The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-12-10
PATHS Girlhood.
A GREAT SINGER TELLS THE SToRY
OF HER EARLY LIFE.

Edward Hanslick, a Viennesse Jour
nalist, writes that while Adelina Patti
ives in Vienna last spring. he asked her
10 relate the details Of her early life.
With pleasure" responded the
singer. AZ viii tell you what know
and you may interrupt me as often -
you please That ] am no longer a
young woman. you know. What is the
use Of me denying that was born on
the 10th Of February, 1S45r 1 am .
child of the theatre, like q soldiers
child; therefore ! have no real home.
Ny father was . Sicilian, my mother a
Roman; where they both sang opera
was born. and I was brought up in New
York. OF languages. l first learned
English, then Italian. and finally
French and Spanish. was very young
when went to Amsrics. Ny father,
Salvatore Patti" III see him now" l
interrupted, 80 tall handsome man,
with white hair and black eyes, he
was a good tenor, a good singer, and a
great fay0rite with the public. My
mother was more than tbat-she was
great artist. She achieved her reputa-
tion in Italy as Signora Barilla. which
was the name of her first husband.
Admired by the public. she even made
Grisi jealous, who. once put in the
shade by her. never cared to appear
with her again. Ny step-brotber, Ba-
rilli. q good singer. first taught me to
sing. aud that too in . thoroughly
systematic manner"
Maurice Strakosch, was not then,
IS is generally supposed. your first and
only teacherI 7"
Certainly not; Strakosch. an Aus
trian, born in little Noravisn town,
came to New York as young pianist
and ,nsrrisd my eldest sister Amelia.
who At that time possessed . beautiful
mezzo soprano. which. unfortunately.
she soon lost. He only taught me to
sing in the Barber Of Servillc.' and
afterwards when I. a finished singer.
travelled through Europe, he rehearsed
my parts with me. But let us return
To those days Of childhood in New
York A musical ear and capacity
and desire to sing were developed in me
ut an extraordinarily early age, and.
therefore. when I was but q child, l
was taught singing by my brother-in-
Law and piano playing by my sister
Csriotta. who. you know, had been ed
ucated as Q pianist, 1t was only dis
covered afterwards that she possessed
voice--one. too. which sang higher
notes than mine-and my success as a
singer induced her to pursue the same
csreer-only in the concert room. of
course. for she has beer lame since she
was child. And thus W. three sisters
and . younger brother, Carlo Patti,
who died recently, lived in New York
with our parents. in perfect hurmony
and without cares When q little child
was already psssionately fond of mu-
sic and the theatre. Whenever my
mother sang l was at the opera; every
melody. every gesture became firmly
fixed ON my mind Then. after being
brought hsme and put to bed, would
secretly get up. and by the light of u
little lamp enact. for my own satisfac-
ton. all the scenes which l 0hsd wit
messed At the theatre. A red-lined
cloak Of my fathers and an old hat of
my mothers served me ss costume, and
thus sutsd. danced and chirped-bare-
footed. but with romantic drapery-
through all the operas"
"You lacked, then, only applause and
wrcaths!"
"Oh, no. they were not lacking either.
for l personated. too, my audiences. ap-
plsuded and threw bouquets at myself
--'bouqdsts' which I rather skillfully
manusactured of old newspapers Then
bitter misfortune befell us. The mana
ger fa;led'and disappeared without even
paying his debts. the troupe dispersed
and il was all over with the Italian
opera. Our parents occupation vas
gone; Ne were Q numerous family. and
soon were harrassed by poverty and
trouble. Ny father carried many things
to the pawnshop. and sometimes did
not know how TO procure bread for us.
But ! did not understand anything
about such things. and sang from morn
yng till night. My father observed this
and the thought occurred to him that my
bright. childish voice would save the
family from starvation. And. thank
God, / did save them. When seven
years Of age I appeared rs concert
singer. and did it with oil the pleasure
and careless gladness of . child. In
the concert hall stood on a table. next
to the piano. 90 that the audience could
see the little doll. and there were many
listeners and plenty of applause. And
what do you think first sangy Why,
nothing but 5rarara arias; first. Una
usos poo Ja. with the same ornsmenta-
tions aud exactly ~ sing it to-day. /
he'd the happiness Of sesing the pawned
clothing and trinkets return. and We
were again living comfortable life.
Thus few years passed. during which
I played and sang industriously with
Csrlotta."
do yoa know anything else r the
iournalist permitted himaelf to ssk.
ssOh, yes; can make dresses, and
know eli manner Of hsndiwork. My
mother insisted on il, for the voice. she
ssid. IL sasily lost. and the operstic
stage affords very uncertain living.
In the meantime Strakoseh became my
brother-i -in-lsw, and WAS connected
with b. Ulmann. impressario OF New
York Italian opera. Ny ability and
my love for the stage had largely in
creased, and when but . haif-grown
girl insisted upon sn operatic debut.
Ulmann at 6rst objected to allowing me
to appear in New York in a lssding
role, Tor would not hear of minor roles
l was about i5 ysars II age. in figure .
child" ("You could not have been
much smaller than yon are now" here