“Trilby” by George du Maurier (post 4): Tone-deaf Trilby, now superstar singer, La Svengali (Mrs. Svengali), seems to speak neither English nor French

“…his real name is Adler; his mother was a Polish singer; and he was a pupil at the Leipsic Conservatorio. But he’s an immense artist, and a great singing-master, to teach a woman like that! and such a woman! belle come un ange — mais bête come un pot [as beautiful as an angel — but as stupid as a pot]. I tried to talk to her — all she can say is ‘ja wohl,’ or ‘doch,’ or ‘nein,’ or ‘soh!’ not a word of English or French or Italian, though she sings them, oh! but divinely! It is ‘il bel canto’ come back to the world after a hundred years. Every voice a mortal woman can have — three octaves — four!…Everything that Paganini could do with his violin, she does with her voice — only better — and what a voice!” (1, p. 195-197).

1. George du Maurier. Trilby. Edited by Leonee Ormond. London, Everyman, 1994.