PATTI AND HER SHOES--PATTI SEIZED FOR DEBT--FLIGHT OF GERSTER--CONFLICT
AT CHICAGO--BOUQUETS OUT OF SEASON--CINCINNATI FLOODS--ABBEY'S
COLLAPSE--RESOLVE TO GO WEST.
Notwithstanding the successful performances, which I continued to give,
the receipts never reached the amount of the expenditure--as is
invariably the case when two Opera-houses are contending in the same
city.
So bent was Mr. Abbey on my total annihilation that in each town I
intended visiting during the tour at the close of the season I found his
company announced. I, therefore, resolved as far as possible to steal a
march upon him. I altered most of my arrangements, anticipating my
Philadelphia engagement by five weeks, and opening on the 18th December.
Mdme. Patti appeared in _Ernani_ to a 10,000-dollar house, Mdme. Gerster
performing "Linda" the following night to almost equally large receipts.
_Semiramide_ likewise brought a very large house. From Philadelphia we
went to Boston, where, unfortunately, the booking was not at all great,
it not being our usual time for visiting that city. Moreover, I had to
go to the Globe Theatre. On the second night of our engagement we
performed _La Traviata_. That afternoon, about two o'clock, Patti's
agent called upon me to receive the 5,000 dollars for her services that
evening. I was at low water just then, and inquiring at the
booking-office found that I was L200 short. All I could offer Signor
Franchi was the trifle of L800 as a payment on account.
The agent declined the money, and formally announced to me that my
contract with Mdme. Patti was at an end. I accepted the inevitable,
consoling myself with the reflection that, besides other good artists in
my company, I had now L800 to go on with.
Two hours afterwards Signor Franchi reappeared.
"I cannot understand," he said, "how it is you get on so well with prime
donne, and especially with Mdme. Patti. You are a marvellous man, and a
fortunate one, too, I may add. Mdme. Patti does not wish to break her
engagement with you, as she certainly would have done with anyone else
under the circumstances. Give me the L800 and she will make every
preparation for going on to the stage. She empowers me to tell you that
she will be at the theatre in good time for the beginning of the opera,
and that she will be ready dressed in the costume of "Violetta," with
the exception only of the shoes. You can let her have the balance when
the doors open and the money comes in from the outside public; and
directly she receives it she will put her shoes on and at the proper
moment make her appearance on the stage." I thereupon handed him the
L800 I had already in hand as the result of subscriptions in advance. "I
congratulate you on your good luck," said Signor Franchi as he departed
with the money in his pocket.
After the opening of the doors I had another visit from Signor Franchi.
By this time an extra sum of L160 had come in. I handed it to my
benevolent friend, and begged him to carry it without delay to the
obliging prima donna, who, having received L960, might, I thought, be
induced to complete her toilette pending the arrival of the L40 balance.
Nor was I altogether wrong in my hopeful anticipations. With a beaming
face Signor Franchi came back and communicated to me the joyful
intelligence that Mdme. Patti had got one shoe on. "Send her the L40,"
he added, "and she will put on the other."
Ultimately the other shoe was got on; but not, of course, until the last
L40 had been paid. Then Mdme. Patti, her face radiant with benignant
smiles, went on to the stage; and the opera already begun was continued
brilliantly until the end.
Mdme. Adelina Patti is beyond doubt the most successful singer who ever
lived. Vocalists as gifted, as accomplished as she might be named, but
no one ever approached her in the art of obtaining from a manager the
greatest possible sum he could by any possibility contrive to pay.
Mdlle. Titiens was comparatively careless on points of this kind; Signor
Mario equally so.
I am certainly saying very little when I advance the proposition that
Mdme. Patti has frequently exacted what I will content myself with
describing as extreme terms. She has, indeed, gone beyond this, for I
find from my tables of expenditure for the New York season of 1883 that,
after paying Mdme. Patti her thousand pounds, and distributing a few
hundreds among the other members of the company, I had only from 22 to
23 dollars per night left on the average for myself.
Mdme. Patti's fees--just twenty times what was thought ample by Signor
Mario and by Mdlle. Titiens, than whom no greater artists have lived in
our time--was payable to Mdme. Patti at two o'clock on the day of
representation.
