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 MUSIC 
 
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 A Star of songi :the life of Christina N 
 
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A STAB OF SONG! 
 
 "X 
 
 TBOE LIFE OF 
 
 CHRISTmA NILSSOI, 
 
 FROM THE FRENCH OP 
 
 GUY DE OHARNACE 
 
 
 TRANSLATED BY J. C. M. 
 
 &E. 
 
 C. 
 
 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 
 
 PRESS 
 
 OF 
 
 WTNKOOP & HALLENBECK 
 
 
 
 No. 113 Button Stbbbt. 
 
 
 
 
 
 1870. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Uo 
 
 
 

 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in tlie year 1S10, by 
 
 WTNKOOP & HALLBNBECK, 
 
 in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Wasliington, District of Columbia . 
 
 1 1 n't /! u^o 
 
TRAIvSLATOE'S PEEFAOE. 
 
 To the French author who has thus gracefully introduced 
 our " Star of Song," we render thanks for the pleasant ac- 
 quaintance first enjoyed through his efforts. 
 
 And that Mile. Nilsson may have a place in our house- 
 holds, I add this, my tribute, to the earnest heart-welcome 
 which lier pure, sweet face will always win. 
 
 J. C. M. 
 Fifth Avenue, 
 New York, August, 1870. 
 
CHRISTINA NILSSON. 
 
 Near the southern confines of the Scandinavian penin- 
 sula, not far from Wexio, among the lakes and forests of 
 wild Smaland, is the village of Hussaby, where dwelt an 
 honest peasant, who lived by his own labor. The farm, 
 cultivated with the assistance of his numerous family, 
 belonged to Count Hamilton, a descendant of the famous 
 Scotch house, of which this branch had been transplanted 
 to Sweden. 
 
 Fierce northern winds swept over the sandy soil of the 
 little estate, and meagre crops came as a recompense for 
 much toil ; indeed, the very cattle seemed stunted, and the 
 roads were so bad that the people found great difficulty in 
 selling their produce. 
 
 In the midst of tall pines, glittering with hoar-frost, and 
 peeping out from the snows of long winters, was seen the 
 dark, low house of the peasant Nilsson. In those small, dim 
 chambers the sun-light scarcely entered, but notwithstanding 
 the lack of comfort evident seven children, boys and girls, 
 were bom and brought up there, and morning and evening 
 little voices joined in the pious music of Luther's psalms. 
 
Though always industrious, and with unshaken faith in 
 God, yet the NUsson family were sufficiently numerous to 
 remain satisfied with the children already given, therefore 
 neither parent desired an increase ; but when the last-bom, 
 a boy, was seven years old, the mother found herself obKged 
 to thank God for another birth. 
 
 It was the third of August, 1843, that this eighth child 
 came into the world, a beautiful little girl with fair hair, 
 greenish-grey eyes, and transparent complexion — a real 
 daughter of Odia. She received ia baptism the name of 
 Christina. At this christening came an uninvited guest as 
 godmother — a kind fairy of the Sagas, who, leaviag the 
 child's soul to God, then and there claimed her genius. 
 
 But, notwithstanding this good fortune, in her infancy there 
 was nothing to distinguish Christina from the rest of her sis- 
 ters. Like them she was sent to a neighboring school, where 
 she learned to read and write at public expense. The father 
 loved music and led in the village choir, and he it was 
 ■who taught this dear little late-comer the first notes of the 
 gamut. 
 
 As she grew older, though she developed no taste for 
 domestic affairs, she was obliged to assist in household du- 
 ties, and sometimes even in the fields ; but when she was all 
 alone in the home she would seize, as upon forbidden fruit, 
 the bow of her brother Karl, the fiddler, and play on his 
 viohn the national airs she had heard at the village fetes. 
 One day he surprised her by admiring her skill, and indeed 
 the neighbors were even then talking of the wonderful voice 
 
of so yoTmg a child. Karl thought so much of her talent 
 that he felt he could double his profits if he took her with 
 him to the fairs and weddings. 
 
 This was a happy thought, and prospered, for every- 
 where the pretty, popular little artist attracted crowds, 
 charming them all successfully. ' Her fresh voice and frank 
 young face ; her silken hair sweeping the ground ; her 
 natural grace — aU enchanted the rustic audience ; and while 
 applause resounded skillings were showered into the wooden 
 platter which the child modestly handed around. 
 
 Was it chance, or the will of her fairy godmother, that 
 occasioned a fortunate meeting at this time °? 
 
 It was at the fair, of Ljungby that this encounter occurred, 
 when the magistrate Thomerhjelm found himself in the 
 midst of a crowd, loudly applauding two little wandering 
 musicians playing and singing in a comer of the field 
 where the show was held. The magistrate paused to listen, 
 and from the Hps of the child of Smaland the simple Scan- 
 dinavian melodies came as a breath of innocence, M. De 
 Thomerhjelm was more than pleased — he was attracted to 
 the children ; so he called to him the brother and sister, 
 questioning them of their family. The next morning the 
 father received a letter from him, in which he offered to 
 adopt Christina. This was not the first offer of the kind 
 which the honest peasant had heard, for the fame of the 
 artist-child was already wide-spread, and more than one 
 speculator had thought of profiting by her rare talent. But 
 the honor of the peasant and the faith of the Christian 
 
always made him turn from what he considered the wiles of 
 Satan. This time the proposition seemed quite different, 
 for the family of Thornerhjelm was highly esteemed, and 
 there could be no doubt of their intentions. Certainly such 
 a protector was sent the child by Providence. 
 
 The mother was unwilling to give up her last-bom, but 
 to her the father spoke of his strange presentiments ; for 
 on several occasions he had dreamed of the child, and in 
 these visions she had always appeared briUiant, glorious, and 
 happy. 
 
