Memoirs of an American Prima DonnaKellogg, Clara Louise
General
Memoirs of an American Prima Donna
Kellogg, Clara Louise
Kellogg, Clara Louise, 1842-1916; Singers -- United States -- Biography
SIR: In your issue of this morning, there is an editorial headed
"Operatic Failure," which is, in some respects, so unjust and
one-sided as to call for an immediate protest against its
injustice. Having taken your ideas from _The New York Herald_, and
having no other source of information, it is not to be wondered at
that you should fall into error. For reasons best known to Mr.
James Gordon Bennett, _The New York Herald_, since the commencement
of the Jarrett-Maretzek season, has undertaken to write up Madame
Lucca at the expense of every other artist connected with the
troupe; and it is because of _The Herald's_ fulsome laudations of
Lucca, and its outrageously untruthful criticisms of Kellogg, that
much of the trouble has occurred. Of the two ladies, Kellogg is by
far the superior singer. Lucca has much dramatic force, but, in
musical culture, is not equal to her sister artist, and there is no
jealousy on the part of either lady of the other. The facts are
these: The management, taking their cue from _The Herald_, and
being afraid of the power of Mr. Bennett, tried to shelve Kellogg,
and the result has been that the dear public would not permit the
injustice, and they, the managers, as well as _The Herald_, are
amazed and angered at the result of their dirty work.
OPERA.
Chicago, Oct. 28, 1872.
Lucca and I gave _Mignon_ that season together, she playing the part of
Mignon and I that of Felina, the cat. Mignon was always a favourite part
of my own, a sympathetic _rôle_ filled with poetry and sentiment. When I
first studied it, I most carefully read _Wilhelm Meister_, upon which it
is founded. Regarding the part of Felina, I have often wondered that
people have never been more perceptive than they appear to have been of
the analogy between her name and her qualities, for she has all of the
characteristics of the feline species. Our dual star bill in the opera
was highly successful and effective in spite of Jarrett's continual
attacks upon me through the press and in every way open to him. He did
me a particularly cruel turn about Felina. I started off in the _rôle_,
the opening night, in what I still believe to have been the correct
interpretation. _Wilhelm Meister_ was set in a finicky period and its
characters wore white wigs and minced about in their actions. My part
was all comedy and the gestures should have been little and dainty and
somewhat constrained. So I played it, until I saw this criticism,
written by one of Jarrett's creatures, "Miss Kellogg has no freedom of
movement in the _rôle_ of Felina, etc."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account