The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-21

He Expected That Death Would Overtake
Him on the Stage.

He Expected That Death Would Overtnke
Him on the Stage.
Poor Armand Castelmary died In harness on
the spot where just three weeks ago he told mo
he thought he would die. since his arrival here
last November had not seen him on account of
my Illness OF ten weeks. until | met him In
broadway late in January. lie said:
You look now healthy enough to live twenty
I'VE years longer"
IL hope So" replied, "and wish you may
live fifty years longer"
mo. caro- amico." he said. my life will DO
shorter than yours. / am apprehensive on &C
count OF a heart trouble that have had for
many years: I shall surely die of IL some night
on tho stage"
IF you think SO beg You TO not sing except
when you feel entirely WELL" told him. Take
my advice; hoart failure comes from excite
ment, and for q conscientious artist like you
the stage is the place for 1t. Take good care OF
yourself; au revoir."
! did not mset him afterward.
Not many artists like Customary are to be
found on the lyric stage nowadays. He was
great for nearly twenty-five years. In his last
ten years he was famous In the secondary roles
and the most useful member Of an opera com.
pany. having repertoire of over 100 parts In
Italian. French. and even In German. any OF
which he could sing on few hours notice. His
namo became celebrated the day after he sang
MephistOpheies In Gounod's Faust" at the
Grand Opera In Paris. replacing In that role tho
great Faure. who was absent on account of his
mothers Illness. After that-in the sixties, I
think-he was regarded after Faure as tho
greatest Mephistophees on the lyric stage. Later
he was also the greatest Mephistophcles In Boil
to's opera. Ho was also celebrated as LeDoreIto
In Don Giovanni" and for his roles in Tho
Huguenots" and I" Robert the Devil" lie was
the first basso Of the French Opera Com pa ny In
New Orleans in the season OF 1901, when he
scored an immense success
In May. 1871, was the manager and partner
with Luciano Abilities and C. Chizzola In charge
OF the following opera company: Miss Clara
Louise Kellogg. Nine Agatha States. the great
tenor siRnor vilani: signor Caroselli. tenor;
trnlto; Sicnori Orlantini. Buongiorno. aud
Reins, baritones, aud Susini and Coiett. bassos.
opera nights and four p,atinees and the houses
Ms,s Invariably crowded We cleared $4,000
a. MarUieriis in tho fr,t week OF J19s
arrived there just in time for tho renearsal the
day before the performance. and ! had only
the fact that the Thermometer ran up to lO7'.
the hous. was crowded. Cn-telmnry's success
was established as soon as he appeared on the
stage in his costume OF sable hue with a
red cloak. He was picturesque figure. and his
costume was totally different from that OF any
other MephistOphsss. At the end OF the per
formance he received an ovation. aud engaged
him for one more performance. giving him $500
for his three performance. Thus | can claim
the great pleasure and the honor of having in
troduc"d him TO the public CT Boston.
At that time we became quite Intimate. and
In a friendly chat adv ised him to 90 to Milan
and sing IN Italian opera, in which he would
have q wider field than In French opera He
took my advice. and his career was most
| successful for fifteen or twenty years. | ad-
visod Max Strakosch to engage him for his sea-
son OF lBI0-S0 Tho company comprised
| S!gnora Teresina Singer. dramatic soprano.
| the best Ado ever seen here: Miss Blanche
| Davenport. light soprano: Mile. Belloca. the
beautiful contrnlto; signori Pctrovich aud
| b1rltones; Signor Castelniary, basso. and
others. The season began at the Brooklyn Acad-
envy OF Music with Aida" In October, and
afterward the company appeared In all the prn-
cipAl Western cities aud In New Orleans. Singer
and Castelmary achieved the greatest success
during the season.
l met Castelmary in January. 1880 in CIncin-
natl. on my way to California as manager of
Carlotta Patti. and he thanked me for ad vis!ng
him To go into Italian opera, In which he hal
scored unyarying success. At the zenith Of his
came the impresario OF an Italian and French
opera company In Santiago. Chill. where he lost
over $4,000. He fretted over his loss, and his
voice began 10 fail him. He came hack here with
Abbey, Scho-ffel & Grau in lSD0-Dl. the season
OF AlbEni. 1amagno. NordlcA and Patti and
aimee then he had been engaged at Covent
Garden. London. and for tho last three seasons
at the METROPOLITAN Opera House.
DIEGO DE vIvo.