Los Angeles herald., 1891-01-12

Whon Hiauo MY HTsC appearance III y
music hall.
Before that bad tramped the streets
in all weather singing to little groups oi
rough but kind-hearted travellers. But
such life could not satisfy my ambi-
ton nor bring enough coppers, which
/ was delighted to earn to contribute to the
support of the family.
"A concert was to be given in town
near by, one evening. left my humble
home, carrying the guitar with which
always accompanied myself, and trudged
YEARLY over the ten miles of dusty road
to the school-house where the concert
was to be held. 1t was very tiresome
and exhausting tramp, but / reached
the hall bedraggled and forlorn. /
arranged my hair, scrubbed very sun.
Drowned countenance, and brushed
away the thick coating of dust from my
garments. l finished just in time to
hear them announce me, and with pal
pitating heart stepped upon the stage.
II was very young and small, and the
audience received me with smiles of Gu
rious interest began my little song
1 with trembling tones, but / soon forgot
into the action and words. Kindly ap-
|
l had not been failure.
THAT nights as / walked home over
| those ten miles between school-house
and home l felt as though was moving
on air and soaring exultantly away from
the poverty and unhappiness OF my life,
and confided to my father the dreams OF
future of success.
SIT did not come as rapidly as
Sok I'D o<,1o II /, -.
my path till it seemed as though could
go no further, but fortune finally favored
me, and my luck has never since de-
serted me.
II decided, after my first experience,
that would never forsake the aim of
my life-to advance as far as possible on
the operatic stage. sang in several
small concerts soon after my first ap-
pearance, and gradually made my way
into the larger towns. Many friends
came to me then whohelped rue to carry
out my ideas of life on the operatic
stage, and since then / have known no
real home except the bottom OF my big
trunks.
81 finally managed to reach New
York, and from there l went to Paris.
To little company OF Americans in the
parlor of French boarding house
Sang Home. Sweet Home, and knew
they were weary for that home.
Silently woman stole into the
dingy room and caught the last notes Of
the refrain.
Sing something else for me- che
said, in quiet tones. She listened and
departed in the silence in which she
entered. "A few days later received q
summons to sing before the richest
woman in Europe, and the Baroness de
Rothschild gave me $4,000 francs to help
in my musical education. 1t was she
who accidentally heard the old song in
the little Partisan boarding house.
IL tried many times to see Patti while
in Paris. She repeatedly said: 4 do not
want to see the girl. do not care for
the great secret she says she has for me-
wish no secrets.
''But finally entered her room one
day in a little unpretentious gown with
the secret in my pocket.
's'What is this secret?' asked Mime.
Patti, in not over gracious tones.
g Only this 1 replied, drawing a
small 25-cent fan from my pocket. will
YOU write your name upon it?'
''La diva WINGED, then frowned, tn en-
broke into peal OF laughter as she
wrote in delicate Italian letters, 'Ade-
lima Patti
''Then suggested that l could sing
little.
"'Well, let me hear you,' and the
great singer of the world lay back on her
cushions and listened.
"'Take these,' she said, at the end of
the simple song, unfastening somejewels
from her ears.
"'And these she said later, handing
me some letters to Mapleson.
1.-THE little fan has always had place
among my treasures.
mo break occurred in my good fortune
after that meeting"
In 1876 Miss Abbott made her debut
Reggimento, and was criticized sOme-
what severely by the press. In the
meantime some overzealons friends had
been inserting rather injudicious ac-
counts of her marvellous voice in the
American papers. Public curiosity was
widely awakened and a desire was felt
on all sides to know whether she was
really all her friends had claimed for
her and whether she would prove to be
the representative American prima
donna to succeed Miss kellogg. But on
her appearance in 1877, at the New
York Academy of Music, in the same
opera in which she made her debut in
London, she was even more roughly
handled by the American critics than by
their English brethren. They unani-
mously agreed that Miss Abbott pos
sessed light and flexible voice, not by
any means phenomenal one either in
point Of quality, volume or range. In
the upper register they insisted there
was an edge which grated unpleasantly
on the ear. and was essentially metallic.
Her middle and lower notes were weak
and of an inferior quality. This critical
estimation OF the singer was correct, and
might have been written with equal
truthfuIness in December, 1890, after
her many years OF experience on the
lyric stage. as in 1877.
Miss Abbott was q woman whom no
difficulties could deter. When she car
ried her shoes in her hand as girl on
the tramp from Chicago to New York,
she carried her fortune there, it may be
said. at the same time. The act was i'm
dicative Of will power that enabled the
ambitious little Woman to leap over
difficulties which, to others, would have
been insurmountable. Notwithstanding
the unfavorable criticisms on both sides
of the water, she had the perseverance
and energy TO organize an Onera com-