The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-24
ROMANCE OF TWO SINGERS.
THE SUCCESSES AND FAfLURES OF
BALTISTINI AND HIS WIFE.

BaItistint Was am American Named
Bntes-sent From n MIL by the Che
meys to Italy-His Triumphs There,
Failure Here.
There died in New York recently,
within a few weeks of each other, a
man and his wife with whose united
fame large part Of musical Europe
was ringing only little more than de-
cade ago, whose careers, separately ana
together passed successfully through
the stages of youthful struggle, great
artistic triumphs, rich financial rewards
and final poverty. The story of their
lives is a romance of the operate stage.
Henry Dwight Bates was born fifty
eight years ago in or near Hartford,
Conn AS boy and youth he was en-
ployed as a weaver in the silk mills Of
the wealthy Cheney family. His fine
tenor voice was renowned in all that
part of the country, and. attracting the
notice of his employers, they generously
offered to send him to Europe to per-
feet his musical education. Young
Bates jumped at the chance, went to It.
ally, placed himself under the famous
teacher MaZzucato, and made such good
use of his time that he drew the atten-
ton of critics and managers before his
studies were completed. His career
thus far resembled that of another
American, the world-famous basso, Foil
whose real name was John Foley, also
native of New England, carpenter
by thade, who was sent abroad by pri-
vate munificence, and made name for
himself in opera and oratorio both in
Europe and America.
When he was ready to appear in pub
lie young Henry Bates, according to
the custom, Italianized his name to
Enrico Baltistini. He made his debut
in Sienna Italy, during the carnival
season of 1S76-77 in the operas of "Ruy
Bias" "Un Ballo in Maschera" and
..Trovatore The latter opera was
sung by him with such extraordinary
success that engagements were prof
fered him to appear in the same pro-
duction from all parts of Italy, and for
two consecutive years the role OF Man
rico was interpreted by him nearly
three hundred times. He subsequently
filled the leading roles in the following
operas: "Gugliemo TELL "Forze del
Destino," I'll Profeta,'' "Gioconda,"
'Tone," 'Roberto il Diavolo, Faust"
'.Aida," "Ernani," "Ebreo," 81 Lom-
bardi," 'La Traviata," I'll Guarany"
and I'll Poliuto." Among the cities in
which he appeared were Venice, Rome,
Milan, Padua, Florence, Bologna, &C.
sena. Lucca and Naples, in Italy alone.
Baltistini was known throughout TIA
1y as 1.-THE tenor of the phenomenal
voice. (tenore della voce fenomenale),
and as the ''tenor with the gold mine in
his throat" (tenore della nina d'oro in
gola) He was also nicknamed 1.-The
new Tamberlik" celebrated for his do
diesis di petto (''chest c sharpe, and
likewise compared to Fraschini, the
greatest dramatic tenor and the possess |
sor of the most remarkably beautiful
voice of his time. This comparison was
made in Fraschinis own birthplace,
Lecce, and it chung to the American
ever afterward throughout his Italian
career.
/ Soon after hois debut the young ten
or met and sang with the beautiful and
clever prima donna, Gabrielle Colonna.
In many respects her career resembled
his own. She was of English birth, her |
mother being a Frenchwoman. Her
maiden name was Rose Kenneth, and,
like many another aspirant for musical |
and dramatic honors, her early strug-
giles to obtain foothold We're unusually |
severe. She was prepared for the~stage
by MN Vautrot and Laget, of the |
Academic de Musique and the Conser
vatoire de Paris. She overcame every
obstacle including some bitter family |
opposition, and made a Juror from the
of her first appearance. She, |
too, adopted~an italian pseudonym-
that of Colonna, after an old Italian
family, as did our own Emma La
Jeunesse, better known as Albani.
Gabrielle Colonna then made her de-
but at the Fenice, in Venice, in Meyer
beers I'll Profeta." She sang for seve-
raj years in the great opera houses Of |
the capitals and principal cities Of Eu-
rope, such as London, Paris, Milan,
Venice, Florence Madrid, Barcelona
&C., and starred in Sinigaglia Cremo-
ma, Bergamo, Cessna, Bologna Macera-
ia, Malaga, Cadiz,, Seville, Valencia, San
Sebastian, Bordeaux, Lyons, Marseilles
and many other places. Her roles be-
onged to the great repertoire: Thu
guenots," "Roberto," LA Juive." "Nor-
ma "Semiramde, Don Giovanni"
ta1l three nartsl "Oheron - HOte1ln -