hillern's collection.
1845.] THE “BUNN-CONTRACT" (CONTINUED.) 291
Strange as it may seem, this suspicion as to the omission
of Mr. Bunn's signature was found to be perfectly justified.
Why the manager did not append his own name to a
document so important it is difficult to understand; but he
certainly did not append it—at least to the copy left in
Mdlle. Lind’s possession—as we learn from another letter
written by her to the same lady, from Nienstädten, on the
28th of October, 1845:—
“I have, only to-day, found the English contract; and I
was quite right—the name of Mr. Bunn is wanting, and
therefore, I am told, the contract is not valid. Altogether,
since I received the letter from my good mother, I have been
much easier ; and I am easier still now, in every way, than
I was. And for that I have to thank my firm determination
to leave the stage. Mon Dieu 1 This happiness will be too
much for me.
“Your ever grateful,
“JENNy.” +
Meanwhile, on the 18th of October, a few days only before
she took leave of her friends in Copenhagen, she wrote to Mr.
Bunn an unfortunate letter, which was afterwards fraught with
the most disastrous consequences. Knowing nothing at all of
business matters, she expected that Mr. Bunn, when her
difficulties were explained to him, would treat her with the
generosity which she would most certainly have accorded to
him had he been similarly circumstanced. A more ill-
advised step could scarcely have been imagined, for Mr.
Bunn was emphatically “a man of business”; but, in most
unbusiness-like terms, she wrote to him thus:—
“Copenhagen, Oct. 18, 1845.
“M. DIRECTEUR,
“The interest that you have deigned to show for
my trifling talent, the obliging offer that you have made
me in London—in short, the facility that you have wished to
* From Frau von Hillern's collection.
U 2
292 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XII.
grant me relative to the début you are preparing for me at
the National Theatre of Drury Lane, entitles you to my
gratitude and my highest esteem. How can I thank you
sufficiently 2 I shall exercise towards you the greatest
frankness, and you shall judge me, not as a director, but as
a gentleman par eaccellence.
“It is impossible for me to come fo sing in London. Not
that other engagements prevent me—for I have not con-
tracted any—but I do not feel that I possess sufficient
capacity to fulfil properly the expectations of a public
accustomed to the most remarkable abilities of the period.
The success that I have obtained, up to this time, does not
give me courage as to the fate which might await me in
England. I neither possess the personal advantages, the
assurance, nor the charlatanism of other prime donné ; and
I feel, with fear, that a check experienced in London would
be fatal to the rest of my theatrical career.
“Another obstacle, no less serious, is my ignorance of the
English language, the pronunciation of which is so contrary
to my powers. Even supposing that, during six months, I
were to sacrifice all my other occupations and to give myself
up entirely to the study of the English language, it would
still be indispensable that my organs should acquire the
flexibility necessary to enable me to perform in a manner that
would not expose me to the laughter of the audience. All
the objections which I made, in the first instance, to the
proposals you offered at Berlin, and which M. Meyerbeer
endeavoured to combat, in order to attach me to the destiny
of his Opera, The Camp of Silesia,” are still farther fortified
by a succession of fruitless efforts. In fact, the execution of
the project of the celebrated composer has been stopped.
Consequently, the primitive cause of my plan for a journey
is practically annulled. I find myself in the most isolated
position, without a knowledge of the language and without a
hope of success.
“I have, then, no other resource but to beg you, as a
favour, not to consider my signature as a contract, and to be
generous enough to disengage me from an unconsidered
promise.
“You know, yourself, under what influence I have been
persuaded, not to Say Surprised, into taking a step so contrary
* It was naturally Meyerbeer's wish that Mdlle. Lind should make
the Opera as popular in England as she had already made it in Germany.
1845.] THE “BUNN-CONTRACT" (CONTINUED.) 293
to my interests. It is not a question of money, but simply
of my existence as an artist, which would be compromised
by my appearance in London, and perhaps annihilated by
my début at Drury Lane.
“I know nothing of chicanery; but I am of good faith,
and I know the respect I owe to your undertaking. I do
not count on taking any other engagement in England. Will
you give me back my agreement 2 And I promise you, that,
even although it does not contain any article of délit, if I
should resolve to sing at the Italian Opera in London, I will
pay such indemnification as the laws of your country may
Impose upon me.
“In eight days, I shall be in Berlin, where I shall await
your reply, and the release which I expect from your
humanity and generosity.
“Will you, in the meantime, receive the assurance of my
highest consideration, and believe me,
“M. Directeur,
“Your very humble servant,
“JENNY LIND.” ”
To this appeal, Mr. Bunn replied, on the 30th of October,
in the following terms:–
“Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Oct. 30, 1845.
“MADAME,
“In reply to your letter, dated 18th inst., I beg to
observe that the matter in question being purely a business
transaction can only be answered in that light.
“The sole object of your appeal to me is, to get rid of
your liability to this theatre that you may engage at the
Italian Opera; on which subject I am aware of all the
representations which have been made to you and of the
parties who have made them.
“The pretext of your inability to learn the English
language, taking into consideration the wonderful facility
you have already evinced, and the great effects produced by
your predecessors, Madame Schroeder-Devrient, Madame
* From a translation of the original letter, which appeared in The
Times on the 23rd of February, 1848.
2.94. JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XII.
Malibran,” &c., cannot be listened to. When you state that
your contract ‘me contient point d'article de délit, I am led
to suppose that you omitted it in order to evade it. But
you will find yourself subject to damages more than any
délit, and those damages I shall contend for.
“I went at great expense to Berlin purposely to engage
you. I employed an author to re-write and franslate The
Camp of Sulesia ; and I incurred the heavy cost of painting
Scenery for the two first acts. I incurred this heavy outlay
on the faith of your signature, witnessed by the British
Ambassador. Can you suppose that I will now accept a
promise, when you violate a contract which you have
formally signed 2 I tell you I will not. You have accepted
an enormous salary at Berlin, and are there at the very time
that, by law and honour, you ought to be here; and you
must fulfil your contract with me, or fully indemnify me
for my expenses and my losses.
“On giving me an undertaking that you will not appear
at the Italian Opera House in London before the 15th of
August next, and on paying me such a sum as will cover all
my heavy expenses, and in some measure compensate me for
my anticipated gains, T will annul the contract existing
between us and violated by you; and, if you fail so to do, I
shall carry the whole matter to be laid before His Majesty
the King of Prussia, who is too good to suffer an English
subject to be defrauded by any one paid by the Prussian
Government.
“I shall also commence an action-at-law in Berlin,
where the contract was made, and another in England,
whenever you land here. This is my fixed determination.
“Oblige me, therefore, with an immediate reply, to say
whether, by an honourable offer, we are to remain in amity,
Or, by a refusal, we are to be at war; and, in either case, I
have the honour to be
“Madame,
“Your obedient servant,
“ALFRED BUNN (Directeur).”f
* Madame Malibran spent two years and a half in England during her
youth, and spoke the language fluently long before she was ready to
make her début upon the operatic stage.
t From the transcript, published in The Times for Feb. 23, 1848.
1845.] THE “BUNN-CONTRACT" (CONTINUED.) 295
In order to judge this letter fairly, it is necessary to entirely
separate the brutalité—we use the word strictly in its French
Sense—of its tone from the subject-matter of Mr. Bunn’s
complaint.
It is impossible to deny that Mr. Bunn had the right to
complain—or, rather, that he had the right to refuse the
request. No doubt, he had been put to a certain amount
of expense, and still more disappointment; but the letter
did not contain a threat to violate the contract—it simply
asked, as a favour, that it might be cancelled. And though
no one with the least idea of business matters could for a
moment suppose that Mr. Bumn would accede to that request,
the fact that it had been preferred did not justify him in
imputing to the writer motives which she most certainly never
entertained. She had no desire whatever to sing at the
Italian Opera in London, and had entered into no negotiations
with any one on that subject. The difficulty of which she
complained with regard to the pronunciation of the English
language was a real one—so real that, to the last day of her
life, even after a residence of so many years in this country,
her accent would have sounded strangely foreign in spoken
dialogue—and the English version of The Camp of Silesia
would have been full of spoken dialogue. Equally real was
the modesty which led her to dread a failure in London,
which would “ be fatal to the rest of her theatrical career.”
She doubted her own powers on the eve of her greatest
victories, and that long after her experiences of the past should
have assured her that the victory was certain. From the first
word to the last her letter was written in the most perfect
good faith, and no one whose eyes were not blinded by Self-
interest would have failed to see that this was the case.
Mr. Bunn, however, preferred to assume that an attempt was
being made to hoodwink him, and appealed to the Law in
what he considered a necessary case of self-defence.
296 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XII.
We have said, in a former chapter, that Mrs. Grote had
promised to act as intermédiaire with Mr. Bunn in this case.
She did actually enter into negotiations with him imme-
diately after her return to England, and indulged in the
hope that she might have the happiness of seeing the contract
annulled, in return for the payment of a sum of £500 by
way of forfeit-money, or £300 if Mdlle. Lind would consent
to sing one night for Mr. Bunn, for nothing. But at the
very time that Mrs. Grote was expecting an answer to this
proposal Mr. Bunn's agent (Mr. William Sams) called upon
her, armed with the unhappy letter of October the 18th, on
reading which Mrs. Grote, without enquiring “in what terms
Mr. Bunn replied to Mdlle. Lind,” wrote to her, saying that
“her interposition had entirely set her aside, and leaving it
to her to deal henceforward with the case aſter her own
fashion.” “
In the meantime the most unfounded rumours were spread
on every side. It is doubtful whether Mr. Bunn, even now,
gave up all hope of Securing his prize. One section of the
English public, at any rate, did not give up all hope of
hearing the coveted prima donna at Drury Lane, while
another felt equally certain of enjoying that pleasure at Her
Majesty's Theatre. For the idea that Mdlle. Lind con-
templated the acceptance of an engagement at the last-
named house—which at that period, she most certainly did
not—was by no means peculiar to Mr. Bunn. It was men-
tioned everywhere—and, of course, after the manner of
reports in general, and utterly unfounded ones in particular,
it was mentioned with the assurance that it was absolutely
and most incontrovertibly true. Each repetition was based
on “certain private intelligence ’’ which no one but the
narrator possessed, and in process of time the story was
* From the MS. “Memoir of the Life of Jenny Lind, already quoted.
1845.] THE “BUNN-CONTRACT" (CONTINUED.) 297
told so well that no one dreamed of questioning its
Veracity.
It is scarcely ever possible to trace a rumour of this kind
to its veritable source. How this one originated no one
ever knew. In all probability it first found utterance in
the mysterious on diff of some imaginative journalist.
But it is quite possible that it may have obtained increased
consistency from the fact that, in the hope of doing the
best she could for her friend, Mrs. Grote asked advice on the
Subject from Mr. Lumley—who was her great friend also.
If–as is more than probable—Mr. Bunn discovered this, the
step between giving advice concerning one engagement and
proposing another one in its place would have seemed to
him so microscopically small that, although Mr. Lumley did
not really propose an engagement for Her Majesty's Theatre
until long after this,” it would have been difficult to convince
the manager of Drury Lane that no sort of intrigue had ever
been introduced into the business. For intrigue is the
natural atmosphere of the Theatre, in England, as on the
Continent; and in this case Mdlle. Lind, who was ignorant
of its simplest rudiments, was accused of being its instigator
when she was in reality its victim.
Ignorance is not always bliss. It was her ignorance of
the machinations to which the Stage is chronically subject
that caused her so much needless anxiety. She did not
know that Mr. Bunn’s threats were absolutely nugatory;
that an appeal to the King of Prussia would have furnished
the best possible opportunity for her full and complete
justification ; that damages could no more be claimed from
her in Berlin than they could be claimed, at this present
moment, in Paris, from a French composer against whom
* A year, minus one day, elapsed after this before she could be
persuaded to sign an engagement for Her Majesty's Theatre; and she
did so then chiefly by the advice of Mendelssohn.
298 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XII.
they had been awarded in England; that she was as safe in
Prussia as if the contract had never been signed.
She was as inexperienced in all such matters as a child.
Had she been less so she would never have written her
unfortunate letter. But she had a reason for this which at
the time seemed to her imperative. She nover spoke of it
to Mrs. Grote, but, in a subsequent conversation with Mr.
Grote she said that she did not at that time possess £500
in the world. Mr. Bunn taunted her with the “enormous
salary” she had “accepted at Berlin,” yet she assured Mr.
Grote that, up to the moment of her engagement at Frank-
fort, her earnings had been entirely absorbed by her expenses
—including, be it fully understood, the maintenance of her
parents and her munificent gifts to Herr Josephson and
others *—and that consequently she was “in absolute want
of pecuniary means to fulfil the conditions proposed.”f
This, then, was the state of affairs when, in the last week
of October, 1845, she took leave of her friends at Copenhagen,
and returned to Berlin to fulfil her renewed engagement at
the famous Opera-House.
* We shall see, later on, that she had sent Herr Josephson a cheque
about the middle of June.
f From Mrs. Grote’s MS. “Memoir.”
( 299 )
CHAPTER XIII.
THE RETURN TO BERLIN (Don Juan).
THE entries in the album kept by Mdlle. Lind at Copen-
hagen extend to the 22nd of October, 1845. On the 23rd,
Or 24th, she quitted Denmark and went to stay with her
friend Consul Arnemann, and his wife and family, at
Nienstädten, near Altona; and on the 28th she wrote from
thence to Madame Wichmann, the wife of the sculptor,
at whose house—No. 1, in the Hasenheger Strasse *—
she had been invited to spend the coming winter at
Berlin.
The letter, written in French, and the first of a long and
interesting series from which we shall have frequent occasion
to quote, ran thus:—
“Nienstädten bei Altona, 28 Oct. 1845.
“DEAR AND AMIABLE MADAME WICHMANN,
“I am very grateful for the kind letter which I had
the honour to receive from you, and more enchanted still to
find that you retain for me the kindly feeling which makes
me so pleased and happy.
“I have been unwell for some time. I caught cold at
Copenhagen, and was therefore unable to go either to
Hanover or to Bremen or anywhere else. It is because of
this indisposition that I am now staying with a very good
friend, Madame Arnemann, near the town of Altona, where
I am getting quite well, and resting myself.
“But in the meantime it is necessary that I should start for
* Now called the Feilner Strasse, in honour of Madame Wichmann's
father.
300 JENNY LINI). [BK. IV. CH. XIII.
Berlin, and it is for this reason, dear Madame, that I take
the liberty of informing you that I leave this place to-
morrow morning—or on the 30th ; and I expect to be in
Berlin on the 31st.
“I go from here to Zelle, and from thence I hope to reach
Derlin, by railway, in a day. To-day is Monday, and on
Friday I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you again.
“IL will be very nice to have my maid there. I Only
feared, Madame, on your account, that it would not be
agreeable to you to have so many strange faces about you.
I hope to find you in good health, and your family also ; and,
until then, good-bye, dear, good, and kind Madame
Wichmann.
“I am,
“Your very grateful and devoted
“JENNY LIND.”*
We have spoken in a former chapter of the sincere friend-
ship which sprang up, during the winter of 1844–45, between
Mdlle. Lind and Frau Professorin Amalia Wichmann, née
Feilner—the lady to whom the foregoing letter was addressed.
The attachment thus formed proved to be a lasting one.
The young artist stood sorely in need of a trusty friend and
counseller, in whose good faith and loyalty she could
place unbounded confidence, and upon whom she could lavish
the wealth of affection with which her own true heart was
overflowing. To an ardent and impulsive nature like hers
the love of such a friend was priceless, and Madame
Wichmann proved herself well worthy of the confidence she
inspired. She was a woman of marked ability, unvarying
discretion, amiable and prepossessing to the last degree, and
beloved by all who knew her.
* Translated from the original autograph, contained among the letters
written by Mdlle. Lind to Frau Professor Amalia Wichmann, by whom
they were carefully preserved. These letters are now in the possession of
one of Frau Wichmann's sons, who has kindly permitted us to furnish our
readers with numerous extracts, which in future we shall acknowledge
as “From the letters to Frau Wichmann.”
THE WICHMANN ROOM, AT BERLIN. [To face p. 301.

1845.] THE RETURN TO BERLIN (DON JUAN). 301
Her husband, Professor Ludwig Wilhelm Wichmann,
Knight of the Red Eagle,” the friend of Thorwaldsen and the
favourite pupil of Schadow, was at this period, though much
her senior, a vigorous and energetic man of sixty-one, of
much general cultivation apart from his own noble calling.
His house in the Hasenheger Strasse was the familiar resort
of the most distinguished artists and men of letters in
Berlin, and one particular room in it became afterwards
consecrated by the recollection of many happy evenings spent
in company with the Wichmann family and Mendelssohn,
and a host of kindred spirits, never to be forgotten. A little
sketch of this room, painted in oil colours by one of the
Professor's sons, the late Herr Otto Wichmann, was treasured
by Madame Goldschmidt among her choicest relics, accom-
panied by the following inscription (in English) in her own
handwriting:— *
“A room in Professor Wichmann’s house in Berlin, where
we oft were sitting till late in the night conversing with
Mendelssohn and Taubert.”
As the reader will, no doubt, be glad to picture to himself
the scene of so many pleasant réunions we have obtained per-
mission to present him with an engraving of the pretty salon.
The approaching winter season promised to be a brilliant
one. Mdlle. Lind took part in it for five months, from the
9th of November, 1845, to the 2nd of April, 1846, during
which period she sang twenty-eight times, including her own
benefit. As her second engagement was, like the first, for
Gastrollen only, there exists among the archives of the
Opera-House no written contract from which we might
ascertain the amount of the honorarium she received. All we
know is that on Saturday, November the 1st, 1845, the
play-bills, after announcing the first performance of Men-
* Ritter des Rothen Adler Ordens.
302 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. XIII.
delssohn's CEdipus in Colonos in the theatre attached to
the New Palace at Potsdam, added, in a foot-note, that
application for tickets for Mdlle. Lind’s first two operatic
performances would be received on Monday, November the
3rd. On the 4th of November the advertisement was re-
peated, and on the 5th appeared a 110 ice to the effect
that no more tickets for the first two performances
remained unsold, though—as during so great a part of
the former season—the prices were raised, to all parts of the
house.
The series of Gastrollen began on the 9th of November
with Norma, which was repeated on the 13th; and the
journals of the day criticised these revivals with no less
enthusiasm and no less minuteness in detail than they
had imported into their notices of the original performances
in 1844. The Berlin journal laid great stress on the fact
that the artist had “learned nothing and forgotten nothing.”
That she had passed through the fiery trial of a long suc-
cession of triumphs without once yielding to the temptations
with which it is invariably associated, and had returned to
Berlin bringing back her own lofty ideal in all its original
purity. We will not, however, follow the critics in their
prolonged analysis of works already fully discussed, but
pass on, at once, to the rôles produced this season for the
first time.
The first of these was Mozart's Il Don Giovanni–the
greatest by far of his dramatic works—in which she
appeared, for the first time in Berlin, in the character of
“Donna Anna,” on the 19th of November, repeating the part
on the 21st and 25th.
Up to this period it had been the custom when this
great work was sung in German to suppress Mozart's
Recitativo Secco in favour of spoken dialogue. Moreover,
since Mozart's death, the Opera had been brought to a con-
1845.] THE RETURN TO BERLIN (DON JUAN). 303
clusion—not only in Germany, but wherever else it was
performed—with the descent of its hero to the depths below ;
an arrangement which curtailed the Finale to the Second act
of three important movements absolutely necessary to the
perfection of its artistic and logical proportions, and this in
spite of the obvious intention of the composer to concentrate
in two of these movements—the Larghetto in G major,
containing the marvellously beautiful duet passages for
“Donna Anna ’’ and “Don Ottavio,” and the Presto in D,
with its bold contrapuntal subject, which is undoubtedly the
most masterly piece of choral writing in the entire work—in
spite, we repeat, of the evident intention of the composer
that, in this magnificent epilogue, the interest of his greatest
masterpiece should culminate. To neither of these bar-
barisms would Mdlle. Lind consent. Undeterred by the
absurd assertion—sufficiently disproved long before that
time by Weber in his Euryanthe, and destined to be still
more satisfactorily contradicted a few years later by the
musical dramas of Wagner—that the German language was
unfitted for continuous recitative, she caused the Spoken
dialogue to be expunged, and Mozart's original Recitativo
secco to be restored, throughout the entire Opera. And,
regardless of her own personal fatigue, she procured the
restoration of the last three movements of the Finale also—
an act of self-renunciation, for the sake of Art, in which no
other prima donna of the period would probably have cared
to imitate her, for there can be no reasonable doubt that the
omission of these movements arises in a great measure from
the unwillingness of the lady who plays the part of “Donna
Anna’—to say nothing of the representatives of “Donna
Elvira,” “Zerlina,” and “Don Ottavio”—to reappear upon the
scene, in a long and elaborate concerted piece, after the
triumph of their solo performances has been completed.
The outcry raised against an anti-climax will not bear
304 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XIII.
examination for a moment in this particular case; for
the interest of the story culminates, not in the punish-
ment of the libertine, but in the victory of Good over Evil:
and the climax is not reached until the close of the last
I’īn ūle.*
Two days after Mdlle. Lind’s first appearance in the part
of “Donna Anna’’ her performance was exhaustively cri-
ticised in the leading journal at Berlin; but before we
record the critic's opinion it is necessary that we should
say a few words in explanation of the point of view
from which, in the then prevailing aspect of German litera-
ture, he would be irresistibly tempted to approach the
subject. *
We have spoken, in a former chapter, of the strong pre-
possession on the part of the Germans in favour of Madame
Schroeder-Devrient's interpretation of the part of “Eury-
anthe,” and of the courage with which Mdlle. Lind under-
took the difficult task of contending against it. She found
herself placed at almost an equal disadvantage with regard
to the rôle of “Donna Anna’’; only, on this occasion, she
was brought into antagonism, not with a rival prima donna,
but with a literary genius of the highest order—one of the
then leading spirits of the German “Romantic school.”
Heinrich Hoffmann, in his well-known ‘Phantasiestücke,’
describes an imaginary performance of Mozart's chef-d'oeuvre,
accompanied by a fantastic analysis of the plot of the story,
and embodying an interpretation of its inner meaning dia-
metrically opposed to that which Mozart, in his music, has
expressed with a clearness too great to admit the possibility
of misconception. Starting with the assumption that Donna
* We have reason to believe that spoken dialogue is still substituted
in Germany for the original Recitativo Secco. The curtailment of the
Finale was, until very lately, universal; but we believe it is now some-
times performed as Mozart wrote it.
1845.] THE RETURN TO BERLIN (DON JUAN). 305
Anna is not the pure and grossly insulted maiden depicted
in the music of Mozart, he presents her to us in the cha-
racter of a guilty accomplice of the libertine: a repentant
sinner, it is true, but a sinner nevertheless: a victim—but
not an innocent one. He would have us believe that, having
yielded to the wiles of the tempter, she awakes from her
dream of passion only when she finds herself face to face
with its fatal consequences, and that then only her remorse
takes the form of vengeance for the murder of her father;
that her fancied love for the “cold and vulgar Don Ottavio "
—too poor a creature to assist her, of his own free will,
in her projects of revenge—is purest self-deception; and
that when, in the last scene of all, she begs him to defer
their marriage for a year that she may complete her term of
mourning for her father,” she knows very well that she has
not another year to live, since, for remorse like hers, the only
cure is death.
But surely this is the character that Mozart has
painted in the part of “Donna Elvira”—not in that of the
pure, though cruelly outraged, “Donna Anna,” whose music
has not a shadow of affinity with that assigned to the less
heroic victim of Don Giovanni's insidious treachery. Mo-
zart’s “Don Ottavio,” too, is the very opposite of “cold and
vulgar”—a loyal gentleman, the very ideal of a romantic
lover. If we accept Hoffmann's interpretation of the story
we must reject Mozart's from the first scene to the last,
and this Mdlle. Lind, at least, was not prepared to do. As
in the case of Euryanthe, her ideal conception and that of
the composer were one. -
Bearing this difference of interpretation in mind, the
reader will now find no difficulty in understanding Herr
* * Lascia o caro wr. anno ancora, allo Sfogo del mio cor,’ in the Finale
to Act II. This passage is differently rendered in the German transla-
tion of Rochlitz.
WOL. I. X
306 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. XIII.
Rellstab's critical description of Mdlle. Lind’s reading of the
part.
“When the critic,” he says, “exercises his calling with
relation to the achievements of Fräulein Jenny Lind, it
behoves him to use a special standard of measurement. The
closest adherence to this standard is needed when one sees
how this gifted artist grasps a rôle in its totality, and carries
it through from beginning to end. We are speaking to-day
of her performance of ‘Donna Anna,' in Mozart's Don
Juan.” It is well known that this part admits of a two-
fold conception, in accordance with the sense given to the
recitative ‘Schom sank die Wacht herab, mit ihrem Dunkel.’t
Some critics—first among whom stands Hoffmann, in his
richly imaginative ‘ Phantasien’—places Donna Anna under
the spell of Don Juan's fascinating influence, thereby in-
troducing a morbidly romantic element similar to that with
which some would surround the collision between Emilia
and the Prince in Lessing’s Emilia Galotti. In so far as
past performances of ‘Donna Anna,' here and there, are
present to our memory, artists seem willingly to have in-
clined to this interpretation; the more so because it is the
easiest and can be painted in the most gaudy colours, f But
none the less do we hold such an interpretation to be entirely
false. In the first place, it is not deducible from the text ;
besides which it deprives ‘Donna Anna’ of an important
part of her completeness as a dramatic figure; whereas the
element of inward leaning towards such an inclination is
admirably represented in the part of “Zerlina. In one
word, Jenny Lind clothes the part in her own modest purity
—no other conception would be intelligible to her. In cor-
roboration of what we have said we propose to mention a
few passages which were brought prominently forward, during
* It is by this name that Mozart’s Il Don Giovanni has always been
known in Germany.
f ‘Era già alquanto avvanzała la motte,’ in the original Italian, Atto I.
Scena 13. Recitativo, No. 9, preceding the Aria, No. 10, ‘ Or Sai che
l'onore.”
£ An honourable exception to this assertion must be recorded, in the
case of Madame Grisi, whose “Donna Anna’’ was free from the slightest
suspicion of an impure reading—which indeed it would have been impos-
sible to have associated with the noble “Don Ottavio’’ of Signor Rubini,
with whom she first sang the part.
1845.] THE RETURN TO BERLIN (DON JUAN). 307
the course of the performance. In the first Recitative the
Artist expressed an almost more than earthly Sorrow, in the
words, Weh, mir 1 mit Todtenblisse ganz bedeckt,’” and
‘Himmel ! ich sterbe /’t and the question, ‘Wo ist mein
Water hin 3’ f betokened a grief so childlike, and so deeply
felt, that the daughter seemed to have forgotten all else that
surrounded her. The grandest point of the performance,
however, was exhibited from quite another side. We mean
the moment, in the first quartet, § when Donna Anna first
gains the full assurance that Don Juan is the murderer
of her father. The expression of this seems the more diffi-
cult inasmuch as the previous words—" Höre, wie mir die.
Thränen fluth tief in die Seele geht' ||—stand in no connection
with, though they serve to prepare it. The whole action of
the scene, the recognition of the traitor, is comprised in the
words, “ Beim, Himme! / er ist der Mörder meines Vaters /'T
We will not attempt to describe the tones in which Jenny
Lind here expressed so exactly the grief of the daughter.
We refrain from selecting contrasted fragments of the part for
Separate praise, in order that we may show how all these
details work together for the perfection of the whole. Only
in this way can we prove how, in the Artist's mind, the
whole intention of the part is summed up in the grief of the
daughter for the father's death. This stands forth, every-
where, most clearly. It may be the expression of the strongest
determination, as in the words, ‘JDer Bösewicht iberlegen,
an Kraft, häuft Seine Missethałem, da er inn mordete.' ** Or
it may indicate resignation in connection with the happiness
of love, as when she says, “Diebe kann, nur die Zeit 'mir
gewähren.’ ft We could cite many such passages from a rôle
So full of meaning, especially in connection with the purely
* * Quel volto, tinto, e coperto del color di morte,’ in the original
Italian.
f ‘lo manco—io moro ! ” in the original.
† ‘Ah Il padre mio dov' & 2 ° in the original.
§ ‘Non tº fidar, o misera.” Atto I. No. 8 of the score.
| “Il Suo dolor, le lagrime m” empiono di pietà, in the original.
* * Quagli e il carnefice del padre mio, in the Scena, No. 9, Atto I.,
which immediately follows the quartett.
** “E l'indegno, che del povero vecchio era pii, forte, compie il misſatto
Suo.” In the Scena, No. 9, Atto I.
fi ‘Abbastanza per te mi parla amore.” Recit. ed Aria, No. 10, Atto
II.
X 2
308 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. C.H. XIII.
musical part of the performance; though, in this case, it is
difficult to separate the acting from the singing, so closely are
they interwoven together. But the limited space at our
command warns us that, for the present, we must bring our
remarks to a conclusion.””
Three days later Herr Rellstab resumos his unfinished
critique, discussing, with perfect fairness and strict im-
partiality, the points of difference between Hoffmann's fan-
tastic theory and Mdlle. Lind’s pure and maidenly conception
of the character of “Donna Anna’’; and summing up his
masterly analysis with the strongest possible arguments in
favour of the latter, maintaining that in presence of this
lofty ideal the exaggerated poetical licence with which the
subject has been so fancifully surrounded loses all its pre-
tended consistency and must of necessity be rejected, by
every thoughtful mind, as utterly false and artificial.
With this favourable verdict the frequenters of the Opera
were evidently disposed to agree : for “Donna Anna’’ was
at once accepted as one of Mdlle. Lind’s most powerful im–
personations; and though Hoffmann's utterances were received
at that period with almost superstitious veneration, no
less by the general public than by the literary and philo-
sophical world, no sign of dissatisfaction was ever shown at
this open and unqualified rejection of a theory propounded
in one of the most charming and Spirituelle of his imaginative
pieces.
On the first occasion on which she undertook the part
the performance derived an additional interest from the
fact that it took place on the “name-day ” of the Queen,
in honour of which the Opera was mounted with new scenery
of unusual splendour. The other parts were assigned to
Fräulein Marx (“Donna Elvira”); Fräulein Tuczec (“Zer-
lina"); Herr Mantius (“Don Ottavio”); Herr Bötticher
* Kgl. priv. Berlinische Zeitung. (Nov. 21, 1845.)
