Representative women of New England/Tryphosa D. Bates

by Mary H. Graves

TRYPHOSA D. BATES

TRYPHOSA DUNCAN BATES (now known as Mrs. Bates-Batcheller) was born in the town of North Brookfield, Worcester County, Mass. She is the daughter of Theodore Cornelius Bates and his wife, Emma Frances Duncan. Her maternal grandmother, Tryphosa Lakin, was considered a beauty, and she was possessed of an unusually sweet soprano voice. This latter gift and the name Tryphosa, in addition to a very great resemblance in appearance, have descended as heirlooms to the subject of our sketch.

The Bates records go back to the early thirteenth century. There is still extant in the aisle of the old church at Lydd, England, the brass bas-relief of Bates ancestors. Thomas Bates, who was Lord Mayor of London and an intimate friend of King Edward III., was an immediate connection of the Lydd branch, ami possessed the same armorial bearings. Among the American ancestors may be counted many heroes of the early colonial wars and several Revolutionary patriots. Major Daniel Fletcher, on the paternal side a great-great-grandfather of Tryphosa, was a commissioned officer of the king in the early colonial wars, and had, as the records show, a distinguished career. His son, Captain Jonathan Fletcher (maternal grandfather of Theodore C. Bates), who had been a private in Captain Samuel Reed's company of minute-men, which marched on the Lexington alarm, enlisted April 24, 1775, from Littleton, Mass., in Captain Abijah Wyman's company. Colonel William Prescott's regiment, service three months, nine days: see company return dated Cambridge, October 3, 1775; also, order for bounty coat or its ecjuivalent in money, dated Cambridge, November 11, 1775; also, private. Captain George Minot's company, Colonel Samuel Bullard's regiment, enlistetl August 16, 1777, discharged November 30, 1777. On January 15, 1776, his name appears as a fifer from Acton, Mass., on the roll of Captain David Wheeler's com- pany. Colonel Nixon's regiment. Jonathan Fletcher, of Acton, Lieutenant, Captain Jacob Haskin's company, Colonel John Jacobs's regi- ment, engaged February 27, 1778, service five months, twenty days, at Rhode Island;- also, same company and regiment, service to October 1, 1778; also, service from December 1, 1778, to January 1, 1779. After seeing continuous service as Lieutenant, he was com- missioned Captain in the Ninth Company of the Seventh Middlesex County Regiment of Massachusetts militia, July 27, 1780. ("Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution," vol. v., pp. 776, 777.)

