From "The Milwaukee Sentinel," April, 1852:—
"What shall we say? That we were delighted and surprised? All who were present know that, from their own feelings. We can only say, that we have never heard a voice like hers,—one that with such ease, and with such absence of all effort, could range from the highest to the lowest notes."
Said a Rochester (N.Y.) paper of May 6, 1852,—
... "The magnificent quality of her voice, its great power, flexibility, and compass, her self-taught genius, energy, and perseverance, combine to render Miss Greenfield an object of uncommon interest to musicians.
"We have been spell-bound by the ravishing tones of Patti, Sontag, Malibran, and Grisi; we have heard the wondrous warblings of 'the Nightingale;' and we have listened with delight to the sweet melodies of the fair daughter of Erin: but we hesitate not to assert, that, with one year's tuition from the world-famed Emanuel Garcia, Miss Greenfield would not only compare favorably with any of the distinguished artists above named, but incomparably excel them all."
"The Globe," Toronto, May 12-15, 1852, said,—
"Any one who went to the concert of Miss Greenfield on Thursday last, expecting to find that he had been deceived by the puffs of the American newspapers, must have found himself most agreeably disappointed....
"After he [the pianist] had retired, there was a general hush of expectation to see the entrance of the vocalist of the evening; and presently there appeared a lady of a decidedly dark color, rather inclined to an embonpoint, and with African formation of face. She advanced calmly to the front of the platform, and courtesied very gracefully to the audience. There was a moment of pause, and the assembly anxiously listened for the first notes. They were quite sufficient. The amazing power of the voice, the flexibility, and the ease of execution, took the hearers by surprise; and the singer was hardly allowed to finish the verse, ere she was greeted with the most enthusiastic plaudits, which continued for some time. The higher passages of the air were given with clearness and fulness, indicating a soprano voice of great power. The song was encored; and Miss Greenfield came back, took her seat at the piano, and began, to the astonishment of the audience, a different air in a deep and very clear bass or baritone voice, which she maintained throughout, without any very great appearance of effort, or without any breaking. She can, in fact, go as low as Lablache, and as high as Jenny Lind,—a power of voice perfectly astonishing. It is said she can strike thirty-one full, clear notes; and we could readily believe it."
From a Brattleborough (Vt.) paper, June 23, 1852:—
"The 'Black Swan,' or Miss Elizabeth Greenfield, sang in Mr. Fisk's beautiful new hall on Wednesday evening last to a large and intelligent audience.