1845.] THE RETURN TO BERLIN (DON JUAN). 309.
(“Don Juan "); Herr Krause (“Leporello”); and Herr
Behr (“Masetto”). All did good service to the general
effect; and the “Zerlina” of Fräulein Tuczec received high
praise at the hands of the critics. The performance, indeed,
was an exceptionally fine one in every respect; and the
Opera was given five times during the season with ever-
increasing interest and raised prices of admission.*
* For the dates, see p. 366.
310 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. XIV.
CHAPTER XIV.
DER FREISCHÚTZ.
THE next new Opera in which Mdlle. Lind appeared, during
this, her second season at Berlin, was Weber's Der Freischütz.
To give entire satisfaction to a German audience in this
first and most famous of Romantic Operas is no easy matter.
The work is so thoroughly German, so well known, so
deservedly popular, and affords so many precious oppor-
tunities for the display of vocal and histrionic talent, that it
is not to be wondered at that singers of other than German
nationality approach it, on the national stage, with a
certain amount of diffidence ; nor can we feel surprised that,
since the part of “Agathe ” has been so often performed by
native singers of the highest excellence, a German audience
usually listens to its impersonation in a frame of mind
severely critical and not inclined to be easily satisfied.
The Opera was first produced at the then newly opened
Schauspielhaus in Berlin, on the 18th of June, 1821—the
anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo—which Weber looked
upon as a lucky day. The first performance took place under
unheard-of difficulties. Spontini, who then held the post of
General Musical Director to King Frederick William III.,
was strongly prejudiced against it. None of Weber's pre-
vious Operas had really succeeded; and his friends trembled
for the fate of this. At the last rehearsal, everything went
wrong. Yet the work was received by the public with an
enthusiasm which bordered upon frenzy, and ever since
1845.] DER FREISOHÚTZ. 311
that eventful night it has kept its place on the German
Lyric stage with undiminished success, and year after year
it is received in every German Opera-House with a welcome
as warm as that which greeted its first presentation years
ago. The Germans seem, indeed, incapable of tiring of it ;
and at the Royal Opera-House in Berlin it is more fre-
quently performed than any other Opera, Don Juan alone
excepted.
Mdlle. Lind first impersonated the part of “Agathe ” at
Berlin on the 30th of November, 1845; and on the 2nd of
December the Berlinische Zeitung contained the following
remarks on her performance :-
“It gives us more than ordinary pleasure to record that,
through the performance of Jenny Lind, Der Freischütz has
received a new impulse and a new birth ; a new element
Over and above that derived from the new mounting and the
careful study bestowed upon it; and the whole organism of
the work is enlivened with the beat of a stronger pulse. The
singer began her performance in a modest tone. In the duet
with “Aennchen”—of which charming character Mdlle.
Tuczec was the excellent exponent—she set before us the gentle
homely element alone. One had to listen very carefully here
in Order to recognise the singer and actress who exercises so
irresistible a power over us, and yet she rounded off the whole
with many fine and varied touches. In the grand Aria, later
on, the most heart-felt love and the tenderest breath of maiden-
hood were blended together and hallowed, both of them, with
sincerest piety. The singer was not contented with continu-
ing her prayer so long only as it was indicated in the music :
she retained it in her soul, that it might ring forth as a
thank-offering even in the ecstasy of love that occupied her
to the last moment. No singer has ever before adhered so
closely, or with such warmth and clearness, to the religious
tone with which Weber has coloured this entire scene. If
the memorable Nanette Schechner * carried us upwards,
by the might of her powerful tones, to bursts of inward
gladness rising ever higher and higher—so, on the other
* Afterwards, Madame Waagen.
312 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XIV.
land, the expression of our Artist, springing from the
inmost depths of the soul, hallowed the relations of earthly
love, and well knew how to enthral the hearer through a
higher bond of sympathy. Beyond this rendering of the entire
picture, in action and expression, addressed to the eye and
the ear, the artist delighted us with a wealth of musical
beauties of purest worth. We well remember the ethereal
breath with which she dwelt upon the so frequently misin-
terpreted pause, at the words “Welch Schöne Nacht,’” render-
ing it with the greatest possible correctness; the pianissimo
with which she began the prayer, ‘Leise, leise, from me . Weise,’
and which she continued to its conclusion; and the passage
in the Allegro, Himmel, nimm’ des Damkes Zähren, over-
flowing with the thankfulness of sincerest piety. That this
Scene produced an outburst of stormiest applause, which was
only with difficulty calmed down after it had long delayed
the progress of the drama, was no more than the natural
effect of so beautiful a performance.
“In the third act the performance was still happier.
In the second, f one felt sometimes that the ideal nature
was, to a certain extent, restrained, through the neces-
sity for accommodating it to the burgher element. But
in the third, when the dreamy bride, clothed in her
wedding dress, alone claims our attention, the action was
entirely devoted to the manifestation of her love. In some
passages in the ‘Prayer ºf her voice seemed to float upwards,
like a cloud of incense—a musical glamour with which no
other singer has ever so enchanted us in this composition.
For most singers the rôle of Agatha is comprised in two
airs alone. Our Artist carried on the interest, like a golden
thread, from beginning to end. And so dear to her heart
was the masterpiece, as a whole, that in the concerted pieces
she never once assumed more than the exact share allotted
to her, though she must have found it often very difficult to
restrain herself within the bounds prescribed by the demands
of the situation.
“We need scarcely say that at the close shouts and a
* The pause is on the F#, in the upper register, on the vowel 6, in
Schöne. It is often thoughtlessly transferred to the lower F#, at the end
of the passage, on the last syllable of the word.
f The heroine makes her first entrance on the rising of the curtain in
the second act.
f : Und ob die Wolke.’
1845.] DER FREISCHÚTZ. 313
call before the curtain resounded on every side though after
having been so deeply moved by truest Art such a conclusion
to the performance is rarely pleasant.”
If ever critic struck the right note in his analysis, Herr
Bellstab struck it here. If ever reviewer was led, by true
artistic instinct, to divine the secret of a great conception—
to trace back a perfect ideal to the germ whence it originally
Sprang—Herr Rellstab was so led in this particular instance.
“So dear to her heart was the masterpiece as a whole,” he
says—and he says well. We know, from her own words,
how dear it was to her. He found it out, from the manner
of her performance. He did not know, as we do, the
story of that memorable 7th of March, in 1838, when she
made the famous discovery recorded in one of our earlier
chapters f −the discovery that she had within her the power
of striking out an original conception, of forming an ideal of
her own untinged by the colouring of other artists, of
identifying herself with a being of her own creation, of
thinking its thoughts, of speaking its words, feeling its pains,
its agonies of anxiety, its pangs of cruel torture, its suspense,
its hopes, its consolations, its bursts of rapturous joy. He
did not know that she had discovered this—but he saw the
results of the discovery, and with the instinct of a true
critic he traced them to their veritable source—saw that it
was not for its two great Songs, but as a whole, that the
masterpiece was so dear to her—that she had created a real
character to illustrate the composer's meaning in its entirety,
and that in this character she thought, and wept, and Smiled,
and lived, and had her being. How could it have been
otherwise ? How could she, who loved all Nature with so
true a love; she to whom forest, and tree, and stream, and
mountain spoke with a voice So clear and sweetly intelligible
* Kgl. priv. Berlinische Zeitung. (Dec. 2, 1845.)
f See pp. 55–57 and 116.
314 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CII. XIV.
that she had never once in her whole life misunderstood it ;
she, to whom the voice of the birds was as familiar as her
own; how could she have failed to identify herself with
“Agathe,” the Forest Child? If she had actually lived in
the hunting-lodge, instead of imagining that she lived there,
would not every bird and beast and butterfly, every wild
creature that haunted the surrounding forest, have made her
its friend ? She was herself a Forest Child; as true a Child
of Nature as ever lived. And Der Freischütz was so dear to
her, as a whole, because it was essentially the Opera of
Nature. Strange as it may seem to say so, it is precisely
through its marvellous truth to nature that it reaches the
supernatural; through the cheery halloo of the realistic
chase, that it arrives at the infernal yell of the Wild Hunts-
man; through the sough of the night wind among the pines
so truthfully depicted in the immortal Scena, that it attains
the demoniac storm in the terrible Finale to the Second act.
And all this ghastly conflict between the natural and the
supernatural is—or ought to be if rightly understood—
inseparable from the part of “ Agathe.” The power of
the grim fiend, Zamiel; the weird influence of the Wild
Huntsman; the unholy spells of the Necromancer, Caspar;
all the dread forces of the Supernatural are in league against
her. And the Child of Nature conquers them all. The
wreath of natural roses, consecrated by faith and love and
purity, baffles every spell that the spectres of the forest can
bring to bear against it. And in the union of this trans-
cendental side, so to speak, of the character of “Agathe,”
with the natural picture of the simple-minded loving
peasant girl, lay the charm which made the part one of the
finest and most masterly of Mddle. Lind’s impersonations,
and one of her own special favourites.”
* For the dates of the three repetitions of the Opera which followed,
see p. 367.
( 315 )
CHAPTER XV.
Mečov Šē Toijtov 7, &ydºrm.
AND now, after having analysed in detail Mdlle. Lind's
ideal interpretation of some of the greatest masterpieces of
dramatic and musical Art, we may be allowed to withdraw
our attention for a moment from the Stage, with its turmoil
and its enchantment, the glamour of its poetry on the one
side and the disappointment of its cold illusions on the other,
its thunders of applause in front of the curtain and its heart-
burning cabals and conflicts of bitter jealousy and merce-
nary self-interest behind it. We may leave, for a while, this
strange scene of mingled reality and deception while we
turn temporarily aside for the purpose of refreshing ourselves
with some pictures of a different kind.
We have seen many instances of the calmness with which
Mdlle. Lind accepted the enthusiastic applause which was so
freely lavished upon her. It is scarcely too much to Say
that, many and many a time, she seemed to be the One
person in the midst of the excited concourse of admiring
spectators whom one would have supposed to be the least
interested in the demonstrations made in her honour. But
it would be a great mistake to infer from this that she was
insensible to, or ungrateful for, the admiration she excited.
The Secret of her outward calmness was that she accepted it,
not for herself, but in the name of the Art of which she
herself was the most fervid worshipper in the crowd. Her
standard of self-measurement was so provokingly low—if one
316 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. xv.
can venture to use the word, without disrespect—that she
could never be persuaded to attribute to her own genius
the results which were evidently due to it. But, she felt her
responsibility keenly, and worked with untiring energy in
order that she might not incur the danger of falling short of
the high standard that was expected of her.
Her own state of feeling with regard to her position in
Berlin at this particular period may be satisfactorily gathered
from a letter written by her to Madame M. Ch. Erikson, an
eminent Swedish actress, with whom she had long been on
terms of intimacy, and who died, at the age of sixty-eight,
in 1862.
“Berlin, Nov. 24, 1845.
“MY DEAR MADAME ERIKSON,+
“It was with the wildest pleasure and rejoicing that
I had the honour of receiving your kind letter, and I cannot
thank you enough for it.
“I use no empty words when I say that my rejoicing
was intense, for I had not forgotten that it was you
who first guided my sensitive young mind towards higher
aims, or that it was you who saw beneath the surface and
fancied that you had discovered something, overlooked by
others, behind those small grey insignificant eyes of mine.
“How changed is everything now ! What a position I
have now attained All the musical talent of Europe is, so
to speak, at my feet. What great things has the Almighty
vouchsafed to me ! It gives me real pain to lose the inex-
pressible satisfaction of submitting the progress I have made
to the judgment of one who so well understood me before
there was any one else who would even believe in my capacity
to do anything at all—and that one so rare and gifted an
artist as yourself!
“What a pity it is that we Swedes cannot get on in our
own country | No fame ! nothing ! nothing !
“What a celebrity you yourself ought to have become,
with that grace of yours—that charm displayed in every
movement when you are before the curtain What a
sensation ought not that, in itself, to have produced for
grace is scarce upon this earth.
“In seven months only I have succeeded in making my
1845.] Met{ov 8é Towtov m &ya.T.m. 317
reputation here: and, after seven years at home, not a
creature knew anything at all about me. At this present
moment all the first engagements in the world are offered to
me . After seven months Is it not strange 2
“I have lately appeared in ‘Donna Anna’; and have every
reason to be more than satisfied with the reception that was
accorded to me. The Berlin public is terribly critical. But,
this I like; for, if I take pains, I am at least properly appre-
ciated. They want to analyse my every gesture—every
shade of expression. Indeed one has to be careful; but
this certainly tends to mental cultivation.
“I am going to sing in Der Freischütz and the Die Vestalin, ;
for Operas such as these win the greatest and most solid
fame; though such rôles are not to be lightly approached.
And, moreover, I have to sustain no trifling comparisons;
for the moment I step forward I am measured with the
Sontag-measure, or that of the greatest artists that Germany
has produced.
“Perhaps you think that I have grown vain 2 No. God
shield me from that I know what I can do. I should be
very stupid if I did not. But I know, equally well, what I
cannot do.
“I have not yet quite made up my mind whether I go to
Vienna in the spring or not. In the meantime, I wonder
whether I may venture to tell you that, next autumn, I
mean to return home quite quietly, and to settle down,
caring nothing for the world. You will call this a crime.
But please to reflect, just a little, how difficult it is to stand
all this racing about—alone!—alonel with the certainty of
having to rely on my own judgment in everything, and yet
so absorbed at the same in my rôles. Oh! it is not easy.
However, we will not talk of this just yet. Enough
to say that connection with the Stage has no attraction for
me—that my soul is yearning for rest from all these per-
sistent compliments and this persistent adulation.
“Is not this sad news concerning Aurora Osterberg ſº I
had always cherished great expectations with regard to her,
for she really possesses charm and natural dispositions.
But when they marry ! Ah
“I wish I could hear, some day, that you were re-engaged
at the so-called ‘Great Theatre.' I should so rejoice. Ah
* A young Swedish Artist—afterwards Madame Olof Strandberg—who
died, in 1850, at the early age of 24
318 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. xv.
Do not resist the wish of the public. What a boon it would
be to have once more the chance of seeing a true Artist
perform 1 May this, my sincere wish, become a reality.
“I trust that I may be able to be of use to that good
fellow, Herr Ahlström.” It is hard for a stranger to manage
here in Berlin without help.
“I do hope this long letter has not quite tired you out,
dear Madalue Erikson; and, in proof of this, I trust that I
may still look forward to hearing from you again. It would
make me so happy
“And here I will finish ; assuring you of my sincere
affection, and remain,
“Your grateful pupil,
“JENNY LIND.”f
It is interesting to compare these remarks upon the style
of the Berlin criticisms with the copious extracts we have
reproduced from the writings of Herr Rellstab, the character
of which she exactly describes. And greater interest still
attaches to the comparison of what she here says concerning
her retirement from the Stage, with the description of its
“fascination,” contained in the letter written from Paris to
Madame Lindblad, on the 24th of October, 1841. That
description had, however, been written four years previously.
Since then she had passed through many experiences
—not all of them exhilarating; and it must be confessed
that the remarks addressed to Madame Erikson accord very
* Musical Director and Orchestral Conductor at several of the smaller
theatres in Stockholm, and afterwards Bandmaster of the Second Life-
Guards. Later on he was Organist of the parish church of Hedwig
Eleonara, in Stockholm, where he died, in 1857.
f Translated from the original letter, written in Swedish, and dated
Berlin, Nov. 24, 1845. Soon after Madame Goldschmidt’s death the text
of this letter was printed in a newspaper published in the province of
Skania, whence it speedily ran the round of the Scandinavian press. Mr.
Goldschmidt, having had his attention drawn to it, endeavoured to esta-
blish its authenticity, and was fortunate enough to acquire the original
autograph.
i See page 126.
1845.] Meſov 8é Toitov m &ydºrm. 319
well with the expressions she used when addressing Mrs.
Grote on the same subject some two months before the
foregoing letter was written.”
But in any case, whether she then seriously contem-
plated an almost immediate retirement from the Stage or
only thought of it as a desirable and extremely probable
contingency, she made the noblest use of the pecuniary
advantages she derived from it.
We have spoken of her offer to assist Herr Josephson in
his project of carrying on his studies in Italy.f
In the month of June, 1845, he wrote, at Vienna, in his
Diary –
“Through the care of Munthe, Jenny Lind’s homme
d'affaires, I have received a letter containing a cheque which
guarantees my going to Italy. And now I am looking
hopefully towards the South. May it prove of real use !
Not in vain must my good friend have tendered the
proffered aid, accepted in the name of Art. God grant she
may ever prosper | She is growing into my heart, as a sister
and as a friend.”f
Mdlie. Lind did not, however, write to him herself until
the beginning of December, when she sent him the following
letter:- &
“You poor boy so far away in a strange country and for
so dreadfully long a time, without having heard a word,
directly, from your friend who is now writing to you, and
who wishes you so well and has so faithfully retained her
friendship for you !
“Dear good Jacob I cannot understand how it is possible
that I have left you so long without a word. But I have
been travelling again nearly the whole summer, and have
really not been able to write.
“I have received your letters in due course, and hasten to
* See page 273.
f See page 218.
f N.P. Ödman, in op. cit. tom. ii.
320 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XV.
answer the last. My money matters are not just now in my
own hands, and as you need money only at the time of the
new year, I write this to-day before sending it. But it is
coming Soon.
“And now I suppose I must tell you everything about
myself. In the first place, I am splendidly well. I am
enjoying myself very much. I am very glad and very
graleſul ſor Llle kind treatment we—that is, Louisc and I–
are receiving at Professor Wichmann’s, and we find it very
enjoyable there. Furthermore, my voice has grown twice
as strong as it was—the middle register quite clear. My
acting is something quite different, with much more vivacity
and passion ; stout and broad-shouldered, and quite first-
rate | If my success was great last year, it is now quite
furious. I have appeared here as ‘Donna Anna, and
succeeded well. Yesterday also I appeared, for the first
time in Berlin, in Der Freischütz—and that also went well.
Now guess what my next part will be 2 Die Vestalin.
After that, ‘Alice' and “Valentine.’ Tithatschek will
probably be here at the new year. Meyerbeer is still in
Paris, but is expected here soon. But, Jacob, Mendelssohn
is here ! I see him almost every day at the Wichmanns'.
And he is quite an exceptional man. Dear ! we are going,
the day after to-morrow, to Leipzig. Now, at least, I shall
sing at a Gewandhaus Concert under his direction 1
“Your letter to Gade * has been sent off in due course.
“Mendelssohn's CEdipus has been given here, and it was
magnificent.f To-nightſ his Athalie is to be produced, for
the first time, at Charlottenburg, and I look forward eagerly
to the evening.
“It is possible that I may go to Vienna next spring.
True, I feel restrained by nervousness, but the engagement
is a good One.
“All is as before at home. Art has disappeared ! Home-
life alone is pleasant, as before. Apart from that all is
emptiness. But how does that help me ! I have as much
home-sickness as ever, all the same. And my only wish is
* Herr Niels W. Gade was then residing at Leipzig, where he had been
invited, at the instance of Mendelssohn, to accept a Professorship in the
newly-founded Conservatorium der Musik. (See also page 285.)
f The reader will remember that it was produced in the Theatre of the
New Palace, at Potsdam, on the 1st of November, 1845.
f Sunday, December the 1st.
1845.] Meiſov Šē Toitov # 3-yd Tm. 321
to attain repose away from the Stage. And a year hence
I shall go home, and remain at home, my friend Oh how I
shall enjoy life Ah! peace is the best of all. I have never
had that as I have it now. You will come and see me
sometimes, will you not ?
“Well! I am quite ready to believe that Italy must be
beautiful. God give you success and progress, my good
friend We need you much in Sweden. It would please
me well to go to Italy next spring, but I must first earn
Some money. So, God’s peace and blessing be with you.
Remember me to young Wichmann. All his people are
well.
“Ineed not assure you that I always remain
“Your faithful friend,
“J.L.” +
It is touching to see the great Artist longing for the
beauties of Italy, yet deferring the enjoyment of them until
she could “earn some money,” while she was really enabling
the young student to whom she wrote to prosecute his studies
there with money she had previously earned. But she felt
that she was doing a good work for him and for Art, and
with her that consideration always overrode all others.
Her whole life was modelled on the words we have chosen
for the heading of our present chapter. She not only felt, in
her heart of hearts, the firm conviction that “The greatest
of these is charity,” but she so lived that every act of her
existence was a proof of the sincerity of her convictions—a
proof that she not only recognised the truth of the law by
force of intelligent deduction, or even by grace of divinely
inspired faith, but that she herself felt personal experience
of its truth in the happiness she derived from moulding every
thought and action of her life in accordance with it.
It is touching, too, to see how her Artist-nature expands at
* Letter from Mdlle. Lind to Herr Jacob Axel Josephson, dated
“Berlin, Dec. 1, 1845,” and translated from a copy kindly furnished by
Madame Josephson.
WOL. I. y
322 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XV.
the thought of a closer acquaintance with Mendelssohn—the
composer whose genius was in closer sympathy with her own
than that of any other musician then living, and to mark
how she revelled in the thought of singing to the accompani-
ment of the orchestra he conducted, well knowing before-
hand the delight she would feel in being so perfectly and so
effectually accompanied. None but a really great singer
can fully understand the delight of singing to such an accom-
paniment, whether played by the Orchestra or on the piano-
forte, and in this case the vocalist was certainly not
disappointed.*
* She was always most particular with regard to her accompaniments,
and was never Satisfied unless they were as completely in accord
with her own conception as if she herself had played them. At a
later date—October 8, 1851—she wrote, from the Falls of Niagara,
to her guardian, Judge Munthe, with reference to a concert tour of three
months’ duration on which she was then starting : “Herr Goldschmidt
is our accompanist, and whether he accompanies me or I accompany
myself, it is absolutely the same thing.”
( 323 )
CHAPTER XVI.
AT THE GEWANDHAUS.
IN a letter addressed to her guardian, Judge Munthe, on the
12th of January, 1846, Mdlle. Lind writes:— *
“Felix Mendelssohn comes sometimes to Berlin, and I have
often been in his company. He is a man, and at the same
time he has the most supreme talent. Thus should it be.”
The words are few, but weighty enough in their relation
to the social history of Art; for, taken into consideration in
connection with the expressions quoted in the preceding
chapter from her letter to Herr Josephson, they give
us the first direct indication of a friendship which,
ripening with time, conti, led, with ever-increasing loyalty
and warmth, until the moment at which the composer of
JElijah entered into his rest, on the 4th of November, 1847;
a friendship the full value of which can be understood by
those only who enjoyed the inestimable privilege of friendly
intercourse, though in ever so humble a degree, with that
truly remarkable “man, ; ” a friendship in which the world
of Art itself was interested. For it is absolutely certain that
these two artistic spirits exercised a notable influence over
each other in all that concerned the Art they worshipped;
insomuch that the Elijah itself owed something to Mendels-
sohn's familiarity with her ideal treatment of the voice,”
while her interpretation of his loveliest melodies was
* See Wol. ii.; Book VIII., Chapter vii.
t Y 2
324. JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XVI.
undoubtedly penetrated with the spirit he infused into the
harmonies with which he accompanied her on the piano-
forte.
Though residing at this time in Leipzig, Mendelssohn
came occasionally to Berlin, and had evidently taken such
oppoi Luuilies as he could of renewing the acquaintance first
formed on the 21st of October, 1844, at the house of Professor
Wichmann. On the 1st of November, 1845, he super-
intended the production of his CEdipus in Colonos, at the
theatre attached to the New Palace at Potsdam. A month
later he came again, to conduct the first performance of
his music to Racine’s Athalie, on the 1st of December,
at the Royal Theatre at Charlottenburg, and this visit he
turned to excellent account in more ways than one. He
was engaged, that winter, in conducting the famous Ge-
wandhaus Concerts at Leipzig, which were then universally
acknowledged to be the finest in Europe. Under his all-
powerful bătom they had met with unexampled success. The
best artists of the day thought it an honour to be permitted
to take part in them. He, on his part, did all in his power to
make them as perfect as possible, and he eagerly seized this
opportunity of persuading his friend to assist him in his
noble work. The Intendant of the Opera-House” seems to have
granted the necessary leave of absence without difficulty,
and on the 3rd of December—the day following the second
performance of Der Freischütz—the two great Artists pro-
ceeded together to Leipzig.
Though the dimensions of this quaint old town were greatly
inferior, in 1845, to those of which it now boasts, it exercised
a greater and far more healthy influence upon the develop-
* Herr C. Th. von Küstner, General-Intendant der Königlichen Schau-
Spiele, from June 1, 1842, to May 31, 1851, of whose genuine kindness and
powerful support, during her residence at Berlin, Madame Goldschmidt
spoke at all times with warmest recognition.
1845.] A T THE GE WAND HA U.S. 325
ment of Art than either Berlin or Vienna. The audience, at
the Gewandhaus, was being gradually educated on a system
which was already beginning to bring forth excellent fruit.
Though severely critical, it was prone to bursts of genuine
enthusiasm; and when the good burghers who dominated
the Society of the town heard of the treat that was in store
for them, their excitement knew no bounds. Though the
prices of admission were instantly raised from two-thirds of
a thaler to one thaler and a third—i.e., from two shillings to
four—the tickets were all sold off at once, and their lucky
possessors were able to command any price they liked to ask
for them at second-hand. The “free list" was stopped, of
Course, and even the students of the Conservatorium,” who
enjoyed prescriptive right of admission, were politely told
that their prescriptive right would not be recognised on the
evening of the eighth concert.
This arbitrary resumption of vested privileges provoked an
“indignation meeting ” at the rooms of one of the offended
brotherhood, at which it was resolved that a firm but
respectful protest should be addressed to the most active of
the Directors—a gentleman of severe aspect, but not it was
hoped of absolutely stony heart. The difficulty was, to find
a mouse to bell the cat. A victim was, however, selected
and Sacrificed, and in the course of the day he reappeared
before the adjourned conclave with a face which distinctly
showed that he had been received with the gentle courtesy
usually accorded by College dons to students too keenly
alive to encroachments upon their privileges.f
The rush for tickets was, in fact, so great that had the
Saal des Gewandhauses been four times as large as it really
was it could have been filled over and over again. Through
* Founded by Mendelssohn in 1843, and then flourishing exceedingly
under his energetic personal superintendence.
f The “victim’’ was Herr Otto Goldschmidt.
326 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XVI.
the kindness of Herr Julius Kistner, the well-known music
publisher, the writer, maddened with the excitement of the
moment, was fortunate enough to obtain a seat in the front
row, close to the orchestra, between the places occupied by
the heroic presenter of the protest and the late Mr. Joseph
Ascher, another member of the “Indignation Committee.”
The room was crowded to suffocation and the audience
breathless with suspense.
The programme contained the following pieces:—
1. Symphonie von W. A. Mozart (D dur, ohne Menuet).
2. Arie aus Norma, ‘Keusche Göttin’ (‘Casta Diva'), gesungen von
Frl. Jenny Lind. -
3. Adagio und Rondo für die Violine, mit Orchester, componirt und,
Vorgetragen von Herrn Joseph Joachim.
4. Duet (‘Se fuggire') von Bellini, gesungen von Frl. Jenny Lind
und Miss Dolby.
. Ouverture zu Oberon, von C. M. von Weber.
6. Recit. und Arie, aus Don Juan, von Mozart, “Ueber alles bleibst
du theuer’ (‘Non mi dir’), gesungen von Frl. Jenny Lind.
. Caprice für die Violine, tiber ein Thema aus dem Piraten, von
Bellini, componirt von H. W. Ernst, gespielt von Herrn Joseph
Joachim.
8. Lieder, mit Pianofortebegleitung, gesungen von Frl. Jenny Lind. .
5
7
The burst of applause which, at these concerts, was
usually reserved until the Gast of the evening had earned her
laurels, was awarded to her, on this occasion, on her entrance
into the Orchestra; but probably every one in the room felt,
a few moments later, that it had been sufficiently earned by
the veiled yet indescribably delicious sweetness of the long-
drawn A with which the scena from Norma begins. #
Herr Heinrich Brockhaus, in his Diary, describes the
events of the evening in terms which exactly correspond
with our own recollection of them :-
“1845. Leipzig, December 4. Jenny Lind has fulfilled
the promise she made, in the summer, to sing at One of the
1845. AT THE GE WAND HA U.S. 327
subscription-concerts, to my great enjoyment and truly
heartfelt pleasure.
“Luise * wrote to Fräulein Lind to offer her our hospitality,
So I am actually living under the same roof with our charming
visitor.
“The expectations of the Leipzigers—who pride them-
Selves somewhat on their musical taste and are sometimes
a little hypercritical—were raised very high indeed ; but the
first air, from Norma, at once won everything for the Singer,
and the enthusiasm rose higher and higher through a duet
with Miss Dolby from Romeo and Juliet, through a recitative
and air from Don Juan, and, finally, through some songs by
Mendelssohn and some Swedish national airs, to a quite
extraordinary pitch.
“And with good reason.
“She is a most extraordinary singer: a musical nature
through and through, in full command of the most beautiful
means; and, besides that, so penetrated and spiritualised
with the singing of everything which she renders, that a
Song Sung by her goes straight to the heart.
“Soul and expression so intimately associated with so
beautiful a voice and so perfect a method will never be met
with again; the appearance of Fräulein Lind is, therefore,
truly unique.
“And with all that what noble and beautiful simplicity
pervades her whole being ! free from all fictitious coquetry,
though, all the same, she takes delight in the effect she
produces. One can only wonder, and love her. And this
affectionate appreciation of her is universal—the same with
young and old, with men and with women. And again,
there is something so thorough and consistent; a noble and
beautiful nature; a manifestation of the genius of the noblest
womanhood and the highest art.
“Who can sing either German or Italian music as she
does ºf Who is so great a mistress of National Song as
she 7 In the case of other singers people are often influenced
by a critique, and astuteness prides itself upon the discovery
of some weak point. With Fräulein Lind one rejoices one's
* Frau Friedrich Brockhaus, née Wagner; a sister of Richard Wagner.
f Mdlle. Lind sang the airs from Norma and Don Juan, and two
songs by Mendelssohn, in German; the duet from Romeo in Italian ; and
two Swedish Songs in her own language.
