Dec. 8, 1853. Last night we had the first meeting of the class in elocution. It was very pleasant, but my deficiency of ear was never more apparent to myself. We had exercises in the ascending scale, and I practised {sp.}after I came home, with the family as an audience.
H{enry} says my ear is competent only to vulgar hearing, and I cannot appreciate nice distinctions.
Back in September, I noted in another “Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words” that Maria was always learning. And, I think this highlights that. It also highlights some of her frustrations with herself. It was said that Maria Mitchell was tone deaf. In the 1850s, during her trip to Europe as a young woman’s chaperone, they attended to the opera – we have Maria’s opera glasses to prove it – but she was frustrated with it because she was apparently tone deaf. Perhaps this class on elocution and Henry’s (her youngest brother) comments highlighted that –perhaps before even she realized it.
JNLF
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