The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-12
MISS I1ELLOGG's RIVALS.
What the Priina ponma's Mother Thinks of
Patti and Nilsson.

" h<D bhS L mi Jitu = NFJliler liinlES OF
Patti and Nilsson.
st. Louis Post Dispatch.
What do you think of the present opera seq
sonm
1T will not be a good one. Abbey will lose
money, whether his own or somebody else's [ do
not know, Mapleson will not lose, because he's
got nothing to lose. Then Mapleson has Patti,
and l think, with my daughter, that Patti
IS the only artistic in the whole crowd. Patti
Is divine. My daughter says there IS no singer
on the face of the earth she can call her superior
but Patti, and her she adores. Do you know the
secret of PATHS continued SUGGEST
The reporter said he didn't.
We'll. III tell you. Patti sings as sweetlv
now rs she sang twenty years ago. and she is the
only one of the old-time favorites who has pre-
served her voice. The secret is that She does
not strain it. She has only four or five operas
IN her repertoire and will not sing outside of
them. She keeps her music cuddled up in her
throat and nothing in the world can get her to
go beyond the range Of her organ. Do YOU
know why she is in this countryE
The reporter again acknowledged his ignor-
ance.
Because" said Mrs. Kellogg. s.sbe cannot
sing in Europe. They are tired of her over there.
They have been listening to her for twenty
years. and they are not willing to pay the high
price she asks for singing. We saw her in Eng
land before she made the contract with IIr.
Abbey, and she said she would not come to
America unless a tour she was about to make
through Southern Europe Sailed. 1t did fail.
Even in Madrid, where Patti was orn-you
know that was the place of hernativity-she was
born on the stage, or so close to it there isn't
much ditference-even in Madrid she couldn't
draw. so she came here, and Americans. like tho
great fools they are, went crazy over her"
d you think she gets the salary Mr.. Maple
son is generally credited with paying her, 1900
a night!'
Il guess she does"
And Nilsson-do you think she gets $1,000 q
nightl7
2.Pshaw, nor said Mrs. KELLOGG. turning her
head away. Il saw the contract, which calls for
only 81, 800 a performance, but that was the CON
tract gotten up for outsiders. You know these
singers have two prices, one they get, the other
they talk about. If Nine. Nilsson gets 81. 900 a
night its as much as she's worth. She cannot
sing any more. 1t amuses me TO see the raptur-
Gus way in which the critics here write about
her; but, poor things, what do they know about
music, and particularly about operate musie2
Do you know how Nilsson lost her voice.
0pce more the rennrter WIS "hliaed tn shaLA
well, when we first heard Nine. Nilsson in
England she had a beautiful voice. Clara and ]
sat in the box that night. ARTISTS don't like to
see dead heads in the boxes; it kind Of gives the
bad business away The performance was The
Magic Flute and it was announced that Nine.
Nilsson would sing the second aria ii the orig
inal key. This is something that has often been
promised, bat never done. Nobody has yet
sung that number in the original key,
and nobody ever will. When Mime. Nils
son came on she saw us. She sang the
first number all right, but when it came to the
next, it was entirely cut out, owing as the man
ager said to Mime. Missions illness. Well, she
came to America and sang in concert with great
success. Then she came again to sing in opera.
Her success was not so great. She wondered
why. I'll tell YOU said Maploson. You can't
please the Americans in opera unless you thrash
around the stage In the old country, you know.
they do not call upon ~artistes to act; here, you
want dramatic rs well as operate ability to sue
ceed. So Nilsson -thrashed around, and 10y over
e~Xertion lost her voice.