328 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. XVI.
self at her success, and feels with her until the applause
bursts forth.” "
Instead of following up her success by giving a “benefit”
on her own account, and filling the room to suffocation, as
she might easily have done at any prices she liked to
deilland, she announced her intention of singing, the next
night, at the concert which she determined to give in
aid of the Orchester-Wittwen-Fond—an institution for the
maintenance of the widows of deceased members of the
Gewandhaus Orchestra—for which the following programme
was advertised :— --
1. Ouverture zu Euryanthe, von C. M. von Weber.
2. Scene und Arie aus dem Freischütz, von C. M. von Weber, gesungen
von Fräulein Jenny Lind.
3. Concert für Pianoforte, in G moll, componirt und vorgetragen von
Herrn General-Musikdirektor Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
4. Finale aus Euryanthe, von C. M. von Weber. Die Parthie der
“Euryanthe,” vorgetragen von Fräulein Jenny Lind.
5. “Im Hochlande.” Ouverture für Orchester von Niels W. Gade.
6. Scene und Arie aus Figaro, von W. A. Mozart, gesungen von
Fräulein Jenny Lind.
. Solo für Pianoforte.
. Lieder am Pianoforte, gesungen von Fräulein Jenny Lind.
!
At the morning rehearsal for this concert—which took
place on Friday the 5th of December—the fêted Gast was
greeted, as she entered the orchestra, by an unpremeditated
flourish of trumpets; and, while rehearsing the finale to the
first act of Euryanthe, the pupils of the Thomas-Schule, to
whom the choral portions were entrusted, were so enchanted
with the delivery of the graceful scale-passages to the
words
“Sehnen Verlangen durchwogt die Brust;
Wieder inm sehen, Ohimmlische Lust 1”
* ‘Aus den Tagebüchern von Heinrich Brockhaus,” (Leipzig, 1884),
Band ii. p. 88. Privately printed, for friends only.
1845.] AT THE GE WANDFIA U.S. 329
that they forgot to count their bars’ rest, and Mendelssohn
brought down his bâton, at the hundred and Seventh bar of
the allegretto, amidst a ridiculous silence, which at any other
time would have infuriated him, though on this occasion he
joined, as heartily as any one, in the general laughter.
Herr Heinrich Brockhaus has included a minute descrip-
tion of this Concert also in his published Diary; but the
account given in the unpublished note-book of his youthful
son, Edouard, is so charmingly unaffected and natural, that
we insert it in preference to the more mature remarks of the
elder gentleman.
“On Friday, the 5th of December, the Lind was to sing at
a concert for the Orchester-Wittwen-Fond. Every one was
delighted, but I most of all, as I hoped that I also might get
a chance of hearing her; and, luckily, at dinner-time, mother
gave me a ticket, which I kept in my hand all the afternoon,
for fear of losing it.” Tickets were very rare just then,
and, though they only cost 1 Rthl., 10 Ngr., f I know that
some were sold for 3 Rthl., and even 5 Rthl. The concert
was to begin at half past six o'clock, and I was at the Gewand-
haus by half-past five ; it took me, however, a good quarter
of an hour to get up the few steps leading to the hall. For
the steps were crammed with people, including many ladies,
and there was scarcely room to stand, much less to turn
round. So we moved slowly forwards, and thought our-
selves lucky when we mounted a single step. The hall was
Soon so full that not another creature could be squeezed in,
and many had to stand the whole evening in the little room
where the buffet is; but, luckily, I got a seat in the third row
in the gallery, where I could see and hear everything.
“The Lind first sang the scena and air from Figaro, Š and I
can really find no adequate expression to apply to her singing.
The power of the voice, even in the highest notes, the feeling,
when she sang pianissimo, and, above all, the perfection of
her execution, cannot be described in words. The shake,
* The usual dinner-hour at Leipzig then was, and still is, one o'clock
in the afternoon. f Four shillings.
f Nine, and even fifteen shillings; unheard-of prices in Leipzig.
§ The places of the airs from Figaro and Der Freischütz were changed.
330 -> JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XVI.
and all the finer nuances, sounded so perfectly natural,
and she sang with such life and expression, that she had
to hold back continually, to keep herself from acting.
And the people seemed as if they would never leave off
applauding.
“In the second part she sang the well-known scene and
air from Der Freischütz, and here again, from every gesture,
one could see that it was as much as ever she could do to
hold herself in check so as not to act it. And the expression
she gave to every word, and the swelling of the tones and
the feeling and the execution, were really unsurpassable. -
“After Mendelssohn had played a beautiful solo on the
pianoforte, in the most masterly style,” the Lind sang, last
of all, three songs. The first was Mendelssohn’s ‘Frühlings-
lied, f and the two others extremely original Swedish Volks-
lieder. Mendelssohn accompanied them on the pianoforte,
* This solo included a remarkable passage of improvisation which still
lives within the memory of all who had the happiness of hearing it.
Beginning with a characteristic prelude in Eb, Mendelssohn played, as
he only could play it, his own Lied ohne Worte, No. 1, Book VI. Then,
during the course of a prolonged and masterly modulation to the remote.
key of A major, he continued the semiquaver accompaniment of the
movement for some time longer, carrying it through new and unexpected
harmonies, so arranged as to permit the reiteration of the bell-like B9,
under constantly changing conditions, and afterwards varying it with
other notes, similarly treated, after the manner of an inverted pedal-point.
Presently a new figure made its appearance, invoking at first vague
reminiscences only, but gradually settling down into the floating arpeggios
of the Allegretto con grazia, No. 6, in the Fifth Book—the so-called
Frühlingslied. Every one knew now what was coming : but all were
taken by surprise by the agitated climax into which he worked up the
arpeggio-form ; first, carrying it through a stormy fortissimo, and then
suffering it to die gently away as it approached the long-delayed chord of
A major, until at last the lovely melody fell on the ear with a charm too
great to be expressed in words. The recollection of it returns as vividly
as if it had been played but yesterday. It was, we believe, the last time
that Mendelssohn ever played this delicious movement—now, alas ! SO
remorselessly hackneyed 1–in public ; and all present agreed that he had
never before been heard to play it with such magical effect. -
f I.e. the vocal Frühlingslied in D; ‘Leise zieht durch mein Gemiith.”
f The first of these Volkslieder was the brilliant Tanzlied aus Dalekar-
lien—“Kom du lilla flicka’—sung by Mdlle. Lind in A minor, and
beginning with a bright trill on the upper A; from which note it passed,
immediately, to the upper C. This song afterwards became extremely
1845.] A T THE GE WAND HA U.S. 331
º with them the Concert came, all too soon, to an
€IlCl.
“The Lind had promised to spend the evening with us,
and when we got home we found everything made ready for
her reception. As she had begged that no company might
be invited, mother * had only asked Tante Luise, with the
rest of the family, and the Mendelssohns.
“About nine o'clock our court-yard was suddenly filled
with a crowd of people, mostly students, who had come, with
torches, to serenade the Lind. When a circle had been
formed, by torch-light, Weber's Jubilee Overture was first
played; f then a song was sung; and afterwards they sang
and played alternately, The Lind was quite taken by
surprise, and kept on asking father what she should do and
how she should thank the people.
“While she was peeping out of the window there came a
pause, and a lot of Concert directors, with Concertmeister
David Š and Dr. Haertel || at their head, came into the room,
popular, both in Germany and in England. The second Volkslied was
Herr Berg's Fjerran i Skog—‘Der Hirt” (Herdegossen)—in F# minor ;
in the ninth and tenth bars of which occurred a long-sustained pause upon
an unaccompanied F#, in the middle register. While the audience were
listening to this in breathless suspense, as it gradually died away, and
every moment expecting it to fade into absolute silence, it gently
descended to an almost equally long-drawn F1, so wonderfully piano
that it was all but inaudible, and yet so true and firm, that it penetrated
to the remotest corners of the Concert-room. The effect was magical : it
was, perhaps, the most marvellous feat of vocalisation that had ever been
attempted within the memory of the oldest critic then present; a living
verification of the legendary stories told of the wonderful Farinelli, the
history of whose exploits has been so frequently laughed at as too extra-
vagant for credence. Herr Berg's song will be found, in our Appendix
of Music, at the end of Vol. ii. -
* Frau Heinrich Brockhaus (née Campe).
f Frau Friedrich Brockhaus (née Wagner). $
f I.e. by a large band of wind instruments which accompanied the
students. The number of serenaders amounted, in the aggregate, to fully
three hundred; and as the concert was over by half-past eight o'clock,
they easily reached the house by nine.
§ Mendelssohn's friend, Herr Ferdinand David, the well-known
violinist. 3.
| Dr. Haertel, the then head of the well-known music-publishing firm.
332 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XVI.
and, in the name of the musicians, presented her with
a beautiful silver salver, on which were engraved the
Words:–
“‘To Fräulein Jenny Lind, from the grateful musicians.”
“On the salver was placed a beautiful wreath of laurel
and calliellias. It was given to her by the musicians as
a mark of thankfulness, because she had sung for the
institution for the benefit of the widows of members of the
orchestra. David accompanied the gift with a few words,
and the Lind was so surprised that she could only look at
him while he was speaking, and thank him with a silent
gesture.
“During all this time I got the champagne ready, and
many healths were drunk—naturally, hers first of all.
Father then filled a great tankard and brought it to her, that
she might first taste it herself, and then send it round to the
gentlemen; but she would not do this—why, I cannot
imagine. She passed it on, however, to David, saying,
* Drink to your own health !’
“During the music she stood, for the most part, at the east
window, in the corner, and listened to it eagerly; but one
could see that the crowd of people was painful to her.
When the students had left off singing—there were two
hundred singers, besides a multitude of others—Mendels-
sohn led the Lind into the court-yard. I followed her,
with Tante Luise; and Mendelssohn said that the honour-
able task of conveying to them Fräulein Lind's thanks for
this had fallen to his lot, and that he fulfilled it with
pleasure; but that, in addition, and in his own person as
* Leipziger Musikdirector,’ he wished long life to Fräulein
Lind.”
* Mendelssohn's exact words were:—
“MEINE HERREN 1
“Sie denken dass der Kapellmeister Mendelssohn jetzt zu Ihnen
spricht, aber darin irren Sie sich. Fräulein Jenny Lind spricht zu
Ihnen und dankt Ihnen herzlich für die schöne Ueberraschung die Sie
ihr bereitet haben | Doch jetzt verwandele ich mich wieder in den
Leipziger Musikdirector und fordere Sie als Solcher auf, Fräulein Jenny
Lind hoch leben zu lassen I Sie lebe hoch ! und nochmals hoch und
Zum dritten mal hoch !”
1845.] A T THE GE WAND HA U.S. 333
“All joined, naturally, in shouting “Long life to Fräulein
Lind And we then tried to get back into the house, but
found it very difficult to do so, so closely did the crowd press
round, on every side, to catch a glimpse of the Lind.
“In going away, they sang the beautiful “Waldlied.’” The
gentlemen who had presented the silver plateau, then took
their leave after the Lind had duly thanked them, and the
Mendelssohns did not stay very much longer.
“No sooner were the doors closed behind them than she
embraced mother and Marie, and all who were standing near
her, and jumped up like a child. The presence of so many
people had worried her, and it was not until they were gone
that her joy broke forth.
“We now sat round a table and enjoyed ourselves very
much. The Lind showed us, among other things, her
bracelets, two of which were particularly beautiful. One, in
the form of a serpent, was given to her by the late King of
Sweden, and the other, which was very splendid, by the
present King of Prussia.f. At the top of this last was a cover,
with three real pearls as large as peas; and under this cover,
which was made to lift up, was a little cylinder-watch, the
size of a four-groschen piece. f She looked with great
pleasure at our pictures and engravings, while I held the
lights for her, and at about eleven o’clock she went down to
her apartments.” $
The graphic and life-like picture, thus charmingly painted
by the bright youth of sixteen, forms a fitting conclusion
(Translation.)
“GENTLEMEN 1
“You think that the Kapellmeister Mendelssohn is speaking to
you, but in that you are mistaken. Fräulein Jenny Lind speaks to you,
and thanks you for the beautiful surprise that you have prepared for her.
But now I change myself back again into the Leipzig Kapellmeister, and
call upon you to wish long life to Fräulein Jenny Lind. Long life to
her l and again, long life to her l and, for the third time, long life l’”
* “Lebewohl, du schöner Wald, Mendelssohn's Part-song for four male
voices, then the most popular Part-song in Germany.
f See page 254.
† A little larger than an English sixpence.
§ From a MS. Journal, written, at the time, by Mr. (now Dr.) Edouard
Brockhaus.
334 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XVI.
to our narrative of Mdlle. Lind’s memorable visit to
Leipzig.
She might well have retired to her rooms, tired out with
fatigue and excitement, at eleven o’clock; for on the next
day—Saturday, the 6th of December—she was to return to
Berlin, where she was announced to reappear, for the ſourll,
time, in Don Juan on the following Tuesday.
( 335 )
CHAPTER XVII.
DIE VESTALIN*
HERR JOSEPHSON received Mdlle Lind’s letter on the 12th
of December, 1845, and on that day made the following
entry in his Diary:- &
“Letter from Jenny Lind.” Since I left Leipzig I had not
Once heard directly from her, as her constant travels during
the summer had prevented her from writing quietly to
friends far away. Her words are full of friendship, and she
Writes concerning herself with a clearness which cannot but
be gratifying to her friends. She speaks of new triumphs in
her artistic career. Mendelssohn has been in Berlin, and
she has been to Leipzig and sung in the Gewandhaus
Concerts. *
“Mendelssohn and Jenny Lind together ' in Leipzig .
What would I not have given to have been there in those
days ”f -
They were very delightful days indeed, as the writer him-
self can testify; but to no one were they more delightful
than to the two great Artists to whose joint offerings at the
shrine of Art they owed the charm of their enchantment.
Some months, however, elapsed before these two great
Artists were again able to pursue their high task with each
Other's assistance. The dates of Mendelssohn's visits to Berlin
were fitful and uncertain. Though the Mendelssohn family
lived in the Prussian capital, and much regretted his absence
* See page 319 for the text of Mälle. Lind's letter.
~f ‘Aus dem Leben eines Schwedischen Componisten;’ von N. P.
Odman. (Tom. ii.) -
336 JENNY LIWD. [BK. IV. CH. XVII.
from it, his duty manifestly lay in Leipzig, at the Conserva-
torium which he himself had founded and in the orchestra
of the Gewandhaus. When summoned to Berlin, in his
capacity of Kapellmeister, by command of King Friedrich
Wilhelm IV., he had, of course, no choice but to obey; but
no Guch gummons seems to lave been issued subsequently to
the production of CEdipus in Colonos until long after the
winter season was over. In the meantime, however, the
pretty room in the Hasenheger Strasse was not deserted.
Many pleasant evenings were spent in it in the company of
Taubert, Professor Edward Magnus (the well-known German
painter), Professor Werder, Professor Schnackenberg, Graf
von Schlieffen, Concertmeister Ries, with, on rarer occasions,
Lenné, (the well-known landscape-gardener, and the originator
of the German royal plantations around Potsdam), Graf
von Redern (the so-called Musikgraf, or Director of the
Court Music), and other distinguished artists, men of letters
and other privileged guests, on terms of intimacy with the
Wichmann family, and welcomed at their little réunions, in
virtue of their talents, their conversational powers, or their
achievements in various branches of Literature, or Art.
Madame Wichmann enjoyed, in fact, the envied distinction
of forming a salon of which Mdlle. Lind was by no means
one of the least brilliant ornaments, though she herself
would probably have been the last to believe that her
presence could have added anything to the attractions of a
social gathering founded on so broad an intellectual and
artistic basis.
On the 30th of December—that is to say, a little more
than three weeks after her return from Leipzig—Mdlle. Lind
appeared, for the first time at Berlin, in a new and very
arduous and important rôle—that of “Julia,” in Spontini’s
opera, Die Vestalin—which she had previously impersonated
six times only, at Stockholm, during the whole of her long
1845.] DIE VESTA LIN. 337
career—probably because it was found unsuited to the
Swedish popular taste.
Die Vestalin had long been a very favourite Opera, in
Berlin, where it had been placed upon the stage with
extraordinary magnificence, and entirely under the composer's
Own personal direction, when he was invited to the Prussian
capital, in the character of General Music Director, by
Ring Friedrich Wilhelm III., in the year 1820. The part
of “Julia " had then been sustained by Madame Milder-
Hauptmann, and since then most of the great German
prime donne had interpreted it in their turn. It was there-
fore no easy task to Satisfy a Prussian audience with a new
Conception of the work, and as Mdlle. Lind had intimated
in her letter to Madame Erikson, her reading of the leading
part was quite sure to be judged by the measure of all the
greatest singers who had previously appeared in it. She had
Spared no labour in her endeavour to make it as perfect as
possible. As is nearly always the case, when French libretti
are translated into other languages, the text and music of the
received version fitted together so imperfectly that without
extensive revision it would have been impossible to do full
justice to the composer's original intention. How this diffi-
culty was surmounted when Die Vestalin was first produced
in Berlin it does not fall within our province to consider
Spontini was not an easy man to satisfy, even with regard to
the minutest conceivable details of effect or expression ; but
whether he was content or not with the German paraphrase
provided for him, it is quite certain that it neither satisfied
Mademoiselle Lind nor the only friend to whose assistance
she could trust as a means of escape from the difficulty. We
have before us, as we write, her own well-used copy of the
little oblong edition, published by Meyer of Brunswick, in
which page after page is filled, in her own handwriting, with
pencilled corrections suggested by Madame Birch-Pfeiffer—
WOL. I. Z
338 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XVII.
phrases substituted for those contained in the generally-
received version, in order to rectify false emphasis, to provide
better opportunities for taking breath, and to supply a Smooth
and more flowing translation of the entire part of Julia—the
text allotted to the other performers remaining, of Course,
untouched. The amount of labour and anxiety expended
upon the work may be conceived from the following letter
to the talented authoress, written in December 1845—pro-
bably on the 18th of the month, though the exact day is not
mentioned :—
“GOOD MOTHER LITTLE MOTHER ſº
“I cannot see you to-day. Why? Because the good
King wishes to have some more music in Charlottenburg this
evening.
“How are you to-day ? I hope much better. Good
mother, my refuge What can I do with my Vestalin 3
the text is not yet in order. If you do not help me, things
will go badly. Permit me, kind soul, to complain to you of
my dire need, while I send you the part and the pianoforte
score. Ah! if you have time, mother, help me, for Heaven's
sake, for I cannot begin to study until the text is properly
arranged. You will be quite weary of my large demands.
Tell the servant how you are. Farewell, mother. May all
good spirits float around your poor sick head Greet all
whom you will from
“Wednesday morning. “Your
“JENNy.”f
It is pleasant to know that the improvement effected in
the text by this careful revision was worthily appreciated.
The impression the performance produced upon the German
critics generally may be gathered from the notice which
appeared in the Berlinische Zeitung three days after the first
performance:–
* A paraphrase of the Swedish Lilla Moder
f From Frau von Hillern's collection.
1845-46.] J) IE WESTA LIN. 339
“A joy,” says Herr Rellstab, “ and more than a joy—a
true elevation of the spirit has fallen to the share of the
Writer at the close of his year of critical activity, in that
he is able to record an artistic achievement, among the most
memorable that he himself has ever witnessed, and one
which has deeply moved, not himself alone, but also a large
and varied section of the public.
“Jenny Lind in the part of ‘Julia.”
“Grand memories, rich in Art, revived themselves within
us in connection with the work and with past interpreters of
the rôle who have attained the sublimest heights.
“It placed a crown on the ravishing and lofty charm with
which Nanette Schechner *—that star so brilliant, and so
Soon to vanish from the firmament of Art—enthralled her
astonished hearers with an irresistible enchantment.
“Wilhelmina Schroeder-Devrient ach.sved, in the part of
* Julia, one of her grandest Art-pictures, all glowing with the
fire of genius.
“In short, the work marked, for many years, the culminat-
ing point of our noblest dramatic power at a time in which
Nature still bestowed upon us her wondrous wealth of
powerful and splendid voices.
“But let us now turn our eyes upon the present. It will
give them plenty of material which cannot well be passed
Over. And this time we will occupy ourselves less with
passing judgment than with giving a history of the impres-
Sions produced upon us by the performance.
“The first act was over. From first to last the singer had,
through her womanly and noble bearing, excited the closest
sympathy. The difficult entrance during the first chorus—a
rock on which so many singers have been shipwrecked—
naturally afforded our Artist the opportunity for a triumph,
through the sweetness of her tones. f Her acting and singing
were everywhere noble, but not with the victorious effect we
expected from her. Sometimes in the latter she exhibited,
* See page 311.
i By a singular anomaly, “Julia,” in La Vestale, is first introduced to
the audience singing in unison with the chorus—but with different words
adapted to the same notes. The intention no doubt is, that she may give
utterance to her own sad thoughts, while singing the Hymn of the
Westals by compulsion. But it takes a very great singer and actress to
make the audience understand this, and we can scarcely wonder that So
many great singers have been shipwrecked on so dangerous a rock.
Z 2
340 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. XVII.
here and there, a trace of weariness and that veiling of the
organ which represents her only weakness.” After that all
expressed sweetest emotion. In holding forth the laurel-
crown to Licinius her acting displayed a magic charm, due
to the virgin purity with which the Artist glorified the
entire scene. But we cannot deny that her two great
predecessors, each in a different way, imparted to this very
scene a ravishing and altogether different effect. Nanette
Schechner had here painted the victory of the Roman
woman over the virgin, and her singing was a veritable
hymn of triumph. Wilhelmina Schroeder-Devrient, who
was not accustomed to enter into the lists with these
weapons, had exhibited here the whole creative power of her
mimic talent, and painted a changeful scene that moment
by moment rose higher and higher and held us in breath-
less thrall. In the face of this strife between the beautiful
expression of the present and the still greater recollections
of the past the first act closed. And it seemed to us—
perhaps too much preoccupied with the Roman spirit—as
if the Singer, whom we have always hitherto beheld as a
conqueror, had waged too rash a battle upon too unfavour-
able a field, and, goaded on by marvellous deeds of valour
and genius alike had lost
“We found the audience under a similar impression,
and awaited the second act with an almost sorrowful de-
pression of spirit.
“Sometimes, however—if we may still be permitted to
use the language of metaphor—a battle which, whether by
accident or design, may seem to have begun unfavourably,
recovers itself, to be crowned with the most glorious and
signal victory. And so it was in this case. From the very
beginning of the act certain passages breathed forth, as it
were, forecasts of the most fervid, the deepest, the grandest
feelings that could agitate a loving womanly breast. In the
grand air, Götte, ach, 1 hort mein Flehem l’t lightning-
flashes of magic power gleamed forth as from some strange,
* This peculiar veiled tone of the middle register was always noticeable
in Mdlle. Lind’s voice at the beginning of a new part, for the success of
which she was more than usually anxious, and the peculiarity remained
with her to the end of her career.
f ‘Impitoyables dieva, l’ in the original French. The German version
by Madame Birch-Pfeiffer is inserted, in pencil, in Mdlle. Lind's own
handwriting in her printed copy of the music.
1846.] DIE VESTALIN. 341
unknown region; sounds, accents such as we had never
before heard. With an holy grandeur the artist sang the
words, “Was jotzo mich durchgliht, es ist die Liebe l’” The
acting before the appearance of Licinius, the greeting accorded
to him, the mimic recognition accompanying every tone of his
air, “Die Götter werden uns nicht gånzlich. Simken lassen, 'f
all this formed a chain of the most ravishing beauties. It
was the picture of ecstatic love struggling by turns with the
shadow of the sombre presage of death. And emotion and
dread alternated, in like manner, in the breast of the hearer.
Words such as ‘ Venus Schütze mich, and die Liebe Sei mein.
Gott, f and ‘Er ist frei, Ś rang out with the true blessed
inspiration of a love upborne by an inward power that
triumphed over every outward obstacle. And yet, with
these great effects, the artist mounted the first step only of
the heights to which she rose towards the close of the act.
At the words, ‘Schon fasst des Todes kaltes Grauen mich
am," | dim shadows began to creep in as from some doleful
world beyond. And it is worthy of remark that, through
an uninterrupted course of the most elevated and astonishing
appearances on the stage during the last twenty years,
nothing has so deeply moved us as the impression produced
by Our Artist's acting from this moment onwards where
terror awakes her from her short dream of love. The strife
between greatness of soul and holiest faith in the might of
Love on the one side, and on the other the overpowering
recoil of Nature from the fear of death in a form so
terrible that it might well have crushed the shrinking
nerves of the boldest man; this strife, we say, is set
before us in such sort that the soul scarcely dares to
believe what the eye sees. It paints the last extremity of
horror, and yet the limit of the beautiful is never over-
passed even by a hair’s-breadth.
“Yet we stand here on the threshold only of the realm
* * L'amour, le désespoir, usurpent dans 'mon coeur wºme entière puis-
sance.”
t “Les dieua, prendront pitié du sort qui vous accable.” Throughout
this air Licinius is addressing himself to Julia.
f “Eh bien l fils de Vénus, a tes voºwo, je me rends !’
§ “Il vivra !’ -
| “Les horreurs du trépas sans espoir 'm'environme,” in the original
French. Here, again, Madame Birch-Pfeiffer's German differs widely
from the usual version.
342 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XVII.
of wonder over which our artist exercises her sway. It
seemed to us impossible that such an achievement could
have been surpassed. And yet ! -
“The third act, that hitherto has been for all other
singers and actresses a mild and gentle echo only of the
previous one, asserting its claim to nothing higher than the
lyric oxpression of a weak emotion—this third act supplies
to Our Artist a point of union with still higher dramatic
impressions; or, at least, with others so wholly different
that they belong to an altogether foreign and unsuspected
Category that irresistibly proclaims her impersonation to be
the most powerful of all.”
“Half hidden beneath the black veil, with difficulty
Supported by two veiled sisters, Julia glides, like a spirit,
across the stage ; advancing, with faltering step, in the
funeral-procession of the Vestals, like a shadow from the
depths below. It is but a memory of life that moves in
the procession there; the horror of death holds her already
in its freezing thrall. The sound of her voice trembles in
ghostly whispers upon her lips. Over her pallid face flits,
from time to time, a faint Smile of love, like a dying Sun-
beam—a dream of the long-since-vanished past. How can
One hope to paint, in words, a picture so incomprehensible 2
As we said above, the soul itself doubts the testimony of
the living eye. And it could not be otherwise ; for here
Art works her miracles in the truest acceptation of the
words. May we be forgiven if we defer all farther remarks
to a future opportunity ?”f
* The third act of La Vestale presents a difficulty which few, even of
the greatest artists, can entirely overcome. The true catastrophe of the
drama is represented by the ghastly procession to the living tomb, so
powerfully described by Herr Rellstab in his next paragraph. The
happy dénouement which follows forms an anti-climax quite out of har-
mony with the tragic complexion of the story, and Spontini leaves the
heroine to create for herself the opportunity needed for the adequate
expression of the joy she feels at her deliverance. When Herr Rellstab
told his readers that the interest of Mdlle. Lind's ideal culminated in the
third act he gave her the highest praise that it lay in his power to
bestow. It ought to culminate there—but how consummate the power
of the actress who can make it do so
f Kgl. priv. Berlinische Zeitung. (Jan. 2, 1846.) See also, “Gesam-
melte Schriften von Ludwig Rellstab.” (Leipzig, 1861, tom. xx. pp.
397–402.)
1846.] DIE VESTA LIN. 343
We cannot but regard this eloquent panegyric as the
most just as well as the most important expression of
critical opinion that we have as yet had occasion to tran-
scribe from the journals of this eventful epoch in Mdlle.
Lind's artistic career. For Herr Rellstab was clearly
Writing under the influence of an almost irresistible pre-
dilection in favour of earlier interpretations of the rôle of
“Julia,” by German artists of the highest rank—one may
almost say under the shadow of a foregone conclusion,
against which nothing short of the conviction forced upon
a thoroughly honest, though at the moment strongly
prejudiced mind, by artistic power of the highest order,
could ever have prevailed. That it did so prevail, in spite
of such self-confessed resistance, adds infinite value to the
final conquest, and the frankness with which Herr Rellstab
proclaims his unqualified conversion does equal honour to his
criticism and its subject.”
Those who were familiar with Mdlle. Lind’s ideal concep-
tions of the great operatic rôles she interpreted, when at the
Zenith of her fame, will find no difficulty in understanding
Herr Rellstab's disappointment at the effect she produced in
the first act. It was her invariable custom to reserve her
great effects, with true artistic self-abnegation, for certain
points which the unerring instinct of her genius indicated as
the fittest for the introduction of a logical climax, and to the
power and perfection of such a climax she unhesitatingly
sacrificed an indefinite number of those minor effects upon
which too many artists gifted with less creative power are
Only too ready to seize for the purpose of Securing a passing
triumph at the expense of the logical whole. It is true that
at Some of her first appearances before an entirely new
* Mr. Chorley, who heard Mdlle. Lind, in Die Vestalim at Frankfort
expressed his opinion of the performance in terms which entirely agree
with Herr Rellstab's verdict.
344 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. xv.11.
audience she has been known to Secure its sympathy by the
very first phrase she delivered ; but it was the artistic
delivery alone that produced this magical effect. Her
dramatic power she kept always in reserve, with a reticence
which none but the greatest artists are ever known to :
cxcrcise, for the predellermined situations in which she felt
that it could be successfully exhibited with logical con-
sistency and deepest reverence for dramatic truth. And
Herr Rellstab's conversion only proves how just was his
judgment on this point with regard to Spontini’s master-
piece.
The particular performance of Die Vestalin criticised by
Berr Rellstab took place on the 30th of December. The
Opera was given on two other occasions only during the
Season, in consequence of the illness of several members of
the powerful cast.*
* For the dates of the performances, see p. 367.
1846.] ( 345 )
CHAPTER XVIII.
AT WHIMAR.
WE have more than once had occasion to speak of Mdlle.
Tind’s intimacy with Hans Christian Andersen, whom, in
accordance with the old-world Scandinavian usage, she was
accustomed to address as her “brother.”