From Boston we went to Montreal, opening there on Christmas Eve,
operatically the worst day in the year; when Mdme. Gerster's receipts
for _La Sonnambula_ were very light. We afterwards performed _Elisir
d'Amore_, and on Friday, the 4th January, Mdme. Patti made her _debut_
before as bad a house as Gerster's.
Soon afterwards the most money-making of prime donne was, without being
aware of it at the time, seized for debt. It happened in this manner.
From Boston we had travelled to Montreal, where, by the way, through the
mistake of an agent, gallery seats were charged at the rate of five
dollars instead of one. On reaching the Montreal railway station we were
met by a demand on the part of the railway company for 300 dollars. The
train had been already paid for; but this was a special charge for
sending the Patti travelling car along the line. I, of course, resisted
the claim, and the more energetically inasmuch as I had not 300 dollars
in hand. I could only get the money by going up to the theatre and
taking it from the receipts.
Meanwhile the sheriffs were upon me; and the Patti travelling car, with
Adelina asleep inside, was attached, seized, and ultimately shunted into
a stable, of which the iron gates were firmly closed.
There was no room for argument or delay. All I had to do was to get the
money; and hurrying to the theatre I at once procured it. Unconscious of
her imprisoned condition, Mdme. Patti was still asleep when I took the
necessary steps for rescuing from bondage the car which held her.
The public of Montreal, more gracious than the railway authorities,
received us with enthusiasm. An immense ice palace was erected just
opposite the hotel at which we were staying; and the architecture of the
building, and especially the manner in which the blocks of ice were
placed one above the other and then soldered together, interested me
much. The ice blocks were consolidated by the agency of heat. Hot water
was applied to the points of contact, and the ice thus liquefied left to
freeze.
We afterwards returned to New York, performing there the first three
weeks of January, business still being very light indeed; and it was not
until my benefit night, on the 18th, that a fine house was secured, when
over 11,000 dollars were taken. After giving a Sunday concert we left
for Philadelphia, where I arranged for three special performances, it
being three days before Mr. Abbey's arrival there with his Opera troupe.
The three performances were extremely successful. We afterwards left for
Baltimore.
On arriving there Mdme. Gerster accidentally saw a playbill in which
Mdme. Patti's name was larger than hers; further, that they were
charging only five dollars for her appearance, whilst they demanded
seven dollars for the Patti nights. Without one moment's warning, and
unbeknown even to her husband, the lady went to the station and entered
the train for New York. When dinner-time arrived Dr. Gardini was in a
great state, as his wife was nowhere to be found, and it was by mere
accident one of the chorus told me that he had seen her going in the
direction of the railway station.
I thereupon telegraphed to Wilmington--the first station at which her
train would stop--requesting her to return, as all matters had been
arranged. There was no train by which she could get back. But through
the kindness of the manager of the road, who happened to be in
Baltimore, a telegraphic despatch was sent to Wilmington to detain the
express--in which unfortunately Patti happened to be seated--until the
arrival of Gerster's train, so that she could return immediately in time
for the performance. I afterwards learned that Mdme. Patti, on inquiring
the cause of the delay, was excessively angry at being detained for
upwards of three-quarters of an hour on account of Mdme. Gerster.
Nicolini was enraged for a different reason. He had ordered a sumptuous
dinner at our hotel, where there was a new _chef_; and he knew that,
having to wait for Mdme. Patti, his terrapin and his canvas-back duck
would be spoiled.
All endeavours to induce Mdme. Gerster to enter a train in which the
state-room was occupied by Mdme. Patti were useless, and I afterwards
received a telegram that she had gone on to New York.
I thereupon put up the following announcement at the opening of the
doors, not wishing to make a scandal:--"Owing to the non-arrival of
Mdme. Gerster from New York she will be unable to appear this evening.
The opera of _Ernani_ will be substituted. Money will be returned to
those desiring it."
In a short time the entire Opera was closely packed with ladies in full
evening dress. All were in a high state of excitement, and seemed unable
to decide what to do, whether to go into the theatre or take their
carriages and return home. The ladies shrugged their shoulders, and the
gentlemen gesticulated indignantly, looking at me as if they would like
to say something forcible but impolite. "Outrage!" "disgrace!"
