The numerous friends of
Miss Catherine Hayes, in this country, will hear with regret that the steamer
Hibernia brings intelligence of her death.
Miss Hayes was born in
Limerick, Ireland, about the year 1820, and at an early age showed a most decided talent for music.
Her first appearance in public was in concerts, at which she sang with great success the beautiful melodies of her native land.
But with increasing years grew ambition, and she determined to try her powers in a wider field, where success is surer and fame more brilliant and lasting.
She accordingly went to
Paris, where she placed herself under the tuition of the celebrated Spanish teacher, Garoia, and afterwards proceeded to
Milan, where she became the pupil of Renconi.
Her
debut in opera was made at
Marseilles, in the "Huguenots, " in the year 1845.
She was immediately afterwards engaged at the celebrated theatre of
La Scala, in
Milan, where she gathered laurels from the most discriminating musical audience in the world, winning universal admiration by the simplicity and naturalness of her manner and the purity of her voice.
The season of 1846 she passed at
Vienna, and after having made the tour of the principal cities of
Italy, made her first appearance in
London in 1849. Two years later she left
Europe for the
United States, and arrived in the fall of 1851, making her first appearance in New York in a concert at Tripler Hall, where the
Lafarge Hotel now stands.
Her successful career in this country is well known.
She seldom appeared in opera while in the
United States, preferring to appear in concerts, following in this the example of her
Swedish rival who had just preceded her. While here she became attached to her agent,
Mr. Bushnell--a professional man, whom she subsequently married.
She afterwards visited
California, the
Sandwich Islands,
Australia and
India, returning to
London, where she appeared at Convent Garden, in 1855.
At a little later period her husband died.
Her voice was a soprano of great compass and strength, very smooth, and remarkably flexible.
In opera her most successful
roles were Lucia, in "Luciadi Lammermoor," and Linda, in "
Linda di Chamouni." She appeared occasionally in English Opera with
Miss Novello, where her usual success attended her. In the judgment of some, however, she was better in concert than on the stage, and certainly in the national melodies of her country
Miss Hayes had no rival.
The news which brings us the sad intelligence of her death does not tell us where it occurred; though it was, most probably, in
England or
Ireland--in her own sorrowful land perhaps, where she first drew inspiration from the melting strains of a Carolan, and the touching verses of a Moore.
