New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-21

Madame Malsherbes' face with bushes,
while the captain never feels happier or
looks more proudly at his wife than upon an
alusiun being made to his wooden ley.
THE SISTERS OF SONG.
The World Indebted to America for its
Two Greatest Prime Donne-The story
Of the Two PATHS.
1t is a melancholy but long recognized
fact that the race of the Italian prime
dome has almost died out. Year after
year, says WatSOn's Art Journal, as we ex-
anime the lists of brilliant engagements at
the various opera houses of the capitals of
Europe and England, We can not fail to OBJ
serve how few Italian names appear in the
schedule, especially among the leading
soprani. The only heirs OF long and il
lustrious line of great Italian vOcalists at
this moment prominently before the world
are the sisters CarlOtta and Adelina Patti.
The mantle has fallen upon them grace
fully. we admit, and the talents they have
exhibited for the worlds admiration prove
them to be worthy the Inheritance.
From the appearance of Senesino in Lon
don, III 1880. to the present day, Italy has
furnished to the world the most famous of
its singers, and its school has been recog-
nized as the only true vocal school. COM
bining as it does the best system for forming
and ripening the voice, for insuring facile
but pure velocity, for the development of
intelligence, taste and dramatic power.
Within the last thirty years some combina-
tons have appeared. the memory of which
will never pass away. for they will descend
to pOsterity as traditions of the by gone
greatness of the operate vocal art. Will
the memory of that quartet which for a
Quarter of a century won the admiration of
the civilized world-Grisi, Alboni. Mario
and Labiache-ever be forgotten! or, III our
own Badiali and Marini! or even the earlier
combination of Milibran, FOrnasari, War
dot, etc. We think not. Their reign will
be recognized as eras in the worlds musical
history.
At the present day our Italian opera
companies are an agglomeratiOn or con-
glOmeratiOn of varied nationalltles, such as
French, Swedes. Spanish, English. with
sprinkling Of bona tide Italians. There are
great artists among them, commanding in
their talents and admirable as opponents
of their several schools; but We miss amidst
all their flashing brilliancy. that ripeness OF
the natural voice, that rich and sOnOrous
utterance, and that broad dramatic power
which is equal to every situation, and pos
sesses a vocal electricity which flashes itself
into every heart.
The Patti sisters have for several years
divided the interest of the public in their
separate spheres-Adelina on the operate
stage, and Carlotta in the concert room,
and occasionally on the stage-with extraor-
binary success. Italian born, and members
of an illustrious family of musicians. they
inherited, besides exquisite voices. a rare
and beautiful instinct for music, which
made singing to them simply an irresisti-
BILE impulse Of nature. 1t is true they re-
ceived their instruction in American: but
Italy, the land of song, had given sunshine
and warmth to their voices, and their In
structiOn was impaired by their mother,
herself prima donna of high European
reputation. Both commenced their careers
in New YORK, and winning their first laurels
here, they left to win further honors in
Europe. Adelina went abroad first, and
the news came speedily back Of her tri-
umphs in competition with hosts of great
artists and established favOrites.
CarlOtta followed, and being DESTROYS
not to trench upon the ground already sue
cessfully occupied by her sister she chose
the cOncert-rOom, and in a day became its
reignng attraction. Within two months
after her first appearance, she had not only
sung at fifty concerts with brilliant success,
but had been summoned to court to sing
before the Queen of England (herself "a
pupil at Lablache), who praised her in the
most fiattering terms. At the close of this
brilliant season. she was engaged at an
almost fabulous salary for concert tour
through France, Belgium and Holland.
Her debut in Paris, where she was a
complete stranger, was even more triumph
ant than in London, and her reputation thus
established in the two great capitals of the
Old World. her fame spread on the wings
of the press, and the concert tour, from
being doubtful affair, as all such specula-
tons are III Europe, became a career of
triumph. SO remarkable was the artistic
and financial success of this concert tour
that for six years series of tours was in
augurated, extending to Germany, and
afterward to Russia. In every place her
success was the same; her vocal accom-
plishments, her startling facility, took the
critics and the public alike by storm, and
won tor her the friendly recognition of the
royalty of each nation. The Emperors of
France, Austria and Russia hOnored her by
acquisitions to appear at their courts, and
presented her with valuable, nay princely,
tokens of their admiration. During this
period CarlOtta Patti sang at more than
100 concerts. and, upon the occasion of
| important combinations, appeared on the
operate stage, where she was star among
stars.
| A year or two since COrlOtta Patti re-
| turned to America, and her career durE g
| her stay was one of unexampled success.
| Her concerts in New York were crowded
| night after night by the elite of the city, and
| the same reception met her in every city in
the United States. Afterward she made a
tour Of South America, which proved as
brilliant in it's results as either her European
or North American tours.
We now find her again in Europe, and
this time her career will be operate. She
has already achieved success on the stage,
where the reception she has met with falls
nothing short of the enthusiasm which al
ways greeted her in the concert -room. The
European journals predict for her career
as successful and as brilliant as that OF her
sister Adelina
Inc career of Adelina is familiar to all the
"0fIc-vlorating between the leading CAPT
tals OF Europe, winning success after sue
cess, Hef movements all chronicled from day
to day so that he who runs may read 1t is
somewhat singular that these two sisters,
bred up in New York, almost the last, as we
have said, of long line of illustrious Italian
predecessors, should at this moment he IN.
leading operate stars in the musical tirma.
ment of Europe. With all their Italian
prestige, Americas claim to them has never
been forgotten here nor denied by them, and
we look forward to the time when one or the
other, or both, will return to their old home.
and renew with us the vocal triumphs which
their genius has wrung from the most criti-
! cal audiences of the old world.