Andersen spent the closing weeks of the year 1845 and
the beginning of 1846 at Berlin; and, in his well-known
autobiography, thus speaks of his Christmas festival:—
“Amidst all this festive excitement, this amiable and
zealous interest in my behalf, one evening, and One only,
was unoccupied, on which I suddenly felt the power of
loneliness, in its most oppressive form—Christmas Eve, the
exact evening on which I always feel most festive, feel
so glad to stand beside a Christmas-tree, enjoy so much
the happiness of the children, and love to see the elders
become children again. I heard afterwards that, in each
one of the family circles in which I had truly been received
as a relative, it had been supposed that I was already en-
gaged elsewhere: but, in reality, I sat quite alone in my
room at the hotel and thought of home. I sat at the open
window and looked up at the star-bespangled heavens.
That was the Christmas-tree that had been lighted up for me.
‘Father in heaven l’ I prayed, as the children pray, ‘what
wilt Thou give me !’
“When my friends heard of my lonely Christmas feast,
they lighted up many Christmas-trees for me on following
evenings, and on the last evening in the year a little tree,
with lights and pretty presents, was prepared for me alone—
and that by Jenny Lind. The entire circle comprised herself
346 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. XVIII.
her companion * and me. We three children of the North
met together, on that Sylvester-evening, and I was the child
for whom the Christmas-tree had been lighted up. With
sisterly feeling, she rejoiced over my success in Berlin, and
I felt almost vain of the sympathy of so pure, so womanly a
being. Her praises were sounded everywhere, the praises,
not of the artist only but of the woman. The two united
awoke for her a true enthusiasm.”f
And this homely little meeting, so touching in its child-
like innocence—this pleasant and unrestrained intercourse
between two pure honest-hearted Souls, gifted, each in their
measure, with the fire of genius—took place on the evening
after Mdlle. Lind’s splendid triumph on the first night of Die
Vestaliºn, 1
The talented Dane tells another amusing little story con-
nected with Mdlle. Lind's performances at the Opera at this
period. -
“One morning,” he says, “as I looked out of my window,
Unter den Linden, I saw, half hidden under the trees, a
man, very poorly clad, who took a comb from his pocket,
arranged his hair, Smoothed his neck-tie, and dusted his coat
with his hand. (I well know the shrinking poverty that
feels oppressed by its shabby clothes.) A moment afterwards
there was a knock at my door, and the man entered. It was
the Nature-Poet, B " " * * *, who, though only a poor tailor,
has the true poetical inspiration. Rellstab and others in
Berlin have mentioned him with honour. There is some-
thing healthy in his poems, among which some breathe a
true religious spirit. He had heard that I was in Berlin and
had come to visit me. We sat side by side on the sofa, and
his conversation betokened a contentedness so amiable, a
spirit so pure and unsullied, that it truly grieved me that I
was not rich enough to do something for him. I was ashamed
to offer the little that lay in my power; but, in any case, I was
anxious to put it in an acceptable form. I asked him, there-
fore, whether I might venture to invite him to hear Jenny
* Mdlle. Louise Johansson.
f ‘Das Märchen meines Lebens,’ von H. C. Andersen. (Leipzig, 1880,
pp. 206–207.)
1846.] A T WEIMAR. 347
Lind. ‘I have already heard her,’ he said, Smiling. ‘I
could not afford to buy a ticket ; so I went to the man who
provides the “supers ” and asked him if I could not go on
as a “super" one evening in Norma. To this he agreed.
So I was dressed up as a Roman soldier, with a long Sword
at my side, and in that guise appeared upon the stage; and
I heard her better than any one else, for I stood close beside
her. Ah! how she sang ! and how she acted 1 I could not
stand it : it made me weep. But they were furious at that.
The manager forbade it, and would never permit me to set
foot upon the stage again—for One must not weep upon the
stage.’” ”
Soon after this Andersen took leave of his friends in
Berlin and proceeded to Weimar on a visit to the Here-
ditary Grand Duke, with whom he was on terms of the
most affectionate intimacy. And here, again, he spent some
happy days in the company of Mdlle. Lind, who had also
been invited to Weimar, and sang there on five evenings,
three of which were occupied by Court Concerts and two by
performances of Norma and La Somnambula at the Court
Theatre.f Here, as in Berlin, her performances produced the
most profound sensation. The Grand Duke and the various
members of his Royal Highness's family received her with
demonstrations of the warmest welcome. In company with
Andersen and his friends, the Chancellor Müller, the Court
Chamberlain Beaulieu, and the Court Secretary Schöll, she
visited some of the most interesting places in the neighbour-
hood, and more especially those consecrated by memories of
Goethe and Schiller.
On the 29th of January—two days after her last perform-
ance at Court—the Chancellor Müller escorted her, in com-
pany with Andersen, to the Fürstengruft—the burial-vault
* * Das Märchen meines Lebens,’ von H. C. Andersen. (Leipzig, 1880,
pp. 207, 208).
f The dates were : Jan. 23, Court Concert; Jan. 24, Norma, at the
Court Theatre; Jan. 25, Court Matinée ; Jan. 26, La Somnambula, at
the Court Theatre; Jan. 27, Court Concert, at the Theatre.
348 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XVIII.
in the Neue Kirchof, beyond the Frauenthor, in which for
many generations past, the remains of the departed Grand
Dukes of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and their families have
been laid to rest—and there showed to the little party of
friends the coffins in which Goethe and Schiller now sleep
thcir last long sleep.” The dimly lighted burial-place, and
the solemn associations connected with it, made a deep im-
pression upon the friends; and amidst its ghostly shadows
the Austrian poet, Hermann Rollet, who accidentally met the
little party in the vault, wrote a poem, which Andersen
has printed in his autobiography, and the original MS. of
which was carefully preserved by Mdlle. Lind among her
mementos of the past. We subjoin the verses in the
original German, which would be seriously weakened by any
attempt at translation :-
Qārdjenroſe, tie Øu oftmaſá
Jºid, entift mit füſſem Øuſt,
©aſ goid, ranfen unt bie & irge
$n ber 9id)terfürſtengruft.
limb mit ºbit am jebem &arge
$n bet tottenftiſſen $5 aſſ’
©aſ id) cine ſºmergentsiidte,
Śrāumeriſche 9taditigaſ.
limb id) frcute mid im &tiſſen,
§§at in ticiſter 3ruſt ent;üdt,
3)ač bie bunfſen Øidyterfärge
©pät mod, ſoſdjet 3auſer fömidt.
limb eqā Quften beiner Jenſe
§§pgte burd) tie $ottenhaſſ'
Şit ect gºeffmutſ, ter in Štúlict
©tumnigenott'item ſtaditigaſ, f
* The late Grand-Duke, Carl Augustus, the father of Hans C. Andersen's
friend, Carl Alexander, the heir-apparent, and the devoted admirer and
intimate friend of the two great Poets, gave orders that their coffins should
be placed on either side of his own; but as this arrangement was found
to be inconsistent with Court etiquette, they now stand, close together, in
another part of the vault.
f ‘Das Märchen, meines Lebens; ” von Hans Christian Andersen.
(Leipzig, 1880, page 211.) See also, “Hans Christian Andersens Brief-
wechsel ; herausgegeben von Emil Jonas. (Leipzig, 1887, page 29.)
1846.] A T WEIMA.R. 349
The visit to the funeral-vault affected Mdlle. Lind very
deeply; and she was evidently glad to relieve the sad im-
pression by more cheerful thoughts. In a letter to Madame
Birch-Pfeiffer, she wrote:–
Weimar, Jan. 27, 1846.
“I have just come out of the vault in which Goethe and
Schiller lie entombed, and my whole heart is impressed and
excited.
“On Friday afternoon I am going to Leipzig, where I have
been most kindly invited to the Mendelssohns, for the
evening, and on Saturday I return to Berlin.” "
As her performances at the Opera at Berlin were Gastrollen.
only, and therefore subject to no iron rule with regard to
specific dates, she enjoyed much greater freedom, in the
matter of “leave of absence,” than she could have hoped
for had she formed one of the regular staff of the com-
pany. Thus privileged, she was able without difficulty to
extend her little holiday some days beyond the time occupied
by her engagements at Weimar, as we learn from the fol-
lowing letter, written in German, to Madame Wichmann:—
tº º “Weimar, 27 January, 1846.
“ALSKADE f FRU
“Yes! if I might only continue in my mother-tongue
—then would my beloved Frau Professorin have the chance
of receiving a fairly nice letter. But, in German 1 Ah! f
“Weimar is but a little place, but it is very interesting.
However, I will not tell you all about that, but will work it
out in Berlin.
“I remain here until Thursday $ morning, when I go to
Erfurt, to sing at a concert there. From thence I go on, on
Eriday, to Leipzig, where I stay for the night; and you can
* From Frau von Hillern's collection.
f “Beloved.”
f It will be remembered, that Mdlle. Lind wrote the first of her long
series of letters to Frau Wichmann in French.
§ January 29.
350 JENNY LIND. [BK. Iv. CH. XVIII.
well understand, my gracious Professorin, from what source
my kind invitation comes : * can you not guess? and on
Saturday we come, by the first train, to Berlin.
“Your grateful and sincerely devoted,
“JENNY LIND.”f
The memory of this pleasant holiday—for it roally was a
holiday, though not a time of idleness—was very dear to
her. Soon after her return to Berlin she wrote thus to
her friend Hans C. Andersen —
“Berlin, February 19, 1846.
“My DEAR GOOD BROTHER I
“Thanks for our last meeting. I did so enjoy it ! Do
you agree with me that we have scarcely ever before spent
a more charming pleasant time together ?
“I thank you, ever so much, for your beautiful letter. I
had a good cry over reading it.f
“Yes, yes! Germany is a glorious country. I certainly do
not long for any other except the very best—the last one.
“Oh ! how I have wept over your story about the Grand
Duchess and her little sweep ! How lovely it is
“In the meantime I am perfectly enchanted with her—
and with the young Grand Duke and his wife also.
Dear Andersen, when you write to our high-born friend, tell
him—if you mention me $–that, as long as I live, I shall
remember those few days I spent in Weimar. I can con-
scientiously say that I have nowhere else, as yet, found such
peace of mind and true joy; and yet I have been treated
everywhere in the most friendly way. I love these high-
* The invitation came from Dr. and Madame Mendelssohn.
† From the letters to Frau Wichmann.
f This letter does not appear to have been preserved.
§ Anderson had already mentioned Mdlle. Lind and described the visit
to the Fürstengruft in a letter to his friend, the young Grand Duke,
written from Leipzig, on the 14th of February—five days before the date
of Mdlle. Lind’s letter to himself—and enclosing a copy of Rollet’s Poem ;
and he afterwards sent the Duke a copy of that portion of her letter
which referred to her reception at the Court of Weimar, although it
was clearly intended for no other eye than his own. See H. C.
Andersen's Briefwechsel;’ herausgegeben von Emil Jonas. (Leipzig, 1887,
pages 28–29.)
1846.] A T WEIMA R. 351
born personages; and, just as you say, Brother, not for the
stars and the diamonds they wear, but for their true and
loyal hearts. I get quite enthusiastic when I think of these
two people. May God preserve them and theirs
“My friends, the Arnemanns, from Altona,” have been
here. They left yesterday. I wonder when we two shall
meet again 3
“I have now quite decided upon going to Vienna. Are
you not going there, Andersen 2 I suppose you go on to
Italy direct 2 *
“Do you know, Andersen, I appreciate your friend Beau-
lieu very highly indeed. I have really begun to feel a great
friendship for him. Give him my kindest regards when you
write.
“And now, adieu ! I must start for the Theatre presently,
to sing in Das Feldlager in Schlesien.f God be with you!
Do not forget your sister. I shall remain here until the end
of March. After that letters will find me at Vienna, from
the middle of April until the middle of May. Write, either
Poste restante, or care of Herr Pokorny—the manager of the
Theatre.j:
“May the blessing of God go with you! then you will
have enough
“I remain,
“Your true sister,
“JENNY.”
She was by this time once more hard at work in
the dizzy whirl of the Berlin winter season. She had
reappeared, after her return from Weimar, on the 3rd of
February, in Das Feldlager in Schlesien, and, since then, had
been singing regularly twice a week, though on no fixed days,
in the above-mentioned Opera and in Die Vestalin, Der Frei-
Schütz, and La Somnambula. But in the meantime her pro-
mised appearance in a new and very important part was
anxiously awaited by the art-loving public.
* See page 299.
t For the third time during this season.
f I.e. the Theater an der Wien, at which she was engaged to sing, in
Vienna.
352 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XIX.
CHAPTER XIX.
LES HUGUENOTS.
THE next—and last—new part in which Mdlle. Dind made
her appearance, at Berlin during the eventful winter of
1845—1846 was that of “Valentine,” in Meyerbeer's Opera
Les Huguenots—or, as it was called in German, Die Huge-
700tten.
To the uninitiated, it may seem strange that, taking into
consideration Meyerbeer's all-powerful position and great
popularity in Berlin at this period, Das Feldlager in Schlesien
should have been the only one of his Operas put upon the
Stage, with a Singer for whose talent he entertained so
sincere an admiration in the principal part, until within a
few weeks of the close of the season. But the position will
not be thought at all strange by those who know how
severely punctilious Meyerbeer was, not only with regard to
the principal parts, but with all that concerned the perfection
of every minutest detail of his works. It was not enough
for him that the prima donna should be an artist of un-
approachable excellence. If all the other parts, great and
small, were not represented to his entire satisfaction he
would not allow the piece to be put upon the Stage at all.
Moreover, his independent position gave him advantages
which few other modern composers have enjoyed in an equal
degree; and the consequence was that, when he directed his
own Operas, they were brought out with a perfection of detail
1846.] - J.ES HUGUENOTS. 353
comparable only with that insisted upon, some years earlier,
by Spontini.
The demands upon the personnel of the opera-staff in Les
Huguenots are very heavy. The part of “Queen Marguerite
of Navarre * is not written for a seconda donna, but a second
prima domina—a Soprano leggiero, as opposed to the Soprano
dramatico of “Valentine.” That of “Urbain,” the page,
needs a Mezzo-soprano of high capability. The Tenor—
“Raoul de Nangis,” and the two Baritoni—“Marcel,” and
“Saint Bris”—need representatives of the highest rank.
And in face of these demands we can scarely wonder
that a man so hard to satisfy as Meyerbeer was not too
ready to place his second great master-piece upon the
Stage.
It must be supposed, however, that he was satisfied at
last, for on the 26th of February Die Hugenotten was
announced for representation, with Malle. Lind, as we have
said, in the part of “Valentine’’; and the performance was
thus criticised in the journal from which we have so
frequently and so freely quoted —
“Our great Artist-visitor, Jenny Lind, has evolved from
the character of ‘Valentine,’ in Die Hugenotten—a part as
rich in dramatic and musical expression—a dramatic creation
which, in noble individuality, Occupies quite as high a
position in the domain of Lyric Tragedy as the earlier rôles
in which the artist enchained us with such irresistible power.
“We do not hesitate to say—as it is more than ever our
duty to do, in the case of an artist of such acknowledged
Worth—that the first part of her performance, especially when
She was in the presence of the Queen, did not produce an al-
together agreeable impression upon us. However many various
characters may be in sympathy with her individuality, she
seemed unwilling to identify herself with that of the Court-
lady. And, for us, this impression was heightened by the
style of the dress she wore, though we admit that our refer-
ence to this savours of relapse into dilettantism.
“So far as the Actress was concerned, the rôle began with
WOL. I. 2 A
354 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XIX.
the third act,” when she emerges from the natural forms of
life to plunge into the depths of the inner world with all its
profoundest impressions. Here she reached the highest and
most excellent point of all—the glorious virginal purity
which lighted up the tender romance of the character
throughout the whole of its development. At each fresh
entrance of the artist we debated within ourselves whether
the praise slıould be awarded to the Singer or to the Actress.
The two were often so completely melted into one that it
became impossible to separate them.
“Before the time of Jenny Lind, the grandest reading of
the part was decidedly that of Wilhelmina Schroeder-
Devrient. She threw more brilliant lights upon it and
invested certain passages with a more satisfactory colour-
ing; as, for instance, at the well-known words, “Ich bin ein
Mädchen das illn liebt,’ &c. And yet the shrinking breath
with which our artist lightly veiled this expression cast a
more delicate fragrance over the deep inward glow, and
imparted to it a charm wholly its own.
“A similar idea—if we care to continue the parallel—
pervades the conception of the passage, “Ich klam mºre mich
an Dich, in the fourth act. Jenny Lind undoubledly
clothed this with a more spiritual expression. She scarcely
dared breathe it to her lover, whereas her great predecessor
gave way to a rush of passion and sensualised the glowing
confession with ravishing violence of gesture.
“But, as was only to be expected of an Artist So rich in
Creative power, Jenny Lind also struck out for herself an
altogether original conception of the impersonation, im-
pressed it in the most marked manner upon the character,
* Rellstab repeats this opinion, in a later critique on Madame Viardot's
appearance in the part of “Valentine,” in 1847, and there finds the same
fault with Madame Wiardot that he here finds with Mdlle. Lind, but
with the Saving clause that, in both cases, the fault is inherent in the
part and must not be laid to the account of the performer (See the
‘ Gesammelte Schriften von Ludwig Rellstab ; ' Leipzig, 1861, tome xx.
p. 403.) The truth is, that it is not until the opening of the Third Act
that the part of “Valentine’ becomes an important one. The scenes in
which she previously appears offer no opportunity for the introduction of
marked effects. We have already had occasion to direct our readers'
attention to the jealous reticence with which Mdlle. Lind was accustomed
to keep back her greatest effects until the proper moment arrived for
their introduction.
1846.] I, ES HUGUENOTS. 355
and filled us with astonishment at the rich variety of her
resources. Her third act was a touching prayer to her
bitter fate; her fourth, a mighty battle waged against it ;
her fifth, a splendid victory over it. She sang the last
Scene under truest inspiration of faith.
“If we would trace the course of these complications of the
character through single passages, the choice, amidst so
great a wealth of impressions, overwhelms us with difficulty.
Turning back to the duet with Marcel, we remember the
charm of its sadness; the trembling whisper with which it
opens; the ever-increasing warmth of its tones and passages,
as the certainty of love brings joy to her heart; and, last of
all, the fire of the vocalisation in the concluding divisions
raising the conception to its loftiest climax.
“In the fourth act, the silence of the Artist speaks almost
more strongly to us than the outpouring of her soul in sound.
Her acting, during the deliberation of the conspirators,
her struggling resistance, her listening, her comprehension,
her terror, her hope—her changes of position, which would
have afforded a painter opportunities for a hundred different
aspects of ever-varying expression—the living play of her
motions, corroborating and contradicting each other so
spiritually, with every scenic variation—this host of voiceless
expressions bore the artist to the loftiest heights which make
the history of her performance imperishable.”
“Towards the close of the act the strained action of the
eye is again exchanged for that of the ear, which the sweet
earnestness of the tones, here dwelt upon and enhanced by
the power of the composition, holds in sad and fettered
enchantment.
“But through this night of fatal destiny certain dramatic
gestures burst upon us like lightning-flashes of deepest
significance. Such, for instance, as the inward terror mani-
fested at the first boom of the tocsin, the ever-increasing
dread as the delineation of the scene of blood approaches its
climax, and at last the stunned fall upon the stage, with
eyes now closed, now open with staring gaze, as the last
power to resist this surfeit of horror and anxiety dies out !
“All these rich details, representing the sustained perse-
verance of the battle waged by the noblest and purest of
Sentiments, against love and guilt and destiny, form a
* During a great portion of this powerful scene, “Valentine’s” back is
turned to the audience.
2 A 2
356 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XIX.
dramatic whole, which, as we have already said, in no wise
fell short of the loftiest heights the artist has reached as yet
in her tragic greatness.
“If the fifth act, when compared with the fourth, betokens
some loss of power, in spite of the grand conception to one
phase of which we have already alluded, the fault certainly
does not lie with the performer, who here fulfils the whole
in Lention of the drama, but is probably due, in part at least,
to the fatigue of the hearer's overstrained attention.*
“So much, then, for the present.
“We have always found that the artist penetrates more
and more deeply into the heart of her task at every repetition,
and fulfils it with greater ease; we may therefore in this, as
in other cases, look forward to even increased perfection.
Yet we may almost ask, ‘What need of more ?' in presence
of this noblest wealth of treasures.” f
To sober-minded English readers the style of Herr
Rellstab's critiques—and of this one especially—may seem
high-flown and exaggerated. Moreover, as we have already
had occasion to remark, Herr Rellstab was not only
a critic, but a romancist and a poet on his own account ;
and he worked no less carefully at his critiques than
at his other writings, for which reason a great number of
his fugitive contributions to the Berlinische Zeitung are
included in the complete edition of his works. # It
must be admitted that the style of these reviews differs
materially from that adopted in Fngland at the prescrit day;
but they are of great value to us, as records of a form of
criticism now—in this country, at least—quite obsolete.
Moreover, in So far as our present purpose is concerned, they
* The last act of Les Huguenots, like that of La Vestale, undoubtedly
represents an unfortunate anti-climax, the weakness of which is increased
by the firing of musketry, and other stage-expedients of common-place
character.
f Kgl. priv. Berlinische Zeitung. (Feb. 28, 1846.)
f ‘Gesammelte Schriften von Ludwig Rellstab’ (Leipzig, 1861); from
the twentieth volume of which we have reprinted, among others, the
critique on Die Vestalin, in Chapter XVII.
1846.] I, ES HUGUENOTS. 357
honestly reflect the feeling with which Mdlle. Lind's per-
formances were listened to, at the time they were written,
by the crowded audiences who flocked, night after night, to
the Royal Opera-House to hear her. The performer concern-
ing whom it was simply possible to write in a strain SO
exalted can have belonged to no common order in the
Hierarchy of Art. And enough is known of the character
of Herr Rellstab, and of his position in Berlin, to establish
the certainty that he honestly meant every word he wrote.
358 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XX.
CHAPTER XX.
AUF WIEDERSEHEN .
THE first performance of Les Huguenots took place on Thurs-
day the 26th of February, the second on Sunday the 1st
of March. A third, announced for Friday, March the 6th,
was prevented by a most unfortunate accident; Mademoiselle
Lind sprained her foot on the Thursday so seriously that
for three weeks she was confined to the sofa.
The kindest sympathy was shown to the sufferer after this
painful misadventure, and Mendelssohn, who had been in-
formed of the accident, endeavoured, on the 18th of March,
to cheer her loneliness with a long and delightful letter, half
grave, half gay, in which the serious and the playful were
intermingled with an easy grace in which few adepts in the art
of letter-writing have ever been able to rival him.
We print this hitherto unpublished letter, in the belief that
it cannot fail to prove generally interesting to the reader.
“Leipzig, March 18, 1846.
“My DEAR FRÄULEIN,
“The account that Taubert brought of the state of
your health was not so encouraging as I could have wished; *
but as I used to like, on days such as these, to sit down to
the piano, and play to you, so now—since, unhappily, I can-
not come to you in person—I come, at least in Writing, and
fancy to myself that I ask, in the entrance hall, whether I can
speak with you, and am told—‘yes’; and Mademoiselle
* Herr Taubert had come to Leipzig, a few days before this, for the
purpose of playing at one of the Gewandhaus Concerts.
1846.] A U.F WIEDERSEHEN / 359
Louise opens the door for me, and I see in your hand one of
the ten thousand pictures and engravings with which you are
now surrounded, and then I sit down beside you and begin
like this:—
“Shall I tell you about Marie 2 *
“She talks to me, all day long, about Fräulein Lind, and
how she was so kind to her; and when I went to the children,
yesterday, in the nursery, and found little fat Paulf practising
his writing on a sheet of paper, I saw that he had written
‘dear Fräulein Lind’ over the whole page at least ten times.
To-day he has finished a whole letter, and he made me
promise that I would send it to you—I was absolutely
obliged to promise it. Marie wanted to send her letter first,
but I explained that one letter would be enough, and she was
Satisfied with signing it. Karl said he could not sign it as
it was not his own letter.
“A funny thing happened to us this evening. Cécile .
said: ‘It is a long time since we have had any Swedish
bread; what a pity it is l’ $ I said, ‘I will write to-day, and
ask for some in your name.’ Marie said, ‘But Paul has
already written to Fräulein Lind to-day.' I asked to see the
letter—the beautiful scrawl I enclose—and as Paul came in
at one door with his letter the servant brought in your
present of Swedish bread at the other.
“The children think of you daily and hourly, and their
parents also. We long very much indeed to hear soon that
you are better, and once more free from all the weariness that
such a long imprisonment brings with it. May you soon
Send us, please God an account of your complete cure.
“To-day we had a very pleasant rehearsal. Taubert
conducted his symphony and made friends of the whole
Orchestra. To us, who are artists, must certainly be conceded
one very delightful prerogative, in return for which we are
Willing to give up all other prerogatives whatever: viz. that
in one short half-hour a host of strangers can be transformed
into a host of good friends. That is a capital state of things,
and many would like it, though it is given but to few. To
my great joy, it was given very decidedly indeed to Taubert
* Mendelssohn's eldest daughter.
f Mendelssohn's second son.
i Madame Mendelssohn.
§ See foot-note, p. 122.
| I.e. the imprisonment caused by the sprained foot.
360 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. xx.
to-day; and when he adds to this his playing of the
Beethoven Concerto to-morrow he may build upon the Leip-
zig Musicians on both sides.”
“That which is called ‘the Public is exactly the same
here as elsewhere and everywhere; the simple ‘ Public,’
assembled together for an instant, so fluctuating, so full of
curiosity, so devoid of taste, so dependent upon the judgment
of the Inusician—the so-called connoisseur. But against
this we must set the great ‘Public,’ assembling together year
after year, wiser and more just than connoisseur and musician,
and judging so truly 1 and feeling so delicately
“A grand new vocal composition by Gade was also re-
hearsed, with full chorus, for performance next week. I
hope it will turn out both poetical and beautiful. The
text is from Ossian ; and Fingal, with his warriors, and
harps, and horns, and spirits, plays an important part in it.
But Taubert will tell you all this much better by word of
mouth.f
“We also sang to-day, ‘Come cow, come calf,’ f in such
sort that it was worthy to have been described as a noble
work of Art Taubert sings better than I; but I pronounce
Swedish better than he
“You ask how things go with me.
“On the days when I was so quiet in my room, writing
music without interruption, and only going out from time to
time for a walk in the fresh air, they went very well indeed
with me—or, at least, I thought so. But, since the day
* Herr W. Taubert's Symphony in F major was played at the Gewand-
haus, under his own direction, on Thursday, March 19, 1846; and on
the same evening he played Beethoven’s Pianoforte Concerto in E flat,
Op. 73. t
f Comala, a Dramatic Cantata, by Herr Niels W. Gade—the composi-
tion alluded to in the text—was first produced at the Gewandhaus under
the direction of the Composer on the 23rd of March, 1846, at a Concert
given for the benefit of the poor, aud repeated on the 26th of the same
month with great success.
† A national melody, afterwards known, in England as the ‘Norwegian
Echo Song,’ and in Germany as the “ Norwegisches Schäferlied, and
sung by Mdlle. Lind in both countries with immense success. The
original title was, ‘Kom kjyra 1 kom kjyra mil’ It ended with a coda
added by herself, and Sung in imitation of an echo with an effect quite
irresistible, and almost incredible, even to those who heard it. (See
Appendix of Music.)
1846.] A UF WIEDERSEHEN / 361
before yesterday, when I had more to do with the concert
affairs and all sorts of correspondence connected with them,
and things of that kind, to which I could only give half my
attention because my own work lay so much nearer to my
heart “–since then I have been a prey to such fatal excite-
ment, and felt so miserably out of spirits, that, while every
one says, “How well you look, you would rather say, ‘What
is the matter with you ?’
“Happily, however, this is the last week, for this year,
during which I shall be concerned with these things; and
then I mean to work very hard, and after that I shall rejoice
in the Rhine and the spring-time.
“Yes; I rejoice in the thought of the Rhine and the
Musical Festival,f and the real true spring—for, for many
days past, I have been fearing that the winter would come
back again, and that the spring would break off altogether, as
in my old song in your book, f And farther on, I, like your-
self, rejoice very much indeed in thinking of the time when
I shall be able to put aside the duty of conducting music and
promoting Institutions, and quit this so-called ‘sphere of
activity, and have no other ‘sphere of activity’ to think of
than a quire of blank music-paper, and no need to conduct
anything that I do not care for, and when I shall be altogether
independent and free. It will, indeed, be a few years before
this can take place, but I hope not more than that ; and in
this we are very much alike. I believe, in good truth, that
this is because we both have the love of Art so deeply
implanted in our souls.
“But, I am fancying that I have been sitting by your side
quite long enough, and must now take my leave ; or else that
it is Norma to-night, and that it has already chimed half-past
three §–in short, I must say good-bye.
“I hope I may soon hear that you are able to walk, run,
* Mendelssohn was then actively engaged on the composition of Elijah.
f The Lower Rhine Festival was to take place, on the 31st of May,
1846, and following days, at Aix-la-Chapelle; and it was arranged that
Mdlle. Lind and Mendelssohn, who were both to take part in it, should
meet at Frankfort in order that they might travel down the Rhine
together.
f In allusion to a MS. Song-book, written by Mendelssohn for Mdlle.
Lind, as a Christmas present, in 1845, and illustrated with pencil drawings
by himself.
§ In those days the Opera began, at Berlin, at half-past six.
362 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. xx.
stand, jump, dance, play at billiards, sing at Ries's Concert,
and play the parts of ‘Proserpina' and “Valentine, and
that you have become free of all farther inquiries.
“Your friend,
“FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY.” *
Cheered by pleasant correspondence such as this, and still
more pleasant intercourse with the choice circle of sympathe-
tic friends who enjoyed the privilege of entrée to the charmed
Salon in the Hasenheger Strasse, the three long weeks of
dreary imprisonment passed more lightly than would other-
wise have been expected. And they were enlivened too, from
time to time, by another source of interest no less welcome
and agreeable. Professor Wichmann seized upon this
excellent opportunity for securing the “sittings” necessary
for the modelling of a beautiful medallion-portrait of her
in profile, designed upon a circular plaque fourteen inches
in diameter, and eventually executed in white marble.
