Evening star., 1877-10-20

The bTO6I OF fATT1 DIVA
Her ChilahWod IN New YOrk. Her
Earepeaa Dshnt and ne Rivairy Of
DE Caux and Dore
SOME RENINIsCENCEs OF HER CAREER BY
ONE OF THE GREATEsT OF GEsMAN
CRITICS.
[Adapted for the Nep York World from the Ger
mDa of Edtcdd Haassck
While Adelina Patti was In Vienna last
spring l asked her to relate the details OF her
With pleasure" replied the singer; "I
VIII tell you what know, and you may in
teriupt me as often as you please. Tuat AN
no longer young woman you know; Wnat
is the use OF my denying tnat was born on
the ,heater, like soldiers a child I tnerefoee @ Il
have no real home. My father wss Sicil-
ian, my mo'her q Roman; in Madrid, where
asy oon fans In Italian an was
guaees / first learned English, then Italian,
and finally French and Spanish. / was very
Salvatore Patti,'1taf :e Il see &c him now inter,
rupted, "a tall handsome man, with white
hair and black eyes''l-"he was q tenor,
good singer, and a favorite with the public.
great artist She achieved her reputation in
Italy as Signora Barilla, which was the
name OF her first husband. Admired by the
pubic, she even made Grisi Jealous, who,
once put into the shade by her, never cared
to appear with my mother together. Our
whole family was musical. Ny STEP brother
and tha'., too, In a thoroughly systematic
ma ner."
Maurice strakosch was not, then, as is
generally. supposed, your first and only
"Certaiuly not. Strakosc1, an Austri IN
born in a little Moravian to wn, came to New
YORK as a young pta 1ist, and married my
eldest sister Amelia, who at the time pos
sessed beautiful mezzO soprano, which
unfortunately. she soon lost He only taush
me to sing iOsi,,a, in The Barber of Seville,
and afterwards when I, finished singer,
travelled through Europe, he went through
my parts with me. But let us return TO those
ear and the capacity and desire to sing were
developed In me at an ex Extraordinarily early
age, and therefore when l was bat little
child was taught singing by my brother in
law and piano playing by my sister Car
lOtta. Carlotta, whom you know had been
educated as pianist. 1t was only discov-
cred afterwards that she possessed a voice.
one, too, which sang higher notes than
mine-and my success as singer induced
her To pursue the same career-only iu the
concert room, of course, for she has been
lame since she was Child. And thus we
three sisters and younger brother, Carlo
Patti, VINO died recently, lived in New York
with our parents, in perfect harmony and
without any cares. Wnel a little child was
already pas Olately fond OF music and the
theatre. Whenever my mother sang was
al the operai every melody, every gesture
became firmly impressed on my mind. Then,
after being brought homs and put To bel, L
would secretly get up, ald by the light o: the
little lamp enact, for my own satisfaction,
all the scenes which / hal witness ed at the
theatre. a red-lined cloak of my fathers,
and an old hat OF my mothers served me as
costume, and thus l ac.ed, danced anu
chirped-barefOoted, bat with romantic
drapery-through all the operas"
You lacked, then. only applause and
wreaths?"
"Oh, no, they were not lacking. either, for
persO lated, too, my autieaceS, appauded
and threw bouquets at myself bouq lets
which l rather sKilfully manufactured of oil
newspapers. Ihen bitter misfortune oefel
us. The manager failed aud disappeared
without paying his debts, the troupe dis
persed, and 1t was all over with Italian opera.
Our parents occup alton was gone, we were
Dumt rOus family, and soon were harrassed
by poverty and trouble. Ny father carried
many things to the pawn-ShOp, and some
times knew not how To procure bread for us.
But L did not understand anything abOnt
such things, and sang from morning till
night. My father observed this, aud the
thought occurred 10 him that my bright,
starvation. And, thank God, l did save
them. When seven years of age l appeared
as concert singer, and did II with all the
pleasure and careless gladness Of a child. In
the concert hall stool on table, next to the
piano, so that the audience could see the lit
tie doll, and there were many listeners and
| first sang? Why, nothing but braUure arias;
first Una Voce POGO ia, with the same orna-
mentatiOn and exactly as sing 1t to-day. l
had the haRpn9sss OF seeing the pswasd
again living a comfortable life. Thus few
years passed, during which / played and
sang industrlously with Carlotta
"Do you know anything else?' permitted
myself TO ask.
'Oh, yes; l can make dresses, and know
all manner OF hand work. My M other in
sisted upon 1t, for the voice, said she, is
easily lost, and the operate stage affords
very uncertain living. In the meantime
Strakosch became my brosher-in law, and
was connected with b. Ulmann, impresario
OF the New York allan opera. My ability
and my love for the stag had largely in
CT sased, and when but half-grOwn girl L
insisted upon an Operatic debut. Ulmann
at first objected to allowing me to appear in
New York ia a leading role, for l would not
hear OF minor roles; 1 was but Is years OF
have been much smaller tha you are now"
here remarked) Very we'll, 1 was really
smaller and much thinner, but was thor
and no Id ca of stage fright. StraKosch, who
had great faith in me, persuaded Ulmann,
and In is5 stepped on the stage for the first
Barber and the 'Somnambula' followed
with equal sue cess. The next year 1 sang in
Boston, Philadelphia and other large cities
the Covent Garden Theater, London. The
rest you know"
At the beginning of the year 1853 Adelina
Patti came to Vienna for the nrst time. L
quainted with her, 70 she was said TO have
an unfriendly disposition. But after being
asked a number Of times by StrakOsch, l
called on her one morning. still sea her
before me-the slight figure with the pale
face. She wore red wooden "Garibaldi,"
her hair was dressed in very simple fashion
and, reclining In an arm chair, she was fond
ling her pet dog Cora. Adelina nodded al.
most saucily, and Cora began to bark. was
soon on good terms VITA bota-with the
puppy because fondled 1t, and with Ade
lima because did not hatJer her. She resid-
ed with her father, her brother in law AMI
Louise, her faithful companion, in cosy
little private dwelling, and al that time she
lived very quiet retired life. Sac Was no
friend OF visits, receptions and sOirees, and
herein Strakosch, who carefully watched
her, fully agreed with her Adelina was q
half timid, half untamable "child OF ma
ture"-a sauudge, as the French would say,
OOd-natured and excitable, fnclined TO
sudden but brief bursts Of passion, which
were generally directed at her always
gentle brCther-in-law. she had not yet
learned how TO restrain herself, and To
be talkative and pleasant TO persons indif- |
ferent to her-an art in which she was in af- |
ter years a wonderfully clever adept. If now
and then / came when the family were at
dinner was always made to take seat at |
the table. After dinner-nO diva ever ate |
palmer fOOd-I had always to play waltz |