A word or two about your singing: “Native Scenes” was particularly sweet, because sung with feeling. Let it be your aim to enter with your whole soul into the spirit of your words. In the “Last Rose of Summer,” you sang “senseless” for scentless—it may have been owing to a printer’s mistake—“scentless” is the true word. With sincere desires for your highest good, believe me,
Your friend, E. S. M.
Albany, Jan. 19, 1852—Daily State Register.
The Black Swan’s Concert.—Miss Greenfield made her debut in this City on Saturday evening, before a large and brilliant audience, in the lecture room of the Young Men’s Association. The concert was a complete triumph for her; won, too, from a discriminating auditory, not likely to be caught with chaff, and none too willing to suffer admiration to get the better of prejudice. Her singing more than met the expectations of her hearers, and elicited the heartiest applause, and frequent encores. She possesses a truly wonderful voice, and considering the poverty of her advantages, she uses it with surprising taste and effect. In sweetness, power, compass and flexibility, it nearly equals any of the foreign vocalists who have visited our country; and it needs only the training and education theirs have received, to outstrip them all.
The compass of her marvellous voice embraces twenty-seven notes, reaching from the sonorous bass of a barytone, to a few notes above even Jenny Lind’s highest. The defects which the critic cannot fail to detect in her singing, are not from want of voice or power of lung, but want of training alone. If her present tour proves successful, as it now bids fair to, she will put herself under the charge of the best masters of singing in Europe; and with her enthusiasm and perseverance, which belong to genius, she cannot fail to ultimately triumph over all obstacles, and even conquer the prejudice of colour—perhaps the most formidable one in her path.
She plays with ability upon the piano, harp and guitar. In her deportment she bears herself well, and we are told converses with much intelligence. We noticed among the audience Gov. Hunt and his family, both Houses of the Legislature, State officers, and a large number of our leading citizens. All came away astonished and delighted.
Albany, Jan. 20.—(Albany Express.)
We predict for this lady a very brilliant career under the judicious management of Col. J. H. Wood, the late efficient manager of the Cincinnati Museum, which was recently destroyed by fire. The Colonel possesses tact and talent of the highest order, which eminently qualify him for the high and responsible position he now occupies, and we have no hesitation in saying that Miss Greenfield will reap a golden harvest while she remains in his charge. The Swan leaves here for Boston, and thence to New York, where additional talent is expected to be added in that wonderful pianist, Master Cook, who excited the astonishment and admiration of all who had the pleasure of hearing him last fall in New York. Col. Wood expects to make the tour of Europe next season with the Swan, who will doubtless prove as attractive as any cantatrice that ever appeared before a European audience.
Albany Knickerbocker, Jan. 20, 1852. Tuesday.
The concerts of this warbler have been well attended and very satisfactory. She comes before the public under many disadvantages, and the fact, that nevertheless she pleases, is certainly an indication of merit. Among these disadvantages, we note her colour; her undertaking to execute alone a programme of ten or eleven pieces, and such of them as the public see fit to encore; a certain want of tact in the conduct of her concerts; and the barely tolerable support given her by her accompanyist.