 Was all this impossible 1 Did not the old chronicles 
 relate how simple peasant girls had become queens ? And 
 does not the silver belt of the young maiden of Warend, 
 from century to century, celebrate the deliverance of their 
 land ,by innocent hands armed with the sickle!* Had 
 Grod bestowed upon Christina that angelic voice only to call 
 the cattle to pasture ? Had her white, delicate fingers been 
 formed merely to handle the shovel and the pick ? Such 
 
 ^ At the beginning of the Swedish monarchy, according to the Scan- 
 dinavian clironicles, and in the same province where Christina Nilsson 
 was born, a. certain Blaenda saved the country from invasion by the 
 Danes. Blaenda invited the chiefs of the Danish army to a festival, at 
 which she assembled the prettiest and most courageous young girls 
 of the province, and when the men were excited by wine, each maiden 
 drew from under her dress a sickle with which to mow the grain, and at a 
 concerted signal slew her partner ; Blaenda reserving for herself the chief. 
 
 In our own day, the young maidens of the province of Warend still 
 wear on fete-days a silver girdle fastened by a clasp, on which is wrought 
 " the hall of the fete of vengeance." 
 
9 
 
 reasoning was unanswerable. So the mother yielded and De 
 Thomerhj elm's offer was accepted. 
 
 Christina soon endeared herself to her benefactor's house- 
 hold, and even at that period exhibited the clear mind and 
 quick discrimination which among the peasantry replace 
 education and knowledge of the world. Her correct behav- 
 ior, general intelligence, cool and determined character, 
 displayed while yet a child, properly foretold the firmness 
 and prudence which her self-reliant life has more completely 
 developed. 
 
 MUe. Nilsson is the sole manager of all her theatrical 
 business, conducting it so well that the most experienced 
 could learn from her. 
 
 But we will return to the chAteau de Thornerhjelm, where 
 brilliant /efes and continued entertaining made the time pass 
 pleasantly. A musicale was given by the magistrate, at 
 which MUe. Valerius, a favorite singer, and afterwards 
 Baroness de Luyhusen, expressed a great desire to hear the 
 little peasant whom everybody praised. She was gratified, 
 and the child sang for her, when she at once wished Chris- 
 tina transferred to her especial care. The Thomerhjelms 
 agreeing, and the child consenting, MUe. Valerius received 
 her into her own, home, and herself instructed her. She 
 soon found that her judgment had not been at fault, for 
 the uncultured voice possessed germs of rare talent. 
 
 Christina also evidenced great aptitude and perseverance, 
 both of which were fine elements for future success ; but the 
 period for other instruction now arrived, for she was of 
 
10 
 
 tlie age when young girls are prepared for commuaion ; 
 therefore, that she might be better instructed, she 
 was sent to a good boarding-school at G-othemberg, 
 where she remained two years. Afterwards she returned 
 to M. De Thomerhjelm, who took her to Stockholm. 
 There, under the direction of an able professor and com- 
 poser, M. Franz Berwald, Christina again commenced to 
 study her favorite art with earnest zeal. In a short time 
 she acquired great proficiency on the piano, and from her 
 intimate acquaintance with the works of the German mas- 
 ters became a perfect musician. 
 
 A. vague ambition now began to agitate the soul of the 
 young girl, for the name of Jenny Lind, the pride of Stock- 
 holm, and then at the height of her glory, was the theme of 
 every tongue. Chi-istina could not listen to all this without 
 some emotion, for under a cold and calm exterior these 
 beauties of the north, in all ranks and of every caste, pos- 
 sess that indescribable fire of blood which amounts almost 
 to audacity. Indeed these Swedish women are endowed 
 with a hidden intensity, a restless daring, leading them on 
 to all hazards, fearless of consequences. At this time the 
 young girl was also haunted by her father's visions, and in 
 these dreams a far and luminous horizon seemed to unfold. 
 Now the ideal approached reality, for the sister of Mile. 
 Valerius, a distinguished artist, was about to depart for 
 Paris, and proposed taking Christina with her. And to this 
 child of the forests of Hussaby a voyage to France seemed 
 a journey to Wonderland, The temptation was great, hesi- 
 
11 
 
 tation was brief, therefore the preparations and farewells 
 occupied little time. 
 
 She was recommended to an English family residing 
 in Paris, and from them received a warm welcome. As 
 her motive for leaving Sweden had been to perfect her 
 talent, her first care was to procure a suitable master. 
 Professor Wartel, a distinguished instructor, visited her 
 English friends ; therefore she appealed to him for advice, 
 and for three years carefully followed his directions. He 
 aspired to a theatrical career for his pupil, and often spoke 
 to her of his ambition ; but she differed from him, less from 
 timidity than from indecision as to her true vocation. 
 
 But one evening, after her return from the Theatre Ly- 
 rique, where she had heard Miolan Carvalho surpass herself 
 in " La Peine Topaze," our young artist felt herself moved 
 by a praiseworthy spirit of emulation. All doubt disap- 
 peared, and she felt her vocation announce itself. An 
 A excited, sleepless night ensued, and, resolved to follow her 
 inclinations, she asked an interview of the director of the 
 Theatre Lyrique. Thanks to the kindness of M. Wartel, 
 she had not long to wait ; — thanks, still more, to the splendid 
 gifts and wonderful talent displayed, she at once obtained a 
 modest engagement for three years, at the rate of 2,000 
 francs for the first year, 2,500 for the second, and 3,000 
 for the third. 
 
 The 27th of October, 1864, witnessed the first appearance 
 of the young Swede upon the French stage and before a 
 Parisian public. Christina was then twenty-one years old. 
 
n. 
 
 It was at this period that the " Theatre Lyrique " appro- 
 priated to itself the repertoire of the " Italiens." Corval 
 wished to be the first to bring out " La Traviata," because 
 the libretto of that opera is the translation of a French 
 comedy. This idea could not be called a happy thought, 
 for the continued contrast of Verdi's music to the piece of 
 Dumas-fils is sufficiently apparent in the Italian, while 
 in the French it is positively insupportable. " La Dame 
 aux Camellias" is taken from real life, and presents an 
 amusing satire on frivolities essentially French ; treating 
 also of a light morality which can neither be rendered by the 
 music nor comprehended by the genius of Verdi. Some 
 one has very justly observed, that only the genius of Auber 
 could have wrought such a musical arabesque on that Par- 
 isian canvas. The requisites required for a really good musi- 
 cian are, first, that talent which enables him to present senti- 
 ment and passion playing in full light, and again the power 
 to portray these scenes animate with all the resources 
 of imagination and fancy. But what is found in " La 
 Dame aux Camellias ?" — anecdotes and the ways of the 
 jardin Mabille ! 
 
