Camilla: A Tale of a Violin: Being the Artist Life of Camilla Urso — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Camilla: A Tale of a Violin: Being the Artist Life of Camilla Urso
John Stuart Mill · en
The little maiden is plain, with strong arms and hands enlarged
by practice of her instrument; yet her appearance is most
interesting; a face full of intellectual and sedate expression,
a large forehead wearing the ’pale cast of thought’ etc. Pity
only that such fine life must be lived out so fast, and always
in the blaze of too much sun for plants so young and tender!”
Then followed two concerts at the Masonic Temple. Concerning her playing
at these concerts we may quote from Dwight’s Journal of October 16th.
CAMILLA URSO. “Two concerts have confirmed all we have said of
this wonderful girl violinist. Two concerts, attended by an
intelligent, nay, an exacting, audience delighted almost to
tears—and yet not money enough in the house to pay expenses!
Indifference to flaming advertisements of precocity is well; but
it is _not_ well, not worthy of the taste of Boston thus to
neglect one of the finest manifestations of genius that ever
seemed to come to us so straight from heaven. It was one of the
most beautiful, most touching experiences of our whole musical
life, to see and hear that charming little maiden, so natural
and childlike, so full of sentiment and thought, so
selfpossessed and graceful in her whole bearing and in her every
motion, handle her instrument there like a master, drawing forth
tones of purest and most feeling quality; with an infallible
truth of intonation, unattained by many an orchestra leader;
reproducing perfectly, as if by the hearts own direct magnetic
agency, an entire Concerto of Viotti or De Beriot, wooing forth
the gentler melodies with a fine caressing delicacy and giving
out strong passages in chords with ever thrilling grandeur.”
The first of these concerts was on the 8th and the second on the 12th of
the month. Neither was successful and evil days again came upon them.
The concert company broke up and each looked out for himself as best he
could. As for Camilla she returned to New York with her father and aunt
and they settled down in poor and miserable quarters in a house on
Howard street—the Rue Lamartine of New York.