It is a charming work of Art, regarded, by all who have
seen it, as a valuable historical memorial.f
When modelling this beautiful profile the Professor did
not know that his guest was herself preparing a welcome
surprise for the family in anticipation of his idea.
Wishing to present her host and hostess with a grateful
memorial of the happy time she had spent beneath their roof,
she had commissioned Professor Magnus to paint her portrait,
on a large scale, in order that she might present it to them
before leaving Berlin. Professor Magnus had accepted the
commission, and made some progress with the work, when the
“sittings” were interrupted by the accidental sprain, which
* Translated from the autograph letter in the possession of Mr. Gold-
Schmidt.
f A representation of this medallion is impressed upon the binding of
these volumes. -
1846.] A UF WIEDERSEHEN / 363
for a time rendered the needful visits to his studio impossible.
As soon as these could be resumed, he proceeded with his
Work, and in process of time produced a portrait not only
valuable as a striking likeness of the sitter but precious also
as a work of Art which may be fairly accepted as a
happy example of the best school of portrait-painting then
existing in Germany. That Professor Magnus himself
regarded it in that light is proved by the fact that, after it
had been presented to Madame Wichmann, and treasured for
fifteen years as a precious family possession, he consented, at
the request of Mr. Goldschmidt, to execute an exact replica,
forming SO perfect a reproduction of the original picture,
that the Professor himself found it necessary to attach a
certain mark to it, in order that he might be able to dis-
tinguish the copy from the original. By his desire, and
that of the Prussian Government, this replica was exhibited,
in 1862, in the Prussian Court of the Universal Exhibition
at South Kensington, as the acknowledged representative
of this Artist’s style at his best period—and it fulfilled this
intention perfectly and to the satisfaction of all concerned.
The original picture remained in the Wichmann family
until the year 1877, when the Professor's eldest son, Herr
Herrmann Wichmann, to whom it had passed by inheritance
after his mother's death in the previous year, consented to
its removal, at the price of twelve thousand thalers, to the
Berlin National Gallery, where, having now become national
property, it is treasured as a valuable artistic and historical
monument.” The sprain was healed, however, before the
picture was finished.
The public were perhaps more impatient at the duration
of the imprisonment than the prisoner herself. But it came
to an end at last ; and, after a term of enforced captivity
* A copy of this forms the frontispiece to our present volume.
364 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XX.
lasting for twenty-four days, Mademoiselle Lind reappeared
on the 29th of March in Worma, before an audience who
welcomed her return to the Stage with every demonstration
of uncontrollable enthusiasm—an index of public opinion
which might indeed, by this time, have been expected as a
matter of course every Liliſe slie appeared.
After this performance—the twenty-sixth in which she
had taken part during the then current season—she appeared
once more in Das Feldlager in Schlesien on the 31st of
March ; and on Thursday, the 2nd of April—her own “benefit-
night’—took leave of Berlin for the season.
The house, we need scarcely say, was crowded to the
roof, and the performance in the highest degree satisfactory.
Herr Rellstab thus feelingly describes the moment of the final
parting:—
“The call before the curtain, which had already been
anticipated at the end of the preceding Acts—the greetings
represented by the wreaths thrown, in multitudes, by the
hands of ladies—ladies too who well knew how to acknow-
ledge worthily the noblest and the highest Art—all these
demonstrations were renewed at the close of the performance,
and with such increasing warmth as we have never before
witnessed in our lives. The entire mass of the audience
took part in the offering of applause : the profusion of flowers
seemed inexhaustible. The curtain fell. But the summons
before it was repeated, and the applause continued so long
that the artist had no choice but to reappear; yet no sooner
had she again retired than she was yet again brought back
by a newly repeated summons.
“A burning wish seemed to inspire the multitude—that for
one farewell word. The Artist who, from a sense of shyness,
combined with the unaccustomed tones of the language,
had always hitherto expressed her thanks by dumb yet
telling motions, yielded at last to this well-understood
though unspoken wish (for how could it be spoken amidst
Such a storm of applause !), and uttered, with deepest
inward emotion, the simple and almost inarticulate words,
“Ich danke Ihnen—ich werde das in meinem gamzen Leben
1846.] A UF WIEDERSEHEN / 365
nicht vergessen l'." And, like her Art, this expression of her
thanks was a precious truth.
“And again the call was shouted by thousands of voices,
and yet once again she had no choice but to respond to it;
and them, at last, the audience was Satisfied.
“And now let us cast a glance backwards from this
brilliant, touching, overpowering moment, upon that which
the Artist has given to us during the course of the last few
months.
“In the first place; after her first wonderful appearance
among us, last year, she has returned with all the purity, all
the hallowing through and from her Art, that, to us, represents
the highest attribute of her personality. In all her triumphs
she has lost nothing of the noblest quality that adorns her,
and therein lies her priceless reward. But she has also
gained much in another Sense. She has returned to us de-
veloped in many ways. She draws forth her creations from
a deeper source. Much that was a charming bud has
blossomed into a still more charming flower. There is not
one of her impersonations, already known to us, that has not
spread forth its branches to form a richer crown. To the old
creations she has added new ones—the sweet wild-flower
fragrance of her ‘Agathe ’; the wonderful picture of her
‘Vestal, beautiful, even amidst the terrors of the grave;
the unapproachably rich painting of her grief and love
in the tragic part of ‘Valentine.' Who shall say which of her
Art-creations is the highest ? To scarcely any other Artist
has it happened in the same degree as it has to her that the
judgment of the public has differed so widely. Each one has
chosen a rôle on his own account. The wavering extends
from the gayest to those who listen only to grief and horror.
We believe the secret lies in this, that she everywhere
fulfils her task with the highest perfection of which it is
susceptible. One sentiment, however, pervades all her Art-
pictures—the spirit of holiness; the transfiguration resulting
from the purest reverence for Art, absolute freedom from all
secondary objects and endeavours. And therein lies all, all
that lends to her artistic representations that moral con-
secration, which we once heard very beautifully described
by a lady in the words—simple enough, yet full of esprit—
‘One becomes better through having seen her.’
“And therefore it is that the Artist is everywhere spoken
* “I thank you—never, in my whole life, shall I forget this l’”
366 JENNY LIND. [BK. IV. CH. XX.
of with wonder as well as with the feeling of gratitude; there-
fore it is that she is accompanied by thousands and thousands
of wishes that the most beautiful blessings of life may be added
to the noblest gifts of Art that she possesses. Vacillating
rumours whisper that she will soon vanish from the Stage
and from us for ever ! May they prove false! We can only
express the hope, in which all will certainly join with us,
that she may belong to Art So long as Art belongs to her, and
that her desire to bring it back again to us may be measured
by the certainty of her welcome.” “
And thus was the second winter season at Berlin brought
to an end, with mutual regret and warmest good wishes on
either side.f
* Kgl. priv. Berlinische Zeitung, April 4, 1846.
f Our account of the Art-work of these two eventful seasons would be
incomplete without a detailed list of the performances in which Mdlle.
Lind took part; but, in order to avoid interrupting the course of our
narrative, we have thought it best to supply this in the form of a note.
Feb. 11 (Tue.) Euryanthe.
FIRST WINTER SEASON (1844–5). ,, 14 (Fri.) Euryanthe.
1844. ,, 18 (Tue.) Die Nachtwand-
Dec. 15 (Sun.) Norma. lerºn.
,, 20 (Fri.) Norma. ,, 21 (Fri.) Die Nachtwand-
, 26 (Thur.) Norma. lerin.
,, 23 (Sun.) Euryanthe.
1845. Mar. 2 (Sun.) Die Nachtwand-
Jan. 5 (Sun.) Das Feldlager in lerin.
Schlesien. , 4 (Tue.) Das Feldlager in
,, 10 (Fri.) Das Feldlager in Schlesien.
Schlesien. , 7 (Fri.) Die Nachtwand-
,, 14 (Tue.) Das Feldlager in lerim.
Schlesien. , 9 (Sun.) Die Nachtwand-
,, 19 (Sun.) Das Feldlager in lerºn,
Schlesien. , 11 (Tue.) Norma (for Mdlle.
,, 21 (Tue.) Norma. Lind’s benefit).
: º :º: [In all, twenty-four performances.]
,, 31 (Fri.) Norma. CONCERTs.
Feb. 4 (Tue.) Das Feldlager in 1844.
Schlesien. Nov. Soirée at the Prin-
, 7 (Fri.) Euryanthe. cess of Prussia’s.
9 (Sun.) Norma. Dec. 18 (Wed.) Court concert.
1846.]
367
A U.F WIEDERSEHEN /
1845.
Jan. 2 (Thur.) Court concert.
Feb. 2 (Sun.) Court concert.
, 13 (Thur.) Concert of the
Brothers Ganz.
Mar. 10 (Mon.) Concert of Herr
Nehrlich.
, 13 (Thur.) Concert for Blind
Soldiers at the
Sing-Akademie.
SECOND WINTER SEASON 1845–6.
1845.
Nov. 9 (Sun.) Norma.
, 13 (Thu.) Norma.
,, 19 (Wed.) Don Juan.
,, 21 (Fri.) Don Juan.
,, 25 (Tue.) Don Juan.
, 30 (Sun.) Der Freischütz.
2 (Tue.) Der Freischütz.
[The visit to Leipzig.]
, 9 (Tue.) Don Juan.
,, 12 (Fri.) Norma.
,, 16 (Tue.) Der Freischütz.
,, 19 (Fri.) Die Nachtwand-
lerºn.
,, 23 (Tue.) Die Nachtwand-
lerºn.
,, 30 (Tue.) Die Vestalin.
1846.
2 (Fri.) Die Vestalin.
, 6 (Tue.) Die Nachtwand-
lerin.
, 11 (Sun.) Norma.
,, 15 (Thu.) Don Juan.
Jan. 18 (Sun.) Das Feldlager in
Schlesien.
[Norma and Die Nachtwandlerin
at Weimar.]
Feb. 3 (Tue.) Das Feldlager in
Schlesien.
, 5 (Thu.) Die Vestalin.
, 10 (Tue.) Der Freischütz.
,, 19 (Thu.) Das Feldlager in
Schlesien.
, 24 (Tue.) Die Nachtwand-
lerºn.
, 26 (Thu.) Die Hugenotten.
. 1 (Sun.) Die Hugenotten.
(The Sprained ankle.)
, 29 (Sun.) Norma.
,, 31 (Tue.) Das Feldlager in
Schlesien.
Apr. 2 (Thu.) Die Nachtwand-
leºn.
(For Mademoiselle Lind’s Benefit.)
[In all, twenty-eight performances.]
CONCERTs.
1845–6.
Six Court Concerts.
1845.
Dec.13. (Sat.) Concert (Swedish)
of Herr Musik-direktor
Ahlström.
1846.
Mar. 2 (Mon.) Concert given by
Mdlle. Lind for some
poor families.
,, 28 (Sat.) A grand concert.
WOL. I.
B O O K. V.
==-sº-
PIR O G R E S S.
( 371 )
CHAPTER I.
AT THE GEWANDHAUS ONCE MORE.
THE engagement at Vienna, vaguely alluded to in the letter
to Madame Erikson, and more decidedly, in that to Herr
Josephson, was now finally arranged, and on the eve of fulfil-
ment. The terms of this contract—five hundred gulden “
each, for five performances, with an extra benefit night—
had been carefully discussed, and gladly accepted, by Herr
Franz Pokorny, the then manager of the Theater an der
Wien, during the latter part of Mdlle. Lind's stay at Berlin; ,
and, as soon as she could conveniently do so, after the
exciting scene at the Royal Opera-House on the evening
of her benefit, she took leave of her kind host and hostess,
and started, with her companion, Mdlle. Louise Johansson,
for Vienna, viá Leipzig, in which last-named town she had
been invited to spend a few days, as the guest of Herr
Heinrich Brockhaus, and had also decided upon giving a
concert, at the Gewandhaus, on her own account.
On the 8th of April, 1846, Herr Brockhaus wrote in his
diary:- -
“At home, I found all well, and in high good humour with
an amiable visitor—Fräulein Lind—who, early this morning,
fulfilled a long-standing promise to stay with us.
- “I was heartily pleased to See, once more, the amiable and
* Equal to about fifty pounds, in English money. The terms for the
“benefit” were to be, half the receipts, after payment of the evening's
expenses.
2 B 2
372 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. I.
unaffected girl, whose natural simplicity is so beautifully
united to the greatness of the Artist. She was sociable and
cheerful throughout the evening, which was still farther
enlivened by the presence of Mendelssohn.”
In a farther entry, on the 9th of April, Herr Brockhaus
continues:–
“Unhappily, Fräulein Lind can stay no longer with us, as
she has met with her friend from Hamburg, with whom she
had made an appointment.
“We lunched with her, at Mendelssohn’s, where I also met
Dr. Emanuel Geibel, whom I had previously seen in Berlin.
One must like the girl from the very bottom of one's heart.
She has such a noble and beautiful nature. And yet, she
does not feel happy. I am convinced that she would gladly
exchange all her triumphs, for simple homely happiness. She
Sees that, in Mendelssohn's house, where the wife and
children make his happiness complete.” "
The “friend from Hamburg,” by whose arrival Herr
Brockhaus's arrangements were thus unfortunately inter-
rupted, was Madame Arnemann. Mdlle. Tind had stayed in
this lady's house at Nienstädten, near Altona, in the autumn
of 1845; and had promised to travel with her as far as
Carlsbad, on her way to Vienna. She had now come to
Leipzig, for the purpose of putting her long-cherished
design into execution ; and the visit to the Brockhaus
family was necessarily shortened, in conformity with the
earlier arrangement.
But this change of plan did not prevent the welcome visitor
from thoroughly enjoying her brief stay in Leipzig, or from
happy intercourse with her most valued friends there.
Among other incidents connected with this memorable visit,
the domestic happiness of Mendelssohn, whose devotion to
his wife and family were no less remarkable than his artistic
* ‘Aus den Tagebücherm von Heinrich Brockhaus,” Band ii. s. 100.
(Leipzig, 1884.) See p. 326, et Seq.
1846.] A T THE GE WAND HA US ONCE MORE. 373
talent, made a deep impression upon her. She had been
equally impressed, at Berlin, by the charming pictures of
home life daily presented to her in the family circle at
Professor Wichmann's. Of such a life her own early ex-
perience had taught her nothing. As a child, at home, she
had never been truly understood; and, in consequence of
this, had suffered cruelly from want of sympathy and
domestic happiness. Who can wonder, then, at the emotion
she felt, when witnessing, in other families, the peaceful
effect of social relations to which her own childhood had been
an utter stranger ? She alludes to this, in touching terms, in
a letter, written about this time, to Madame Wichmann —
Leipzig, April (8?*), 1846.
“DEARLY BELOVED AMALIA,-
“God bless you all, and give you, some day, tenfold
the good that you have given me ! For, Amalia, I have felt,
for the first time in my life, as if I had tasted the blessedness
of home.
“What can I say more ? All the rest, you can imagine
for yourself. This only will I confide to you, that, if I had
not before me the prospect of Soon seeing you again, it would
go very sadly indeed with me ; for my heart now clings to
you so that nothing else can Satisfy me.
“I am staying with the Brockhauses, and they are all so
kind and friendly.
- “Yours,
“JENNY.”f
In the meanwhile, the necessary arrangements for the
forthcoming concert had been Satisfactorily completed, under
the Superintendence of Mendelssohn himself. The perform-
ance was fixed for Sunday, the 12th of April; and, as there
was to be no Orchestra, Mendelssohn had undertaken to
* The day of the month is not given; but, the letter must have been
written on the 8th or 9th of April, since Mdlle. Lind left Herr Brockhaus's
house on the morning of the last-named day.
i From the Wichmann collection.
374 JENNY LIND. LBK. V. CH. I.
“ preside at the pianoforte" as well as to play at least one
solo. His friend, Herr Ferdinand David, had also promised
to contribute a solo on the violin; and, when these details
had been finally decided upon, the following programme Was
issned to fihe public:–
Sonntag, den 12. April, 1846,
im Saale des Gewandhauses.
Concert
von Fräulein
J EN NY L IN D.
ERSTER THEIL.
Sonate von L. v. Beethoven, G dur, vorgetragen von den Herren G. M. D.
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy und C. M. David.
Arie aus Niobe, von Pacini, gesungen von Fräulein Lind.
Solo, für die Violine, componirt und vorgetragen von Herrn C. M. David.
Arie* aus Don Juan, von Mozart, gesungen von Fräulein Lind.
ZWEITER THEIL.
Sonate in Cis moll, † von Beethoven, vorgetragen von Herrn Dr.
Mendelssohn.
Cavatine aus Euryanthe (Glöcklein im Thale), und Cavatine aus dem
Freischütz (“ Und ob die Wolke sie verhülle') von C. M. von Weber,
gesungen von Fräulein Lind.
Lied ohne Worte, componirt und vorgetragen von Herrn Dr. Mendelssohn.
Lieder, gesungen von Fräulein Lind.
No Sooner did this announcement make its appearance
in the Leipziger Tageblatt, than the usual rush for tickets
began, with a Vigorous onslaught which exhausted the
supply in the course of a few hours. The most ardent
music-lovers in the town lost not a moment in their en-
deavours to secure the best places. It soon became evident
that, had the room been even much larger than it really
was, it could easily have been filled, over and over again.
* * Ueber alles bleibst du theuer.” (“ Non mi dir.')
† Now popularly known as “The Moonlight Sonata”–a name which
Beethoven never applied to it, and never heard.
1846.] A T THE G E WAND HA US ONCE MORE. 375
And it cannot be said that the excitement was extravagant,
or unnatural; for it would be difficult to recall to memory
a concert, within the experience of the oldest musical
critic now living, in which three such artists * united their
forces for the production of so attractive a programme—
an entertainment in which there was not one single
weak point, one single piece falling short of the highest
level that Art, in the department of “chamber music,” could
reach.
Madame Clara Schumann (née Wieck), who was then
residing in Dresden, came to Leipzig in the course of the
afternoon, with the intention of taking a seat among the
audience. On arriving at the railway-station, after her four
hours' journey, she drove at once to Mendelssohn's house,
for the purpose of paying him a visit. She found him a
little anxious about his share in the duties of the evening,
which was exceedingly onerous, since, beside his own solos,
he had accepted the responsibility of accompanying every
piece in the programme. Thus circumstanced, he begged
Madame Schumann to add to the interest of the performance
by taking part in it herself. She was tired with her journey;
quite unprepared to play, and not even provided with a
suitable toilette for the evening; but she unhesitatingly
consented ; and Mendelssohn well knew that she would
prove more than equal to the occasion, when the monlent
for the fulfilment of her promise arrived.
Long before the appointed time, the room was crowded,
to its remotest corner. The beneficiaire sang—as she always
did, when supported by Mendelssohn's matchless accompani-
ment—her very best. Mendelssohn played Beethoven's
* Though almost unheard in England, Herr Ferdinand David (for whom
Mendelssohn had, not long before, composed his Violin Concerto in E)
enjoyed, on the Continent, a reputation scarcely inferior to that of Spohr,
and Ernst, in Germany, or Baillot, in Paris.
376 JENNY LIND. [BK v. CH. I.
‘Sonata in C# minor, as no one but he could play it;
and, when the point in the programme was reached, at
which he was expected to play his own ‘Jieder ohne Worte,'.
he came down to the place in which Madame Schumann
was seated among the audience, and led her, in her
travelling dress, to the piano. She was received with an
ovation; and played two of the ‘Leider’—Nos. I. and IV.” in
the Sixth Book—and a ‘scherzo of her own, with an effect
which could scarcely have been surpassed. The performance
concluded, in accordance with the previous announcement,
with a selection of songs, by Mdlle. Lind, accompanied by
Mendelssohn, in his own inimitable manner; and the
audience departed in raptures.
Could those present have looked forward less than two
short years into the future, how different would have been
their feelings | Who could have believed that, even then,
over the world-famous concert-room, which had witnessed
so many of the most striking artistic triumphs of the
period, the Angel of Death was hovering—that his dusky
wing was, at that very moment, Overshadowing the greatest
musical genius of the age—that, in less than one year and
seven months after that delightful evening, Felix Mendels-
sohn Bartholdy himself was destined to be the recipient of
his fatal message.
Yet, so it was.
We little thought that the concert which had given us
Such unclouded pleasure was fated to be the last but one at
which Mendelssohn would play, in public, at the Gewandhaus;
or that the concluding symphony of Mdlle. Tind’s last song
would represent (with one exception) his last touch upon the
* No. IV. is now commonly called, the Spinnlied; and, more vulgarly
known by the ridiculous title of “The Bee’s Wedding”—another instance
of the application of sentimental names, unsanctioned by, and unknown
to, the composer.
1846.] A T THE GE WAND HA US ONCE MORE. 377
pianoforte, in the concert-room which, through his influence,
had become so justly celebrated.*
But, we must not anticipate the day of sadness. No one
foresaw it, then ; and, though the audience at the Gewandhaus
was so soon to bid its last farewell to the beloved composer
who had so long represented its heart and soul, Mdlle. Lind
enjoyed the privilege of his friendship for a full year and a
half after this eventful evening.f
* Mendelssohn’s last performance in the Gewandhaus took place on the
19th of July, 1846, when he played the pianoforte part of Beethoven's
“Kreutzer Sonata” (Op. 47) with Ferdinand David.
f Mendelssohn died on the 4th of November, 1847. The circum-
stances above related, and still remembered by many, are corroborated by
entries made in the writer’s diary, at the time.
378 JENNY LIND. LBK. v. CH. II.
CHAPTER II.
THE DEBUT AT VIENNA.
IN accordance with the arrangement previously made with
Madame Arnemann, Mdlle. Lind left Leipzig, on the 13th of
April—the day after the concert—and proceeded, first, to
Carlsbad, where she remained until the 16th. She then took
leave of her friend, and, accompanied by Mdlle. Louise
Johansson, continued her journey to Prague; remained there
for One night, and started, the next morning, for Vienna,
where she arrived on Saturday, April the 18th.
In the meantime, accommodation had been prepared for
her, at the house of Dr. Vivanot, a physician of some repute,
who occupied a conveniently-situated residence in one of the
principal streets of Vienna—Am Graben.
The place was a convenient one, in every respect; and here
she remained em pension, until the termination of her engage-
ment for the season, perfectly satisfied with the arrangements
made for her personal comfort, though, in its social aspect,
her position in Vienna was far more trying than that which
had awaited her on her first visit to Berlin in the autumn of
1844. For, the influence of Meyerbeer was all-powerful in
the Prussian capital; and the introductions with which he was
able to furnish her had undoubtedly done much towards
ensuring her a favourable reception, both at Court, and in the
best circles of Berlin Society, before she had had time to
secure it for herself, either by her talent, or by the charm of
her personal character—while, in Vienna, she knew no one,
1846.] THE DEBUT A T VIENNA. 379
and, except for the prestige of her artistic reputation, had no
claim whatever upon the good-will of the people among
whom she had come to reside. Her friends in the North of
Germany felt this strongly; and did their best to overcome
the difficulty. Madame Birch-Pfeiffer wrote a letter to a
friend in Vienna, which gives so true a delineation of her
young friend's character that we need no apology for intro-
ducing it in eactenso :—
“On Sunday,” she says, “our Angel fled from us; and
to-day only have I brought myself to introduce her to you by
this letter.
“Jenny Lind, indeed, needs no introduction to a lady so
truly artistic as yourself; and I only venture to give you a
few slight indications of her northern proclivities, which your
own fine tact would easily have discovered without them.
“She is reserved, and self-contained; pure, through and
through, and sensitive to the last degree; so strangely tender,
that she is easily wounded, and thereupon becomes silent,
and serious, when no reason for it is apparent—and I have
long studied this marvellous character, and penetrated its pro-
foundest depths.
“A word will often quickly shut her up in herself; and I
tell you this, in order that you may see how you stand with
her. When she suddenly becomes dumb to you, you may be
certain that something has wounded her delicate sensibility.
She is a true Mimosa, that closes itself at the lightest touch.
Do not think, from this, that she is intolerable. She is, by
nature, a truly lovable creature. True, in everything that she
does. Do not suffer yourself to be misled, by her persistent
silence, into thinking that she is Sams esprit. She speaks
little, and thinks deeply. She is full of perception, and the
finest tact—a mixture of devotion, and energy, such as you
have probably never before met with.
“Free, herself, from the slightest trace of coquetry, she
regards all coquetry with horror. In short, she stands alone,
of her kind, from head to foot.
“I adjure you, tell all your coterie that Jenny must be
brilliantly received; otherwise, she will never forgive me for
having persuaded her to perform in so large a theatre, for she
fears that her voice will not fill it. She stands alone in
modesty, as in everything else.
380 JENNY JAIND. [BK. v. CH. II.
“If you invite her to your house, and she does not sing,
when first you ask her, let it pass. Do not suffer any one to
press her; otherwise, it is possible that she may not come
again. This has often happened with her, here. She is
passionately fond of dancing; and cares but very little for
the table. Nothing is more hateful to her than sitting long
at dinner. *
“Here you have a little confidential description of her
person. It is well that you should be forewarned; for, every
genius has her own peculiarities.
“If you wish to make her really happy, invite her com-
panion, Louise Johansson, to accompany her to your parties.
She is an excellent girl, and Jenny looks upon her as a
sister.
“Since she has left me, I have felt as if in my grave. I
can listen to no singing now. You will soon understand
why.”
No one who really knew Mdlle. Lind will fail to recognise
the fidelity of this charming portrait; so delicately drawn;
so truthfully delineated; so conscientiously describing, in
every well-weighed word, the minutest traits of a character
which needed so liberal a share of philosophical discernment
for its successful analysis, and so deep an insight into the
poetry of the human heart for its full and loving appreciation.
Such a portrait could only have been drawn by one who had
deeply and worthily studied the moving spirit by which a
character so lovely had been dominated, through life; and the
truth of the picture is proved by the ready assent accorded to
it by all who had the privilege of knowing the Original.
That it helped to prepare the way for the cordial reception
that awaited Mdlle. Lind in Vienna we cannot doubt ; and, in
order that nothing might be left undone which could conduce
to that most desirable end, Mendelssohn, On his part, fore-
Seeing that she might possibly need the assistance of an
experienced adviser, should any unfortunate misunderstand-
ing occur in her dealings with the strangers by whom she was
surrounded, endeavoured to meet the difficulty, by providing
1846.] THE DEBUT A T VIENNA. 381
her, when she left Leipzig, with the following letter to his
friend, Herr Franz Hauser : *—
“Leipzig, April 12, 1846.
DEAR FRIEND,
“These lines will reach you, through my friend, Jenny
Lind; and I beg you, as soon as you receive them, to call
upon her, and to be as friendly and as useful to her as you
possibly can during the time of her residence in Vienna.
For, I take it for granted that it will be with you, as with
me; and that you will never be able to look upon her as a
Stranger, but as one of ourselves—a member of that invisible
Church, f concerning which you write to me sometimes. She
pulls at the same rope with all of us who are really in earnest
about that ; thinks about it; strives for it; and, if all goes
well with her in the world, it is as pleasant to me as if it
went well with me: for it helps me, and all of us, so well on
Our road. And to you, as a singer, it must be especially
delightful to meet, at last, with the union of such splendid
talents, with Such profound study, and such heartfelt enthu-
siasm. But I will say no more. I only ask you to be friendly,
and helpful to her, whenever, and wherever you can ; and to
let her depend upon you; and, when she sings for the first time,
Write to me, on the same day, and tell me how it all went off.
“You are angry with me, I know, about the barbarous
letter that I sent to you with the Antigone; but you must
not be cross, for it was not so bad as you thought. And,
send me these lines that I ask of you; for it is from you that
I particularly wish to hear about it.
“For ever and ever yours,
“FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY.”:
* Franz Hauser was born on the 12th of January, 1794; and was
first known in Germany as a bass singer of exceptional talent. After
having taught singing, in Vienna, for many years, with great success, he
was appointed Director of the Conservatorium in Munich, and held this
important post from the year 1846 to 1864.
f It must be remembered that Mendelssohn looked upon the worship
of Art as a veritable religion; and endeavoured to impress that view
upon all who were in familiar intercourse with him. -
f Translated from the original autograph, forming part of the valuable
collection of letters in the possession of Herr Joseph Hauser, by whose kind
permission we are enabled to present our readers with numerous extracts
which, in future, will be acknowledged as “From the Hauser letters.”
382 JENNY LIND. [BK. V. CH. II.
By a strange fatality Herr Hauser's kind offices were
needed, before Mdlle. Lind had even made her first appear-
ance on the stage.
The Theater an der Wien, at which she was engaged to
sing for Herr Franz Pokorny, stood very nearly on the site
of an older theatre, rich in historical memorials of a very
brilliant period. Towards the close of the last century the
Original building was licensed, by Prince Starhemberg, to
a restless manager and hot-headed Freemason, named
Emmanuel Schickaneder, who, finding himself in difficulties,
thought to repair his fortunes by producing an Opera, based
upon a masonic libretto, and enriched with music by Mozart,
who himself was a Freemason also. Mozart, who was gene-
rosity incarnate, yielded to the entreaties of his unhappy
‘brother mason,’ and produced for him, as an act of pure
charity, his last great dramatic inspiration, Die Zauberflöte,
imposing, as Schickaneder could not pay for it, the condition
that the score should not be allowed to pass out of his hands.
Schickaneder accepted the gift; but broke the conditions, by
supplying, to every provincial manager who was able to pay
him for it, a copy of the score. Mozart died, shortly after-
wards, in cruel poverty. He never received anything for his
latest masterpiece; while the success of Die Zauberflöte so
enriched Schickaneder that, out of his ill-gained profits, he
was able to build the present “Theater an der Wien,” which,
at the time of which we are now treating,” was the largest
and handsomest theatre in Vienna.
So large did it seem to the timid débutante—still timid,
and distrustful as ever of her own powers, in spite of her
triumphs at Berlin—that, when she entered it for the first
time, in order to take her part in the rehearsal of Norma, she
was appalled at the sight of its vast circumference; felt con-
* That is to say, before the splendid new Opera-House was built.
1846.] THE DEBUT AT VIENNA. 383
vinced that her voice would prove insufficient to fill it ; and,
under the influence of an utterly causeless terror, refused
even to make the attempt.