 This vulgar materialism could not sustain real sentiment, 
 therefore the composer has entirely lost sight of the text, 
 
13 
 
 and this explains the contentions to which allusion has just 
 been made, and also accounts for the extreme difficulty 
 found in the rdle of this modern Phryne. 
 
 She, who was more dreamy than passionate, failed to find 
 in this conception a just expression of her own delicate and 
 exalted nature. She was not quite at ease with her raised 
 glass in the opening scene at the supper ; she had not the 
 spirited abandon so requisite for praise of the sparkling 
 champagne ; for, from her lips, a prayer came with better 
 grace than a hrindisi. Even the robe of the courtezan on 
 _ this innocent daughter of the fields seemed out of place, 
 just as Parisian slang would strike as discord coming from 
 the pure lips of Christina Nilsson. 
 
 Her Scandinavian accent, at this time very apparent, 
 also ofi'ended the Parisians ; and, indeed, the assumption of 
 this role so entirely foreign, not only to her nationality but 
 education, seemed robbery of the inherent poetry of her 
 nature. 
 
 For these reasons, although her debut had been much 
 talked of, it did not produce the expected efifect. In refer- 
 ence to the impression she then made on me, I find the fol- 
 lowing lines in my journal : " A slender blonde, with an 
 eye sometimes cold as steel — an actress intelligent but yet 
 a novice, with an accent too northern for a Parisian bou- 
 doir, for whom a robe of serge would seem more appro- 
 priate than the flounces, in which she appears ill at ease. An 
 unequal singer, with very brilliant notes in the higher scale, 
 dull and feeble in the intermediate, while the lower notes 
 
14 
 
 are veiled. Such, to me, appeared Mile. Nilsson in the role 
 of Violetta, which will not be her last. I seem to catch a 
 glimpse of a star which the future will more brilliantly un- 
 veil, as the clouds now obscuring it disappear." 
 
 And I was not deceived, for on the evening of the 23d of 
 February, 1865, this Star of the North shone upon us with 
 peerless splendor. 
 
 What better selection could have been chosen to reveal 
 her strange characteristics, and give the public some idea of 
 her truly religious and musical nature, than Mozart's " Zau- 
 berflote i" Has not the great composer in this opera, con- 
 sidered by Beethoven the c/ie/" d'oauvre of his rival, inter- 
 woven with its weird music aU that his heart and mind 
 dreamed of the ideal? Do we not find in it the marvelous, 
 supernatural, and mystic blended with the tenderest and 
 most exalted feelings of the human soul ? To this idealism, 
 a true type of his genius, — to this pious fervor, which even 
 the sound of the church bells heightened — Mozart united in 
 the " Magic Flute" a psychologic insight of human feeling, 
 of love, and, above all, of that sentiment which is the essence 
 itself of German character. 
 
 However, it was not as Parmina, the romantic creation of 
 the musician-poet, that Christina NUsson attempted to per- 
 sonate, but the tragic Queen of the Night, with her diadem 
 of stars ; the weird side of Mozart fell to the share of this 
 daughter of Scandinavian mists. 
 
 Since September, 1792, when the blonde Aloysia Weber, 
 radiant in the love with which she had inspired the immor- 
 
15 
 
 la] author of this opera, ascended to the clouds in this very 
 rdle, no such harmony had ever been heard. 
 
 When the young girl appeared before us in her dark 
 mantle glittering with stars, the gleaming crescent on her 
 brow, a fierce light in her eyes, and we heard from Kps 
 terrible in the smUe of a demon, " Oui, devant toi tu vois 
 ime rivale ! " the eflfect was grand. 
 
 Almost a century after this sublimest creation of a won- 
 derful genius the gods bestowed a second Aloysia, that we 
 of this age might realize the true conception of Mozart's 
 brain. Skeptical as we naturally are, at first we believed 
 the vision supernatural, for it was of brief duration. But 
 when I listened to the notes which few have ever uttered — 
 the trilling, bird-like treble, those daring staccati of mar- 
 velous vibration, I felt my soul penetrated with a myste- 
 rious sense of this entirely German creation. M. Blaze de 
 Bury has justly remarked of her : "As a true daughter of 
 the North, as sister of Jenny Lind, Christina Nilsson has 
 comprehended the idea of the master. If her clear, vibrat- 
 ing voice climbed to heaven, it was only that from those 
 heights she might curse as a Titaness ; for the notes came 
 from her mouth as serpents of fire, and she sneers like 
 Hecate." 
 
 Thus we behold a simple peasant girl render, with singu- 
 lar power, this wonderful conception of a great master ; and 
 soon we will see her again the most poetic heroine of Shak- 
 speare's genius. Is not this sufficient for the glory and the 
 fame of one artist ? 
 
16 
 
 But those who create — writers, poets, musicians, painters, 
 and even actors — cannot stop, for constantly the soul cries 
 out to them : " Forward ! forward !" and they go on. 
 
 In 1865, Flotow, by birth German, by talent cosmopoli- 
 tan, oflFered to the Thccitre Lyrique his popular opera of 
 Martha ; and Nilsson appeared on the 18th of December 
 in the principal role. I was present at the first representa- 
 tion, bat scarcely remember the effect she produced, as it 
 was afterwards quite effaced. Only in the spimiing-wheel 
 quartette, where the notes, clear and vibrating, contrast 
 with the rhythm of the accompaniment, monotonous as the 
 noise of the wheel, did she receive applause. The delicious 
 romance of " The Rose," a Scotch melody ingeniously in- 
 terwoven with this music, and to whiph are adapted Moore's 
 
 beautiful Unes, 
 
 " 'Tis the last rose of summer 
 Left blooming alone," 
 
 produced no effect from the lips of the cold Swede. 
 
 How entirely different it seemed to me, when a few days 
 
 later I listened to this very air from "La Frizzolini !" This 
 
 beautiful artist made of it a sweet and tender poem, and in 
 
 the pathos of the song I saw aU the sadness of the great 
 
 singer, who, with it, bade adieu to the scene, gathering 
 
 then the last leaves of her laurel crown ! 
 