"shameful!" and other excited utterances born of polite anger were heard
on all sides. About one-third of the indignant ones left the theatre,
whilst the balance remained to hear _Ernani_, which was exceedingly well
played. Two minutes after the curtain rose on _Ernani_ I hurried down to
the railway station and entered the train for New York in quest of the
fugitive prima donna. As I had eaten nothing from early morn I was
placed in a very disagreeable position. I could not get even a glass of
water or a piece of bread until some six or seven o'clock the next
morning.
On reaching New York I went in quest of Mdme. Gerster at all the likely
places, and at length discovered her at her brother's. It took the whole
of the day to get things into shape, and I succeeded towards night in
bringing back the truant, and inducing her to appear the following day,
at a _matinee_, in _L'Elisir d'Amore_, when she attracted an enormous
audience.
I was placed in great difficulty with regard to the public and the
press, knowing that the reports would be greatly exaggerated, and injure
the business in all the other cities to which we were going. I
thereupon circulated the news that Mdme. Gerster's baby in New York had
taken a cold in its stomach, and that she had been hurriedly sent for.
This got repeated during the next four or five weeks in the papers at
all the cities we visited, and afterwards gradually died out.
Before leaving Baltimore I had a bill presented to me for return of
money in consequence of the Gerster disappointment as follows:--
Two opera tickets at five dollars ... $10.00
Carriage ... ... ... ... 5.00
Gloves ... ... ... ... 2.50
Necktie ... ... ... ... 0.25
Overlooking and pressing a dress suit 3.00
Flowers for _her_ corsage ... ... 3.00
Two return tickets ... ... 14.00
------
Total ... ... ... $37.75
Legal proceedings were resorted to, but I ultimately settled the matter
by giving a private box for our next visit.
On arriving at Chicago we found ourselves not only in the same town with
our rivals, but also in the same hotel.
Such a galaxy of talent had never before been congregated together under
one roof. The ladies consisted of Adelina Patti, Etelka Gerster,
Christine Nilsson, Fursch-Madi, Sembrich, Trebelli, and Scalchi, whose
rooms were all along the same corridor.
It was here that our great battle began; and I have much satisfaction in
quoting the following account of the conflict from a leading journal:--
"The Mapleson season opened with a brilliant house on Monday evening.
The opera and cast were not very strong for an opening night, but
Patti's name proves a drawing card on all occasions, and she was given a
flattering reception as she once more presented herself to Chicago.
_Crispino_ is not a strong opera, the music being of the lightest order.
She was finely supported by the other artists. Mdme. Etelka Gerster as
'Adina' was very charming; she appeared the following evening in _Elisir
d'Amore_. At the rival house Ponchielli's _La Gioconda_ attracted a
large but not a crowded audience on the opening night. Both Opera
Companies continued vigorously throughout the week, giving a series of
the finest performances. The palm must readily be awarded to Mr.
Mapleson's able management, as Mr. Abbey closed probably the
worst-managed opera season Chicago had ever had. It opened amidst a
flourish of trumpets, which heralded great conquests, but the results
did not justify the reports."
I must now mention that when I organized the first Cincinnati Festival I
stipulated with the Directors, in case of any repetitions, that the
terms should be the same, and that I should have the sole control. The
three preceding Festivals had been given under my direction, with
distinguished success, and with large profits. But I now found that
here, too, Mr. Abbey had stepped in and secured the great Festival for
himself. It was useless going to law with a body of directors. I,
therefore, trusted to injustice meeting with its own reward, as it
inevitably does. I could illustrate this by many hundreds of cases.
I now hastened to conclude engagements for another Opera Festival at Mr.
Fennessy's elegant theatre--one of the most beautiful in Cincinnati--in
order that Mr. Abbey might not have the whole affair to himself.
The sale of seats for my contemplated performances at Cincinnati the
following week opened grandly, no less than 235 seats being sold for the
whole series quite early in the day. The number had increased before the
close of the office to 653, the total sale realizing L6,000 (30,000
dollars). Bills were duly posted announcing for the opening night
Meyerbeer's _Huguenots_, with Nicolini as "Raoul," Galassi as "St.