Herr Pokorny was in despair. He could not understand
the lady's fears; nor could she comprehend his remonstrances.
Fortunately, he remembered having seen her in company
with Herr Hauser, to whom he sent a hurried message,
entreating him to come to the rescue, without the loss of a
moment. By great good fortune, the messenger found Herr
Hauser at home. He instantly responded to the appeal; and
reached the theatre while Mdlle. Lind was still standing on
the stage, in an agony of nervousness and indecision. As it
was impossible to discuss the question, in presence of the
assembled artists, he led her to the “green-room,” where he
set the case so clearly before her, made her so plainly see that
her fears would be misunderstood, and her position as an
artist ruined, that the Viennese would treat the matter as a
joke, and hold Herr Pokorny responsible for having befooled
them, spoke, in short, so sensibly and so earnestly, that, with
a great effort, she overcame her terror, returned to the stage,
where Herr Pokorny was anxiously awaiting her decision,
and at once took her part in the rehearsal, with every pro-
spect of a successful début on the following evening.
How right Herr Hauser was in his judgment she never
forgot; nor did Herr Pokorny ever forget the kindness of his
intervention. During the whole remaining portion of the
season, he reserved a box for Herr Hauser, at every perform-
ance, even when the prices were at their highest, and
applicants were sent away, in crowds, for want of room. And
this was no small thing; for never, within the memory of the
Viennese, had such crowds assembled at the theatre, or such
prices been demanded for admission.
The paralysing fear with regard to the size of the house
proved, we need scarcely say, entirely illusory. Mdlle.
384 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. II.
Lind’s voice was sonorous enough to have filled the largest
theatre in Europe; and the “Theater an der Wien,” spacious
as it was, was far from being that. The scene, on the
evening of the début—Wednesday, the 22nd of April, 1846–
was simply a replica of that which had taken place, in Berlin,
on the 9th of November, in the previous year. The same
Opera—Norma—was wisely chosen as the work best calcu-
lated to produce a favourable effect upon the general public ;
and the result proved all that could possibly be desired, not-
withstanding the patent fact that a very unfair share of
responsibility was thrown upon the débutante. For, except
by Herr Staudigl, the representative of Oroveso, who was a
host in himself, and Demoiselle Henriette Treffz,” who sang
the part of Adalgisa very charmingly, she was by no
means worthily supported. Concerning the tenor, who took
the part of Pollio–called “Sever,” in the German version—
the Wiener Musik-Zeitung could find nothing better to
say, than that “he sang no worse than usual.” The chorus
sang, not only without expression, but incorrectly ; and the
orchestra fulfilled its functions very inefficiently indeed. At
any other time such faults as these would have been very
heavily visited indeed upon the management of an Opera-
House of such high repute as the Theater an der Wien ; but,
in presence of Mdlle. Lind, all collateral shortcomings were
not only forgiven, but forgotten—if even noticed aſ all ; and
the success of the performance could scarcely have been
exceeded.
After having entered so largely into detail, in our descrip-
tion of the performances at Berlin, it is unnecessary that we
should supplement Herr Rellstab's exhaustive critiques, by
quoting, at length, those that appeared in the Vienna news-
papers; we shall, therefore, content ourselves with saying that
* This lady, not long afterwards, became well known, in London as a
concert-singer, under the name of Jetty Treffz.
1846.] THE DEBUT AT VIENNA. 385
Herr August Schmidt, the editor of the Wiener Allgemeine
Musik-Zeitung—a journal by no means enthusiastically
devoted to Mdlle. Lind's interests—after saying, in one part
of his paper—
“For the initiated in music—those who listen, not with
the ear only, but with the soul, and the spirit—the appear-
ance of Jenny Lind is an event altogether exceptional; such
as has never before been witnessed, and will probably never
be repeated,” “
sums up his critique of Worma, with the words:—
“The appearance of Fräulein Lind is of the deepest
interest, in all its aspects; and her achievements in Art
deserve, in the highest degree, the universal acknowledgment
that they have received. She is the perfect picture of noblest
womanhood; and has, through her artistic aims, and the
high perfection of her artistic cultivation, united to her great
and many-sided talents, already won the sympathy of the
entire public, on her first appearance, in a way in which few
other singers have won it before her. I count the moments
that passed at her début, among the most enjoyable artistic
pleasures that I have ever yet experienced ; and eagerly look
forward to her forthcoming performances.” f
* Wiener Allgemeine Musik-Zeitung, April 19, 1846, p. 179.
f Ibid. April 25, 1846, p. 198.
VOL. I. 2 C.
386 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. III.
CHAPTER III.
CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN.
FOR her second appearance, on Friday, the 24th of April,
Mdlle. Lind again selected Norma, the reception of which
was, if possible, still more enthusiastic than that with which
it had been greeted on the evening of the début. The
Viennese were delighted with the new reading of the part,
So full of passion and true womanly feeling, and so power-
fully dramatic in all its varied shades of expression. Even
the recollections of former triumphs—such as those of
Mesdames Pasta, and Fodor, and Malibran—were cited by old
and experienced critics as telling rather in her favour than
otherwise.
It is true, there was a strong party against her. Three
rival prime domine—Mesdames Stoeckel-Heinefetter and Has-
selt-Barth and Fräulein Anna Zerr–though bitterly jealous
of each other's triumphs at the “Rärntnerthor Theater,” ”
united their forces, in opposition to the rising star, and formed
what a certain section of the press called a Kärntner clique
for the purpose of preventing her from singing in Vienna.
In allusion to this opposition, the well-known poet
Grillparzer, wrote the following clever epigram —
Øer §unt ſciſt an ten Quilt ;
Øct (citótet mic gempošnt,
@iebt fid, butch & traffſen Runt,
limb 6ſciſt—per joſte §)\ent,
©ompie per jump-cin Śumb.
-**
* A famous Opera-House, known also as the “Hofoperntheater.”
1846.] CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN. 387
But Mdlle. Lind triumphed over everything: over present
rivalry; over inefficient support, in the general ensemble of the
works in which she appeared; and—a harder task still—over
the shades of the great virtuose who had preceded her. In spite
of these adverse influences, she created a profound impression,
on Wednesday, the 29th of April, in Bellini's La Sonnambula,
by her inimitable union of the purest vocal method, with act-
ing so touching, that the coldest heart could not witness it
unmoved. It was this combined effect of legitimate vocaliza-
tion and dramatic sensitiveness that alone could explain the
Secret charm to which none who heard her in the part of Amina
ever failed to yield. The Viennese understood it at once; and
sympathised with it, as unreservedly as they had sympathised
with, and thoroughly comprehended, the new reading of
Norma. No Sooner had they heard and seen, than they rose,
one and all, to a pitch of enthusiasm, in no degree inferior to
that which had been manifested, night after night, at the
Royal Opera-House in Berlin. She herself was more
than satisfied with the reception she met with ; and, on the
day after her first appearance in Norma, wrote the following
account of it to Madame Birch-Pfeiffer:-
“Wien, 23 April, 1846.
“DEAR FRIEND,
“It is over, at last—THANK GOD ! and I hasten, good
Mother, to describe it to you, though I know that the kind-
hearted Director, Pokorny, has written all about it to you
to-day.
& & wan. then | Yesterday was the all-important day on
which I appeared here in Norma, ; and the good God did
not desert me, though I deserved it, for my unreasonable
IlêI’WOULSI 16SS.
“Do not be angry with me, I beg you ! I can do nothing
with regard to that, and I myself suffer enough for it. The
three days beforehand were dreadful. The idea of turning
back was ever in my mind; and I should have done it, if it,
would not have given offence to So many people.
2 C. 2
388 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. III.
“But, now, we shall be jolly here, for a little while, and
sing nine times; and then we can go on still farther
“But, this Public At the close, I was called back sixteen
times, and twelve or fourteen before that. Just count that up !
And this reception I was quite astounded !
“The Salle is considerably smaller than that in Berlin—Ah !
but I shall always love my Berlin theatre, and my Berliners,
immensely; they have grown into my heart | Neither the
Viennese, nor any others, can weaken this impression
“How are you all ? A raging headache prevents me
from writing more. I have not yet been calmed down
since yesterday.
“Your truly loving
“JENNy.” +
It is evident that this description of the excitement of the
Viennese, and the countless calls before the curtain, is not
written in sportive exaggeration; for, on the same day,
Mdlle. Lind wrote a similar account of the circumstances to
Mendelssohn, from whom, a few days later, she received the
following reply:—
“Leipzig, May 7, 1846.
“MY DEAR FRÄULEIN,
“You are indeed a good, and excellent, and very kind
Fräulein Lind. That is what I wanted to say to you (and I
have said it often enough, in thought), after receiving your
first letter from Vienna, written so soon after your opening
performance.
“That you wrote to me on the very next day; that you
knew there was no one to whom it would give greater pleasure
than to myself; and, that you found time for it, and let no-
thing hinder you, or hold you back- all this was too good and
kind of you !
“Your description of the first evening, and of the twenty-
five times you were called before the curtain, &c., &c., re-
minded me of an old letter written to me by my sister, when
I was in London, a long time ago: and I looked for the old
letter until I found it.
“It was the first time that I had left the shelter of the
parental roof, or had produced anything in public; and it
* From Frau von Hillern's collection.
1846.] CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN. 389
had gone well, and a stone had been lifted from my heart;
and I had written an account of it all to her. And, there-
upon, she answered me thus:–
“There was nothing new to her, she said, in all that, for
she had known it all, quite certainly, beforehand; she could
not, therefore, very clearly explain to herself why, in spite of
this, it had been so very pleasant to her to hear it all con-
firmed—but it was very pleasant, nevertheless.”
“It was precisely so with me, when I received your letter.
And then, you write so well ! In fact, when I get a letter
like that from you, it is just exactly as if I saw you, or heard
you speak. I can see the expression of your face, at every
word that stands written before me; and I understand all
that took place on the first Norma evening at Vienna,
almost as well as if I had been there. -
“There came also a very pretty description from Hauser;
a happier letter than I ever before received from him. And
in this way you give me so much, and such great pleasure,
even in a secondary form, through the soul of my friends.
“But, tell me, now ; how comes it that half the Berlin
Opera is so suddenly in Vienna, the Kapellmeister included ?
Eſauser wrote to tell me that your Viennese associates in
Norma were by no means excellent ; f so, Bötticher £ and
the others could, after all, give the Viennese something worth
hearing—if only Taubert beat time to it !
“I really feel, however, more pleasure in the enthusiasm of
the Viennese, and the twenty-five calls before the curtain,
than these few lines will perhaps express to you. It is great
fun for me, too—not because of what people call triumph, or
success, or anything of that kind, but, because of the succes-
sion of pleasant days and evenings that it expresses, and the
numbers of delighted and friendly faces with which you are
surrounded. You must tell me all about this, very particu-
larly; or rather, I must worm it out of you.
* The letter here spoken of is not included in the collection printed, by
Herr S. Hensel, in “Die Familie Mendelssohn ; ” which, however, contains
one, of as nearly as possible, the same period, addressed, by Mendelssohn's
sister, Fanny, to Herr Klingemann, and dated, “Berlin, June 4, 1829,” .
in which she writes exactly in the strain here indicated, declaring that,
with reference to his successes, she has “an almost silly belief in pre-
destination.” (See ‘Die Familie Mendelssohn, Berlin, 1879.)
f See page 384.
f The principal bass at Berlin.
390 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. III.
“You are, undoubtedly, quite right in what you say about
Vienna, in your second letter. Where, then, is there more
than a little nucleus that feels anything sincerely, or honestly
rejoices about anything at all 2
“How pleased I am that you like Hauser . He is one who
has crept very much into my heart; and for whom I could,
at no time, or for any reason, feel diminished affection. And,
how muen good has he not done to me !
“And now, let me send you a thousand thanks for what
you have written to me about Antigone. Yes; I should like
to do that over again. But, out of this, I must weave the
material for a new letter, and a consultation with Madame
Birch-Pfeiffer—not, indeed, about Antigone itself, but about
something else of the same kind.
“But, my paper has come to an end. We are all well,
here, and think of you every day. I shall write once more,
before long, to Vienna; and then, please God, we shall see
each other again, on the Rhine, and make a little music to-
gether, and talk to each other a little, and I think I shall
enjoy myself a little over it ! Au revoir.”
“Your friend,
“FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY.”f
The allusion to Madame Birch-Pfeiffer, in the above letter,
is connected with an episode of some importance in Mendels-
sohn's Art-life, concerning the details of which the public has
never been very fully informed.
It will be remembered that it was under the Superinten-
dence of this lady that Mdlle. Lind resumed those studies in
the German language which had been interrupted, at Dresden,
by her recall to Stockholm, for the coronation of King Oscar I.:
* These remarks refer to the “Lower Rhine Festival” which was to be
held on the 31st of May, and two following days, at Aix-la-Chapelle.
Mdlle. Lind had been engaged as the principal soprano; and Mendelssohn,
who had accepted the office of conductor, had promised to act as her
escort, during her journey down the Rhine.
f This and other letters inserted in this work, addressed by Mendels-
Sohn to Mdlle. Lind, are translated from the originals in the possession of
Mr. Goldschmidt, and now published for the first time.
† Wide pp. 220–221.
1846.] CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN. 391
While prosecuting this course of study, she had met with
frequent opportunities of observing, and appreciating at
their true value, Madame Birch-Pfeiffer's literary talent and
thorough acquaintance with what is known, in dramatic
circles, as “the business of the stage.” And this experience
led to negotiations, which, though they afterwards broke down
completely, seemed, at the time, to promise very important
results indeed.
During their conversations, Mdlle. Lind and Mendelssohn
had frequently discussed the possibility of a union of forces,
which, had it not been interrupted by his early death, would
probably have exerted a marked effect upon the future of the
musical drama. The Scheme was, the production of a serious
Opera, for which he should compose the music, with special
reference to the character and scope of her vocal and
dramatic talent. The one great difficulty with which the
project was threatened, was that of procuring a really good
libretto suitable for the purpose. On this point, Mendelssohn
was well-known to be severely eacigeant. But both he and
Mdlle. Lind thought that they had found, in Madame Birch-
Pfeiffer, a colleague on whom they could thoroughly depend;
and, as we shall see, from the following letter—written a
week later than that just quoted—Mendelssohn was already
in active correspondence with the lady upon this engrossing
topic; and, while his friend was gathering new laurels in
Vienna, was endeavouring to open a still wider field for the
exercise of her talents in the future.
“Leipzig, May 15, 1846.
“MY DEAR FRÄULEIN,
“If I am not mistaken, my last letter to you must
have seemed very stupid—with absolutely nothing in it.”
Moreover, I fear it will not be very different with the present
one; and that the two together will mean no more than just
a hearty greeting.
* See Mendelssohn's letter to Herr Hauser, p. 403.
392 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. III.
“You must have been suffering severely from home-sick-
ness I can see that, plainly enough, from your last letter;
and Hauser also wrote something to me about it. But, I
hope this has long since passed away; and, that you are again
fresh and cheerful, and make music, and gladden the hearts of
the people by means of the many noble gifts with which God
has endowed you, and which you yourself have now made
your UW11.
“Will you not, then, sing ‘’Donna Anna’ at Vienna 2 I
have long been looking for news of it; but it has never
COIſle.
“How happy you have again made my dear good Hauser 1
Such a delightful letter came from him, after you had been to
his house for the Second time. And, about this, I am always
thinking—what if, of all the true joy that you shed around
you, the brightest rays could fall back upon yourself, and
could as thoroughly warm and quicken you as you warm and
quicken others | But this is not to be. And, when we meet
again, I will show you a passage from Goethe, in which it
stands written why it is not to be. Yet, how I wish it
could be
“You must know, my dear Fräulein, that I have now again
good hope of coming to a satisfactory arrangement with
Madame Birch-Pfeiffer. We have lately exchanged several
letters; and, as it seems to me, she has had a very lucky find,
and, Out of it, will work up a subject that speaks to me
strongly, and unites in itself a great deal of that which you
like so much in Antigone. And yet it is not antique. How-
ever, I will not write to you about it, but describe it, vivá voce,
when we meet again. We have quite given up the subject of
the Peasant War; and I have no other wish than, (1) that
the whole idea may please you; (2) that Madame Birch-
Pfeiffer may put it together dramatically, and truthfully ;
and, (3) that I may write really good music for it. Apart
from these little matters, all is in order.
“I write these stupid letters, because, for the last fortnight
I have been kept at home by a very bad cold; and, still more,
because I have been working very hard, and without inter-
mission. To-morrow, or the day after to-morrow, the first
part of my Oratorio " will be quite finished; and many pieces
out of the second part are already finished also. This has
given me immense pleasure during these last weeks. Some-
* Elijah.
1846.] CORRESPONDENCE WITH MEND ELSSOHN. 393
times, in my room, I have jumped up to the ceiling, when it
seemed to promise so very well. (Indeed, I shall be but too
glad if it turns out only half as good as it now appears to me.)
But I am getting a little confused, through writing down,
during the last few weeks, the immense number of notes that
I previously had in my head, and working them backwards
and forwards upon the paper into a piece, though not quite in
the proper order, one after another. Would that the Opera.
were already as far advanced as this I would then play some
of it to you. But, what if it should not please you at all !—
Sometimes it seems to me as if it were an imperative duty to
compose an Opera for you, and to try how much I could ac-
complish in it—and it is, in fact, a duty. However, it does
not altogether depend upon me, and it will certainly not be
my fault, if only the thing be possible. If it were but possi-
ble ! Aw revoir.
“Ever your friend,
“FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY.”
It is evident, from passages in this letter, that the difficulties
in the way of obtaining a satisfactory libretto for the pro-
jected Opera were very grave indeed. In fact, it is impossible
to read Madame Birch-Pfeiffer's letters to Mendelssohn ”—
Written in, a hand sometimes almost illegible — without
arriving at the conclusion that, so far at least as co-opera-
tion with that lady was concerned, the cause was hopeless,
however sanguine Mendelssohn himself may have felt about
it. Madame Birch-Pfeiffer wrote, sometimes, while suffering
from painful headaches. Her letters contain allusions to
an endless variety of historical and other subjects, which
she passes in review, one after another, only to condemn them
as unsuitable. The Bauernkrieg—or “Peasant War ’’—and
Der Truchsess von Waldburg ; Tieck's Genofeva, and another
* It is well known, through the medium of his biographers, that Dr. Felix
Mendelssohn's correspondence was systematically preserved by him, in a
Series of volumes bound in green, which are now carefully preserved by
his children, through whose kindness we are enabled to present copious
extracts from them to our readers. In future cases, these extracts will be:
acknowledged as taken “From the Green volumes.”
394 JENNY LIN D. [BK. v. CH. III.
Genofova, by Hebbel; De la Motte Fouquet's Kronenwächter;
and other like subjects, including a sentimental hint at
Consuelo, are all treated in turn, and in turn dismissed. She
was much disheartened, too, by a remark of Meyerbeer's to
the effect that she had talent for the elaboration of a plot,
but, that her verses were not suitable for musical treat.111eill.
But we shall have so much to say on this subject, in a future
chapter, that it is needless to discuss its minute details here.
All this worried Mdlle. Lind, no less than Mendelssohn ;
though the letters she received from him, and from other
friends at a distance, gave her great comfort, in her loneliness
—for, lonely indeed she was, in the midst of her constantly-
recurring triumphs. It was evident, that she was far less
happy, in Vienna, than she had been in Berlin. Yet, though
suffering from the home-sickness alluded to by Mendelssohn,
and—through the painful mistrust of her own merits, con-
cerning which we have so frequently had occasion to speak—
oppressed, rather than elated, by the enthusiastic adoration
which everywhere awaited her, she could not close her eyes
to the fact that her visit to the Austrian capital had been
successful beyond the wildest expectations of her most san-
guine admirers. More than once, she described her new
and brilliant triumphs to Madame Wichmann, in the un-
familiar German in which she still found it difficult to express
ther thoughts with clearness. The following lotter, wiiLleil
nine days after her arrival in Vienna, gives a graphic picture
of her then frame of mind:—
tº º “Vienna, 27 April, 1846.
“MEIN ALSKADE | *
“I have again been suffering from home-sickness; and,
though I may well say that I am at home everywhere, I
really feel quite homeless. Do you understand me, Amalia 2
That is the way it is with me : it is so. Only, during the
time that I lived with you, I had no such longings.
* “Beloved.”
1846.] CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN. 395
“Hitherto, all has gone here splendidly. I have appeared
twice in Norma ; and was called so many times before the
Curtain that I was quite exhausted. Bah! I do not like it.
Everything should be done in moderation; otherwise it is not
pleasing.
“How glad I should be, if Taubert were really to come here.
I dare not build too much upon it; but it would be very
pleasant.
“Thine,
“JENNY.” *
And, again, nine days later: —
& Cº. “Vienna, May 6, 1846.
“ALSKADE,
“I think of you, daily, and hourly; and it goes badly
with me, since I parted from you, my beloved friends.
“I have been so home-sick, that I scarcely knew whether
I should live or die; and so frightfully melancholy, and sad,
that it is a long long time since I have felt anything like it.
Do you understand me ! I never felt this anguish while I
was with you.
“But, I am better, now ; and the day before yesterday,
Taubert came. Ah This joyful suprise !—this reminiscence
of the past existence —all now comes so brightly before me !
“And, now, I must tell you a little about the Theatre,
and things of that sort.
“Dearest, dearest lady
“Do you know, I have been placed in the very worst, and
the most unfavourable circumstances; and yet, I have never
had a greater triumph : Just think of this
“To begin with ; Herr Pokorny actually had the rashness
to demand such frightful prices, that a single reserved seat
cost eight gulden, and a box forty | f So that, since the
time of Catalani, such a thing has never been heard of; and
the public were furious about it.
“Secondly; with these high prices, Pokorny engaged, for
the first ten performances, a tenor, at whom everyone
* From the Wichmann collection.
f Eight gulden = about sixteen shillings, in English money, and forty
gulden, about four pounds. The usual prices were, thirty-six or forty-
eight kreuzers, for a single seat; and five gulden for a box on the grand
tier : that is to say, about one shilling and twopence; one shilling and
eight pence; and ten shillings.
396 JENNY LIND. [BK. V. CH. III.
laughed. Everything depended upon me; so I was made
the sacrifice. And all this, I had to bear, and do penance
for.
“In the third place; the whole Italian faction was opposed
to me; * and was determined to hiss if there was the slightest
thing that could be found fault with. Nevertheless, every-
thing has gone well; and my success is only so much the
greater.
“Taubert is sitting with me, now, and playing to me;
and I persuade myself that I am with you, and live in quiet-
ness and peace, and am assured that you all know with what
deep and true love I cling to you, and how impossible it
would be for me ever to love you less.”f
The last leaf of this letter, together with the signature, is
missing ; but enough has been preserved, to show the state
of the writer's feeling, both with regard to the attitude of the
public, and her own inncr life.
Though it contains no allusion to the circumstance, this
account is proved, by its date, to have been written exactly
a week after the first performance of La Sonnambula. This
was followed, on the 8th of May, by Der Freischütz; and, on
the 15th, by Die Ghibellimen in Pisa. The first of these
proved, as in Berlin, an immense success; the second was
less warmly received—and, not without good reason. Few
English readers, we think, will be prepared to hear that Die
Ghibellinen in Pisa was neither more nor less than a German
version of Meyerbeer's Les Huguenafs, the music of which
had been tortured into association—or the reverse — with
another historical event, more closely in sympathy with
religious and Social conditions in Vienna at the time. Under
the title of Die Welfen und Ghibellinen, this version had been
brought out, with the same libretto, at the “Hoftheater,” in
1844; and on this, its first introduction at Vienna, it had
proved by no means a brilliant success. On the present
* See page 386.
f From the Wichmann collection.
1846.] CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN. 397
Occasion, moreover, neither the chorus, nor the orchestra,
proved equal to the demand made upon them for the general
effect, and neither Mdlle. Lind, Herr Tichatschek, nor Herr
Staudigl, felt at home, in rôles dissevered from their logical
connection with the story they were originally designed to
illustrate. It was, really, very much to the credit of those
three great artists, that they found it impossible to lend
themselves to so barbarous a travestie, the comparative failure
of which was a real gain to the cause of true Art. Mdlle.
Lind never sang in it again, and the blame of its cold recep-
tion was certainly not visited upon her ; for, on the 20th of
May—the night fixed for her benefit—she received an ovation,
accompanied by circumstances, which, even among the
brilliant triumphs to which she was now so well accustomed,
can only be described as altogether exceptional.
Of Der Freischütz, she writes, on the 18th of May, to
Madame Birch-Pfeiffer's sister—whom she familiarly called
“Tante’:—
“Yesterday, Der Freischütz was given. Tichatschek sings
beautifully in it; and it is the only Opera that has gone
fairly well; for Taubert was good enough to conduct it
himself, and the public was beside itself.”” -
IFor Mdlle. Lind’s “benefit º’ La Sonnambula was again
announced, as the Opera most likely to please the public, who
had been delighted with it, on its first presentation, and
flocked, in crowds, to hear it a second time. Every available
seat in the house was filled with the élite of the Austrian
capital. The noblest representatives of Art and Literature,
the highest of the nobility, and the various members of the
Imperial family, assembled, en masse, to do honour to the
occasion. Each act of the Opera, each scene in which the
bénéficiaire took part, was received with acclamation; and
* From Frau von Hillern's collection.
398 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. III.
when the curtain fell, after the last Finale, and she was re-
called before it, to receive the grateful acknowledgments of
the audience for the pleasure she had given them, while
flowers were falling in showers upon the stage, the Empress-
Mother dropped a wreath, with her own hand, at Mdlle.
Lind’s feet.
Such a favour, involving so bold a departure from the
severity of Court etiquette, had never before been granted,
by a member of the Imperial family, to any artist of any
rank whatever, though Vienna had not been slow to acknow-
ledge the claims of true genius, or to crown it with well-
earned laurels.
As at Berlin, the audience seemed bent upon obtaining a
spoken word of farewell; and, when silence had been
obtained, Mdlle. Lind came forward, to the foot-lights, and
said, in German: “You have well understood me. I thank
”* These few heartfelt words were
received with a shout of sympathetic recognition ; and it
was only when that had subsided, that the audience,
quite overcome with excitement, consented at last to
you, from my heart.
disperse.
And, this was not all.
When, after the performance was over, the heroine of the
evening prepared to return to her temporary home, Am.
Graben, the street, in front of the stage-door, was found to be
so crowded with worthy citizens, anxious to catch a glimpse
of her, that it was thought imprudent, Lo Imake the attempt.
Hour after hour, she waited, in the hope that the watchers
would disperse. But, the crowd was as patient as she was.
The honest burghers, who had brought their wives and
daughters to see the singer, at least, if they could not hear
her, were determined not to be cheated of their hardly-
* “Sie haben mich recht verstanden. Ich danke Ihnen aus meinem
Herzen.”
1846.] CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN. 399
earned pleasure. They waited on, in perfect order, until the
day began to dawn; and then only did she think it safe
to step into the carriage, with Mdlle. Louise Johansson
by her side, and her man-servant in attendance, on the
“dicky,” behind. Up to this time, there was no attempt at
disorder, though the greatest excitement prevailed; but,
before the carriage had had time to traverse the “Drei-
hufeisengasse,” a band of enthusiastic young men unharnessed
the horses, and would have dragged the vehicle, with its
occupants, through the crowded streets to the door of Dr.
Vivanot's house, had they not been prevented from doing
so by a detachment of cavalry. Fortunately, the military
force arrived in time to prevent a serious disturbance;
but, even with this protection, the carriage was escorted
to the Graben by a crowd of excited spectators, who
insisted upon walking by its side; and, when Mdlle. Lind
reached her hand out of the lowered window, those who
were near enough rushed up, in the hope of respectfully
kissing it. -
Unhappily, the excitement produced a very serious acci-
dent. The man-servant, Görgel, who, as we have said, was.
seated behind the carriage, either fell, or was dragged from.
his place, while the enthusiasm was at its highest, and so
severely crushed, that, even with the best medical assistance
that could be procured, he was unfit to travel for some con-
siderable time, in consequence of which, the departure
from Vienna was seriously delayed, at a time when the
hindrance proved of the greatest possible inconvenience to
her.
She mentions the circumstance, though without entering
into the details—which she probably thought too closely
connected with her unbounded popularity to admit of nar-
ration by herself without appearance of conceit—in a letter
addressed to Madame Birch-Pfeiffer :—
400 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. III.
“Wien, 23 May, 1846.
“DEAR GOOD FRIEND,
“I really do not know whether I am dead, or alive—
so you must just ask the Director, Pokorny, who will, no
doubt, tell you all about it.
“It gives me unspeakable regret, to think that you will
perhaps come herc to-day, just as I all guing away !
“It is four o'clock on Saturday morning. Two hours ago,
I came from Herr Pokorny; and, think of my horror my
poor Görgel has been almost crushed to death !” He was
brought home in a frightful condition; and it does not look
at all well with him. I have already postponed my journey
four hours later. God grant that it may not turn out to be
anything dangerous.
“Except for this, I have spent delightful days here. I
have never met with such kind people as the Viennese in
general. I can find no words in which to describe my stay
in Vienna. Enough Thank Heaven for helping me so
much
“I had much to fight against, here ; and some day, I will
tell you all about it. For the present, good bye, dear
Mother. I am as I have ever been, and shall never change.
May all good attend you. May the good God shield you, on
your way, from all that is called grief, and sorrow ! I shall
always think of you with heart-felt love,
“From,
“JENNY.”f
The style of this letter sufficiently shows the haste and
excitement amidst which it was despatched; huf, no stir-
rounding circumstances, however trying, could make the
writer forget her affection for those whom she loved.
* Zerquetscht !
f From Frau von Hillern's collection.
( 401 )
CHAPTER IV.
CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN (suite).
HERR HAUSER had not forgotten Mendelssohn's wish to be
kept au courant with regard to the events which took place
at the Theater an der Wien. He had written more than one
account of the various occurrences we have described ; * and,
on the morning after the “benefit,” he wrote again, giving
his friend a brief general description of the events of the
evening, but leaving the details to be “wormed out” by
Mendelssohn himself during the projected voyage down the
Rhine.