Til. 
 
 During 1866 and 1867, three other operas served to 
 bring MUp. Nilsson more prominently before the pubHc — 
 Don Juan, Sardanapole, and Les Bleuets. As the theatre 
 where she had made her debut was closed and locked, like 
 a hotel to let, we find her on the first lyric stage. We have 
 seen our star realize the ideal of Mozart, and quitting this 
 celestial sphere, in order to assume the role of a forsaken 
 wife, she appeared to much less advantage; for, as "El- 
 vira," MUe. Nilsson has no opportunity of displaying her 
 most brilliant gifts. Her high notes are not needed, and 
 therefore she produces slight effect. Compelled to fold her 
 wings, she follows with uncertainty the steps of her faithless 
 husband, exhibiting none of the feeling which ought to ani- 
 mate her. 
 
 It is but right to say here, that the frozen nature of the 
 Swede fails to comprehend the strength of passion or of 
 jealousy which sways the wife of Don Juan. Elvira be- 
 trayed shows no control, but cries for revenge; never 
 ceasing to pursue with her burning passion one whom she 
 considers her own. Abandoning to Donna Anna the task 
 of bringing the faithless one to judgment, she is forever 
 faltering between her desire for revenge and her half-smoth- 
 ered passion. The whole situation is explained by her words : 
 2 
 
18 
 
 " Ah! comment poiirrai-je retroiiver le barbare que j'ai aime pour 
 mon malheur, ei qui a trahi sa foi ! Si je le revois, et s'il n'abjure pas 
 ses torts, je veux lui arracher le coeur." 
 
 Has not Nilsson too mucli calmness to comprehend such 
 contradictions ? Is it necessary for her to impose silence 
 upon her heart and to say to it with Elvira : 
 
 " Mod coeur, calme-toi, cesse de palpi fcer !" 
 
 The nights of Stockholm do not endow the fiery languor 
 which the nights of Seville give, and when you see Elvira 
 on the balcony you feel that she will descend, conquered hy 
 the voice of her seducer. But has this " great trouble," 
 which rises in the soul of Elvira, ever agitated the heart of 
 Christiaa Nilsson 1 Nothing in her rendering evidences 
 the belief. The interpretation of this role at the Lyrique 
 recalls a very singular fact which I cannot pass in silence, 
 since it was the occasion of a unique effect by MUe. Nilsson. 
 
 An artist of talent, Mme. Charton-Demeur, had the role 
 of Donna Anna, but her voice did not allow her to properly 
 render the difficult " si bemol," as it is written in the trio 
 of" The Masks " ; and what did they do I Nilsson supplied 
 this passage ! Thanks to this stratagem, to this alteration 
 of the master's idea, the famous trio was encored on that 
 evening, the 8th of May, 1866. She burst forth fall and 
 clear in this talked-of si bemol, descending the gamut most 
 caressingly, and again impressing her audience with the 
 wonderful calibre of her beU-like notes. She had need of 
 this revenge, for everything seemed to conspire against 
 her, even the unfortunate dialogue substituted for the reci- 
 tative, where her Scandinavian accent grated harshly. 
 
19 
 
 If the opera of M, Jonci^res, brought out on the 8th of 
 February, 1867, had taken with the public, the role of 
 Mjrrha would have counted among Nilsson's triumphs, for 
 therein were found traits most congenial with her national 
 characteristics. 
 
 The air Muse de ma patrie d la lyre d'airain, and another, 
 Le silence et la mort repandent leurs alarmes, both of noble 
 and grand character, were recited with dramatic fire and 
 such wonderful execution of voice that I can never forget 
 the terror and alarm produced. A few months later her 
 appearance was totally different in " Les Bleuets " of Jules 
 Cohen. Crowned with flowers, she charmed with her poetic 
 appearance. The naivete of the little eclogue seemed just 
 suited to her, and all were eager to obtain one of the ears 
 of com which she, as the peasant girl, distributed among 
 her companions, singing the while a graceful and original 
 song. Indeed, the whole house craved the repetition of the 
 charming ballad des Orientates : 
 
 " Tandis que I'etoile inodore, 
 Que I'etg mele aux blonds epis, 
 Emaille de sou bleu tapis, 
 Les Billons qae la moisson dore,'' 
 
 that she might sing again the refrain, in which all would 
 have joined, saying from their hearts, 
 
 " Allez, allez, S jeunes filles, 
 Caeillir des bleuets dans les bles.'' 
 
 M. Cohen did not forget to compose for Estelle a waltz. 
 
20 
 
 in which song a staccato, resembling the famous success in 
 the " Magic Flute," was skillfully interwoven. It is 
 scarcely necessary to add that in this opera NUsson drew 
 immense applause, and her triumph was mainly due to her 
 finished execution. 
 
IV. 
 
 But the fairy who watched over the young child of Sma- 
 land had other favors yet in reserve — for the director of 
 the Academic Impdriale received from Ambrose Thomas an 
 opera which bore the title of one of the most powerful and 
 profound dramas. I do not know what passed in the mind 
 of M. Perrin when he beheld a work only imposed upon 
 him by the position of the composer. But a thought of 
 Nilsson flashed to him then ; therefore he accepted it, and 
 engaged her for Ophelia. 
 
 This was, indeed, a coup de maitre, for, without her, 
 Thomas never would have attained success. 
 
 The simple power of her beauty clothed this mosaic-com- 
 bination with attraction, giving to it the charm which no 
 inspiration, of its author could bestow. The role of Ophelia 
 concentrates in one scene — the scene of her insanity, pro- 
 duced by the cruelty and disdain of Hamlet, Shakspeare's 
 mad prince of Denmark, the hero whom Thomas failed to 
 grasp, for the author's incapacity is nowhere more apparent 
 than when he makes him sing a drinking song — but this 
 one scene, properly Opheha's, constitutes the whole opera, 
 and this alone has made its success. 
 
