JENNY LIND'S FIRST CONCERT IN AMERICA.

New Zealander, Volume 6, Issue 491, 28 December 1850, Page 3

JENNY LIND'S FIRST CONCERT IN AMERICA.

[.From the "California Cornier," Ocl 19] The ' Swedish Nightingale" gave her first concert ai Castle Garden on the 11th of fjepteinber. New York rnn mad on (he occasion. The Tribune fills four or five columns with (he jiarticulare of the great event. The Bile of seats for the first concert was sold at Cfjslle Garden, on Monday lust. The firot ticket was bought by Mr. Genin the halter, for #225. The second btought #25, thft third *S"IS nnd #13. The fiiht 1,400 tickets yielded total receipt 0f'8'9,119, Thi! next 2 000 sold at an average of #5 50 each, m.iking -S'l 1,000 more. The entire proceeds for the first night, will exceed 830,000. The |iar!icui(irb of a i ew contract have been ratified by Mr. Barnum and Mdllu. Lind. By this agreement, which superccdes all former contracts, the sum of #1,500 per night, for one hundred and fifty nights, will be secured to Mdlle. Litid ; in addition to which, the nett proceeds of every night will be divided equally between the parties. On the other hand, as an equivalent for this liberal offer, on the part ol Mr. Bainum, Mdlle. Lind bus agreed to sing, during her engagement, in any pait of Europe or Ameiicu. It is piobublo that she will visit London during the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1851. She also binds herself to rive concerts in this city until the price of tickets Hhall be brought down lo the minimum lute of three dollars .so that the fairest oppoitunity of hearing shall be ad'udcl the public. Th'i Tribune says :— The sight of the grand hull, with its gay decorations, its glittering lampi, and its vast throng of expectant auditois, was in itself almost worth a Jive dollar ticket. We wereburpiised to notice that not imoic than one. eighth of the uudience were ladies, They niunt stay at home, it seems, when the tickets are high, but the gentlemen go, nevertheless. For its size, tho audience was one of the most quiet, refined and appreciative we ever saw assembled in this city. Not more than one-third were seated bcfoie 7 o'clock, and when the eventful hour arrived, they were still coming in. After the overture from the oncra of Ihe Crusaders f

