The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-06-06
HOW TOP NOTES BRING
IN THE BIG BANK NOTES

Those of us who have had the OPP
portunity to see the stars of the opera
will enjoy a novel picture of these
personalities which is sketched by
George Middleton in the May Book
man. "Top Notes and Bank Notes ;"
is his caption, and he goes on to prove
that usually those who have the first
are well able, despite temperamental
eceentricities, to obtain the second The
writer tells Jenny Lind s story thus:
Chance discovered Jenny Lind S
voice; as is not generally known, she
was a successful child actress. Her
real fture, however, was marked out
for her from the first song interpolated
by accident in play. She was soon
east in operate roles, and at the Royal
Theater, Stockholm, in 1910, for sixty
nine performances received about one
hundred pounds year. In 1841, she
studied with Signor Garcia, a brother
of Malibran, and it is instructive to
note she paid twenty francs an hour
In 1874, she refused an annual salary
OF about one thousand pounds, ''with
DEMENT'S, to stay permanently in Ger
many. She knew her voice belonged
to the world. She sang five times in
Vienna (lS46) for fifty pounds a per-
Torrance with extra benefit. It was in
1S47 she made her second contract to
appear in London, the first one with
Bum having cause her endless legal
complications.
The Lumley contract was substan-
TALLY as follows:
l. An honorarium Of one hundred
and twenty thousand francs for the
season, reckoned from April IA to
August 20, l847.
2. A furnished house, carriage,
and a pair of horses free of charge,
for the season.
8. A further sum of twenty thou
sand francs, if Mile. Lind wished to
spend month in Italy before her de-
but, for the purpose of studying the
language or for rest.
4. Liberty to cancel the engagement
if, after her first appearance, she felt
dissatisfied at the measure of its sue
cess and wished to discontinue her per-
formances.
5. Mile. Lind was not to sing at
concerts, public or private, for her own
emolument.
In 1916, the now famous diva re
fused an unparalleled offer from the
Gar to sing five months at st. Peters
burg for a salary of fifty-six thousand
francs per month, sum equaling eleven
thousand pounds. 1t was her appear
ance in this country under P. T. Bar
mum s management, however, which
brought Jenny Lind s name near to us.
She was to receive, one thousand dollars
a performance and all expenses for one
hundred and fifty concerts to be given
within one year. This was eventually
changed, so that she received half
share of the profits whenever the re-
ceips were above five thousand five
times equalled fifteen thousand dollars,
her share on the first six concerts alone
was thirty thousand dollars. Inciden-
tally it is recorded she gave away that
sum IN New York for charities At the
expiration OF her contract with Bar
mum, she sang forty additional recitals
on her own speculation. She appeared
little after this and lived a retired life
for nearly forty years.
Adellna Patti was even a greater
financial genius than Jenny Lind. The
writer quotes Colonel Mapleson as say
ing that ''no one ever approached Pat
Il in the art of obtaining from a. man
ager the greatest possible sum he could
by any possibility contrive to paw,
We read further:
The musical miracle was the spoiIed
darling of her day, and she never fail
ed TO obtain exactly what she wanted.
She was first engaged in London in
1901, by Aapleson, to sing four nights
on approval and in case of sue
cess, to obtain forty pounds week.
ms contract was not fulfilled, how
ever, for being hard pressed financially.
she had borrowed fifty pounds from
a rival manager, and her receipt proved
contract. This was the
beginning Of a career 50 dazzling that
It's successive steps are simply a series
If increasing banknotes. A few state
nents viii suffice. In 1872 she obtain
I'd in London two hundred guineas a
1lght, since she insisted on having more
than Christine Nilsson, who was re
,eiving two hundred pounds. She sang
twice a week. Ten years later. she
vas given five thousand dollars4a night |
Her famous contract to sing in Amer |
ca provided that the money should be
1aid her at two @ clock on the day
,he sang, also a drawing room and |
leeping car to be especially built for |
Ter with conservatory and fernerv, |
tic. Further, there was to be deposit |