o life our most delightful emotions, and evoke the warmest
admiration of those who see and hear her. Her sway is over all, and is
absolute; the natural music of her voice merely serving as sufficient
charm for those not highly cultured, while the embellishments of art
which she so intelligently uses in her performance add to the pleasure
of, as they satisfy, the aesthetic conceptions, the love of full,
harmonious development, held by persons of the most critical tastes.

As prominent among those lyric artists of New England whose fine
natural musical powers and many winning accomplishments have formed
the theme of frequent praise, as they have been the source of constant
delight for many persons in private circles and public audiences, I
may confidently mention Nellie E. Brown of Dover, N.H.,--a lady who
within a very few years has, by the great beauty of her voice, and the
exhibition of many noble qualities of heart and mind, won a name of
which she and all her many admiring friends may be justly proud.

At quite an early age Miss Brown evinced a fondness for music, the
slightest sounds of which readily attracted her attention; and, long
before she had acquired a knowledge of its rudiments, the natural
sweetness of her voice, as she was heard merely humming a tune, often
arrested the attention and called out the praises of those who heard
her. Thus musically endowed, of an amiable disposition, with spirits
ever as free as the mountain winds of her native State, she became the
favorite of her school companions, and their leader.

A few years ago, while attending a private school in Dover, Miss
Caroline Bracket, a teacher in the same, noticing that Miss Brown
possessed a naturally superior voice, earnestly advised its fullest
cultivation. This lady became her first music-teacher. Diligently
pursuing her studies, she made rapid progress. Being induced to take
part in occasional school and other concerts, our subject soon became
quite prominent in Dover as a vocalist, and was engaged in 1865 to
sing in the choir of the Free-will Baptist church of that city. Here
she remained until November, 1872; at which time, having learned of
Miss Brown's fine vocal powers, the members of Grace Church,
Haverhill, Mass, earnestly invited her to become the leading soprano
in their choir, offering her a liberal salary, besides the payment of
her travelling-expenses twice each week between Dover and Haverhill.
This very complimentary invi