Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-29
SINGERS FORTUNES.
Different From Now In the Early Day,
of Opera.
From the london Telecraph.

From the london Telegraph.
An inquiry into the varied fortunes Of
famous prima donnas would be a fascnat-
ing subject for the artistic biographer. In
the early days of Italian and French opera
the principal female artists were very poor
ly paid; in England the prima donna was
somewhat cavalierly called the first sing
ing woman" and her salary rarely exceed
ed IS a week. One of the earliest PERFORM
ers of the kind was young lady known es
"Margherita," or Margheretta, who flour
isaed in the reign of Queen Anne. and who
seems to have made considerable sums in
addition to her earnings at the theater i'm
the Haymarliet a solo singer at the
houses of the nobility and gentry; but I'M
til late in the eighteenth century the sti-
ponds of the first singing women" were in
significant In comparison with the prodig-
ious sums bestowed on tho male 'soprani."
The most notable of these was Carlo Bro
schi, surramed Farineln, i'm consequence,
il is supposed, of his father having been a
miller. He was pupil OF the famous Por-
pora, and in 1884. his master having been
appointed director of the London Italian
opera, FariEelli visited England, from
4 which he took away after a campaign of
almost unexampled brilliancy many thous-
ands OF pounds. In Paris, two'years after
ward, his enchanting vocalization succeed
ed in dispelling the musical apathy Of
Louis XIV; but IL was in Spain that he
achieved his greatest triumphs. He went
to Madrid with the intention of remaining
five weeks, and he stopped there twenty
five years Philip had been for long
period prey to the deepest hypochondria,
but at the entreaty of the queen Farinelli
sang repeatedly before the afflicted mon
arch, who, reused from his somber melan-
choly, babe the artist name whatever re-
ward he chose. The soprano replied that
he should be sufficiently recompensed IL his
majesty would get shaved and preside at
the next binet council. He became the
courtly as well as the artistic favorite of
the king, but in III, when he was visited
in the Spanish capital by DIR. Burney, the
father of the inimitable authoress of 'Ey-
elina," the soprano mournfully told the
English physician the price which he had
to pay for his favor at court Philip only
liked four songs, and this quartet of dit
ties Farinelli had to sing to his majesty
every evening"! After an absence of TWEEN
ty-eight years Farinelh returned to his ma
tive country and built himself a magnih-
cent palace at Bologna, but he found HIM
self alone in the world, without family and
without friends, and his only solace was to
converse with the foreigners, especially the
English, who came 10 see him.
AS regards lady artists of the lyric stage.
the Orfeo in Gluck's cXquisitely beautiful
opera of that name ought TO have made a
large fortune; only, unfortunately, the
vocalist who sang the captivating che
faro senZa Euridice" in Paris was not a
but male counter-tenor named Legros,
who sang detestably. To find wealthy
pr,ma donna in the closing years of the
last century there must be recalled Nine
Grassini a meZzo-soprano of supreme
beauty and musical genius superb,
whose singular fortune it was TO win the
hearts of both Napoleon the Great and the
victor of Waterloo. Her portrait is at APPS
ley House. AS for Giuiia Grisi, that de-
licIoUs songstress made at least three FOR
tunes on the continent in England and In
the United States; but although she built
for herself beautiful villa in the vicinity
OF Florence, she did not die possessed OF
great wealth Nine. Banti, who was the
contemporary of our Mrs. Ellington, and
who had been in her girlhood, Ike the
tragedenne Rachel, a street ballad singer,
gained and squandered immense treasures:
but at her death she had little TO leave be-
yond her larynX, which she beQueathed to
The academy at Bologna. Mrs. Ellington
herself, who had also enthusiastic ad-
mirer in Napoleon, is said to have made
10000 in a single years engagements; but
she did not die in affluence. On the other
hand Nine. Catalini realized a prodigious
fortune, which she was sensible enough TO
keep. Malibran died too early to have ac-
quired large fortune but was ruined by
the events of 1918, was forced to return
to the stage, and died in Mexico. Sophie
Cruyelli was a favorite of fortune, while st
least two English prima donnas rose to
high rank as well to celebrity and aiftu-
ence. I.avinia FentOn, the original Folly
Of the 'Beggars Opera" died Duchess or
Bolton, and the fascinating Kitty stephens
became Countess of Essex.