 Mozart, Beethoven, Weber, Meyerbeer, Rossini had cer- 
 tainly dreamed of this wonderful work ; but not one of 
 
22 
 
 these giants dared to touch the drama of the great English 
 poet. And so it happened that the author of three or four 
 comic operas, none of which bear impress of originality, 
 risked an attempt, which has been luckily made without a 
 fall, thanks to the talent of a real artist, M. Faure, and 
 thanks to the good fortune of an unexpected meeting. 
 
 In the flush of the ninteenth century, the Scandinavian 
 heroine of Shakspeare suddenly stands before us in all her 
 pale beauty, — mad, — ^with her fair hair falling around her, 
 her blue eyes strange and staring, giving life to the very 
 stones of the court of Elsinore, the royal manor of the 
 Dane, with all its snow-clad battlements. All the travesty- 
 ing, all the faults of the French musician and his assistant 
 disappear, and the illusion is complete. It is Ophelia her- 
 self before us — Ophelia arising after centuries of long 
 slumber. 
 
 The enthusiasm was universal, immense, indescribable 
 when she first came forth, and certainly none of this was 
 due to the talent of the composer ; indeed, I do not presume 
 that Thomas himself assumes any credit for the waltz, only 
 placed there to display more completely the finished s kill of 
 the siager, any more than he can appropriate the Swedish 
 plaiat introduced by her also, and which was sung a few 
 days before by the orpheonists of Stockholm on some ex- 
 traordinary occasion. 
 
 The morning after the concert, where M. Perrin had 
 shown much kindness to the compatriots of MUe. Nilsson, 
 she sang to him the melody that had attracted his attention, 
 
23 
 
 and this addition to Ophelia's part was decided upon. Such 
 is the history of the circumstances which created the mad 
 scene in the Hamlet of M. Ambrose Thomas. 
 
 It is easy to see here whut Nilsson was capable of making 
 this part, for it was not requisite that high art should be 
 brought to her aid. Neither was it necessary to borrow 
 from any other actress — not even from the young Italian 
 who charmed us with Kossi five years since ; for her own 
 nature furnished every requirement — she herself was the 
 original. Her Ophelia presented no studied or premeditated 
 part, for she appeared in all her natural simplicity, and 
 therein lay her great charm. Nothing striking or artistic 
 in her gestures, no fervid passion in her song, cold as the 
 skies of her own land ; but an ensemble full of attraction, 
 and a countenance at all times charming, rendered her irre- 
 sistible. 
 
 Ophelia had risen from the .dead, and we append the 
 miracle. This resurrection inspired the poem of M. Morse : 
 
 " A sa blancheur le temps jalous n'a rien 6td ; 
 Sur le front virginal d'Ophdlie elle meme 
 Shakspeare seulement a mis un diademe." 
 
 But the winter has flown ; we have arrived at the spring- 
 days, and while Ophelia reposes under the cold stone of her 
 tomb Marguerite gathers the early flowers of her garden. 
 It is the poetic season, when Germany celebrates the fetes 
 of May. Long processions of young girls clad in white and 
 adorned with flowers, so the poets say, descend from the 
 hills to the banks of the river singing of this festival-season. 
 
24 
 
 They carry to the river offerings of herbs, and the rapid 
 current bears away with its tributes all the ills of the year. 
 During one of these fetes Faust follows Gretchen, who 
 thus replies to him : 
 
 " Non, monsieur ! je ne suis demoiselle ni belle, 
 Et je n'ai pas besoin qu'on me donne la main !" 
 
 She knows nothing of the world, that innocent Gretchen ; 
 therefore she is abused as a poor village girl who, without 
 malice prepense or intention, has killed her mother, brother, 
 and infant ; finally losing the small amount of mind and 
 happiness which nature bestowed. 
 
 Marguerite symbolizes pure love, for she is unchanged 
 even in the midst of her heavenly glory, remaining, as 
 Daniel Stem so beautifally described, " the innocent and 
 simple young girl who has sinned and suffered. She is 
 neither stoic nor heroiue, the poor child, but a sweet young 
 Christian. She has no knowledge of anything, nor does she 
 wish to know anything but to love. To love with all the 
 strength of a heart iu which sense has but little part — 
 therefore has she remained pure and innocent, even in her 
 crime." I will not examine how far Gounod, tempted by 
 the tragedy of Goethe, has comprehended the genius of the 
 German poet. The work of the French composer shows, 
 from its first to its last page, what distance separates the 
 two miads. The grand inspiration of Goethe soars far be- 
 yond the scope of the French artist, who, with affected 
 mannerism, caressingly touches him with his feeble brush. 
 
25 
 
 Was it possible for him to ascend to the cloud-capped 
 heights of German poetry while his pretty little ^rewre pictures 
 could not even stand the test of the Acad^mie Imp^riale 1 
 
 I wish, enpassant, simply to prove that if Nilsson failed 
 to render the coquetries of the composer of Faust, so faith- 
 fully interpreted by Miolan Corvalho, she, at least, compre- 
 hended the creation of Goethe. 
 
 It is in all the simplicity of the heart that first begins to 
 unfold itself that she says the two verses : 
 
 " Je voudrals bien savoir quel ^tait ce jetine homme, 
 Si c'est uu grand seigneur, et comment 11 se nomme." 
 
 Her face does not change here, nor does she express, as did 
 her predecessor, a kind of shame, a bashfulness not in her. 
 Gretchen does not yet know evU, and with all the naivete of 
 a sweet and innocent impression she dreams of Faust. 
 
 Perhaps if Mile. Nilsson had sung the baUad of the 
 " King of Thule " in a more subdued voice it would have 
 seemed more appropriate. In the jewel scene she very 
 properly puts aside the French affectation, decidedly out 
 of place on the lips of a simple German girl. But in all 
 the innocence of her soul Gretchen takes the key of the 
 casket which she unexpectedly finds upon the threshold of 
 her door. 
 
