Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-01-28
FLOTOW.

No opera has ever been more popular
than Flotow's Martha. Since lS49,
when it first appeared, it has been per-
formed upward of one thousand times,
at all the great theaters of the world;
and it still is a perfect gold mine for its
composer, who derives from 1t alone,
aside from his other operas, an income
of at least twenty thousand horins a
year.
Frederick Won Flotow has always been
favorite child of Fortune. Although
nothing more than an amateur in l845,
and in effect, mere stripping, his first
operatic venture, AlessaRdro Stra.
della" proved so thorough a success
that his name was at once ranked among
the foremost operate composers of Eu-
rope. At the age of twenty.three he
was hailed as peer by Meyerbeer, Auber
and Rossini and his beautiful opera
rapidly made the tour of the world. !.
His next composition, Martha,
made him the most popular of his
brethren among the operate composers
of Europe. 1t had. two hundred sue
cessive representations at the Opera
Comique, in Paris, and soon became
fayorte with the opera goers OF all CIV
ilized nations. The younger son OF a
Mecklenburg pobleman, whose patrl-
mony consisted Of few sterile acres,
saw suddenly flowing into his Golfers
tantiemes such,as had not been even paid
TO the renowned composers Of Robert lie
DiabIe and William Tell. Airs from
" Martha we're played at every concert;
thew were drummed and sung by young
boarding-school misses and whistled by
street boys in all great cities of the
world
/ remember seeing Flotow, at the first
performance of Martha, in his native
city of Restock, in Mecklenburg-
Schwerin. He was then a handsome
youth looking younger, indeed, than he
really was. The applause bestowed, upon
him by his fellow.citizens evidently de-
lighted him beyond measure. he
biushed to the roots of his hair when the
enthusiastic audience called him, at the
end OF the performance, before the cur
tain.
A few days ago ! saw him again. 1t
was at his beautiful chateau Prienrintz,
neer Linz, in Austria. | was startled at
the change twenty-four years had pro-
dueed in his appearance. He looked like
an old, broken down man, although he is
but little over fifty His hair was entirely
white, aud he was bent down like ga &C
togenarian.
He recognized nae by my Mecklenburg
dialect, and as soon as had seated my
self by his side, told me that he regret
ted nothing so much as that be bad LETT
his dear native country and settled
among strangers.
why do you not return to Mecklen'
burg" / ventured to ask. am sure
everybody there will receive you with
open arms"
No, no, he replied firmly you do
not know what would happen. Look at
this" land he produced posderous
epistle) this is letter from the Grand
Duke Of Necklenburg, Frederick Fran
els, who withdraw from me the appoint
ment of grand-ducal msitre de chapelle
because / married the sister Of my di-
yorced Wife Oh, the hypocrisy OF these
fellows on their petty thronesl
| burst not say anything on this pam
ful subject. For ten years past this un-
fortunate event has cast gloom over
Flotow's life. He has been most Sc
yerely oensured for his seRond marriage.
Bot what are the facts2 When scarcely
old enough to know his own mind,
Frederick Won Flotow was induced by
his parents to marry a young girl VINO
was secretly afianced to another. Their
welded life was wretched in the eX-
treme. They parted by mutual consent.
Flotow's present wife idolizes her gifted
husband, ana be is happy with her.
Nevertheless, he is ostracized in aristo-
cratic circles.
he knit his massive brow as he con
iinued complaining Of how people had
recently treated him. 81 have led, he
said, my whole life long & most labori-
Gus existence. IL have won successes,
they we're due, above ali things, to hard
work, to unremitting toll The score OF
" Marths" / rewrote four times before /
allowed It to be played; aud have been
still more painstaking with my subse-
onent operas. And what has been the
result2 Pecuniarily have no reason
to complain; for, although am not
rich, am comfortably situated, and GER
tainly richer than any Of my ancestors
have been for many years past: But
what life of disappointments / have
recently had to leadl viii you believe
that the Parisans who we're once my
most ardent admirers, have completely
ostracized me2 have my new opera,
Haida, ready for the stage. | am free
70 say il is quite equal TO any OF my
previous productions Aud yet not a
manager in Paris dares to perform u,
because am a German. Il is iabooed
in Berlin, because my Grand Duke Of
MnrLlanhnrr hataa me- and In Wanna.