The Black Swan at Home and Abroad: or, A Biographical Sketch of Miss Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, the American VocalistAnonymous
General
The Black Swan at Home and Abroad: or, A Biographical Sketch of Miss Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, the American Vocalist
Anonymous
Greenfield, Elizabeth Taylor, approximately 1819-1876
Mr. Becht, the pianist of the party, commenced the evening with a very
brilliant performance, which showed that his talents, if not of the very
first rank, nearly approached to that point. He has a very considerable
share of taste, but his _forte_ passages were the finest, and were
warmly applauded. After he 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 colour, rather
inclined to an _embonpoint_, and with African formation of face. She
advanced calmly to the front of the platform, and curtised 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 barytone
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. After the surprise had subsided, there was
time to find out the errors and defects. It must be confessed that Miss
Greenfield has a very heedless way of throwing her beautiful notes
about, has far from perfect command over them, and wants the knowledge
of ornamental points, which can only be given by instruction from the
best masters. There were plenty evidences that it was not from lack of
ability to understand what was required, that these defects existed. The
introduction of the deeper voice in the treble songs was a singularity,
but was also an unpleasing offence against the ear.
Miss Greenfield is said to have great facility in acquiring the
knowledge of music, and will certainly under proper tuition become
distinguished.
The company to-night perform in Hamilton. We hope on their return we may
have another opportunity of listening to Miss Greenfield's wonderful
strains, and Messrs. Becht and Schmittroth's excellent instrumentalization.
Auburn, New York, May 21st, 1852.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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