 " Je ne fais, en I'ouvrant, rieu du mal, je suppose !" 
 
 says the young girl, and her eyes, quite dazzled by such 
 unknown riches, become the accomplices of Mephistopheles. 
 True feminine coquetry, child-Uke vanity, the love of or- 
 
26 
 
 nament innate in all women, whether princess or village 
 
 maiden, induce her to put on the jewels to adorn her 
 
 beauty. Groethe thus understood this, and so wished it, and 
 
 the new Marguerite has done well not to conceal her secret 
 
 joy when, on looking into the fatal mirror, she realizes that 
 
 she is so beautiful. Night comes, and the two lovers sing, 
 
 with no witness save the stars : 
 
 " O nuit d'amour!. .ciel radieux !. . 
 douces flammes!" 
 
 Gretchen gathers a daisy, and, in stripping the leaves, she 
 asks the flower if she is. loved with eternal love. 
 " Oui L. . crois en cette fleur eclose sous tes pas !' ' . . 
 Faust replies to her, and urges her to yield to his pas- 
 sion. And the poor child, even beneath the gaze of those 
 burning eyes, stiU finds strength to utter the prayer — 
 " Partez ! oui, partez vite ! 
 Je treaiblel. .Helas!. .J'ai peur!". . 
 Ne brisez pas le cceiir 
 De Marguerite !" 
 
 And these words were sounded with thrilling effect by 
 Nilsson. 
 
 Marguerite has again eluded her destroyer, though her 
 agitated soul has. already given itself to Faust ; then she 
 appears at the window, and with her eyes turned towards 
 heaven, sings : 
 
 " 11 m'aime ! . quel trouble en mon coeur ! . . 
 L'oiseau chant ! . .le vent murmure ! . . 
 Toutes les voix de la nature 
 Semblent me rep6ter en choeur : 
 II t'aime I" . . 
 
27 
 
 What infinite poetry has Nilsson transfused into this 
 scene, here presenting a picture of the purest and truest love ! 
 
 In the following act she is sitting at her spinning-wheel, 
 and while awaiting her lover, who does not come, abandons 
 herself to all her fears and sad presentiments. If the effect 
 here is not grand, the fault lies wholly with the composer, 
 who fails to render the emotions now distracting the heart 
 of the young girl. 
 
 Marguerite, pursued even to the altar steps by the voice 
 
 of conscience and by the anguish of the maternity awaking 
 
 within her, hears now the solemn organ as it thunders 
 
 forth the hymn of judgment, and then it is that Nilsson 
 
 appears the veritable Marguerite of Grcethe. This is really 
 
 a soul at the last extremities, tormented by remorse and 
 
 appalled at the approaching punishment, sounded loy the 
 
 voices of the demons as they cry : 
 
 " Marguerite, 
 Sois mandite!" 
 
 Already suffering her earthly punishment, we find her in 
 prison, and she sings without recognizing her lover who 
 comes to deliver her. In his arms reason glimmers again ; 
 at last she knows his voice and all misery disappears. She 
 believes herself saved, and rests content upon the bosom of 
 him " whom she has loved more than life, more than honor, 
 but not more than God." Suddenly she perceives Mephis- 
 topheles on the threshhold of the prison ; she shudders, turns 
 away, tears herself suddenly from Faust's embrace, falls 
 backward, and gives herself up to divine justice. 
 
28 
 
 " Mile. Nilsson," writes Paiil de Saint- Victor, " is 
 sublime in this prison-trio, where love, madness, and death 
 struggle on the bed of straw. With an enthusiasm almost 
 supernatural, this passionate, delirious music bursts from 
 her lips in. three different keys, ascending to heaven as a 
 three-fold inspiration. Human voice could not do more.* * '' 
 
 Then Marguerite calls to her aid the angelic hosts. Her 
 voice is heard in heaven. And while Mephistopheles coldly 
 repeats " She is judged !" voices from above reply, " She is 
 saved !" Marguerite's soul has ascended in her song. 
 
In 1867 Nilsson's fame crossed the channel, and the 
 " Queen's Theatre " counted her among its prima-donnas. 
 As in Paris, her debut was in Traviata, which she had more 
 thoroughly studied under the direction of M. DeUe Sedie, 
 Professor at the Conservatoire. The English papers tell 
 us that her success was very great. Then she appeared in 
 Martha, Don Juan, Magic Flute, and Faust. At this deiut 
 the London " Musical World " repeats words attributed to 
 
 Schuman : " Ein blick und die Welt glanzt wieder 
 
 frisch !" And the critic adds : " If, as the ancients say, 
 music is the best remedy for melancholy, one might suppose 
 that so accomplished an artist as Violetta might become her 
 own physician and cure herself. The effect produced by 
 this representation was decidedly in her favor, for MUe, 
 Nilsson was accox'ded rank as a singer of the first order by 
 all who heard her then." 
 
 Notwithstanding these remarks, the English journalists 
 declare that " she does not play La Dame aux Camellias as 
 comprehended by Alexandre Dumas, and as played by 
 Madame Doche and the Piccolomini." Nor do they hesitate 
 to advise her '' to entirely abandon such roles and confine 
 herself to a more healthy repertoire." 
 
 The criticisms on the other side of the channel were not 
 more unanimous than the French press in their appreciation 
 
30 
 
 of Nilsson as Marguerite ; and her admirers far ciutmimbered 
 those who were luke-warm. We give the words of the 
 " Daily Telegraph " : 
 
 " Nilsson," says Clarke, " knows her own strength, and 
 has confidence. She does not hesitate to appear in a role 
 in which we have successively seen Lucca, Patti, and 
 Miolan Carvalho. She appeared in the costume made 
 classic by the pencil of Ary Scheffer. Her sweet, melodious 
 voice perfectly rendered the aria in the jewel scene, as well 
 as where the innocent child recounts the death of her little 
 sister. Her comprehension of Marguerite is original and 
 individual ; for in her we find no trace of the abandon and 
 passion to which we have been accustomed in the scene of 
 the cathedral and prison. The Gretchen of Nilsson appears 
 to us a. dreamy young girl whose nature cannot conceive 
 any violent feeling. This role is full of exquisite, natural 
 grace, and the artist preserves this characteristic from the 
 moment when she places her foot on the first step of the 
 stair-case and rests her hand on the latch of the door ; 
 appearing always as though she would flee away from Faust, 
 while he declares his passion, remaining only because she 
 cannot escape from the will which triumphs over her own. 
 She follows none of the movements nor passes adopted by 
 her predecessors at the moment when the spirit of evil first 
 obtains possession of Gretchen." 
 
