Patriot Orphan Home: Benefit

Event Information

Venue(s):
Irving Hall

Performance Forces:
Instrumental, Vocal

Record Information

Status:
Published

Last Updated:
27 July 2015

Performance Date(s) and Time(s)

05 Apr 1865, 8:00 PM

Program Details

New York debut of pianist Sophie S. La Grange.

Laura Harris was scheduled to sing but was ill.

Performers and/or Works Performed

Citations

1)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 03 April 1865, 7.
2)
Advertisement: New-York Times, 03 April 1865.
3)
Announcement: New-York Times, 04 April 1865, 5.
4)
Review: New York Post, 06 April 1865.

     “The concert at Irving Hall last evening in aid of the funds for that really useful but ungrammatically named institution, ‘The Patriot Orphan Home,’ attracted a large number of auditors, who received in exchange for their benevolent offerings a very satisfactory musical entertainment, with which all seemed to be delighted. There was but one out of the seven performing artists who was new to our own people, and that one was Miss Sophia Lagrange, adopted daughter of a vocalist ever fresh in all our memories. Miss Lagrange is very young, beautiful, modest and graceful, with a somewhat pensive and concentrated aspect, occasionally lit up by a witching smile. Personally, she is destined to be a concert-room idol with our musical young people. Her culture and taste are irreproachable, her fingering firm, vigorous and masterly, yet impregnated with feminine coloring. The two pieces assigned her in the programme were, through the enthusiasm of the audience, converted into four. Her reappearance will be eagerly looked for, and then criticism will have more material to work on.”

5)
Review: Courrier des États-Unis, 10 April 1865, 1.

     “At . . . Irving Hall there was, on Wednesday, another debut no less successful. Miss Sophie S. de La Grange, adopted daughter of the admirable singer Mme de La Grange who left such beautiful memories at the opera, was heard for the first time, and revealed a talent as a budding pianist of the first rank. Mlle de La Grange is young, she is pretty, she is simple and unaffected; but she is of a timidity that takes away half of her power; she has to overcome her stage-fright before she can give all her measure to the public.

     Miss Laura Harris, who had to sing at this concert, was held back by a sore throat. Fortunately, this doesn’t last as long for young people as it does for giraffes.

     This soiree was at the same time a musical festival and a good work. It was given for the benefit of the orphanage for [children of] the military in Flushing, which counts more than a hundred children supported by the outlay of the institution. Alas! How many concerts have to occur to assist the unfortunates of this type. A circular distributed recently in New York revealed the fact that there were more than twenty-five thousand widows of soldiers living in this city!”[Article missing final entries; rest of what’s there is about upcoming events.]