... early seventies, Christine Nilsson was singing in Faust at the Academy of Music in New Y ork. Though there was already talk of the erection, in remot... ...to; and the sentimental clung to it for its historic associations, and the musical for its excellent acous- tics, always so problematic a quality in h... ... tics, always so problematic a quality in halls built for the hear- ing of music. It was Madame Nilsson’s first appearance that winter, and what the d... ...!” and not “he loves me,” since an unalterable and unquestioned law of the musical world re- quired that the German text of French operas sung by Swed... ...r dreamed of before, and playing the piano in quin- tets with professional musicians. Of course no good could come of this; and when, a few 43 Edith ... ... career; but an insatiable taste for letters had thrown the young man into journalism, then into authorship (apparently unsuccessful), and at length—a... ...tion, one’s critical independence? It was because of that that I abandoned journalism, and took to so much duller work: tutoring and private secretary... ...rth breathing. And so I have never regretted giving up either diplomacy or journalism—two dif- ferent forms of the same self-abdication.” He fixed his...

...Excerpt: On a January evening of the early seventies, Christine Nilsson was singing in Faust at the Academy of Music in New York. Though there was already talk of the erection, in remote metropolitan distances ?above the Forties,? of a new Opera House which should compete in costliness and splendour with those of the great European ca...