Bris," Sivori as "Nevers," Cherubini as "Marcel," Josephine Yorke as
"The Page," Etelka Gerster as "The Queen," and Patti as "Valentine."
This, it seemed to me, was presenting a bold front against anything Mr.
Abbey might produce.
About this time grave rumours got into circulation with regard to Mr.
Abbey's losses. It oozed out that prior to the entry of his Company
into Cincinnati he had dropped on the road some 53,000 dollars.
The Abbey Company opened their season at Chicago with _Gioconda_. But
the tenor was bad, and the principal female part quite unsuited to Mdme.
Christine Nilsson, so that little or no effect was made. I opened with
_Crispino_, Adelina Patti appearing in the principal _role_; which was
followed by _L'Elisir d'Amore_, with Gerster. On the third night _Les
Huguenots_ was performed, with Mdme. Patti as "Valentine," and Mdme.
Gerster as the "Queen," when the following scene occurred:--
Prior to the commencement of the opera numbers of very costly bouquets
and lofty set pieces had been sent into the vestibule according to
custom for Mdme. Patti, whilst only a small basket of flowers had been
received for presentation to Mdme. Gerster. Under ordinary circumstances
it is the duty of the prima donna's agent to notify to the
stall-keepers, or ushers, as they are called in America, the right
moment for handing up the bouquets on to the stage. That evening Mdme.
Patti's agent was absent, and at the close of the first act, during
which "Valentine" has scarcely a note to sing, whilst the "Queen" has
much brilliant music to execute, he was nowhere to be found. There was a
general call at the close of the act for the seven principal artists. At
that moment the stall-ushers, having no one to direct their movements,
rushed frantically down the leading aisles with their innumerable
bouquets and set pieces, passing them across to Arditi, who sometimes
could scarcely lift them. Reading the address on the card attached to
each offering, he continued passing the flowers to Mdme. Patti. This
lasted several minutes, the public meanwhile getting impatient.
At length, when these elaborate presentations to Mdme. Patti had been
brought to an end, a humble little basket addressed to Mdme. Gerster was
passed up, upon which the whole house broke out into ringing cheers,
which continued some minutes. This _contretemps_ had the effect of
seriously annoying Mdme. Patti, who, at the termination of the opera,
made a vow that she would never again perform in the same work with
Mdme. Gerster.
Mdme. Patti had braced herself up sufficiently to go through the
performance in very dramatic style. But after the fall of the curtain,
when she had time to think of the ludicrous position in which she had
been placed, she became hysterical.
On returning to her hotel she threw herself on to the ground and kicked
and struggled in such a manner that it was only with the greatest
difficulty she could be got to bed. The stupidity of the "ushers" seemed
to her so outrageous that she could scarcely accept it as sufficient
explanation of the folly committed in sending up her bouquets, her
baskets, and her floral devices of various kinds at the wrong moment. At
one time when she was in a comedy vein, she would exclaim: "It is all
that Mapleson;" and she actually did me the honour to say that I had
arranged the scene in order to lower her value in the eyes of the
public, and secure her for future performances at reduced rates.
Then she would take a serious, not to say tragic view of the matter, and
attribute the misadventure to the maleficent influence of Gerster. The
amiable Etelka possessed, according to her brilliant but superstitious
rival, the evil eye; and after the affair of the bouquets no misfortune
great or small happened, but it was attributed by Mdme. Patti to the
malignant spirit animating Mdme. Gerster. If anything went wrong, from a
false note in the orchestra to an earthquake, it was always, according
to the divine Adelina, caused by Gerster and her "evil eye." "Gerster!"
was her first exclamation when she found the earth shaking beneath her
at San Francisco.
Far from endeavouring to cure her of her childish superstitions,
Nicolini encouraged her, and, in all probability, took part himself in
her quaint delusions.
Whenever Gerster's name was mentioned, whenever her presence was in any
way suggested, Mdme. Patti made with her fingers the horn which is
supposed to counteract or avert the effect of the evil eye; and once,
when the two rivals were staying at the same hotel, Mdme. Patti, passing
in the dark the room occupied by Mdme. Gerster, extended her first and
fourth fingers in the direction of the supposed sorceress; when she
found herself nearly tapping upon the forehead of Mdme. Gerster's
husband, Dr. Gardini, who, at that moment, was putting his boots out
before going to bed.
