The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-12-21
Miss Emma Abbott.

l
voice, heard the rustling of wings Who could
have thought thai the little bleak field of your
past, driitcd with snow, over which moancd the
wind, would at last be covered with the bios
SONS of song? Aud yet all this il may be- was
necessary. In your voice there is mingled the
pathos of the past and the glad victory Of thu
present. Your voice is rs fresh the dew and
as pure aS the dcw.-Ltttr 10 Hiss .ibb0tt iron.
bob" iagerSO'
As the above howery excerpt is more than d.
likely 10 be unapprcciated by our people for
want OF knowledge as to Miss Abbotts past life
we make the following sketch Of her life, till she
finished her education, from materials in our
common. place book, gathered from various
sources:
Miss Abbott is native Of Peoria, in this state
Her age is-nobody's business. Her father was
one OF those men who never succeed at any
thing. His life, though full of promises" was
but series Of magnificent and insignificant fail.
ures and in consequence the time came when
the family became drcadful'y "hard up" SO at
the age Of years, Miss Abbott, to help the fami-
| " get bread, began giving concerts in the little
towns. For while her father and her brother
sang with her but she gave many concert
alone. She had never had bit of musical edu-
cation, and she sang just as a bird does, and
mani" al Bacio," LA Zingarclla," etc She
sang in Italian and while the Tuscan was not
perhaps Of the purest, nor the music perfect, WE
have no doubt these grand concerts" were good.
and ought to have been more lucrative than they
were for every cent, after her modest wants were
supplied, went home to her mother. She gave
the Battle of Sebasapol," initiating the rattle of
muskctry and the roll of the drum, and she an
nounced once THAT the concert would begin by
Miss Abbott singing the MERRY Swiss Girl,
choriS" She was ambitious, certainly.
Miss Abbott says she is accused Of having
will like a forty -mulc power She has found it
useful. She had, when singing about the coun-
try, never heard m opera, but she had studied
operas long, and made up her mind to be n
prma donna. She had no money to buy her les
sons nor support her; nevertheless, about min
years ago, she started for Chicago to make her
way east for instruction. The music publishers
of the city, knowing her ambition, collected $23
dollars for her, which she expended in ward
robe, of which she sadly in need. To get out
Of the city she borrowed s. of II friend who, we
imagine, thought OF it hardly rs Il loan, consid-
ering his prospects for repayment. Boarding the
cars, she told the conductor to carry her rs far
the money would. He said it would take her To
a certain place where they stopped for wood and
water but as she was not anxious to begin her
career by sin ging 10 Il wattr-tank and wood pile.
she was put off ut Plymouth, Ind On arriving,
she went TO the hotel and asked for the privilege
of singing in the parlor. The proprietor did not
like the idea at all, but after learning her circum
stances, consented. She posted written notice
in In nd ,uIn oral an mnpfg
of the concert in the stores, and as there was to
be no charge and long programme, she expect
ed good audience, but not a soul came 70 hear
her. She was rather discouraged, to say the
least, but not dismayed. To get out Of town she
pawned her one extra dress for $3.50, with which
money she got to Fort Wayne There she sang
| in the hotel parors and at the music stores, col
Letting $3.50, ten Of which went home TO her
mother; the rest took her to Toledo, where Miss
Kellogg was to sing. She met Kellogg, who
lifted her to the seventh heaven, by taking her to
the theater where she (kellogg) sang, and where
| for time she forgot her troubles. Afterwards,
having heard her sing, Miss Kellogg sent her to
New York and advanced her money to begin her
studies. In New York she sang in the church
chOrs till Horace Greeley and Others raised her
some $4,000 and sent her to Europe. In Paris she
studied under Warel the greatest master in
the world" until he pronounced her perfect. She
| is also indebted to the Baroness Rothschild, who
loaned her some $4,000 francs, to finish her stud
les She sang for same time in Europe, return
| ing some two years ago to this country, since
when she has sung in most of the cities OF this
country. Last summer while in Philadelphia,
some sentimental youth sent her Il magnificent
tribute of flowers, with legend to the effect:
Though SO far from you, | may at least lay these
flowers at your feet In case any Ottawa youth
should be similarly affected during her visit here
we will suggest that she has Benedict whose
name is not on the bills.
Any of our good people who imagine the oper
attic stage offers ease and glory, ought to ask
Emma Abbott what she knows about it. In or
to be fully prepared to fulfill her engagement
with Mr.. Hess, which involved changing the
Italian operas in her repertoire into the English
versions she denied herself Of even single day
of vacation during the past long, hot summer
and studied from seven to nine hours per day
VIVA, makes it still more difficult for her is that
she is said not to be Il sight reader As singer
she has some faults, but has withal made brill
liant reputation Her great character is .Hdrgeritc
| in Faust" which was pronounced acrosn 'he
water to be "A rcvclation,' etc. The company
supporting her is good, but not what New YORK,
| Boston or Chicago, consider irstclaSs for grand
OPERA" though most of them have been known
| 10 opera. gOcrS for several years.
| Mis-, Abbott sings here on the I'D proX,, the
sale of seats beginning on next Tuesday morn
| ny at Simon Bros.
| Fancy straw baskets and dried flowers some
| hing new and beautiful, at Forbes " behring's.
The Good Templars are to have Soclable
md Supper at their Hall on Thursday Evening
| - .....l- al .r. unrli -l-u inyiinl. Ihe So