Miss Amy Castles

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 29, 26 July 1923, Page 33

Miss Amy Castles

Miss Agnes G. Murphy (author of The Life of Melba), writing in the Sydney Bulletin for April 22, 1923, says: The He mid, the Sun, and others have lately been discussing whether Amy Castles’ voice is, that very rare thing a , P ur ® dramatic soprano or a phenomenal mezzo. The Bulletin’s Sundry Showman plumped for the Victorian as of dramatic quality and said Amy’s voice is comparable to that of the great Destinn. I side with the Bulletin, but I go one better and say the Castles’ voice is superior to that of Destinn, for the organ of the famous Bohemian has a certain reedy quality which is entirely lacking in the perfect sound box of the genial Australian. During the last 20 years I have heard all the great vocal stars in Europe and America and I have never heard anv dramatic soprano to approach Amy Castles in either quality or reserve power. Alfred Kalisch said that by tone alone, without any physical movement whatsoever, Amy Castles’ voice could express all the human emotions. The Amy Castles Concert Company, now on a triumphant tour of the Dominion, will shortly visit Dunedin.