Two days before the close of the Chicago engagement grave rumours
reached me from Cincinnati, where we were due the following Monday.
Great floods had set in, and the water was still rising daily, and,
indeed, hourly.
I received frequent telegraphic reports as to the sad effects of the
flood, and I at last found it necessary to postpone our departure until
the following day, hoping the water might then begin to recede.
On learning the state of things Mdme. Patti refused absolutely to enter
the train now in readiness, and several of the other artists followed
her example. The water still kept rising, and it at last reached the
extraordinary height of 64 feet.
Cincinnati, I learned, was placed in total darkness through the gas
works being submerged. The inhabitants were compelled to burn candles
and oil lamps in order to obtain light, whilst the city was isolated
from every other part of America. I was, moreover, informed by the
railway authorities there was great uncertainty as to the train ever
being able to reach the city at all. No Festival could possibly be given
where such utter desolation existed; where the public was so far removed
from everything festive.
I therefore telegraphed Manager Fennessy to postpone my week's visit
until the 31st of the following month, and I now saw no alternative but
to stay at Chicago, though I had no engagements whatever, and had all
the people on my hands. On conversing with Mdme. Patti and Mdme. Gerster
I found that they both sympathized with the sufferers from this sad
calamity. I therefore decided that in lieu of attempting to get money
out of the ill-fated city, it was our duty to raise funds and transmit
them to the sufferers as speedily as possible. With that view I
organized a morning performance in all haste at Chicago, in which both
Mdme. Patti and Mdme. Gerster took part. The public accorded the most
generous support. Henry Irving, who was staying in our hotel, gave L20
for a box with his usual characteristic liberality; and I had the
pleasure of remitting the very next day to the Mayor of Cincinnati
upwards of L1,200.
In order to keep the band and chorus employed, I arranged to perform for
three nights at Minneapolis, which, although a considerable distance
off, I determined to try. I therefore ordered my special train to be in
readiness for our departure.
We opened at Minneapolis during the latter part of the week, giving the
three performances to excellent business. Whilst there I heard fresh
reports as to Abbey's losses, both at the Metropolitan Opera-house, and
likewise on his tour.
On taking up the newspapers I found it stated that Mr. Abbey had lost
nearly 239,000 dollars, and that he was, in fact, compelled to retire
from his management.
Although Mr. Abbey had treated me anything but handsomely, I felt some
regret at hearing of the downfall of this not very clever showman. It
was a struggle between money and ability, his object being to put me out
of the way, so that his new enterprise might have no opposition to
encounter. My singers, musicians, and _employes_ had been hired away
from me at double, treble, and quadruple salaries. From Nilsson down to
the call-boy, all had been tempted, and many led away. When my people
came in to me and said: "What shall I do? he is offering me four times
my salary," I replied: "My dear people, go by all means; you are sure to
come back to me next season."
I had myself run very close to the wind throughout all this business,
and but for great care and some judgment should have been ruined.
After the morning performance which closed our engagement at
Minneapolis, our special train had to travel for 36 hours to reach St.
Louis, where we opened on the following Monday.
There was great excitement at St. Louis about the performance of _Les
Huguenots_, announced for the Thursday following, in which Patti and
Gerster were to appear together in their respective parts. But in
consequence of Mdme. Patti's declaration that she would never sing with
Gerster again in any opera, I had to change the bill, much to the
annoyance of the public and to my own loss.
I will now mention something that occurred during the latter part of my
visit to St. Louis.
Finding business not so flourishing as it would have been but for this
irritating rivalry of Abbey's, also that Mdme. Patti's engagement
included only fifty guaranteed nights during the five months over which
the engagement extended, I concluded to give her a rest of some three or
four weeks, inasmuch as she had already sung nearly two-thirds of the
guaranteed number of times, and I had ample time to work out the
remainder. I also resolved to start the Company far away out of the
reach of Mr. Abbey to the wealthy San Francisco. Our exchequer was sadly
in need of replenishment. Mdme. Gerster consented to remain with me, but
only on condition that Mdme. Patti kept away. Finding this suited my
purpose, I agreed to it.