Omaha daily bee., 1894-01-21
THE VALUE OF VOCAL NOTES
Divine Melody a Key to the Gold Mines of
the Earth.
FABULOUS SALARIES OF FAMOUS SINGERS
Lavish sums Paid u Century Ago-st00 n
Night and $500 for Two Songs
Prices Rising with tho
Passing Years.

OF the old alchemists-takes many forms
nowadays, but none more beautiful than
that of the voice of the great singer
a truly potent spell to open The gold
mines of the earth! The amounts that
have been paid to the famous sopranos,
%tenors, contraltos and bassos that have
appeared from time to time above the
musical horizon sound well nigh fabu-
lous, fays Chambers journal, and are
not a little interesting to consider, To
go back to the early days of the last
century, and to the early days of the
Italian opera in this country, Mrs.
Catherine lofts, Its first lady interpreter
in England, claimed high salaries at
the theater in Lincoln's Inn Fields. She
drew considerably over $4,000 for q sea
son, and at one time she was singing for
800 a night-high terms in 170S.
AT the same theater, twenty-six years
later, the great singer, Farinelli, during
the three years he spent in London,
though his salary vas but $500 a
season, earned at least $25, 900 yearly;
for at but one of his numerous appear
ances at court the prince of Wales gave
him "a fine wrought gold snuff box,
richly set with diamonds and rubies, in
which was inclosed u pair OF diamond
knee buckles, as also a purse of 100
guineas." Later in life he accepted IN
engagement at the court Of Spain at a
salary of $4,000 francs, $l0,0 0 per
annum. Two years after Farinelli had
left London the other great singer Of
the time, Catfarelli, appeared at the
Kings theater, but did not fulfill the eX-
pectations he had raised, though at
Venice he received 81, $40 and a benefit
OF 81, 675 for a season of three months
higher terms than had previously been
paid to any singer.
In 1868, Gabrielli, one of the most
beautiful of women and magnificent of
sopranos, demanded 5000 ducats salary
from Catherine ii. of Russia. The en-
press objected that it was larger than
the pay of a field marshal. Then let
your field marshals sing for you," re-
torted Gabrielle, as C%atfarelli had re-
piled before under like circumstances.
That phenomenal soprano, Agujari,
was in 1875 paid $500 a night for two
songs at the London Pantheon concerts
an immense salary in those days.
About thirty years later Catalani was
receiving some $l5, 900 for the season in
Portugal, and in 1906 she came to Lon
don for a promise of so, 900 for the sea-
son from September Is to August, 1907,
with a further sum of $500 to defray the
cost of her journey to London, and one
benefit night free Of expense. AS a
fact, however, she drew from the Kings
theater in the Haymarket $50, 900, in
GLIDING benefits, and her total profits in
1907, with concerts ana provincial tours,
we're $S3, 500. She one received 81 1000
for singing "God Save the King" and
''Rule Britannia and for her services
at one festival shetwas paid $40, 600.
Her charities, however, were innumer-
oh1o orA II ia nStirnatn6 that che norpnl
at least $40O, 600 at concerts for such
rpose alone. AS an instance of her
reckless extravaganza it is stated that
the cost of peer for her servants for a
single year amounted to $5l5.
Malibran was engaged by Mr.. Alfred
Bum for nineteen nights at 1928 per
night, payable in advance. Singing at
Drury Lane in English opera in 1893,
she received $4,000 francs ($l6, 000) for
forty representations, with two benefits,
which produced not less than $4,000
francs ($10, 000). Two years later, at the
opera in London, she drew sos fer
twenty-four appearances. Such sums
were paid to her at the English provin-
cial festivals as had never before been
heard of. and at La Scala she received
nearly $50, 900 for 1875 performances.
In 1888 Mario was offered 5000 a
InOuul lOt Ills ufSu appearance, tHouRH
this was, of course, largely the result of
his romantic history. Alboni's salary
at Covent Garden in 1847 was raised
from So, 500 to $40, 600 the day after her
disappearance singing as she was agains
Jenny Lind at the opposition house.
Sontag was paid $50, 900 for a season of
six months II Her Majesty's theater in
1919.
Rubini, who began his career at 13
years of age by singing, for 5 francs, an
air in a new drama by Lambeth, made
immense sums later in life, realizing
so, 900 at one concert in st. Petersburg.
Unlike Mario and Mara, who both died
in comparative poverty, Rubini saved
large sums and left behind him II of
the largest fortunes ever amassed on the
operate stage.
Jenny Lind was naturally paid enor-
nous sums in the course of her trium-
phant career. During a tour of two
years through the states, commenced in
1850, she made $l00, 900, gaining a hus-
band as we'll.
These %pecuniary conditions are ade-
quately preserved by at least two
present day singers, to whom a hundred
or two for q concert is an ordinary sum
Nine. Patti and Nine. Albani. 1t is
current knowledge that the usual terms
of the former are 81, 900 per concert in
London and $1,000 in the provinces.
Nine. Patti lately refused an offer of u
tour in Brazil at the remuneration of
SO, 900 a night.
Fairly handsome salaries are paid also
to leading artists Of the Vienna opera.
Herr Winkelmann, a tenor who appeared
in London in German opera some years
ago. is paid 26, 900 tlorins ($S, l25) for a
season of nine months. M. a Dyke
gets about 24,000 ~forins, but he sings
only seven monthsof the year in Austria.
Frau Materna. who is soon to retire, to
be replaced byoIIrau Klafsky, gets the
same amount for the whole year., and
Frau Schluger, the dramatic soprano,
receives 10000 forms per annum. The
tenors thus get more than the sopranos.
Before leaving the{subject of singers
salaries, it were curious to mention h
remuneration received some years ago
by Mile. Zelte of t~heTheater Lyrlque, at
Paris, while singingbin a concert in the
Society Islands, in the cours OF a tour
around the world. ToShe was to sing an
air from Norma and a few other songs,
and bargained for a third of the receipts.
She found that her share consisted of
three pigs, twenty-three turkeys, forty
fOur chickens. 4. OO~OcOcOanuts and q con