 In the same year Nilsson sang at the festival in Birming- 
 ham, in the oratorio Judas Maccabeus; creating such a 
 
31 
 
 furore that she was at once engaged for the next year to 
 sing at the Handel festival, organized by the " Crystal 
 Palace Society." 
 
 When the June of 1S68 arrived I could not resist the 
 desire to hear the music of the great German, so I started 
 for London. 
 
 The day after I reached this city I heard her in the role. 
 of Cherubin, in which she most perfectly satisfies. Her 
 Majesty's Theatre had been destroyed by fire, therefore, 
 Drury Lane temporarily replaced it ; and the smaU compass 
 of this building was most favorable to the Marriage of 
 Figaro. In its construction and interior arrangements this 
 theatre forcibly reminds us of the eighteenth century, and 
 is not the favorite resort of the aristocracy, which displays 
 its blonde beauty in the more popular Covent Garden. 
 
 Nilsson seemed especially created for the role of the page. 
 She wears the dress, a beautiful costume of sky-blue satin, 
 with easy grace, and appears to the Hfe a boy of sixteen. In 
 a word, the rendition is perfect. Even a slight gaucherie, 
 natural to the ex-peasant of Sweden, seems perfectly in 
 keeping with this daring yet bashful lover. 
 
 The first air : 
 
 Non sopiH cosa son,eosafaecio, 
 is not adapted to display her voice, and therefore, 
 following the example of the French singers, she does 
 not follow the movement indicated by Mozart. Mile. 
 Krauss has alone understood how to render the precip- 
 itance of the dialogue of Beaumarchais and the impetuosity 
 
32 
 
 of Mozart's allegro vivace. This air is -without doubt one 
 of the truest inspirations of the musician. In this opera 
 NUsson's greatest success was in the famous air : 
 
 Yoi cM sapete 
 die cosa e amor. 
 
 The inquietude of first love can never be better rendered 
 than by her; therefore, the encore here was irresistible. 
 
 A few days before my arrival she appeared as Lucia, so 
 I had no opportunity of seeing her in Donizetti's opera. I 
 wUl, however, quote here the remarks of Clarke, so that the 
 lack of personal observation may be supplied : 
 
 " Nilsson presents so perfect a realization of the Bride of 
 Lammermoor that a painter, in his most beautiful dream, 
 could not desire a fairer model. The charm of her appear- 
 ance was increased the moment her voice was heard. In 
 the cavatina, Regnava nel silenzio, she pleased by her 
 captivating sweetness ; while her additions to the refrain, 
 Quando rapita in estasi, were given with such finished 
 skill and grace that the entire audience were wild with 
 enthusiasm. * * * * *" 
 
 If Mile. NUsson did not bring to the contract all the -pas- 
 sion required in the mad scene, her own personality seemed 
 forgotten, and she entered fully into the spirit of the role. 
 Each sentence from her lips expressed the delirium of the 
 heroine, which voice, look, and gesture made perfect. The 
 Cadenza, written especially for this new Lucy Ashton, 
 
33 
 
 by Arditi, was extremely difficult to render ; but she over- 
 came everything, and her acting was superior to all expecta- 
 tions. 
 
 Truly patriotic, the English showed their gratitude for 
 the new glory which, at Paris, Christina Nilsson had thrown 
 upon one of the creations of their immortal poet, and shouts 
 of welcome greeted her at the Crystal Palace, where she 
 again flattered their devotion to Handel, the great Saxon 
 musician, to whom, on the 18th of April, 1759, England 
 accorded royal burial at Westminster, side by side with 
 sovereign monarchs, not far from Shakspeare, Garriok, 
 and all the great men cherished by the United Kingdom. 
 
 This triennial /efe to Handel is really magnificent, and, 
 without being present, it is scarcely possible to have any 
 idea of it. Imagine the immense building of the Crystal 
 Palace changed into a concert hall, with an orchestra and 
 chorus of four thousand musicians playing and singing be- 
 fore an audience of thirty thousand. The effect is grand. 
 Handel, being the god of all music-loving England, the Phil- 
 harmonic societies sing his works from generation to genera- 
 tion. This will explain the beautiful and wonderful execu- 
 tion met with every third year when they meet in London, 
 under the direction of Costa, to fete the musician of Halle. 
 
 This enthusiasm has in no way cooled, though a century 
 has rolled by since his death. The perfect execution of 
 such a large orchestra, composed of societies from all parts of 
 the kingdom, is most astonishing, more particularly as Costa 
 only calls them for one general rehearsal. His bow alone 
 
34 
 
 conducts this perfectly disciplined army — but what a bow 
 it is ! This is the most imposing spectacle it has ever been 
 my fortune to witness. 
 
 NUsson sang two airs from Judas Maccabeus with great 
 success ; but it was the first air, fall of running trills, that 
 brought down the house in a perfect storm of applause — a 
 well-extorted tribute, for, though only a pupil of the opera, 
 she now proved herself capable of rendering severely clas- 
 sic music. The recitation was given in perfect style, and, 
 in my estimation, she was grander to-day, because by these 
 tests an artist either triumphs or fails. 
 
 What an exquisite chorus is that of Acis et Galathee ! 
 What charming freshness — what vivacity and force in the 
 conversation between a woman and her bird — ^that dialogue, 
 naive and charming, named by Handel II Pensieroso ! In 
 the graceful as well as the severe, in truth m all styles, has 
 this Titan, this grand and gloomy Handel, triumphed — he 
 who refused every advance of a haughty aristocracy, and 
 chose to live in gruff solitude. 
 
 The duet given by Nilsson and Madame Dolby Sherring- 
 ton pleased me equally as well as the famous tenor air and 
 the Ode to Love. Poor musicians of the present, sad com- 
 posers of " the future," I pity your distance from such a 
 past! 
 
 Appearing in Paris as Ophelia, and singing Handel's 
 music in English, was quite sufficient to complete NUsson's 
 popularity in England ; and she was now such a general 
 favorite that there was a universal call for her in all the 
 
35 
 
 principal cities in England, therefore the summer of 1869 
 yielded two hundred thousand francs. 
 
