St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-11-13
Brignoii's Death Song.

Now that Pasquaie Brignoli is dead.
il will hardly he denied, says the New
York Morning Journal, that the mar
veliously sweet quality and purity of
tone of his voice were not only unsur-
passed but unequalled by any tenor
who ever sung to the American public.
And it is worthy of record that even
up to the hour of his death, being
within few weeks of sixty-one years
old, it retained the peculiar charm
which characterized it as an incident
which occurred on Monday, three days
before his death, illustrates:
He was not aware. of the approach
| of death, as DIR. .CarnOchan loved him
too tenderly to tell him the serious ma
ture of his illness. Brignoli had writ
ten duet for two voices, which was
to be sung at n school concert, and he
asked Sig. Abilities, husband of Nine.
Gazzaniga, to take his place at the pi-
ano and play the accompaniment over
in which he wished to make some al
terations. While Albites was playing,
the dying tenor, who was propped up
in bed, became so interested in his
own composition that he began to hum
and then sing the tenor part, his voice
old-time fervor, to the intense sur
prise but sad pleasure of those who
were present.
Even five minutes before his death,
after DR.. Carnochan had given him
mixture of ammonia and cognac, his
eyes sparkled and after trying his
voice to see that it had not been inn
paired by his illness, he exclaimed
with great animation
"Ah BrignOli will be on his feet
again tomorrow"
| The only persons present when he
expired were his faithful friend, DIR.
Carnochan, his devoted and sorrowing
German pupil Miller, and Sig. G. A.
| ChizzOla
Although attacked by a complica-
ton OF diseases, among which a com
plaint of the kidneys was the most ag-
gravating, his dying hours We're com
paratively free from pain, and he
passed away quite unconscious of his
own dissolution.
He leaves no relatives in Naples,
! but a brother and sister reside in
Paris. A cablegram was drawn up to
his sister apprising her of his death,
and asking her wishes concerning the
disposition of the body, but at the ad
vice of Sig. ChiZzOla, it was not sent,
because she is much older than the de-
ceased and not in good health, and it
was feared the shock would be too
much for her, and also because Brig
nOli himself had resided so long in this
country that he considered himself an
American, and it has been resolved by
his friends to purchase a lot in Wood
lawn and erect a memorial monument
over his remains.
! Many amusing anecdotes are now
recalled of the peculiarities of the de-
ceased, one of which is in connection
with the very church of st. Agnes in
which his requiem was sung, and from
which his body was carried to the
tomb. He had agreed upon certain
occasion, at the request of FIR. Mellow
ell, to be present and sing solo at the
| 1890 a. IN. mass. He came into the
choir, and after divesting himself Of
throat coverings, tumbling over music
stands and nearly setting the choir
crazy by trying his voice and delaying
| the service, he finally concluded that
he was Gin voice. BY the time Brig
noli got ready FIR. Mcdowell had be-
gun his sermon, but Brignoli leaned
over the choir ratings and tried to
attract his attention 10y shaking his
head, gesticulating with his hands and
saying in a voice audible enough to be
heard in the choir:
"Me ready for re sing! Stoppa re
preach Stoppa re preach !"
And the good priest actually did cut
his sermon short to accommodate the
impatient tenor, whose voice rang out
with such fervor us to thrill the devOut
wOrshippers.