The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-24
WEALTHY PRIMA DONNAs.
Grisi Made Three Fortunes and Other
singers Grew Rich.

Singers Grew Rich.
From the London Telegraph.
Altogether, an inquiry into the varied
fortunes of famous prima donnas would
be a fascinating subject for the artistic
hographer. In the early days of italian
and French opera the principal female
artists were poorly paid; in England the
pr.ma donna was somewhat cavalierly
Called the first singing woman" and
her salary rarely exceeded pounds a
week. One of the earliest performers of
the kind was young lady known as
Aargherita or Margheretta, who flourished
in the reign of Queen Anne, and who
seems to have made considerable sums :;
In addition to her earnings at the theater
in the Haymarket as a solo singer at
the houses of the nobility and gentry but
until late in the eighteenth century the
supends of the " first singing women"
we're Insignificant in comparison with the
prodigious sums bestowed on the male
'soprani" The most notable of these was
Carlo Broschi, surnamed Farinelh, in con-
sequence, it is supposed, of his father hav-
ing been a miller. He was a pupil of the
famous Porpora, and in 1874, his master
having been appointed director of the
London Italian opera Farinelli visited
campaign of almost unexampled brill
fancy, many thousands Of pounds. In
Paris, two years afterwards, his enchant-
ing vocalization succeeded in dispelling
The musical apathy of Louis XIV, but it
II was in Spain that he achieved his great
est triumphs. He went to Madrid with
the intention of remaining five weeks,
and he stopped there fve-and-twenty
years Philip V. had been for a long
period prey to the darkest hypochon-
qriasis but at the entreaty of the Queen
Farineli sang repeatedly before the af-
melted monarch, who, reused from his
sombre melancholy babe the artist name
Whatever reward he chose. The soprano
replied that he should be sufficiently re-
compensed if his majesty would get
shaved and preside at the next cabinet
council. He became the courtly as well as
ne artistic favorite of the king; but in
l0l, when he was visited in the Spanish
capital by DR.. Burney, the father of the in
lmitable authoress Of ''Eivelina, the So
prano mournfully told the English physi-
can the price which he had had to pay
.or his favor at court. Philip only liked
Tour songs. and this quartet of ditties
fa7inelli had to sing to his majesty every
evening" After an absence of eight-and-
twenty years Farinell returned to his
native country and built himself a mag
.nHcent palace at Bologna; but he found
.ilseH alone in the world, without fam
ny and without friends, and his only
Soace was TO converse with the foreign
eis' especially the English, who came
10 see him.
As regards lady artistes of the lyric
ase. the Orfeo in Glucks exquisitey
eautiful opera of that name ought to
aNe made a large fortune: only, I'M
'0itunately, the vocalist who sang the
ap.iyating "Che faro senza, Euridice,'
i. Faris was not a contralto, like the
Nelsntful Mile. Ravogh. but a male
Vahter-tenor named Legros. who sang
es'estaibly. To find a wealthy prima
-'AAa in the closing years of the last
tpry there must be recalled Nine
'-asslni, a mezzo-soprano of supreme
du'y and a musical genius as superb,
"ose singular fortune it was to win
hearts of both Napoleon the Great
4 Of the victor of Waterloo. Her por-
ai' Is at Apsley house. As for Giulia
L that delicious songstress made at
. three fortunes on the continent IN
sand and in the United States; but
lolsh she built for herself "a beautiful
- III the vicinity Of Florence, she did
~ possessed Of great wealth. Nine
u' who was the contemporary Of our