The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-16 00:00:00

CESARINI V. RONGANI.

Tills was al ac ion to recover a bAlance of £4O 3s. 4:1.,
under an :tweet-mitt made by the defendant to pay the
plaintiff a certain sum of money for singing at the Royal
Theatre at Turic, of which thia're he was the principal
director.

Mr. Sercreant Shee and Mr. Joyce appeared for the plain-
tiff; Mr. Edwi❑ James, Q.C., and Mr. Hawkins were fur
the defendant.

S...rgeant St►ee, in opening the ease to the jtv y, said that
the plaintiff, Adelaide Cesarini, was the daughter cf an
Italian gentleman who had settled for scale time in London,

and kept a private boarding-house in Golden-square, and
she was possessed of considerable talent as a singer and
teacher of music. The defendant, Dominico Rongaui,
was also au Italia❑ and a resident at Turin, but in the year
1856 Le was engaged at the Italian Opera as ballet master,
and be became acquainted with the faiker of the plaintiff
and the plaintiff herself, and was on friendly terms and fre-
quently visited the family. The plaintiff at this time desired
to appear upon the stage as a singer, and she mentioned the
subject to the defendant, who advised her not to make her
debiit in London, but to go to Italy, and when she
had acquired some reputetiou as a singer in that coun-
try to return to England, and make her appearance
at an English theatre. The defendant at the same
time suggested that she should go and sing at one
of the theatres of Turin. The defendant left Eng-
land about this time, and went to Turin, and some cor-
respondence passed betwee❑ him and the father of the
young lady upon the subject of her having an engagement
to sing at one of the Turin theatres, and in November, 1856,
the defendant offered to give the plaintiff 2,000 fr. if she
would come to Turin and sing diving the season, from De-
cember to March. The engagement was accepted, and the
defendant then wrote to the plaintiff and requested that she
would study the part of Violetta is an opera of his own
composing, called "Il Bravo." She did so, but she dis-
covered that her voice was not suited to the part, and her
father wrote to the defendant and informed him of the fact.
The defendant still expressed his desire to carry out the

engagement, and the plaintiff accordingly proceeded to
Turin, accompanied by her mother and her sister, and they
arrived there in the beginning of December. The defendant
• at this time had the management of two theatres in Turin,
one called the Reggio or Royal, and the other the National
Theatre; and it was understood that the young lady was to
be introduced as first singer at one of these establishments.
The defendant, it appeared, after the plaintiff had arrived at
• Turin, again requested her to study the part of Violetta.
She consented, and went to a rehearsal, but found it
was clear that her voice did not suit the part, and the de-
fendant at length admitted himself' that this was the
case, when he engaged the services of another lady to per-
form it ; but although the defendant was so very
anxious to have his opera of "II Bravo" brought before
the public, it appeared that it was not successful, and
was withdrawn, and the plaintiff then played the part of
Fenena in another opera called " Nabuco." She conti-
tinued to play in this character during the whole season ;
and be was instructed that the defendant denied her the
indulgence of being absent on the day her mother, who had
been taken ill, and died in Italy, was buried. During the
period of her performing, all the money she received was
820 fr., about £33, and the present action was brought to
recover the balance due to the plaintiff under the agree-
ment in question. The learned counsel concluded by
stating that be did not anticipate a very fair defence
would be set up, and that he believed that an attempt
would possibly be made to show that the young lady''
performance was not satisfactory to the public, and that she
was not competent to undertake the position of prima
donna; but if this were done he should show that the de-
fendant himself in one of his letters had spoken in a very
favourable manner of her performance of the character of
Fenena, and stated that she had given great satisfaction to
the public; and he should also be able to show that the
defendant engaged her to sing at the St. James's Theatre
at a salary of £4 per week, after she had returned from the
aware
engagement in Italy.
Minnie. Adelaide Cesarini, the plaintiff, was then exa-
mined. She stated that she first became acquainted with
the defendant in the latter part of 1856. He was at that
time as
desirete r
to
a t the
g o uponltalian
the Ospteargae.,
t he advised
bee to study He
was
" L'Elisir d'Amore." At the end of the opera
that shbaelhleatd.tn a
season the defendant left London for Italy, and she con-
tinued to study. Soon after this she received a letter from
the defendant requesting her to study the part of Violetta,
in an opera called "II Bravo," and she did so. In Novem-
ber she received the offer of 2,000 fr. for the four months'
season at Turin, and she went there, accompanied by
•
her mother and sister, and arrived at Turin on the
9th of December, when the defendant provided her with
apartments in the National Theatre. The defendant
wished her to play the part of Violetta, and she told
him she could not de so, and he knew it; but he
insisted and she went to rehearsal, and the defendant shortly
,iterwards told her that he had engaged another actress to
perform the part, as lie found it would not suit her voice.
She made her first appearance in January, 1857, in the part
Fenena in the opera of "Nabuco." Ter mother was taken
ill and died, and the defendant insisted on her performing on
the day she Ras buried, although she asked him for the in-
dulgence of being absent on that evening. She received alto-
vether from the defendant about £34, and when the theatre
closed, she asked him for the remainder of the money, but he
said he could not give it her then, as he had so many expenses.
She left Turin on the lst of April, and came to England,
subsequently, kith her sister; and the defendant, who had
become the manager of the St. James's Theatre, engaged
her to sing there at a salary of £4 a-week. All the other
prime donne had the same salary.
_ Cross-examined by Mr. James—Her father and the de-
fendant were on very intimate terms, and the latter fre-
quently visited at their house. She Id notplay the part
cou
of Violetta at all. It did not' suit her voice. It was too
•high. While she was at Turin
she signed some paper at
the request of the defendant, but she did not know the
nature ef lt. It very likely was the same now produced.
Mr. James here 'in a written paper in Italian, which