the later sunny days.
In "La Figlia del Reggimento," which Jenny Lind had brought to England
and made her own peculiar property, Mme. Sontag was adjudged to be by
far the greater, both vocally and dramatically. As a singer of Mozart's
music she was incomparably superior to all. Her taste, steadiness,
suavity, and solid knowledge suited a style very difficult for a
southern singer to acquire. Chorley repeated the musical opinion of
his time in saying: "The easy, equable flow demanded by Mozart's
compositions, so melodious, so wondrously sustained, so sentimental
(dare I say so rarely impassioned?); that assertion of individuality
which distinguishes a singer from a machine when dealing with singers'
music; that charm which belongs to a keen appreciation of elegance, but
which can only be perfected when Nature has been genial, have never been
so perfectly combined (in my experience) as in her." If Sontag did not
possess the highest genius of the lyric artist, she had un-equaled grace
and sense of artistic propriety, and with that grace an untiring desire
and energy in giving her very best to the public on all occasions when
she appeared. Her constancy and loyalty to her audience were moral
qualities which wonderfully enhanced her value and charm as a singer.

During this season Mme. Sontag appeared in her favorite character of
_Rosina_, with Lablache and Gardoni; she also performed _Amina_ and
_Desdemona_. Had it not been that the attention of the public was
absorbed by "the Swedish Nightingale" and the "glorious Alboni," Mme.
Sontag would have renewed the triumphs of 1828. The next season she
sang again at Her Majesty's Theatre as _Norina, Elvira_ ("I Puritani"),
_Zerlina_, and _Maria_ (in "La Figlia del Reggimento"). The chief
novelty was "La Tempesta," written by Scribe, and composed by Halevy
expressly for Her Majesty's Theatre, the drama having been translated
into Italian from the French original. It was got up with extraordinary
splendor, and had a considerable run. Mme. Sontag sang charmingly in
the character of _Miranda_; but the greatest effect was created by
Lablache's magnificent impersonation of _Caliban_. No small share of the
success of the piece was due to the famous danseuse Carlotta Grisi, who
seemed to take the most appropriate part ever designed for ballerina
when she undertook to represent _Ariel_.

At the close of the season of 1850 Mme. Sontag went to Paris with Mr.
Lumley, who took the Theatre It