New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-13
ALBONI'S LAST SONG.
1T CELEBRATES ROSSINTS CENTENARY.

save for n single moment. Yet interesting remn-
iscences cluster round it. and there are personal
| associations that command attention. Inc ceie-
| bration in this city is the only one OF real I'M
| portanCe In Italy the anniversary passes almost
| unobserved Many of the newspapers Pibllsh
articles about 1t, but in only four cities was
there sufficient public interest 10 warrant any at
tempt at festivities. These four were Pesaro-
| his birthplace-Venice, Florence and Rome. In
| England no attention is given TO the event, save
| in the form of desultory newspaper paragraphs
| In Germany. of course still less interest is felt.
| The one celebration, then, Of any real worth Is
| that in this city, and this is fitting enough, since
| the Swan of pcsaro' was perhaps more identified
| with Paris than with any other place
| The celebration in Paris twofol1. One
part of il was performance az the Grand Opera
! House of William Tell,' that marvellous work
of which it said. audaciously but not IT.
revercntly. that Rossini wrote the first and third
acts and God wrote the second This was Of
course an interesting occasion The singers were
the best that could he obtained, and the scenery
and other accessories were as fine the resources
of the Opera House could afford which is saying
a great deal The house crowded and en-
ihusiasm 10 high pitch.
The other part of the celebration. however. was
not public. This was reception given by the
Countess Pcpolo at her home The Countess
Pepoo is best known TO fame by her maiden name.
Maria Aboni. And though she has for many years
lived in retirement there hosts OF music lovers
who still remember the rcsistless charm Of her
voice in the years she the bright. particular
star Of the opera stage. These veterans will not
concedc that the world has known greater con-
tralto than shc and perhaps they are not far from
right She Rossinis only pupil. and she set
the worlds standard in performance OF the CON
tralto parts in his operas. When that master died.
nearly a'quarter OF n century ago, she had already
been long time off the stage, and even then
regarded belonging to past generation. She
came out Of her retirement, however. TO sing at
his funeral, singing with Nine Patti the "Quis est
Homo" from his "Stabat Mater" From that
time to this she has been unheard in public
though those privileged 10 visit her at her home
have given to the world glowing accounts OF the
manner in which she still used her marvellous voice
in the privacy OF her own salon.
IL would be superfluous to say that her home
was crowded last night by distinguished com
pany. Among her guests many grca,
musicians, such Krauss, Marimon. Kinen. De
Sora and Faure. They all sang and sang supcrbly.
But the event OF the evening was the singing of
Alboni herself. The nhrmties of age-she is S..
cxtravaglnt. of course. TO pretend that her voice
was what it was in her prime; or even what il
was in 1865. when she sang at Rossnis funeral.
Equally cXtravagant and untrue would it
lie 10 say that her voice is y wreck.
II has lost much OF it's phenomenal
hcXbiity. and some Of it's great compass Per-
haps il l., not powerful it was. though in her
salon il sonorous could have been de-
sired. But in purity, accuracy. sympathetic
quality and dramatic fervor. it shows dccadence
and still must rank among the great voices Of the
world.
She sang from The BARBER "Cinderelo.'
Moses in Egypt and Lucretia Borga.' One
other intended feature of the occasion unior-
tuna,ely not carried out. Nine. Patti has planned
being in America AZ this time. To slug into a phon-
ograph her part OF the great duet in the second
act of Semiramide," ana send the cylinder 10
Albon Then the latter could put il in a phon-
ograph and have the music reproduced while she
herself sang her own part. Thus the two artists
would sing the duet together, though they were
three thousand miles apart The pretty scheme
was not, however, executed, so Alboni heard
only in solos. save that she joined with the whole
company in several choruscs " 1t is the lust time
] shall ever sing even in my own rooms she said
Ii was an occasion which no one who was present
can ever forget
1t is Of curious interest 10 observe ole or two
incidents Of Ros>ini's career. from among the
food of reminisccnces authentic and apocryphal
now eXtant. The price which he received for his
immortal William Tell was only $1,000. and
the contract provided that hc should no paid only
on completion of the work. which must be achieved
in two years time. Then some computations Of
conscience seem TO have 10 the skinhnt
Government, together with fear that the COM
hogx IL.
we're up. 81 they settled him the prnccy |
pension Of five dollars a week. That was under !
Charles X When Louis Philippe came TO the |
throne, with characteristic thrift he ordered the |
pension discontinued Whereupon Rossini went |
to law with the Government, and after five |
years struggle won the case In the meantime |
while William Tell' being rehearsed before |
its production at the OPERA the composer lived in
abject bcggary, in garrett. His room WAS reached
not even by stairway, but by a mere ladder, |
leading up 10 o trap.door in the oor Of his garrett.
Yet Rossihi became very rich. and died mil !
liOnair. This was not due TO his success rs q |
but Ia his talent for business Having |
got hold Of n little money. he began specializing |
at the Bourse. There he showed himself as much
o master MS he was in the art Of music Every
venture fortunate in its results, and hand
some fortune was soon accumulated. Dying he
left this fortune TO his SUCCESSORS in music. Part
of it went to found at Pesaro, where he was born,
a fine school OF music The remainder went TO
establish in Paris where he died, pleasant home
for old and impecunious musicians. This insti-
tuition cares for one hundred WORKOUT artists, half
Of them French half Of them Italian. One mil.
lion dollars were devoted to this purpose and the
villa Rossini as it is called, opened at Auteul
three years ago. II is a charming asylum, fur
nishcd with all possible instruments, books and
pictures that are of interest to its inmates Tho
inmates are cared for most comfortably, and are
allowed a cash pension Of dollar msnth for
pocketmoney. and $25 year for clothing. Much
liberty IL granted them; indeed. almost entire LIB