To the first and second of these letters Mendelssohn sent
the following reply, containing much that will interest the
reader, even in certain passages which are not very closely
connected with our present Subject:—
“Leipzig, 11th May, 1846.
“MY DEAR FRIEND,
“I well knew how pleased you would be with Jenny
Lind—I never for a moment doubted it; and I was pleased
indeed to find, from your letter, that I had not been mis-
taken, and that you had been so truly refreshed and
encouraged by an artistic nature so splendid and so
thoroughly genuine. ~-
“Tell her that no day passes on which I do not rejoice
anew that we are both living at the same epoch, and have
learned to know each other, and are friends, and that her
voice sounds so joyous, and that she is exactly what she is,
and, with that, give her my heartiest greetings.
* See pp. 382–383, 388-389, &c.
2
D
WOL. I.
402 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. Iv.
“And accept my best thanks for your two good letters.
It says something when you—miserable correspondent that
you are —awake out of your sleep, or when I–miserable
correspondent that I am —awake out of mine. I should,
indeed, have thanked you long ago for your first letter, had
not my time been so wholly absorbed by music that writing
was impossible, for I sit, over both my ears, in my Elijah,
and if it only turns out half as good ag I often think it will,
I shall be glad indeed! The first part will be quite finished
within the next few days, and a goodly portion of the second
part also. I like nothing more than to spend the whole day
in writing the notes down, and I often come so late to dine
that the children come to my room to fetch me, and drag me
out by main force; and people seem to have agreed together
just at this particular time to worry me with all sorts of
business letters and questions, and such like odious things,
So that, sometimes, I feel inclined to rush out of the house—
for, at such moments, one can neither converse to any
purpose by word of mouth, nor by letter. So now you know
what I mean, and how I am, and I only wish we could soon
See each other again.
“But, really, I must come some day to Vienna. I hear
So much said about it, right and left, and you all say such
kind things about my music, and give me such extraordinary
accounts of your performances, that you make my mouth
water. Perhaps I may bring my Elijah, while it is quite
new, about the winter-time—for, naturally, it cannot be
given at Aix-la-Chapelle, since it is barely half-finished ; or,
perhaps I may wait until I have found a subject for my
Opera, and composed the music—if Jenny Lind is still there
—and this last would be the best. But, in some way or
other, I hope to see our imperial city; and I shall not then
make my first visit to the tower of St. Stephen’s, or to the
Sperl, but to the Bärenmühle.” But perhaps you no longer
live there, in which case I shall come wherever you do live.
“As soon as our copyist is free again he shall transcribe
the score of the CEdipus for you, since you wish to have it,
Sub rosá, and I shall rejoice if it gives you any pleasure. In
* Literally, the “Bear's Mill.” This was the name of the house in
which Herr Hauser had formerly lived; though Mendelssohn was right
in thinking that he had now removed to another part of the city. The
tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral, and the Sperl, have always been two of
the great attractions of Vienna.
1846.] CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN. 403
any case, find a place for it in your library, and perhaps that,
or the other piece, may prove suitable for your Society. Is
it still going on happily 2 Are you very much worried with
stupidity ? Have you not yet got over that ? I have sworn,
a thousand times, that I would never allow myself to be
vexed about it again, and, a thousand times, I have broken
my oath. But I have lately discovered, from some passages
in Goethe's later works, that, to the end of his life, he never
attained to that, and, since then, I have preferred not to
swear any more, for it does not help one in the least. Some-
times I fancy that the Devil—the real Evil One—is nothing
else than stupidity, though, truly, there are other degrees
that one does not love.
“But it is getting late, and I must leave off. Do you
know whether Jenny Lind is going to sing the part of Donna
Anna in Vienna 2 I should like you to hear it. If she does
not sing it, ask her to sing the last or the first aria to you in
your room; and, when you greet her, from me, tell her that
I will write to her this week, but she must forgive me if my
letter is stupid, for, just now, I cannot do anything better.
“Let me soon hear from you again. What happened at
the second performance of Antigone 3 And how are your
sons, and your wife 2 Greet them all many times, and
continue kind to
“Thine,
“FELIX.” *
Herr Hauser's letter of May 21—the day after the benefit
—was, in some sort, an answer to this. He renews the
invitation to Vienna, though complaining that he is not
living so comfortably as in his former house in the Bären-
miihle. He says that he duly reported to Mdlle. Lind
Mendelssohn's thankfulness that they were both born in
the same epoch, and himself hopes that they will all long
continue to give thanks to God for so artistic a nature—and
not without grave reason, for there are some still living who
thank God heartily that they were, to a certain extent, con-
temporary with Mendelssohn. And he speaks of the
* From the Hauser letters.
2 D 2
404 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. Iv.
Antigome as having been sung to an audience in fullest
sympathy with it “body and soul.” It was not quite fair to
call him a “miserable correspondent.” He was scarcely a
less voluminous letter-writer than his accuser, who certainly
repeats the playful charge against himself; but the most
interesling part of his correspondence is almost exclusively
addressed to his friend, Herr Moritz Hauptmann—the then
Cantor of the Thomas-Schule at Leipzig, and one of the
most distinguished successors of the great John Sebastian
Bach in that responsible office. A few days after hearing
Mdlle. Lind for the first time, he thus described his
impression in a letter addressed to the learned Cantor:-
“Vienna, 4 May, 1846.
“DEAREST FRIEND,
“Jenny Lind is singing here, and I will say no more
than that I have caught the ‘fever,’ and that in its most
violent form. I tell you she is a dear one to devour, and a
dear, genial, honest, intellectual, lovely, &c., &c., &c., &c., &c.,
child she is Such a voice I have never heard in all my
life, nor have I ever met with so genial, so womanly, so
musical a nature. Yet I can quite understand that she
might easily be so put out in the concert-room that she might
almost fail to be recognised as an extraordinary singer. On
the stage she is the loveliest, purest, most charming creature
that one can possibly see or hear. There is a charm in her
voice that I have never known before, surpassing all that
other singers have attained to, however powerful their acting
on the stage. The Lind soars above all; but not through
any single quality. It is the mastcry wielded by this anima
candida that works the magic.”
And—let it be clearly understood —this high eulogium
is addressed to one of the most conscientious and least
impressionable musicians then living, and proceeds from the
pen of a critic noted for the deliberate caution with which
he was accustomed to hedge round his published opinions on
matters connected with Art. A vestige of this deliberation
1846.] CORRESPONDENCE WITH MENDELSSOHN. 405
is discernible in the saving clause referring to possible
weakness in the concert-room.
Mdlle. Lind had sung, with her usual success, at Herr
Taubert's matinée in Streicher's Konzert-Salon on the 10th of
May, contributing to the programme two of Taubert's songs,
and a northern melody; and, on the 21st, she sang, for the last
time that season, at a grand Orchestral concert, given for an
institution for the support of little children at the Theater an
der Wien under the patronage of His Imperial Highness the
Archduke Franz Carl.
On this last-named Öccasion—a matinée, beginning at half-
past twelve in the afternoon—she sang the aria from Il Don
Giovanni which Mendelssohn so much wished Herr Hauser
to hear; a Wiegenlied, by Taubert, and the Norwegisches
Schäferlied, and Tanzlied aus Dalekarlien, which had already
produced so marked a sensation in Berlin and Leipzig, but
had not previously been heard in Vienna.
“Jenny Lind's rendering of the Lied,” said the Wiener
Musik Zeitung, in criticising this performance, “is so tender
and full of feeling, so simple and expressive, that the hearer
is irresistibly impressed by it, and even the exotic element
in these Swedish songs, which, performed by any other
singer, would certainly sound strange to us, rejoices the very
soul through her interpretation. She yielded to the wish of
the enraptured audience in repeating the Schäferlied, and
afterwards sang a little German song, which concluded the
performance.” "
And thus ended the first short season in Vienna. It had
been, for all concerned, a tentative one, for no one could
predicate, until trial had been made, the temper in which
the Viennese might feel inclined to accept it. But the
experiment had proved eminently successful, and there could
be no possible doubt on the mind of any one as to the result
* Wiener Allgemeine Musik-Zeitung, May 26, 1846, p. 251.
406 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. Iv.
of a similar enterprise undertaken during the ensuing winter.
If the Viennese critics had seemed somewhat more cautious
in their expressions than those of Berlin, the public had
certainly been very much less so in their actions.
We can hardly give a clearer idea of the profound impres-
sion produced upon the literary world, in Vienna, than by
closing our present chapter with the charming verses,”
addressed to Mdlle. Lind, on the 2nd of May, by the poet,
Grillparzer:-
©ie mennen bid bic 9tadtigaſt
$) it tiltſt'gem Biſberrauðe;
©o füß aud, beiner £ieter &djuſt,
Øod, menn' id) bid bie Saube.
limb biſt bit ºpée, moie tu's biſt,
©ey's bcm bie Qiſpentoſe,
Øie, no ſicſ, &cºnce unt Qeben fitfit,
Quégſiiſt auá Rumfſent ºtooſe.
Øu biſt midſt Šarbe, biſt midt Qidt;
Øqā Śarſe erſt perfiintet,
Øaé, memn ſein §§eiff an Štembert brid)t,
Qie bunte Bradyt ent;intet.
limb ſpenbcit &ie beg 3eifaſſà Qoşn
Øen £untern teiner Reſſe,
Šier iſt midt Rörper, iſt midſt £on,
Šć, Šáre beine &ecſc.
* The poem is here given on the authority of Grillparzer's autograph,
found among Madame Goldschmidt's papers, after her death. It was also
printed, at Vienna, in a volume entitled, ‘Austria ; oder Oesterreichischer
Universal Kalender für das gemeine Jahr 1847. In this version, how-
ever, the last line but one differs from the MS., and reads thus:
Šict iſt midt Jörper, faum auci, $on.
( 407 )
CHAPTER V.
THE LOWER REHINE MUSICAL FESTIVAL,
As early as the month of January, 1846, the committee of
the “Lower Rhine Musical Festival” “ entered into negotia-
tions with Mdlle. Lind in the hopes of obtaining her
assistance at the twenty-eighth meeting of the Association,
which was appointed to take place that year on the 31st of
May and the 1st and 2nd of June, at Aix-la-Chapelle.
The Association was, and still is, one of the most important
in Europe, and one of the oldest also. First suggested in
1811, and regularly organised in 1818, it had since that year
given an annual festival at Whitsuntide, either at Cologne,
Düsseldorf, or Aix-la-Chapelle, each town taking upon itself
the responsibility of arrangement, in its regular turn. Up to
the year 1833 two concerts had been given annually, on
Whitsunday and Whitmonday; but Mendelssohn, who that
year had been for the first time appointed conductor, pro-
posed an additional concert on the Tuesday morning; and,
as the programme was on that day miscellaneous, it was
called “The Artists’ Concert,” under which title it has ever
since been annually repeated. The festival was held that
year at Düsseldorf. Mendelssohn again conducted, in 1835,
at Cologne; and in 1836 he produced his Saint Paul, at the
eighteenth festival at Düsseldorf. Since then he had
conducted three times; and now he was engaged again for
1846. Ç
* Das Niederrheinische Musikfest.
408 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. V.
Many hindrances had arisen, and many changes been
made with regard to the arrangements, chiefly in consequence
of the difficulty of engaging an efficient company of artists to
support Mdlle. Lind; for, unlike Herr Pokorny, the com-
mittee had determined that she should not be asked to sing
with vocalists of inferior merit. But all was satisfactorily
arranged before she left Berlin in April, and the programmes
for the two first days decided upon in the following order:-
WHITSUNDAY, MAY 31, 1846.
1. Symphony in D major (No. 5). . . . . Mozart.
2. Oratorio, The Creation . . . . . . . Haydn.
(Mdlle. Lind singing the music of Gabriel,
in Parts I. and II. ; and that of Eve,
in Part III.)
WHITMONDAY, JUNE 1, 1846.
PART I.
1. Symphony in C minor (No. 5). . . . . Beethoven.
2. Motett, with Chorus, Iste dies . . . . . Cherubini.
PART II.
Overture, Oberon . . . . . . . . C. M. von Weber.
Oratorio, Alexander’s Feast . . . . . Handel.
TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1846.
(“The Artists’ Concert.”)
Mişcollancoug Programme.
The first grand rehearsal was fixed for Wednesday, the
27th of May, and it had been arranged that Mdlle. Lind
should leave Vienna on the 23rd, meet Mendelssohn at
Frankfort on the evening of the 26th, and proceed with
him down the Rhine to Aix-la-Chapelle on the 27th. But
when the hour fixed for the departure from Vienna arrived
it was found that the injured man-servant was quite unfit to
travel.
1846.] THE LOWER RHINE MUSICAL FESTIVAL. 409
Always thinking of others before caring for herself, Mdlle.
Lind consulted with the doctors, and found that they
demanded twelve hours longer in order that the sufferer
might be comfortably bandaged and prepared, in So far as
was possible under such circumstances, for the fatigues of the
journey. To this delay she consented, in preference to
leaving him friendless in Vienna. It was a great risk, and
involved a terrible increase of fatigue for her at a time when
she needed all her physical powers, as well as those of the
mind, in preparation for the responsibilities devolving upon
her at the festival. But she did not hesitate ; though in
consequence of the lateness of the hour at which she was
obliged to start, it was nearly midnight on Tuesday, the
26th of May, before she arrived at Frankfort, where
Mendelssohn had been awaiting her all the afternoon at the
well-known hotel Der Weisse Schwan, in an agony of anxiety
and suspense.
It was, indeed, a desperate venture; if, through any
accidental hindrance, either of them had failed to appear at
the rehearsal on Thursday the 28th, the success of the entire
festival would have been endangered. But all fear of that
was now at an end; and, leaving Görgel the wounded man-
servant under careful medical attendance in Frankfort, the
two friends, accompanied by Mdlle. Louise Johansson, started
down the Rhine, on Wednesday the 27th, by the steamboat,
and in due time reached Aix-la-Chapelle, where Mdlle. Lind,
in accordance with the previous arrangement, became the
guest of the Marquis and Marquise de Sassenay, and
Mendelssohn occupied an apartment provided for him
by the committee at the principal hotel—the Grand
Monarque.
The festival was declared by all present to have been the
best that had taken place within the memory of the public.
The two principal songs in Haydn's oratorio, On mighty
410 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. v.
pens and With Verdure Clad, and the solo and chorus, The
marvellous Work, were calculated to display Mdlle. Lind's
powers, whether of voice, method, or poetical conception, to
the greatest possible advantage—indeed, they became great
favourites everywhere in later years. And yet it was un-
doubtedly in the third part of the Oratorio that lier ideal con-
ception of the work reached its culminating point. Would it
have been a true conception, a natural, a logical one, if it had
been otherwise ? There can be no doubt that her version of
it coincided with Haydn's, in every particular. Both saw
that the whole interest of the work must of necessity con-
centrate itself upon the point at which the whole purpose of
the Almighty Creator is consummated—the creation of man.
Neither she, nor Haydn, had studied in the school of
philosophy which teaches us than man’s place in the great
scheme of nature is that of a mere accidental atom. They
believed that the material world was designed as a fitting
residence for the being who had been created in the image of
God. Penetrated with this idea, Haydn clothed the part of
Gabriel with florid beauty perfectly in keeping with the most
perfect ideal he was able to form of the angelic nature; and
that of Eve, with the tender grace which he supposed to
express the noblest conception of ideal woman. And it was
in closest sympathy with this conception—whether true or
false—that his carcful interpreter sang the music assigned by
the composer to “the mother of us all.” Can we believe that
either he, or she, was mistaken 2 That their joint ideal was a
false One 2 that the “Third Part " of The Creation forms an
anti-climax, which may be dispensed with, at will, without
injury to the logical development of the whole 2 It is clearly
possible to arrive at this extravagant conclusion; for, since
the Lower Rhine Festival of 1846, this portion of the Oratorio
has been omitted, over and over again, both in Germany,
and in England, at performances conducted upon a very
1846.] THE LOWER RHINE MUSICAL FESTIVAL. 411
grand and liberal scale. But it is equally clear that this
opinion was irreconcilable with Mdlle. Lind’s, for she
threw the whole poetry of her womanly nature into this
part of Eve, and emphasised its importance in a way which
attracted the attention of every deep thinker among the
audience.
Her part too in Alexander's Feast was a very impor-
tant one, demanding the combined powers of virtuosa and
poetess. But her greatest success, perhaps, was achieved
on the Tuesday morning, at the “Artists’ Concert,” in
Mendelssohn's Auf Flügeln des Gesanges and Frühlingslied,
in which, say the critics of the period, “she produced
an effect wholly unparalleled,” insomuch that the meeting
of 1846 was afterwards known as the “Jenny-Lind-
Fest.”
Many dear friends, both of the conductor, and the singer,
assembled that year at Aix-la-Chapelle to do honour to the
Occasion ; and it was altogether a very happy time, as some
letters, fortunately preserved, sufficiently prove.
It will interest the reader to glance at three descriptions
of the same pleasant Whitsuntide holiday, drawn from three
different points of view—like P. de Champaigne's threefold
portrait of the great Cardinal de Richelieu in the National
Gallery—less gorgeously toned, indeed, and by no means
so grandly modelled ; but certainly not less true to nature,
though only in playful miniature.
Among the sympathetic friends who flocked to Aix-la-
Chapelle, and certainly not among the least welcome of these,
were Professor Geijer of Upsala and his wife, who had not
breathed a word to any one of their intention to come. Their
presence in the town was a surprise indeed ; and Madame
Geijer thus describes the meeting, in a letter forwarded to us
by her son-in-law Count Hamilton, the Lord-Lieutenant of
the province of Upland.
412 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. v.
“Aachen, Whitsunda y, 1846.
“Geijer was informed that ‘Fräulein Lind and Dr.
Mendelssohn were at home, so he went to Madame la
Marquise de Sassenay’s, where Jenny was staying during
her visit to Aachen.
“Jenny, however, was at rehearsal, so he went to the theatre
alid enquired for her there.
“Soon afterwards Jenny came out, and could hardly believe
her eyes. She did not know whether she was dreaming,
whether she was in Germany or in Sweden
“She put her hands to her forehead, and was ready to cry.
Tater on, she followed Geijer to the hotel at which we were
staying. She was joyous, excited, and exceedingly interest-
ing and animated. She asked with warmth and emotion
after friends and acquaintances at home, and more particu-
larly after the Lindblads. Geijer told her that Lindblad
was engaged on an Opera. ‘Well, she cried, ‘and who is to
sing it !” Geijer answered, ‘You had better say who.'
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘I may help him to bring out an Opera, both
at home, and here in Germany; there is no doubt about
that.”
“She spoke of the great success she had had in Vienna,
and told him how, after her last appearance, an attempt had
been made to draw her carriage, in consequence of which her
man-servant had been severely injured, so much so that she
had been obliged to leave him behind.”
“Jenny promised to get tickets for us for the concert,
adding, ‘I shall tell them that I will not sing, if they do not
give me tickets for you.” She also promised that she would
arrange for Mendelssohn to play to us, and, since the world
now turns round according to her wishes and commands, one
may feel quite safe when she has pronounced her fiat in
one's favour.
“In the evening we were present at the rehearsal of the
Creation, and we then heard the good news that Mendelssohn
had declared his willingness to play to us, and that he would
have a piano Sent to our rooms for that purpose.
“So, in the evening, Jenny and Mendelssohn came to us.
Jenny sang some Lieder, and I need neither describe nor
praise them. Geijer was quite beside himself with delight
and pleasure.
* I.e. at Frankfort, as already related.
1846.] THE LOWER RHINE MUSICAL FESTIVAL. 413
“Mendelssohn thought Agnes * and Jenny So like each
other that they might be taken for sisters.” f
Eive days after his departure from Aix-la-Chapelle,
Mendelssohn, who was then in Düsseldorf, sent the following
account of the Festival to his friend Franz Hauser, at
Vienna :-
“Düsseldorf, June 8, 1848.
“You wish me to tell you about the musical festival at
Aachen. Well, it was very good, very splendid, towering
above all the others, and chiefly owing to Jenny Lind; for,
as to the orchestra, I have heard it perhaps better on some
other occasions, and the chorus, though splendid, has been
equally so at previous festivals. But they were all so up-
lifted, so animated, so artistically moved by Lind's singing
and manner, that the whole thing became a delight, a general
success, and worked together as it never did before.
“I had the clearest evidence of this at the last rehearsal,
when I had begged of her, for once, not to be the first and
most punctual in attendance, but to take some rest and
come in towards the end of the rehearsal. To this she agreed,
and it was quite a misery to notice how feebly things went—
so devoid of swing that even I became listless, like all the
others, until, thank God Jenny Lind appeared, when the
needful interest and good humour came back to us, and
things moved on again.
“There were, of course, wreaths and poems, and fanfares,
again and again, and the audience was seized with that
excitement which manifests itself wherever she goes. The
manner of its manifestation is of no consequence.
“After the Festival, we went together a little way on the
Thine ; spent a very pleasant day at Cologne, Bonn, up the
Drachenfels, at Königswinter, and back (to Cologne), and on
the following day she left for Hanover, and I for this place,
where I took part yesterday in a concert which also would
have been a fine one if Jenny Lind had been there.
“To-morrow I leave for Liège, in order to hear the Lauda
* Professor Geijer's daughter; the late Gräfin Hamilton.
f Translated from an extract from the original letter, kindly furnished
by Count Hamilton.
414 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. v.
Sion, which I have composed for the Festival of Corpus
Christ, there.” ” y
!
The rest of the story is told in Mendelssohn's letter to his
sister, Madame Fanny Hensel:—
“Leipzig, June 27, 1846.
“You ask What I did on the Ithine, but, unfortunately,
Cécile's letter to Paul (giving, at my request, all the par-
ticulars of my journey) crossed your letter to me, so that I
cannot possibly tell what you do or do not know.
“The best way will be for me to write only what I know
Cécile cannot have told you, for there is much choice of
material. *
“The principal feature of my stay in Aix-la-Chapelle was
that both the Marquis de Sassenay and Bürgermeister
Nellesen made incredible exertions to feast me upon rice-
milk, Mdlle. Lind having told them of my weakness for it.
But they did not succeed, for their French cooks always
produced something quite different—much grander, but not
rice-milk.
“A Frenchman—a real Parisian—asked me, on Sunday,
* Qu'est-ce qu’elle chante ce Soir, Mdlle. Lind 3’ I replied,
‘La Création,’ whereupon he turned upon me and said, ‘Com-
ment pewt elle chanter La Création ? La dernière fois que j'ai
entendu La Création en France, c'était un basse-taille qui la
chantait /?
“The choruses were splendidly sung, and if Paul could
have heard Jenny Lind sing the two first airs in Alexander's
Feast, he would have applauded as he did that time at the
COn Cert.
“On the Saturday before Whit Sunday, Simrock spent an
hour with me over Elijah. At 8 (A.M.) the rehearsal began,
and lasted till two, when there was a grand dinner, at which
I was obliged to be present, and which was not over until
half-past four. At five, the general rehearsal of The Creation
began, and lasted till about nine. At nine I went to see the
Swedish Professor Geijer—you remember him at Lindblad’s—
when we had some music, and I played the Sonata in C:
Minor and some Lieder ohne Worte, &c., &c.
“Immediately after Aix-la-Chapelle came Düsseldorf,
where they serenaded me twice, for the two local Lieder-
* From the collection of Herr Joseph Hauser.
1846.] THE LOWER RHINE MUSICAL FESTIVAL. 415
tafeln hate each other so thoroughly that they could not be
persuaded to unite.” "
Finally, Mdlle. Lind recorded her own impressions of this
Whitsuntide holiday—for earnest work in the cause of Art
is really a holiday to earnest artists, however hard it may
be—in the following letter to Herr Rudolph Wichmann, the
Professor's second son :-
“Aachen, June 2, 1846.
“MY DEAR RUDOLPH,
“My pleasure in Aachen will soon come to an end,
for all will be over to-day, and early to-morrow we leave.
But I believe Mendelssohn means to accompany us a little
way, and we hope to see the view from the Drachenfels,
which will be very nice.
“How well everything went with me in Vienna only my
man-servant was very nearly crushed to death, owing to the
enthusiasm, so that I had to leave him behind in Frankfort,
and he has only just now rejoined me.
“Farewell, my dear boy. Greetings from
“THY SISTER,”f
Mdlle. Lind was evidently sorry to leave the gloomy old
city of Charlemagne, but she was not allowed to do so with-
out an ovation. On the day of her departure she was
presented with a poem, beautifully printed in black and
gold, on a sheet of white satin, twelve inches in height by
ten broad. The feeling displayed in the verses is so good,
and the occasion—entirely unconnected with the dramatic
successes we have recorded—was so important in its bearing
upon a concert performance, that we think no apology
necessary for the introduction of a portion of the poem, of
which we subjoin the first stanza:—
“Wie aus des Chaos dunklem Schoosentsprungen
Die junge Welt in bräutlich holder Pracht,
Der erste Lenz zu Gottes Lob erwacht,
Hast mit des Engels Stimme DU gesungen,” &c.
* Translated from the ‘Familie Mendelssohn,' by Mr. Sebastian Hensel.
f Translated from the original letter, by the kind permission of Herr
Rudolph Wichmann.
416 . JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. v.
It had been a happy time for all; but for Mendelssohn,
with Elijah not yet finished, though on the eve of production,
and some hard days’ work still waiting for accomplishment
in Düsseldorf, Cologne, and Liège, the fatigue was dangerously
heavy, and the amount of excitement with which it was
accompanied more disproportioned still to the then con-
dition of his mental and physical powers, which sorely
needed the rest he was nevermore able to accord to them.
But when did Prudence ever come to the front, to calm
the suicidal eagerness of Genius Ž
( 417 )
C H A P T E R V I.
IN VIA REQUIES.
THE view from the Drachenfels answered all the bright
expectations that had been formed of it; and, after supple-
menting it with an afternoon at Königswinter, and a
pleasant day at Cologne, Mdlle. Lind proceeded to Hanover,
where she was engaged for four performances at the Court
Theatre, and a concert.
The Operas selected were Worma (June 6), La Sonnambula
(June 8), Der Freischütz (June 9), and Lucia di Lammermoor
(June 11). The concert took place on the 13th of June.
The success, on each occasion, was that to which all concerned
had so long been accustomed, that it was now looked for as
a matter of course. But, of far greater importance than any
amount of local enthusiasm was the fact, that, during this
visit to Hanover, Mdlle. Lind was brought into immediate
relations with the then Crown Prince and Princess—after-
wards King George W., and Queen Marie—who, amidst the
heavy trials destined afterwards to fall upon them, never forgot
the friendship with which they then learned to regard her;
a friendship which remained undiminished until the day of
her death, and which, even since then, has been most
touchingly alluded to by Her Majesty, Queen Marie.
After fulfilling her engagement at Hanover, and singing
once at a concert at Bremen, Mdlle. Lind proceeded to
Hamburg, where she was engaged for a series of twelve
WOL. I. 2 E
418 JENNY LIN D. [BK. v. CH. VI.
“Guest-performances” at the Stadt Theatre, supplemented
by a benefit in aid of the “Theatrical Orchestra Pension
Fund”; another for herself, and a Concert for the poor.
During this visit, she did not reside in Hamburg itself,
having accepted an invitation to the house of her friend,
Consul Arnemann, at Nienstädten, near the neighbouring
township of Altona. Here she spent many pleasant weeks
with her host and hostess and their family, who had invited
another friend—Mdlle. Mina Fundin—to keep her company,
and had also sent a pressing invitation to Mendelssohn, in
the hope that he would be able to take Nienstädten on his
way to England, whither he was bound, in August, for the
purpose of producing his Elijah at the Birmingham Festival.
This project, however, failed entirely. Though Mendelssohn
would have been pleased indeed to have availed himself of
So pleasant an opportunity for refreshing himself with a
brief rest, before his heavy work began, it was quite im-
possible for him to do so. He was working beyond his
strength, as he himself well knew; and let the consequences
be what they might, there was no help for it.
Mdlle. Lind arrived at Nienstädten, on the 19th of June ;
and began her second season at Hamburg, on the 22nd, with
her favourite Opera, Norma, followed, in turn, by La Son-
nambula, Don Juan, Lucia di Lammermoor, and, for the first
time in Germany, La Figlia del Reggimento,” concerning
which she wrote from Nienstädten to Madame Birch-Pfeiffer,
* The dates were:—June 22, Norma ; June 25, La Somnambula ;
June 27, Norma; July 1, La Sonnambula; July 3, Don Juan; July 8,
Lucia di Lammermoor; July 11, Don Juan ; July 14, La Figlia del
Reggimento; July 18, La Fºglia del Reggimento; July 21 (for the benefit
of the “Orchestra Pension Fund” at the Stadt-Theater), Norma; July 24,
Lucia di Lammermoor; July 26, La Fºglia del Reggimento; July 28,
La Sonnambula ; July 30 (benefit), La Sonnambula (act iii.), La Figlia
del Reggimento (act ii.), with Swedish Songs introduced, in the scene at
the piano. August 1, Concert, at the Stadt-Theater, for the poor.
1846.] . IN VIA REQUIES. 419
on the 26th of June —“Cornet” plagues me about Die Tochter
des Regiments; and, although I do not know how that can
be managed without your help, dear mother, I must try "
—a sentence which proves how deeply she was indebted to
this lady for the help afforded to her in the German transla-
tions of works which she had already sung, in her own
language, at Stockholm.
The terms of the engagement were one hundred Louis d'or
for each performance—about eighty pounds in English
money. During her first season at Hamburg, she had
received forty Louis d'or only—about thirty-two pounds
Sterling. But she did not forget to devote a large share of
her earnings to charitable purposes. The performance in aid
of the “Orchestra Pension Fund’ realised twelve hundred
and forty-one marks—more than sixty pounds Sterling; and
the concert for the poor, about five pounds less. The per-
formances were received with even greater enthusiasm than
those of the previous year; and no less hearty were the
demonstrations of personal respect, and grateful recognition
of benefits afforded, for charitable purposes, to the old Hanse
Town. - -
If a local journal of the period may be trusted, Mdlle.
Lind’s horses were again unharnessed, after the Concert on
the 1st of August, and her carriage drawn home by the
crowd. And she was also serenaded with a Farewell-Ode,
composed for the occasion by Herr Krebs, the conductor at
the Theatre.
