The sun., 1919-09-28

at hetght or her operauc career.
----===---- -
town afro The revival OF Rossini's
fiorid work "Semiramide," with Mines.
Patti and Scalchi IN the leading roles,
was the musical sensation of the winter.
The famous soprano sang with Mapleson
the next season also and IL was then
that her salary reached its zenith. The
Metropolitan Opera House had been built
1888. Henry e. Abbey, head of the firm
of managers, made a bid for Mme Patti,
but Mapleson knew that IL he let her go,
1t meant his end. and he gave her $4,000
night. Furthermore. he had to pay 1t,
for she invariably refused to go on the
stage till her personal agent, Fontana.
assured her that he had the money.
After that season Nine Patti returned
to Europe, but not for a long absence.
Mr.. Abbey finally secured a contract
with her and she came back in 1890
for opera and concert. She appeared in
several performances at the Metropolitan
In the spring OF that year. singing in
"Semiramide." 'I.akme' and other
works. She had one OF her numerous ard
memorable farewells when she sang
Vioiettd In La Traviata' on April 25.
Farewell Concerts.
She visited this country again in 1892
and sang In opera in January. At this
time began the series OF Patti farewell
concerts. The first took place In Madi-
son Square Garden on May 10 and IL.
The assisting artists were Nine. Fabbri,
contralto; Andreas Dippel, tenor An
tonic Galassi. barytone. and Francisco
Novara- bass. The following season the
soprano returned just as II she had never
ha
act opera called Gabrielle" which had
been written for her. Her career seemed
to be at an end, but in 1894 she appeared
In the London opera season for the first
time in ten years and had tremendous
success. Once a year. too. she gave her
great concert IN Albert Hall and some
times toured the British provinces. The
Albert Hall concerts continued till 1905.
In 1903 Nine. Patti came to this coun-
try for another farewell. The concerts
were sad affairs. At last Patti had
grown old and the marvellous voice had
lost all but a few still beautiful middle
tones. Nine. Patti retired TO her castle
at Craig-y-Nos. In south Wales, where
for many years she had lived like a royal
parsonage. She used to entertain her
guests there with fetes and sometimes
one act operas in which she sang After
ward she received in her salon. No one
Was Fpermittsd to sit before she entered
the room. All bent low when she APP
peared in the portal.
In her book. How to Sing" Lilli Leh-
mann. the greatest dramatic soprano of
the last twenty-five years, says: "In
Adelina Patti everything was united
the splendid voice, paired with that
great talent for singing. and the long
oversight OF her studies by her dis
tinguished teacher. Strakosch. She never
sang roles that did not suit her
voice; in her earlier years she sang
only arias and duets or single solos,
never taking part In any ensemble.
Although she was a Spaniard
by bltth and an American by early
adoption, she was. SO TO speak, the
greatest Italian singer OF my time. Her
art was absolutely correct and fiawless.
her voice like a bell that you seemed to
hear long after 1t had ceased"
Her Greatest Rival.
Her greatest rival was probably Jenny
Lind; but PATHS voice was richer and
better equalized than the Scandinavian's
Her Zerlind in Don Giovanni, - osina in
al Barbiere di Siviglia" and Marta in
Flotow's opera will doubtless remain
the models of vocal ease, abandon and
spontaneity and the perfect embodiments
of graceful and sprightly comedy in
opera. On the other hand, her singing
Of "Ah, fors lui" In La Traviata"
was matchless In its purity OF style and
in It's tender pathos. She was the
greatest exponent Of the true bel canto
in her day, and her worldwide fame was
thoroughly deserved.
There was one adventure that came
into Nine. PATHS life during her retire.
ment that bore a striking contrast to the
usual current of her life. 1t happened In
Carlsbad, Austria, at the beginning of
the war. The singer and her husband
were stopping at hotel there In August.
1914, when hostilities were declared. 1t
was known that her sympathies were all
with the Allies, and threatening crowd
surrounded the place.
Hoots and cries of Down with the
English and the French !" were shouted
up toward her windows. instead OF the
applause she had always heard. The
hotel was closed and the police searched
her baggage, then informed her and the
Baron that they were prisoners of war
For several weeks the great diva was in
carcerated in the hotel while a mob
daily thTeatened and cursed from out
side.
Finally the Government allowed the
two to leave, but insisted on keeping
their male servants as prisoners. Sol
diers conducted them to the railroad sta
ton to protect them against enraged
crowds gathered on the walk to hurl
stones at the woman who in former
years had had the homage of the cul-