The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-11-21
BRIGNOLT.


view with the great Italian tenor, who
is now in this city, has the following:
In quiet chat with few friends of
Max Strakosch's room at the Southern
hotel, q few days since, the famous
tenor told some very interesting auec-
dotes of his early career. When he first
arrived in New York Verdi was all 'the
rage" Every one wanted him to sing
MqnrtCo, but he would not entertain the
idea-his physique was so weak that he
thought he never would be able to Crap
ple with the music that had ruined so
many voices and constitutions. "When
was in London" said he, ''litlle
Adelina Patti came to me and called me
coward for refusing TO sing these high
notes, but had not the strength tnen."
"Did you know Guigllni?' inquired
Brignoli.
YES"
do 1 not resemble him in appear
anceW
"You are not unlike" was the re-
"When fret went to Europe was
the image of him. When l reached
London poor Guiglini was sick in hos
pital, wnere l went to see him. l re-
sembled him SO much that l was fre-
quently stopped on the street by his
friends, who mistook me for him. He
had then been singing for several sea-
sens with Titiens at Her Majesty's
Opera, and Mapleson, the Manager, ELL
gagged me to fill his place for the remain
der OF the season. l shall never forget
when went on the stage there the first
time. That great artistic, Teresa
Titlens, was already on, and was per-
sonally stranger to her. When she
first saw me she started, and when she
heard my voice she fairly broke down
and burst into tears. / reminded her so
much of the tenor who had so deserved
Iy shared her triumphs on the same
stage, and who was then lying sick nigh
unto death: Poor Guiglinl. l never
saw him again. He dled, as you know,
in a mad-house in Italy, u few years
later.
After my return with Parepa, l sang
with her Tor some time, and then with
Christine Nilsson-her first visit here.
| shall probably sing here again with her
next season. When left her i'll New
castle, England, in January last, she
was very anxious that | should remain
and return with her, but l wanted to get
home. / feel America is my home."
"Do you think you have done better
here than you would have done i'll Eu-
ropew o,o,,,., ,ovo IL n,oro u,o,ou
in Europe. was what you call d
fool to come here when l did. At that
time the country did not understand
musical art--were not educated up to
appreciating it. An operatic singer
with great European reputation, but
who hau become pasSe, would come here
and draw crowds and make dollars; not
on their merits, but on their name. l
came here young man and made my
name, and to-day | am few years older
than Mario was when l came mere near
ly twenty-five years ago."
"Well, don't you think that American
audiences are as critical and as appreci-
alive of true art as Eur0peans?'
ayes. Now, they have learned, they
have grown; would rather sing to an
American audience than any in the
world, Iu my recent visit tY Europe, |
told s0m5 Of the managers, The Ameri-
eau people would not Listen to your
oo9ra; they would hiss you off the stage
If you presented it in the way you are
doing it, This is going to be the great
country for art, because it will not de-
Dend. as in the Old World, OH the cu.
ture Of the few, and the patronage OF
the higher GLASSES, as they are called.
The whole people are becoming cultured {;
they are beginning to know what is
good, and you can not fool them as they
we're fooled years ago, with second-fate
artists and W0rn-out celebrities. Ameri-
can audiences are now the most critical,
and the time is ripe for grand opera,
with the greatest artists, to be success
full in this country"
'It you have these opinions, how do
YOU account for Albani's failure here p
"She was net failure. She is the
greatest of living operate singers. She
is grand; she is wonderful; she sur
passes them all. But one singer can
not carry a whole opera. She was a
financial failure. Seven hundred and
fifty dollars per night is heavy salary
to pay one artistic. But Nile. Albani
did not get all Of this amount. Sae was
and he got the lions share. There was
a wheel within wheel, as you say"
"Your opinion is, then, that Mile.
Albani is now the foremost singer on the
lyric stager
81 do. She is la prin,a caatatrice del
monde. l sang with ner, wnen Was
last in Europe. frequently. She is a
sweet, unassuming lady, without a
particle of that aff1ctation which is
generally the concomitant of mediocrity
in art"
Your last trip to Europe was very
successful, was it not?"
"Yes. l sang in Paris, London, and
in the San Carlo in my own Naples. l
was treated with the same kindness
everywhere, and every iuducement Of
iered me to stay. There is one fine trait
in the patrons OF opera in Europe-they
never forget old friends. If Sims Reeves
name is advertised for concert to-day
IN London, you can not buy seat
week before 1t takes place. He is over
sixty years OF aye and his voice is nee
essarily broken, but they 60 to hear
him for what he was; they do
not forget the delight he has given
them in by-gone days. In this coun-
try they always want something
that will go; they are go aheal.
They do not think of the past. The Eu-
ropean critics are more just than they
are here =" teis copnIY the press