The artistic bent of Tryphosa was shown at an unusually early age. When only three years old, she was chosen, on account of her natural aptitude, to impensonate jniblicly " the Queen of the Dollies" at a charitable performance. This role was by no means a thinking part. Three stanzas fell to the share of the little queen, and right nobly did .she acquit her.self. Her precociousncss in musical matters soon showed itself in a rapid proficiency in her studies of the violin and piano, so that she was repeatedly called upon to play at semi-public musicales and concerts. Her voice, however, became so remarkable even in early years, and so much attention did it attract from those competent to judge, that instrumental studies were relinquished entirely in favor of vocal culture. In order to have the highest and most competent opinions, it was decided by her ]3arents to send the young aspirant to Europe. Accomjianied by her mother, Tryphosa accordingly made a trip to Paris, and sought tlie opinion of Madame Marchesi. The celebrated teacher enthusiastically pointed out that the young girl's voice was really most beautiful in quality, that it had the old-time "lyric-velvet" tone, and that, if every other study could be thrown aside in its favor, it would be reckoned among the most remarkable voices of the century. As, how- ever, just previously to this trip abroad Try- phosa had at the age of seventeen passed her entrance examinations to Radcliffe College, her parents thought it advisable for her to con- tinue for .some time her studies in college before devoting herself entirely to artistic work. After some years had been passed at Rad- cliffe, the urgent letters of Madame Marchesi prevailed, and Tryphosa with her mother again went to Paris, this time for a long and systematic training under the great teacher. In two years she returned to America in order to be married to Mr. Francis Batcheller. This important event in the life of the young artist was, however, understood not to be a perma- nent interrui)tion to an important career. As a cultured amateur, Mr. Batcheller had always taken the keenest interest in his future wife's talents, and had aided and encouraged her in her studies. It followed as. a matter of course that Paris again claimed the young wife for a further year's study with Madame Mar- chesi. The notice of the important critics and compo.sers was now drawn to the finished artist. George Boyer, the celebrated critic and poet, became her teacher in elocution, and was most enthusiastic in her prai.se. Mas.senet, the great P^rench compo.s(>r, did her the honor to play the accompaniments at a concert when she sang his compositions. On the 9th of June, 1900, Mrs. Bates-Batcheller , made her profes- sional debut at the Salle Erard in Paris, witii M. Ed. Maugin, the chef d'orchedre of the Grand Opera, as her accompanist. The praise given on this im])ortant occasion fully justified the many sacrifices an artistic career had demanded, and predicted great things for the future. Brilliant professional offers for Paris and Milan followed as a matter of course, but were declined in order that every possible ad- vantage might be gained from further study. A journey to Italy was determined upon for the .sake of the tuition of Vela and Bimboni. During her recent stay in America Mrs. Bates-Batcheller has placed herself under the care of Georg Henschel, B. J. Lang, and Giraudet (of the Paris Opera), whose unqualificd approval she has been fortunate enough to gain. The artistic friendship most highly prized by Mrs. Bates-Batcheller is that of Madame Maicella Sembrich, who in every way with help and advice, on hearing her sing, has given the greatest praise and encouragement. Thus in course of years the warmest attachment has grown between them. Already in America Mrs. Bates-Batcheller's voice has attracted general attention, owing to her generosity in singing for charitable entertainments. Her debut in New York City was made at one of the morning concerts in the grand ball-room of the Waldorf Astoria, where she achieved the greatest success. This was quickly followed by an appearance at a concert given for charity by Countess Leary and Mrs. Astor. In writing of one experience, when she .sang to the little blind children of the Perkins Institute in Boston, Mrs. Bates-Batcheller said: "No audience has ever given me such applau.se, and I was never more anxious to please than when I sang to those poor dear little children. Their hands and feet kept time to the gay songs, and they hung their heads in sorrow and sympathy with the sad ones." After hearing her remarkable voice at the New England Woman's Club, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe dubbed the young artist "her nightingale," and afterward gave a delightful musicale in her honor. An added joy was given to this occasion by the presence of her college president, Mrs. Louis Agassiz, who remarked that she was most proud of her Radcliffe song-bird.

Among the many accomplishments of Mrs. Bates-Batcheller are to be reckoned an acquaintance with French, German, and Italian literatures and a fluent use of those languages. This desirable result was undoubtedly contributed to by her extended classical studies in Latin and Greek at Radcliffe College. Recently the singer has found leisure to write some excellent lyric poetry that has received the warm commendation of her friend, Mrs. Louise Chandler Moulton; and it is more than probable that these poetic flowers will shortly see the light of publication. As Mrs. Bates-Batcheller is still a very young woman, her career may be said to be all before her.

During a recent visit in Washington, Mrs. Bates-Batcheller, by invitation of Mrs. Roosevelt, sang at the White House. To meet the young artist, a most distinguished company, including Senator and Mrs. Cabot Lodge, Senator Hoar, Secretary Root, Vice-President Frye, were invited. Both the President and Mrs. Roosevelt were delighted with the voice of Mrs. Bates-Batcheller, who looks back on such a memorable occasion with the greatest pleasure. While she has already succeeded in winning the highest praise from the best French critics in Paris, she has overcome at her Boston professional debut a still greater difficulty — perhaps the greatest an American-born artist ever has to face — the gaining recognition of high artistic standing in her own city. That this fortunate result has been achieved beyond any question there is not the slightest doubt, for, as the foremost musical publication in the world expresses it, "the general consensus of critical opinion expressed at her brilliant debut has placed her at one bound among the first artists of the day."