Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-28
CANADIAN CANTATRICE.
The ROmG,,ce of Her Life and the Story of
Her Studies.

Her Studies.
1t happened one Sunday morning that
BrignoH, while strolling about the streets
of Albany, dropped in at the cathedral to
hear the music. The choir we're in the
midst of chant, and when to the we'll
trained ear of the famous tenor there
came the tones of one ''sweet voice above
the rest" Brignoh was not slow to make
his way to the organ loft to inquire as to
the possessor of the voice which had SO
charmed him.
''She is my daughter proudly ex-
claimed Joseph La Jennesse, Q French
Canadian music teacher.
"Shall 1 present your" he continued,
recognizing the tenor.
The short acquaintance that followed led
Brignoli to recommend course of for
eign study. but that was then impossible
for the poor music teacher who had to exc
out her small income by singing in the
choir and occasionally playing the organ.
Still she was brave and did not despair
By degrees her voice made the choir
locally famous and gradually made for
herself friends who, recogn izing the capa-
b1lities of her voice, arranged to send her
abroad for study. In 1868, at the age of
eighteen years, she started for Paris, taking
with her letters TO the bishop of Paris and
to the famous tenor Dupres. After study
ing two years with the latter, she was sent
to Lamperti, at Milan, who gave her greet
ing with:
.Ah! there's fortune in that little
tkroat"'
Hard study with this great maestro gave
her absolute command over her rich voice,
and when in time she was ready for her
debut at Messina, she chose to make her
first appearance as Amina in Sonnambula.
To give as much realism as possible to
the part, she first visited the scene of the
opera, and studied the dress and charac-
teristics of the people. The name Albani
has no connection with Albany, as many
persons fondIy suppose, but was given her
by Lamperti himself. In 1873 Albani,
who had then been three years On the
stage, appeared in London, where she ad-
ded another to her long string of triumphs.
Atlantis voice is a rich soprano, COM
handing a compass of two octaves, ex-
tending up to E fat As devout disciple
of Lamperti, she disdains trickery, and
like true artist, she sings the operas as
the composer wrote them. Moreover, she
is good artist.
In appearance Albani is brunette, with
black hair and eyes. She is below medium
size and is slender. Her fondness and ad-
miration for Patti is matter of long
standing; and Patti has always recipro-
Gated it. A devout Catholic, she retains
in her nature much Of the sweet simplicity
which has come down to her through her
father, from the dwelIers in Arcadia, and
yet she is not without a dash of pride in
her nature. Her mother belonged to an
aristocratic Scotch family in Montreal, and
when the flower of the family fell in love
with her French music teacher, elOpement
and poverty was made her lot. When
Albani's star began to be in the ascendant
the family expressed its willingness to
lend assistance, but the coming prima
donna replied with spirit:
''You spurned my mother when she most
needed your aid. The memory of that
treatment compels me now to decline alike
your preferred bounty and your hospi-
tality'
Albani is now thirty three years old,
having been boru in Canada in 1850. Her
first appearance in America was under the
management of Strakosch in 1874, He'll
bron, Potentini, Cary, Carpi and Del
Puenti being in troup. In private life Al
bani is Madame Earnest Gye pronounced
Jy), and she reioices in one son, who has
reached the age of two years, and is now
IN