Yet, during the course of this visit to Hamburg, she was
made, for the first time in her Art-life, the subject of a long
series of virulent attacks, prompted by the spirit of petty
jealousy with which inept mediocrity never fails to resent
the respect paid to true genius.
* A well-known tenor singer, and, at that time, the manager of the
Stadt-Theater at Hamburg.
2 E 2
420 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. VI.
In 1845, an anonymous author published a little
biographical sketch, entitled, “Jenny Lind, the Swedish
Nightingale,’ ” giving a short and fairly correct account of
Mdlle. Lind’s early career, prettily written, and accompanied
by a pleasing, if not very accurate lithographic portrait.
This little brochure, pleasant enough to read, met with
a very extensive sale, and its success tempted certain
pamphleteers of low degree to venture into the field, on
their own account, either with weak imitations of the original,
or with attempts to turn it into ridicule.
In the same year appeared, “Jenny Lind in Hamburg.
An Apotheosis,”f and “Jenny Lind and the Hamburgers; or
half an hour in the Jungfernstieg.’ f
But it was not until the following year that the annoyance
reached its climax. In 1846, the booksellers’ shops were
deluged with feuilletons, in which vulgar calembours and
senseless epigrams were made to do duty for wit and humour.
A disappointed genius lamented, in coarsest satire, the fate
of the ill-used poet, who received less, for the work that had
cost him months of labour, than the singer could gain in
three hours in a single evening. At the ‘Theaterim Vorstadt
S. Pauli, a singer appeared under the pseudonym of ‘Jenny
Bind,' and nightly attracted large audiences of the lower
orders, and the name of Lindwurm–a word used in old
German romances as a synonym for Dragon—was passed,
from mouth to mouth, among the envious and disappointed,
as an excellent joke.
But the loyalty of the public itself never wavered for a
moment. Hamburg was as true to its allegiance as Berlin,
* “Jenny Lind, die Schwedische Nachtigall.” (Hamburg, 1845.)
f ‘Jenny Lind in Hamburg. Apotheose.” (Hamburg, 1845.)
i “Jenny Lind und die Hamburger: ein Stündchen im Jungfernstieg.”
Hamburg, 1845. The Jungfernstieg is the principal street around the
Aisterbassin; in it stood Mdlle. Lind's hotel, the Alte Stadt London.
1846.] IN VIA REQUIES. 421
or Vienna. As at the Royal Opera House, and the Theater
an der Wien, the prices for admission to the Stadt-Theater
were raised, whenever a “guest-performance" took place;
the local journals were loud, and unanimous, in their praise;
and the demonstrations in the Theatre were of the warmest
and most enthusiastic character.
Mdlle. Lind prolonged her visit at Nienstädten—with
interruptions—for some considerable time, after the termina-
tion of her engagement at the Theatre. Like Mendelssohn,
she had, for some time past, been working far beyond her
strength, and the fatigue was now beginning to tell upon
her with serious effect. She herself saw this very plainly.
Madame Wichmann, with two of her sons, had spent four
days with her in Hanover, and tried to persuade her to
accompany the family on a journey to Switzerland, towards
the close of the summer; and had written to Mendelssohn,
telling him of her hope that the plan was finally and success-
fully arranged. But, on the day after the first performance
of Don Juan, at Hamburg, Mdlle. Lind wrote to her friend,
deploring her long neglect of rest, and explaining that the
journey was impossible —
“Nienstädten, July 4, 1846.
“DEAR AMALIA!
“Beloved Amalia | I feel very much pulled down.
After all, these fatigues leave their trace, and convince me
that I am not strong enough to undertake such a journey,
without injury to my health. I must sing here a few times
more—but that cannot be helped. I have consulted a
physician; for, these nervous contractions from which I am
suffering rendered it indispensable. He says it is im-
peratively necessary that I should go to some bathing place.
My nerves, he says, are seriously attacked; and I ought to
have done it, long before this. I know that the doctors in
Sweden recommended this, four years ago; but I could not
possibly do it, then.
“I have quite made up my mind, that, next summer, or
next autumn at the latest, I will leave the stage. I will,
422 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. VI.
therefore, make the best use I can of the time ; and, as I
have already arranged for the coming season, it will be only
reasonable, now, to provide the necessary strength for next
winter.
“Greet my beloved there, from thine ever loving
“JENNy.” +
The project for retiring from the stage was, as we are
already aware, no new one ; but it was forced into greater
prominence, just at this time, by the inroads that excessive
fatigue was making upon Mdlle. Lind’s health and strength.
Indeed, one can only look on in wonder at the amount of
work she was able to accomplish, without actually breaking
down. The constant performance of familiar parts, with new
associates, needing, every time, laborious rehearsal; the
exposure to draughts on the stage, and to changing weather on
the long journeys between ; the excitement of the calls before
the curtain ; the nocturnal Serenades; the social claims; the
constant appeals for pecuniary help, afterwards so strongly
animadverted against by Mendelssohn ; all these might well
have worn out a constitution of steel. The work of older
and more firmly established prime donme, such as Madame
Persiani, or Madame Grisi, with regular seasons in London,
during the summer, and in Paris in the winter, was light
indeed compared with it. But it had to be done, for the
present at least, whatever the Sacrifice might be.
In the meantime, the correspondence with Mendelssohn
was not allowed to languish. Towards the end of July, he
wrote thus:–
“Leipzig, July 23, 1846.
“MY DEAR FRAULEIN,
“As usual, I come to you, to-day, asking a favour. I
mean, that I am anxious to know how matters stand, with
regard to your travelling arrangements, both now, and in the
future—and I hope you will explain them to me. In your
last letter, you told me that you were going to Switzerland,
* From the Wichmann collection.
1846.] IN VIA REQUIES. 423
with the Wichmanns, on the first of August. Does this plan
still hold good 2 And, is it true, or not, that you will be at
Erankfort in September 2 Also, are you going straight from
Hamburg to Berlin, to fetch the Wichmanns 2 All this I
want to know. And it is because I want to know this, that
I ask you to tell me of your plans, both before and after your
journey to Switzerland and Vienna; and whether you still
adhere both to the one and the other intention. The reason
is, that, since my return from the Rhine, I have lived the life
of a marmot. I was rather frightened, when, on coming
back, I saw the amount of work that lay unfinished,” and
compared it with the time that remained to me. Then, I
made up my mind not to write to you until my Oratorio was
quite complete; but, for the last few days I have not been
well (you will find it out, sooner or later), so now I shall not
be ready till August, and I dare not delay my letter so long
as that, or it will be brought to you while on the back of some
mule or other, to some cow-herd's hut.
“Madame Arnemann has written me a very friendly letter,
and invited me to Nienstädten. As yet, I have not been able
even to thank her for it; and yet, how gladly would I have
accepted the invitation But, I cannot get away from here
before the middle of August ; and, even then, I must make
haste, in order to reach England in time. To-day, however,
I really will write to Madame Arnemann, or she will be
vexed—and with good cause.
“Is it true that you have been singing the ‘ Regimentstoch-
ter’ in German 2 If so, I should have liked to have been one
of the audience. And, do you know that the Geijers have lately
been here ? and, that they invited me to go to Sweden, to feast
on a roasted reindeer ? (I can get rice-milk at your house !)
And, that Fräulein Geijer sang ‘Vorwärts so heisst des Schicksals
Gebot to me again 2 and the song, by Lindblad, in C major.
“But, I will leave off, for to-day. My letter is tiresome,
and stupid, and will continue so to the end. Only, grant
my requests. And tell me all about yourself, and how you
are getting on, and whether you are having much music,
and whether you are in good spirits, and in first-rate voice 2
“We are all well, at home, and often remember you.
“Your friend,
“FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY.”
* For Elijah, which was to be produced, at the Birmingham Festival,
in August. -
424 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. VI.
The idea of the journey to Switzerland was never revived,
after the doctor had recommended a course of baths; and the
changed plans for the autumn were thus detailed, in a letter
to Madame Wichmann:-
“Nienstädten, August 1, 1846.
“DDARLY DELOVED AMALIA
“To-day, I sing for the poor; and positively for the
last time.
“On Thursday, the fourth of August, I go to Cuxhaven,
with the Brunton family. (Do you remember the long
letters that the daughter * used to write to me?) They
have always been very kind to me. But there, I shall be
quite at rest; and take the sea baths for four weeks.
“In the meantime, Louise stays here, to take care of her
health ; for she is ordered to drink the mineral waters.
When I have done with Cuxhaven, I shall come here
again; for I am very happy here, and I can only compare
this family with yours.
“I shall rest until about the 20th of September. Then
I go, first, to Frankfort ; and, from thence, to Munich, as
you know ; and, from Munich, to Stuttgard—but this will
be later on. From Stuttgard, I go to Vienna. -
“When shall I see you again 2 If we could only go to
Paris together, next Summer, Somewhere about the month
of June 1 I should so much like to see Garcia again,
before I leave Germany for ever.
“God keep you ! Farewell ! Write to me soon again;
and I will duly answer you. Ah, Amalia | Next spring,
I shall be freel I am afraid so great a happiness will
never fall to my lot.
“Your ever truly loving
“JENNY.”
“P.S.—Many thanks for the portrait of Mendelssohn.f
|Bemember me to Magnus, and thank him for it.” f
* Fräulein von Seminoff.
f This was a replica of the portrait painted by Magnus, and by him
presented to Mdlle. Lind, who subsequently bequeathed it to Mendels-
sohn's daughter, Mrs. Victor Benecke.
† From the Wichmann collection.
1846.] IN VIA REQUIES. 425
The events which took place between this period, and
the beginning of September need no detailed record. It
was a time of rest, much needed, and hardly earned. We
shall, therefore, resume our history, with the return to a
more active Art-life, in the autumn.
426 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. vii.
CHAPTER VII.
CONTRACT WITH MP. LUMLEY.
AFTER leaving Cuxhaven, Mdlle. Lind wrote again to Madame
Wichmann :—
“Nienstädten, 3 Sept. 1846.
“BELOVED AMALIA,
“I am thinking whether I can, by any possible
means, manage to visit you for a few days. For I long for
you all with my whole soul, and you would not believe,
Amalia, what an impression my stay in your house has left
upon my inner life.
“You will write to me soon, and tell me you are well.
I shall stay here a fortnight or three weeks longer. My
good Louise has been ill, and is not yet so well that I can
put a strain upon her. So I am not going to begin my
‘guest-performances' just yet.
“The baths seem to have done me a great deal of good.
I am at Nienstädten again, and shall continue to rest myself
here.
“All good angels be with you! Farewell, dear friend.
Forget not your for ever and ever loving and grateful
“JENNY.” *
Mdlle. Johansson’s illness was not a serious one, and soon
after the middle of September she was able to accompany
Mdlle. Lind to Frankfort, where the business of the autumn
season began.
Mdlle. Lind had by this time acquired a thoroughly
methodical and business-like way of keeping records, and
one of her first acts, on arriving at Frankfort, was the pur-
* From the Wichmann letters.
1846.] CONTRACT WITH MIR. L. UMLEY. 427
chase of a thick and sturdy memorandum-book, a square
bulky volume, of quarto size, labelled, “Annotation-Book “ of
Jenny Lind,” and filled with ruled “sermon-paper,” in which
she entered every one of her engagements, from that time
forward, up to the moment of her marriage, in America, in
the year 1852.
The value of this document to her biographers may be
imagined. Henceforward we shall no more have to send to
Berlin, or to Vienna, for official lists of the various perform-
ances with which we are concerned. It is true that, up to
this date, such lists have been furnished to us through the
intervention of Mr. Goldschmidt, with never-failing courtesy,
by the officers in whose charge the archives of the different
theatres are placed. The information for which we have
asked, whether at Berlin, Vienna, Stockholm, Copenhagen,
|Hamburg, or elsewhere, has never once been refused to us,
and as much care has been bestowed upon the verification of
a date as if the welfare of the theatre itself had depended
upon its correctness. For this we tender our best and most
sincere thanks; but henceforth every date, in whatever country,
will be given on the authority of Mdlle. Lind's own hand-
writing, and the advantage of this is manifest.
The first entries in the book are :—
“Frankfort aſ M. 1846.
Somnambula . . . . . . . . . . . Sept. 25
Norma . . . . . . . . . . . . ,, 28
Figlia. . . . . . . . . . . . . ,, 30
Figlia . . . . . . . . . . . . Oct. 2
Somnambula . . . . . . . . . . . , 5
Vestale (50 Louis d’or for the members of the
chorus) x . . . . . . . , 7
Fºglia (benefit for the orchestra pension-fund) X , 10
We subjoin a fac-simile of the first page. The little cross
means that the performance was given, wholly or in part, for
:k & Annotations-Bok.’
428 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. VII.
charitable or benevolent purposes, and the number of such
Crosses in a single page is sometimes very remarkable. In
the present case fifty Louis d'or of the proceeds, on the 7th
of October, were given to the chorus, and on the 10th the
whole was devoted to the “Orchestra Pension Fund’ of the
Frankfort Stadt. Theatre.
The performances were crowned with the usual success,
and followed by the usual demonstrations of enthusiastic
admiration; but this visit to Frankfort was memorable for
reasons quite unconnected with its individual triumphs, for
it was here that the idea of an engagement at Her Majesty's
Theatre, in London, first took a definite and palpable form.
When, in her letter of October 18, 1845, Mdlle. Lind
assured Mr. Bunn that she “did not count upon taking any
other engagement in England,” she wrote in perfect good
faith. She had made no engagement with any other English
manager, and did not contemplate making one.
On the other hand, when Mr. Bunn, in his letter of
October 30, accused her of trying to get rid of her liability
at his theatre, in order that she might make an engagement
at the Italian Opera, he probably believed that he was telling
the truth, though he based his conclusions upon reports which
might or might not have reached the ears of his correspondent.
Long before that, some of her friends in London—
including Mrs. Grote, who herself mentions the fact in the
MS. “Memoir” from which we have so frequently quoted—
had “urged Mr. Lumley to make efforts in this direction,” “
and he had, in fact, “made more than one tentative to obtain
the Services of the celebrated songstress for Her Majesty's
Theatre.” f Hearing of this—as no doubt he did—Mr. Bunn,
looking at the circumstance from his own point of view, put
the worst possible construction upon it, and took it for
* MS. “Memoir, by Mrs. Grote.
f Ibid.

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[To face p. 428.
1846.] CONTRACT WITH MR. LUMLEY. 429.
granted that his correspondent was cognizant of all that took
place—which was not true. She did not know of it, until the
period affected by Mr. Bunn's contract had long been over-
passed. It was not until long after that date that Mr.
Lumley made her a definite and tangible offer for Her
Majesty's Theatre; and, when the offer came, she refused
even to think of it. She was so terrified at the penalties,
the law-suits, and the disgrace with which Mr. Bunn had
threatened her, that her dearest and most trusted friends.
could not persuade her to entertain the idea of appearing at
an English theatre, under any circumstances, or upon any
terms whatever.
And yet her destiny seemed to be weaving a net round
about her, from which no way of escape was visible. She was
brought, apart from her own will entirely, under the steadily
increasing influence of English friends. Mrs. Grote was
most anxious that she should come to London. Her brother,
Mr. Edward Lewin—of whom more will be said in a future
chapter—saw no insurmountable difficulties in the way of an
engagement at Her Majesty's Theatre. Mr. Lumley was un-
ceasing in his endeavours to induce her to rescind her decision;
and, while she was still in Frankfort, the musical correspon-
dent of one of the most influential art journals in England
turned aside from his travels, in the hope of hearing her sing,
and begged an introduction to her, from a quarter whence he
well knew that it would be favourably received.
The following letter from Mendelssohn, which arrived in
Frankfort almost simultaneously with Mdlle. Lind herself,
will explain the situation exactly:-
“Leipzig, September 23, 1846.
“MY DEAR FRÄULEIN, -
“If you will do me a real favour, and if you are not
too much occupied and worried during your stay in Frank-
fort, let me beg of you to receive the bearer of these lines,
430 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. VII.
Mr. Chorley (an acquaintance of mine of long standing, and
a great lover of music), with your usual kindness, and to sing
him one of my songs.”
“He is an excellent listener, and you will make him very
happy if you grant my wish. I believe he is going to
Frankfort solely on this account, so that I have really no
choice but to come to you with this new request.
“Many thanks for your last letter, which I only received
after I had left London, and at the moment of starting for
Ostend. f
“I have so much to say about England, and your journey
thither, that I really do not know how I am to write it.f
In any case, everything depends upon the way in which one
establishes oneself there; or, rather, upon the way in which
you establish yourself, for you have the whole thing entirely
in your own hands, and English lovers of music are expecting
you, in a frame of mind, and speaking of you, in terms, which
please me very much indeed—a thing which very seldom
happens—when I hear you spoken of. So you can manage
it exactly as you will ; though, for that very reason, you
alone are in a position to decide upon it.
“Till we meet again, merry, happy, unchanged,
“FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY.”
Thus prepared for Mr. Chorley's visit, Mdlle. Lind received
him when he called, a few days later, with the friendly
courtesy which she felt it no less a pleasure than a duty to
extend to the friends of those with whom she was herself on
terms of intimacy. He repeated his visit more than once,
heard her sing in La Figlia del Reggimento, and afterwards in
La Sonnambula and Die Vestalin, and wrote, on the 4th of
October, to Mrs. Grote, describing, in the most enthusiastic
terms, the pleasure he had felt in hearing her sing. “And
now let me tell you,” he says, “how thoroughly, with my
* Mr. Chorley was the musical critic, attached to the Athenæum.
f That is, on his return home, after the first performance of Elijah, at
the Birmingham Festival.
f Mendelssohn evidently supposed the negotiations with Mr. Lumley
to have advanced farther than they really had at this moment.
1846.] CONTRACT WITH MR. LUMLEY. 431
whole heart, I like her as a singer, more, by twenty times,
than I had expected. The only fault I can find, or fancy, is,
that she is too fond of using all her powers, the end of which
is a feeling of heaviness—the one tinge of Germanism which
remains about her style. . . . . I was really delighted to find
that I am not past the old thrill, or the old beating of the
heart, and that I could not go to bed till I had written a note
(in horrible French) to say ‘Thank you.’” ”
On the same day (October 4th) he also wrote to Mendels-
sohn, to thank him for “the very very intense pleasure” that
had made him “laugh and cry like a child again,” after “a
fear of disappointment’’ which he “hardly liked to describe,”
ending his letter with the words, “She says she will not come
to London,” f—from which it is evident, that, if he did not
endeavour to persuade her to come, he had, at least, discussed
the subject with her.
She would have liked to come, very much indeed, if only
to please Mendelssohn, who was most anxious that she
should do so, and whose wish was shared by many other
friends in whose judgment she placed great confidence; but,
believing, as she did, that Mr. Bunn’s threats were no mere
idle words, but menaces which he possessed full power to
carry out, and certainly had the will to carry out, if she
ventured to set foot upon English soil, she did not dare to
listen, either to the whispers of her own feelings on the sub-
ject, or the wishes of her friends. Her fears overcame every
other consideration; and, against these fears, Mr. Lumley
found himself absolutely powerless to contend.
The next engagement was at Darmstadt, where she sang
three times at the Court Theatre, in La Sonnambula,
on the 13th of October, and in Norma and La Figlia
del Reggimento, on the 16th and 19th. The memory of the
* From Mrs. Grote’s MS. * Memoir.’
i From the original letter, preserved in the ‘Green Wolumes.”
432 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. VII.
previous performances in September 1845 were still green and
flourishing, and the success of the second visit was greater than
that of the first. The account of La Sonnambula, given in the
local journal, on the day after the performance, was written
in a strain as exalted as that of Herr Rellstab himself; and
described a wealth of wreaths and flowers rivalling those of
Berlin and Vienna. The prices were raised, after the usual
manner, for these three performances; and, when these were
over, Mdlle. Lind gave a concert, for the young son of a
musician named Panny, who stood in need of help for the
development of his talent, and thus supplemented her
engagement, as she had so often done before, by an act of
benevolence.
In the meantime, Mr. Lumley had not been idle. He had
now abundant hope—having gained the all-powerful support
of Mendelssohn—and the engagement of Mdlle. Tind was
a matter of such vital importance to him that he could
not afford to let the subject drop. Since the close of the
previous season, the affairs of Her Majesty's Theatre had
been in the utmost possible disorder. The company, with
Mesdames Grisi and Persiani at their head, had revolted, and
there was no one to take their place. Mr. Lumley’s friends
in England—among them, Mrs. Grote, who took the keenest
interest in his negotiations, and in whose judgment and
discretion he placed great faith—and a host of amateur
musicians who had the interests of the musical drama really
at heart, saw, in the proposed engagement, his only chance
of escape from absolute ruin, and urged him to leave no
stone unturned that might help to bring the matter to a
successful issue. By their advice, he followed Mdlle. Tind
from Frankfort to Darmstadt, and there again presented
himself to her, armed, this time, with a letter from Mendels-
sohn, whom he had seen in Leipzig, and to whom he had
taken a letter from herself.
1846.] CONTRACT WITH MR. J., UMLEY. 433
Feeling sure that the missive with the delivery of which
he was entrusted was a very valuable One, and not at all
likely to be written in opposition to his own interests, Mr.
Lumley lost no time in presenting it in person ; and thus it
I’all —
“Leipzig, October 12, 1846.
“MY DEAR FRÄULEIN,
“I intended to write to you on the day on which
your first letter arrived; but a few hours afterwards came
your second letter, and Mr. Lumley, who brought it. All
that he said to me, and all that passed through my mind in
connection with it, and the different thoughts that crossed
each other hither and thither, made it impossible for me to
write to you until to-day; and I told Mr. Lumley that, if he
should be coming here again after his journey to Berlin, I
would meanwhile think it all carefully over, and would then
tell him whether I could advise you to go to London
Or not.
“Upon that—i.e., upon my advice—he seems to set great
store, and I have already told you in my former letter that
the whole success of his undertaking depends upon your
Coming.
“In short, I can only repeat what I then wrote—I should
like you, as far as is humanly possible, to arrange, as
completely as one could wish, for your own comfort, and,
when that has all been settled, I should like you to go
there. *
“I should have strongly urged Mr. Lumley—at least, on
his return here—to speak clearly and exactly about money
matters; because that is a very serious point, in England; and
because you could, and ought, to make such terms as no one
else could at this moment, since you are the only one upon
whom alone the whole thing depends. But—do not be
angry with me !—I had not the Courage to do this: not even
for you, though I know that you understand that kind of
thing even less than I do—in other words, not at all. But
it is such a very sore point with me, and I rejoice so much
when I have nothing to hear or Say about it, that I could
not bring the words to my lips. And, at last, I thought, ‘It
is not my province,’ and so, after all, I let it pass.
“Therefore I can only repeat, it must all be as is just and
right to you.
VOL. I. 2 F
434 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. VII.
“Nevertheless, you will certainly meet with such a recep-
tion there, that you will be able to think of it with pleasure
throughout the whole of your future life. When the English
once entertain a personal liking for anyone, I believe that no
people are more friendly, more cordial, or more constant ; and
such a feeling you will find there. For, as I told you before,
I have noticed that they entertain this true feeling there, not
only about your singing, but about your personality, and
your whole being, and upon this last they even set more store
than upon the singing itself. And this is as it should be.
“In my opinion, therefore, it cannot for a moment be
doubted that you will be received there as you deserve—
more warmly, enthusiastically, and heartily, perhaps, than in
all your former experience : and you have experienced a great
deal in that way. You will therefore give your friends great
pleasure if you go there; and I, for my part, should be very
glad indeed if you were to go.
“Insist upon all possible conditions that can in the least
degree make things agreeable to you, and insist upon them
very firmly, and strictly, and clearly. Do not forget any-
thing that may be pleasant for you, and have nothing to Say
to anything that may be unpleasant. Going to London, and
singing there, can, in itself, be nothing but pleasant—of that
I am firmly persuaded. Everything else depends only upon
the manner in which this is done, and all that you have in
your own hands.
“I am selfish, too, in my advice ; for I hope that we shall
there meet in the world again. While still in England,
I had half promised to return there next April; had I only
known that you would be there at that time, or would be
going there, you may imagine how much more willingly I
should have settled it. Mr. Lumley, also, in the kindest
manner, proposed that I should compose an Opera for him
next May, and I could only answer, that, on the Self-
same day on which I succeeded in getting a good libretto, on
a good subject, I would begin to write the music; and that,
in doing so, I should be fulfilling my greatest wish. He
hopes soon to be able to procure such a libretto, and has
already taken some decided steps with regard to it. God
grant that some good results may follow. From Madame
Birch-Pfeiffer, I have not heard a single word, for a long
time. In the meantime, I have music-paper and finely-
nibbed pens lying on the table—and wait,
1846.] CONTRACT WITH MR. I. UMLEY. 435
“But, apart from this, I hope, as I have told you, to visit
London again next spring, and what a pleasure it will be to
me to witness there the most brilliant and hearty reception
that can possibly fall to an artist's lot For I know full
well that that is what your reception will be, and it will be
great fun for me that you yourself will be the fêted artist.
“For myself, I am doing well; but, during the three
weeks that have elapsed since I returned here, I have done
scarcely anything but rest, so tired was l—and still am,
sometimes—with the work that preceded the journey to
England, and the journey itself. The performance of my
Elijah was the best first performance that I have ever heard
of any one of my compositions. There was so much go, and
Swing, in the way in which the people played, and sang, and
listened. I wish you had been there. But I have now
fallen back into the concert trouble, and can neither get
true rest, nor quietness here. So I have built myself a grand
castle in the air; namely, to travel, next summer, with my
whole family, in my favourite country—which, as you know,
is Switzerland—and then to study uninterruptedly for two
months on one of the lakes, living in the open air. If God
gives us health, we will carry out this plan; and when I
think of such a quiet time in the country after all the hurry
and bustle, and all the brightness of a London Season, and
remember how dear both of them are to me, and how well
they please me, I almost wish that the spring were already
here, and that I was taking my seat in the travelling
Carriage.
“And now, to-day, I have still a request to make. Write
to me, at once, when you have come to a decision concerning
England; and tell me everything, with all the details: for you
know how much it all interests me. Before all things, then,
write to me, from time to time; and think kindly of me,
Sometimes.
“As for myself, you know that I am, and remain,
“Your friend,
“FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY.”
The result of Mendelssohn's advice will be most clearly
manifested, by a letter which Mr. Lumley wrote to him after
his interview with Mdlle. Lind—a letter which is all the
2 F 2
436 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. VII.
more interesting, inasmuch as it treats, also, of the long
hoped-for libretto in such sort as to show that the manager
had already begun to look upon it as “a matter of
business.”
“Darmstadt, October 17.
“T)EAR MR. MENDELSSOHN,
“I am delighted to tell you that your letter has had
its effect; and that the lady has signed an engagement. *
“Your letter charmed her so much. It was a most
pleasing picture—her countenance, when reading it. No sun
could have infused more joy into a beautiful landscape, than
your letter did on her.
“To give her peace of mind, I added clauses to the
engagement, which, if known by persons not intimately
acquainted with her charming character and feeling of
honour, would perhaps incur for me the charge of folly. But,
I know I can depend on her honour; and I am perfectly
happy and contented on that head. I have prepared the
engagement wholly in her favour; but I proposed to her to
add anything else that you might think advisable, and I
added a clause to that effect.
“She would not enter into the question of money; but I
am quite sure you will be satisfied that I have done every-
thing right in that way.
“I need not tell you how truly grateful I am to you. The
English, as a nation, will owe you a debt of gratitude; for I
look upon the engagement of Lind as a new era in the
progress of Art in England. Her success will be transcen-
dent. Independently of her great genius, she has that
purity and chastity of manner which none but a really good
person can possess, and which, in England, will gain her
partisans on all sides. I say ‘On all sides, because, even
with the vile, there is that in real goodness and virtue which
commands admiration.
“Pray remember me most kindly to Madame Mendels-
Sohn, and to her mother, and permit me to send my love to
your children, not forgetting the baby, and that beautiful
boy Carl, who, though suggestive of the pictures of Raphael,
and Correggio, reminds us that there is an artist far above
* The document was formally signed, on the 17th of October, 1846.
f Madame Jeanreliaud.
1846.] CONTRACT WITH MR. J., UMI, EY. 437
the greatest of human artists, and that the real is frequently
more beautiful than the ideal.
“My joy on the completion of the affair is not unsullied.
I am fearful that she may, for a time, at least, tease herself
with fears, which, though entirely groundless, may equally
torment her. I will venture to entreat you to assure her of
the absolute certainty of her great success to give her
encouragement.
“I shall lose no time in occupying myself, immediately,
with the libretto for our grand affair; and I do not despair of
providing you with a libretto which shall give you pleasure
and ensure your valuable aid.
“It is of importance that this affair of Lind should be kept
private for the present. I shall lose no time in occupying
myself about the affaire Bunn.’
“I need not say that it will give me great pleasure to hear
from you.
“Yours most truly,
“B. LUMLEY.” *
Without wearying our readers with a literal transcript of
the “Lumley Contract,” with its endless circumlocutions and
technical legal phraseology, we may briefly say that it
provided :-
(1.) An honorarium of 120,000 francs (£4800) for the
season, reckoned from the 14th of April to the 20th
of August, 1847.
(2.) A furnished house, a carriage, and a pair of horses, free
of charge, for the season.
(3.) A farther sum of £800 if Mdlle. Lind wished to spend
a month in Italy before her début, for the purpose
of studying the language, or for rest.
(4.) Liberty to cancel the engagement, if, after her first
appearance, she felt dissatisfied at the measure of
its success, and wished to discontinue her
performances.
(5.) Mdlle. Lind was not to sing at concerts, public or
private, for her own emolument,
* Transcribed from the original letter, preserved in the ‘Green Volumes.’
4.38 JENNY LIND. [BK. v. CH. VII.
So, the question of appearing at Her Majesty's Theatre was
decided at last ; and, when Mdlle. Lind left Darmstadt, for
Munich, she had bound herself to the most important
dramatic engagement, and prepared the way for the most
solid artistic triumph that ever had been, or was ever
deslined to be, associated with her name.
END OF WOLUME 1.
LONDON :
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
STAMIFO.R.D STREET AND CHARING CIROSS.
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