The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-12
HOME, SWEET HOME.
The Remarkable Power Of the World
Famous Melody.

Famous Melody.
1t was one of the famous Saturday nights
of the Lotus Club in New York. With his
usual felicity of wit and welcome Judge Law
renee had introduced dozen entertainers
whose humor made the welkin ring with the
laughter of the members and their guests.
The loving cup had been presented to Herr
Seidl, prefaced by a speech of epigram, fol-
lowed by a speech of bon mots. The brightest,
gayest, most brilliant company OF men in
the city was in good humor with. as John
Milton puts it jest and youthful jollity,
quips and cranlxs and wanton wilos, mods and
becks and wreathed smiles, sport that
wrinkled Care derides and Laughter holding
both his sides-a pandemonium of social
mirth. Slowly and unobservedly a blind
man was led to the piano. The merriment
still kept up. Every second man was telling
his neighbor a good story, and every first man
was laughing over it. Family music melted
its way through the clamor of merriment, and
in a moment all was still. IL was this blind
pianist lately come to New York. His sight
less face was illumined with expression, and
he swayed sadly over the keys as If he longed
to see them. He was playing Home, Sweet
Home" He was playing il well-with a sound
~ Soip tndt Hotliig 1Neu tWlAt tnat ana
silence. The pathos of his feeling, the beauty
of his touch and the sentiment of the old
melody affected the company visibly. 1t is
hard to find romance in club men, but Lotus
Club men are not like other club men. Pres
emily most of them fell into poetic melan-
choiy, and Californian furtively wiped his
eyes, while prodigious sighs of sentiment
shook the bosoms of those around. A crowded
a1,.l. 90
soul, a simple melody that painted pathetic
pictures in the smoky air. and leaving their
laughter far behind, strong men from every
quarter of the globe thought sentimentally Of
home. 1t was one of those touches of nature
that make the whole world kin.
This blind man, perhaps because introspec-
tive in sight, has more sense of the old mel
ody than any one we know, except Adelina
Patti. You may think that singer who can
sing could get at the heart of Home. Sweet
Home" for it IS plain otune without frills
or futters. Yet we have heard Nine. Melba
attempt it without success and other grand
opera prima donnas frequently tumble into
disaster on this homely song. But Patti and
the blind man know the secret of it, and we
would as lief hear them discourse on this
matter as to sit through the love duet between
throw an opera company, but she cannot sing
"Home, Sweet Home;" Lehman can lift us
to the heights of Walhalla, but she cannot
sing 'Home, Sweet Home;" Anton Seidl
knows the Nibelungen, but he does not know
"Bome, Sweet Home" 1t is the fashion
among Wagnerians and other hard.hea
people TO make inockery of Patti for her fond
ness forthis simple tune. But those who have not
az 10 tha iuaf tt,in ba
have missed finer stroke of lyric sentiment
than is often found in opera. Very like Nine.
Patti, being Of a gay, vivacious not to say
worldly humor, takes no heed Of her powers
in this matter. Yet it is not too much to say
that she has sensbly affected more folk by
her singing of the simple ballad than by the
tragic performance of her Leonora or Lucia.
At a moments notice and in any conditions
Patti can project herself into the exact sympa.
thetic key of an air that seems TO elude
everyother person except our blind pianist.
On one occasion half n dozen years ago the
diva aroused great enthusiasm by an excel
lent performance of Romeo ct Juliette,"
and when the curtain went upon the last act
she presented so lovely a picture in the tomb
scene that the spectators involuntarly broke
into thunder Of applause. The tumult con.
from the stupor of Frere Laurent's drug,
smiled genially at the audience, climbed down
from her tomb and came forward TO the foot
lights to sing Home. Sweet Home" as only
Patti can After which she returned to the
tomb, composed herself in the decent repose
of death and was SO much of corpse by the
time her lover arrived that Romeo. I'm tender
despair, promptly poisoned himself according
10 agreement. Nor did the marvel of the mat
ter end here; for before her sweetleart's body
was removed into the wings Patti came back
to life once more. and though still in her
shroud, surrounded 10y the Capulet corpses
and tho bones of murdered Tybalt, Juliette
sang Comm Thro' the Rye so merrily that |
instead of being In gloom over Shakespeare's |
tragedy the audience went home laughing |
over the dead diva's good humor. This true |
history may shock the Wagnerians and cause |
grief 10 Herr seidl. But Patti is worth her |
salary Of $4,000 n night and ng hcr for all |
In all wa shall not look upon her lika aya;n