Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-12-02
Fashionable Amusements--A Little
= Patti Leavens the whole Operate

: Patti Leayens the whole Operate
Lump.
The managers of the Academy of Music
have not been heretofore such expert marks
men as the Tyrolese patriot, who. according
to accounts which are more or less reliable.
saved bis country by shooting an apple from
his sons head at the first trial The inpresziu
of Irving place have been more like some of
our target companies. who never hit the white
even by accident. The prime dome they have
imported from Europe this year-and, with
the solitary exception of PiecoloIniDi, for the
last three or four years have either failed al
together on their FIRST appearance, or have
taken their places in the ranks of the ''fair to
middling fair'' artists, singers whom we
could hear without any danger of being
shocked, or electrified, or thrilled, or excited
in any awful degree. They never hit the
public target Some could not sing at all.
some sang too much, some were too ugly,
many too old, all had some disability at
which the dainty public could turn up lis
delicate nose. And il did turn up its nose
and, by consequence. the Opera was going
to the dogs. Everything was tried. The
company was strengthened. New operas
were produced. The managers put forth the
most plaintive appeals; but the public hard
ened its heart. and travelled in the error of
its ways to the Draytons, the ordinary
There was an awful state of things. Art
was below par. The Opera was languishing.
The libel ally disposed stockholders were
looking in vain for the immense sums of
money which they had advanced. Aiuiia bona
was endorsed on the opera programmes ne
ereat was written over the scores of new OPP
era. Ullman lost that genial and sunny
smile. that calm sunshine of the soul for
which he is eminently distinguished. and the
oh Ia i'm, ala
green melancholy, ornamented round the
edges with sky blue. The artists trembled
for their salaries, and the Sunday papers be-
came rayenous Tor their little accounts. In
point of fact, Irving place was in a bad way,
and there seemed to be no means of getting
ont of it, except by falling back upon the
pr. v n;es, and making Boston and Pbiladel-
phia pay the expenses of the metropolitan
campaign. That was dangerous, and there
fore last resort. The operate audiences in
all the principal cities, no matter what the
provincial press may say to the contrary, are
always en- rapport with each other, and what
will not answer for Madison avenue will not
do for Beacon or Broad street.
The Opera managers were in as perplexing
rredicament as that of two colored brethren
who found themselves drifting out TO sea in
an open boat, in high wind and heavy sea-
which threatened to swamp the chattels
Il don't know" was the reply, ''but II try"
''Well, you'd better" rejoined the other, ''for
something's got to be done mighty quick"
SO with the Opera: something had to be done;
and, as IA last resort, Strakosch produced his
sister-in-law, known as Little Patti" to dis
tinguish her from the other PATHS whose name
is legion. StrakOsch bad been considerably
snubbed for his memorable Italian cam
pagn, and now there were serious doubts
.f,,,tl
out OF Nazareth or Ninth avenue. So there
was very little said about Patti. She was
sent afoat on an off-night, and, with small
biscuit or two tossed into her boat by
kindly amateurs who remembered her child
triumphs launched boldly out into sea
which contains many worse rocks than Scylla
or Cbarybdis. How she succeeded, how she
hit the white and rang the bell many times
in succession, how she astOnished everybody,
how she stirred up the most bLdSe of men
about town, is already the talk of the city.
Her triumph has but one parallel-tbat of
MaibraR, who came here at the age of eigh-
teen. all unknown. and sang herself at once
into the Temple of Fame-in fact, occupied
that my thical edifice altogether for while.
Miss Patti considering all the circumstances
has made a more profound impression than
Jenny Lind or PIccolomini at their first APP
pearances here, and the most brilliant career
IS open TO Tue new AmcIlCdN pflllid uOuUa
Strakosch, as be had all the obloquy of the
failures ofihe season deserves great credit for
this iull and genuine success OF his pTotege.
OF course there is great deal OF surprise at
the discovery of this little girl, who can sing
so much better than the best artists that we
have been able to get from Europe; and there
are people who say that it is a managerial
dodge of Christopher Columbus Strakosch
and Napoleon BOnaparte Ullman to bring
out some cheap and poor singers from Eu-
rope in order to give little Patti a better
chance, and show our people-what they
ought to know by this time-that we have
no real occasion To go abroad for our singing
birds. But whatever may have been the
mo'ive--whether the managers intended to
do clever thing, or whether they seized up
on it in desperation-the result is the Same.
1t is very gratifying, Il very model aud a
very curious result. Everybody has been
trying to save the opera, managers, stock
holders, journalists and all, without any
very tremendous amount of success, when
out steps this little girl. and with the magic
of her voice dispels the clouds which OBJ
scured the operate horizon and the Opera is
saved.
Next week there will be furore. Patti
will make it. And the forces of the manag
ers and the stockholders are considerably
shorter than they were. The public is in
good humor, too and means to make a pet
OF little Patti. And all this has been done
by girl just out of primers and pantaletts!
IL is a great thing. aud little Patti is quite
equal to the Petite Corporal who superseded
and snubbed all the old moustaches of the
French army. A UiUd for Young America,
especially the crinoline section of it. A lii
tie PaIu leavens the whole Academy lump
". J.. Heraid.