 When an artist creates such enthusiasm, it is well to 
 pause and inquire into the characteristics which seem to 
 waken the furore. 
 
 Mile. Nilsson is a true aspirant of art, a conscientious 
 and well-endowed artist — though her acquirements result 
 from determined energy and persevering industry — these 
 alone enabling her to arrive at a relative perfection. 
 
 Her voice is beautiful, of a singularly clear tone, recalling 
 the notes of child-choristers. The intermediate notes could 
 be better. Her style is often dry and devoid of charm. 
 
 I will here add a remark which cannot displease the 
 artist — she must be seen in order to produce her full effect. 
 
 Without being perfect, her vocalization is brilliant ; her 
 trills are not very clear nor always very correct, and I 
 must say the same of her chromatic scale. In all respects 
 she is not faultless ; yet, in the smorzati on the high notes 
 she is indeed incomparable, and at all times unexception- 
 able. The voice is truly national, and for this reason she 
 has been compared to Jenny Lind. "Never," says M. 
 Blaze de Bury, " had Jenny Lind such brilliancy of vibra- 
 tion, though both have the same purity of voice." 
 
 But has not the voice of this pupil of Perrin somewhat 
 changed since her first appearance ? Does it not occasion- 
 ally happen that it is slightly flat ? And to what must these 
 changes be attributed ? I answer that the explanation is a 
 reason now too general among the greater number of singers 
 
36 
 
 of our own time. The method of study is entirely different, 
 for now a mere tremor passes for time vibration. They do 
 not understand the art of breathing, and the lungs, not 
 properly inflated, are not equal to the task imposed. There- 
 fore the sudden interruption, or, more properly, the cutting 
 of notes now introduced. These efforts change the most 
 beautiful voice long before it breaks; and these are the 
 true dangers from which we would advise MUe. Nilsson to 
 steer. It is only continued study and an intimate acquaint- 
 ance with the great masters that enables an artist to elevate 
 her style and properly educate her musical taste. For only 
 from such sources must she seek inspiration, as did David, 
 Malibran, Rubini, Labbache, Alboni, and Duprez. 
 
 MUe. Nilsson's principal excellence lies in her ability to 
 concentrate in some striking scene, endowing it with her 
 own strength and thus exercising a certain magnetism upon 
 her audience. Her success has always been greater in 
 episodes where the interest is heightened by the beauty of 
 the woman, by the strangeness of her appearance, than in 
 merely the development of a complicated plot. Therefore 
 she reigns the ideal of an Ophelia, Queen of the Night, and 
 Cherubim. 
 
 She, herself, perfectly comprehends this, and though when 
 she entered I'Academie Imp^riale she was offered the 
 beautiful mission of reviving some of the great works of 
 Mozart, Beethoven, Weber, Griuck, and Spontini, she waited 
 for a contemporary to write a part especially for her. 
 
 Either her ambition did not tempt her so high, or she 
 
87 
 
 mistrusted her own strength ; but whatever the reason may 
 have been, she certainly has not devoted herself to the cul- 
 ture of the highest art. 
 
 To appear in a kind of tableau vivant, and therein gain 
 applause ; to sing a waltz, and directly after to content her- 
 self with being the heroine of Gounod in a mediocre opera, 
 have been the modest aspirations of the new star. 
 
 Is it now necessary to class Nilsson, or to assign her a 
 place, in that pl^iade of artists transmitted to us by our 
 fathers ? Would this even be possible ? But to say that 
 she is a light singer would be as unjust as to present her as 
 dramatic; for she has neither the lively grace nor piquant 
 ease necessary for the first nor the passion of soul required 
 for the second. 
 
 A very marked character, a brilliant individuality that 
 admits of no comparison, assimilation, or systematic classi- 
 fication, she must always remain. And to how many can 
 such praise be addressed ? 
 
 We live in an age when triteness puts its stamp every- 
 where and on everything, and to escape this is a rare good 
 fortune. 
 
VI. 
 
 When the little village singer, the poor child-violinist, 
 now become the Queen of Night, was welcomed after 
 her long absence from her old home by a chorus of 
 young maidens of Mdlmo singing the national air, the pale 
 face shone with modest pride, and the blue eyes were aU dim 
 with tears ! But it was not pain that heightened the flush 
 upon her cheek, nor did a single sorrow embitter the drops 
 she could not hide. 
 
 It is not easy to describe the glad pride that filled the 
 house of the Nilssons when, followed by a long procession, 
 Christina once more crossed the threshhold. There were 
 warm, tender embraces then, and broken words of welcome, 
 which joy scarcely allowed utterance to; for the father's 
 dreams were all accomplished, and the pious hearts could 
 only thank Grod as their " amen " sounded. 
 
 The next day the whole family attended service at the 
 church of Skatelo, repeating their thanks to the kind Father 
 who had so abundantly blessed them. With wrapt attention 
 Christiaa listened to the simple, earnest words of the good 
 pastor, and when he had finished his sermon rose with the 
 congregation. The psalm selected was the fom- hundred 
 and sixtieth; at the second verse] there was a hush 
 through the church ; and then ajpure, sweet voice, not un- 
 
39 
 
 familiar to some, sounded through the little building, thrill- 
 ing each heart that had so lovingly greeted her home. And 
 when the last note died, and the benediction was pronounced, 
 they eagerly pressed around her, sorrowful as well as glad, 
 for they knew that she must leave them soon. They pointed 
 to the straw hat of the loved one, where a swaUow with 
 out-spread wings confined her floating veil. Was this an 
 emblem ? — for a very few days after her duties called her 
 away ! When she wiU return, only the fairies know. But 
 the daughters of Sweden do not forget their home, neither 
 does their love of country die. 
 
 The little, low house, with its coating of ochre, now 
 belongs to the family, for the affection of the daughter has 
 bestowed upon the father the farm he once cultivated 
 for another. And mid the peace and competence thus pro- 
 vided he will pass the quiet evening of his life, watching 
 patiently each spring for the wandering swallow that will 
 some day return to her native sky.