came a moment of hrenthlcss expectation. A moment more, nucl Jenny Ijind, clad in a white dre-s, which well lucnmc the (runic sincerity of her face, mmi' forward through Ihe orchestia. Il is impossible fo describe the tpontaneous burst of welcome which greeted her. The vast assembly rose ns one man, and for some minutes nothing could be seen bnl the wnvin, 1 ; of hands and hankeichiels, nothing heard but a otonn of tumultuous cheers. The enlhuMasm of the momenr, for a lime beyond all bounds, was at last subdued, after piolbnging itself by ita own fiuitlesb cflortfl to subdue itself, and the divino songstress, with that pel feet beiu ing, that air of nil dignify and bweetnes 1 ;, blending a child. like simplicity and half trembling womanly modesty, with tlie beautiful confidence of genius and serene wiidom of arl, addrebsrd hcr:clf (o sinflf, as theoicbcatral symphony prepared the way for tlie voice in CnstnDiva. A belter tost piece cmld no' have been celcc'ed for the debut. Every soprano lady has sung il to ub ; but nearly eveiy cue has bcdk d only trying- to tnal.e something of it, while Jinny Luul w/ii the very music o( it for (he lime being. Wo woull say no kss than that; for tl't widest and hoiv cstest part of criticism on tu.'h a fust boating (A a thing ho pel feet, was to give itself () u Hy up to it, without (inoblion, and attempt no inuK 1 i or what too truly fills one to huve yet b.-gan to be' an object of thought. If il were possible, we would describe tho cnnlily of that voice, so i)urc, bo sweet, oo fin**, so whole, «nd all pervading, in its lowest breathing mil miuti'cil fiortlurc aa \>cll as in ils strongest volume. W<; never beard tones whu h in their sweetness went s>o fai , Tbey brought tin- most distant and ili-Fualrd n ml) lor close to her. They ware tones, cvs 1 y one of them, und the whole air hud to tako thu law of their vibiatimn. Tlie voice and the delivery had in them nil the tyoori qualities of all tbo good singers. Song in her lias thai; integral beauty which at once proclaims it as :i typo for all, nnd is most naturally worshipped as men by the multitude. Of those who have been before hei, «vo were, most frequently reminded ol Madame Bishop* quality (m-r quantity) of voice. 1 hs-ir voices ;uc of nioliil fionv what akin. Jenny Lind's had incomparably more power, and more at all times in leseivo ; but ilLnl h ibade of that sumo veiled quality in Us lewest tone-, consistently with the same (but much more) lipcncss and sweetness, and j ci feel freedom ftom the ciutU'nc-T often called swectne.-s ai they rue. There h llie Bamc kind of versatile and huMile talent too, in Jenny Lind, ns appeared later in tbo equal inspiration and perfection ol hi>r]vaiiouB characters nnd styles of son/?. Hci'.s is a genuine sopiano, teaching the twtr.i bit,b notes with that ease and ccrta'nty ulucb mukrs each highest ono a triumph of cxpre=Mi,n purely, and not a physical maivcl. The grnduul growth ami soilenufo oj her tones; tlu lights and hbmle, the ihyl'umc umlulilioiis and balance ol lur passages, the bud-like ecslncy ol her thrill, tho faultless precision and fhciicy of her chronatic sculefl { above all, the burc jrseivaiion of such volnnio of voice, us to crown each piotraclcd climav with glory, not needing; u new effort to iaUe force lor the final blow j and indeed all thu point* one lool.s foi in a mistrebs of die vocal art, were eminently bus in Cavlft Diva. Hut the charm lay not in any point, but ruthcr in the inspired vitulity, the hearty 1 outpouring of the who c— the mil and yet tiuly ideal liv* nianity[of all her sii.gm^- That is what ba3 won tho woild to Jenny Ijiiul ; that her whole soul nnd beini; goo out in her son£, and that her voice becomes tbu impersonation of thut song's soul, it it have any, thai is it it bo a song. Tliere w plainly no vanity in her, no mere aim to ('fleet ; it is all frank and real and bar" moniously eurncst. At the close, tbo audience (who mailc no tnovemcnl to leave till the last note had been uttered), broke out in a tempest ol cheers, only less vehement Hum those which welcomed her in Casla Diva. She came formud aga'n, bowed with a blight, gratelul iaoe, and retired. The cheero were now mingled with ebouls of " Burnum !" who at last cirao foiwnrdi and with some difficulty obtained sufficient order to bpcak. "My friends," said he, "Youhi've often hturd it UDkrd, '' Where's Btrnum V Amid the cbeeis and laughter which 'o'.lowcd thi', we could only catch the wordi — " Henceforth you may fcfty, " Birnum's nowhere." Mr. I3urnum, after expressing liis graliticutinn at the splendid welcome which had been given Middle. Lind, stutud that ho would disclose a piece of news which ho could no longer keep secret,, and which would sbow how we'l that wrlcomo wus desmr-d, Mdl:c. Lind on Monday morning informed linn, that it wis her intcntiou to give her share of the net proceed:* of tbe present concert, amounting to conndurable moio than .810,000, to the various charities in this city. This announcement was the signal for unothcr storm. We d d not count the number of cheers given, but we never witnessed Buch a pi.eh of futhußiasm. Mr. Jiarnum then pioceeded to read the list of her donations, interrupted at every line by a fresh burst of applause : To the Fire Department Fund.. 83,000 Musical Fund Society 2,010 Home lor the Fiiendlass .. SGO Society for the Relief of Indigent l''einaks ... 500 Dramatic Fund Asfouiation .r>oo. r >00 Home for Colored and Aged Persons .. .. 500 Colored and Orphan Association 500 Lying in Asylum for Daatitu'c Female* ... .000 !New-Yoik Orphan Asylum 00() Protestant llalf-Oiphan Asylum 500 Roman Catholic Hulf-Orpbnn Asylum ••• sflO Old Ladicb' Asylum 000 Total do!. 10,000 In case the money coming to her shall e\iccri this sum, the will herraftcr designate the dim i'y lo wh cU it is to be appropriated. Mr, Bnrnum wis tben abuuL retiring when there was a univeioiil cull lor ,l t miy Lv d. Tbe songfltreis, however, hid alriady ta'<en licr departure, and the excited crowd, after giving a. few moic cheeis, followed her example, and Blowly surged out oE the Castle door, nnd down the canopied bridge, in a glow of good-humour and admimtion. The prize or .B*2oo oft'eted for the best aong to bo sung by Jenny Lind as a greeting to America, has been awarded by the committee to Ba.yaki> Tavi.or. Seven hundred and fifty longs were oflered in compLti-" tion. We here give ihe words •,