, 1872-10-17
THE BARONESS Won RHADEN.

WHY Nine. Pauline Liiccn Left berlin
FOR Americu--Rrealsing q Contract
with the Royal Theatre and Eorfeit-~f
=" ing the Position Of Court slnEer--The'
prima Donna in. Her Own Defence.-
Comments OF tHae-Rerlin Rresss; |
Berlin Gsept 13 co,espondeaee a. tbs Hst1 York Sun.
AZ the renowned German prima donna is now
IN your city, the following information cannot
but be to your Ieadets = r. rea,es to
tanned leave Of absence from the management OF
the Berlin Royal Opera House, matter which
is seriously agitating the minds OF the public
here at the prasent time, and which also forms
the theme: Of aninated discussion IN the news
paper press of the German. capital. =,
Several years ago Mime. Pauline Lucca entered
into an engagement with Herr Won Huelaen, the
General Superintendent Of the Royal theatres IN
this city. By the terms of this contract, the Pnma
donna was constituted life nsmber Of the
Royal Opera Troupe at a salary Of 5000 thalera !
per annum. The contract also provided that she
was to receive pension Of $500 tha1ers year
SO soon as her voice should be gone. In engag,
ing Nine. Lucca on these terms, the ahrewd
manager no doubt closed 9 very advantageous
bargain, for the stipulated salary is very small
ono when compared with those generally paid in
Europe to frst-class artists, and when taking
into account the superior talents and accomplish
ments Of Mme. Lucca. On the other hand, it
must be borne in mind that the Emperor VIII
liam honored her with frequent costly presents,
and that theprov1slons Of her contract With Mr.
Won Huelsen we're such a. to allow OF her e. &C.
cepting ststar " engagements in Russia and Eng
land during three months OF the year.
Your readers probably are aware that Nine,
Lucca several years ago was appointed BY royai
decree the Prussian .Kananaersangeran court
ferred upon any artist, and in which honor, until
recently, she shared with Messrs. Niemann and
Wachtel, and with Nine. nlallinger. Some Diff
Guilty, however, arose between the rival canta.
trices. The nature Of this " "unpleaaantness
was t1iding, and Lucca came out OF the difficulty
victoriously, owing to- her influence with the
Emperor and Empress, while Nine Malinger
fell into disgrace ut court. It is only proper to
add that there are many people here who con-
slider Nine. Lucca to have been clearly In the
wrong, and who assert that Mme. Mallinger WAS
most unfairly dealt with by their Imperial
Highnesses.
The duty imposed on Nine. Lucca by her ap-.
pointment as court singer WAS to sing II al
sdnqerin is agreeable and pleasant. Nine. Lucca
had installed herself firmly in the favor Of both
the Emperor and Empress. The latter especi-
ally was most affectionate and kind to the fair
artist. She was never allowed to miss any OF
the soirees given by their Imperial Hghnesses.
Nine. Lucca is bound to spend three months
every year in the British capital, with the obi
CATION Of appearing in opera thirty times: Foe
this engagement she receives 3o0oo M o6 tnale1s q
season-that is to say, total OF l2o QUO thaiern
The Imperial Opera House, st. Petersburg, paid
Nine. Tuccn for her Inst three weeks Hstar -
| engagement in that city the sum Of 1o,oo0
| rouhles. =
! Her engagement with Mr.. Gye has two years
! to run. She did spend three months this year
| in tho British capital, but instead Of returning
| to Berlin at the expiration Of that time, she
| closed contract with Mr. Maretzek to go to
America, and then endeavored to have her en-
gagenent with Mr. Won Huelsen cancelled:
! Failing in her efforts to accomplish this end,
| she vent to IschI, in Austria, and after spending
several weeks at that fashionable summer resort
the independent pr1ma donna vent to England
| and took passage for New York.
| Under the circumstances it is not to be won.
dered at that tho Berlin press and public should
be- much excited over the conduct Of Nine.
| Lucca, which, to say the least, seems extraor.
| diuatY The Berlin Gerichtszeitung, speaking OF
! her uuceremonious departure, says:
ssBefore embarking for the United States,
Nine. Luccs has proved to her sdear Berliners'
that she could not find it in her heart to leave
| community with whom she has been q great
fayorite Tor years, without bidding her friends q
fond adieu. For Nine. Lucca will not return to
! the German capital Her effort to cancel her
| contract with the management OF the Berlln
Royal Opera House has proved unavaillng, and
the resolute prima donna has taken the question
able liberty Of going to the United States, in
| spite Of the refusal OF Herr Won Huelsen, the
general superintendent Of the royal theatres in
our city, to grant her leave of. absence for the
purpose of fulfilling her American star en-
gagement."
On the eve Of her departure. for New York,
Nine; Lucca addressed the following letter te
the editor of the Berlin FrenadenblaA. She
writes from Liverpool under date OF Ang; q: -.
HWhen you receive these lines shall be on
the ocean. But cannot leave city which hal
so much become my home that have almost en-
tirely forgotten the place Of my birth, withou
giving my reasons for my departure and bidding
eood-by to public which has always 1aviBhet
upon me every kindness and attention that low
and affection could bestow. cannot bear tt
t think that my friends should be really under th'
impression that leave Berlin tor the sake O
money. Any one who looks back upon my pas
career dispassionately and without prejudic'
will admit that if were moved by conaldera
tions OF profit in my actions, II were lntu
enced BY love Of gain, it would not hare takei
assure you in the most emphatic man
ner that all the treasures Of the Indies coul'
not alone have induced me- to leave cit,
to which I SIN firmly bound by the ties Of low
again exposing myself to insults similar in thei
| character to tloso which were heaped upon m
last winter by certain clique. I cannot possi
bly, do SO without sullying my name, and yo1
will easily understand that am unwilling to d!
so after have atriven hard to maintain the gooi
reputation which I. enjoy at the present time
have no objection to be put side by side will
! any one, and will gladly enter upon contest b
making uae OF all lawful means with which ma
. ture has endowed me but I will never have re
courso to intrigues and inBults !; for agalns
!: -such means Of warfare EN- without weapons Q
defence. (These remarks probably refer to tt
little unpleasantness, above, which. occurre
+ last winter between Mesdames Lucca and Mal
linger.] 1cannot find that an guilty Of hsV a;
ing committed any wrong action toward th
public. I have done all III my power to indnc
the management OF the Opera House to canoe
my contract, but my efforts to this end hay
been futile.
"Atfaira have thus assumed q very sad tur
I for me, Berlin being forbidden ground to me i
!. the future. Still, I am determined to renal
; frm in my resolution, lily honor as an artis
has been too deeply wounded, and the cliqu
, which represents my enemies is SO little choic
in the means of warfare, that should not fc
! the world again lay myself open to the same il
suits, against which no human being can PR
!. tcct me. Inow request you, Mr.: Editor, ths
you will be pleased to convey to my des
Berliners the assurance OF my deep and hear
felt gratitude for all the love and kindnes
which they have shown me, and to bid them
9 fond good-by- in my name: The Berlin publ
9 and will never be able to forget one anothe
3 In this connection I still avail myself OF IL
| - &l..nr =.