Adeline Patti is considered one of the best opera singers of all time, and not just the end of the XIX - beginning of XX centuries, when she lived. Amazing voice, amazing fate. Thanks to the miracle of sound recording, her contemporaries can also appreciate her singing. The coloratura soprano of the opera diva was desired in all theaters of the world. The press spared no colors, calling the voice of the composer's favorite prima Giuseppe Verdi hypnotic. In Russia, the ardent fans of her vocals were composers Serov and Tchaikovsky. She was lucky in life. Each performance is a full house, each tour is a furor, its fees were once considered the highest in the world.
Perhaps, for a modern reader, such concentrated lines of success will make them smile sourly and stop reading, but do not rush. This article is not about success, but about a living person. Insanely talented, impressionable, sincere, sacrificial. She, like no other, was indifferent to her fame, serving her art all her life in such a way that she could become an example for many contemporary performers.
Adeline's family
The parents of the future world star are professional opera singers. She had two older sisters: Amalia and Carlotta, as well as her older brother Carl. The fourth was born into the family of Patti Adeline. Her biography in childhood shows an unexpected and powerful manifestation of talent.
Her mother, the owner of a bright soprano, performed Norma at the Royal Madrid Opera just a few hours before giving birth. After the birth, Katerina Barilliās voice was lost forever, in the future she could no longer sing professionally. The girlās father, tenor Salvatore Patti, earned money in Spain, which was barely enough to make ends meet.
When did the Patti family decide to emigrate to the New World? Everything changed the case. Imagine the shock of mother when, six years after the birth of Adeline, she went to the nursery door and froze. She heard the absolute aria of Norma performed by her tiny daughter, absolute for any connoisseur, deeply felt and impeccable in terms of technique. The singer, who left the stage, could not open the door; she silently stood in tears, being deeply shocked by her daughter's voice. It can not be!
Soon, the family council decided to emigrate to the United States.
America. The success of the child prodigy
In the New World, Adeline Patti from the very first days became a celebrity, in fact, becoming the nurse of the family. Itās no joke, 300 full-fledged concerts for seven-year-old crumbs in 4 years (from 1850 to 1854)! Absolute hearing and brilliant memory allowed the "little Florinda" to remember any aria, just listening to it a few times. She was known and loved not only on the continent, but also on the Antilles, in Cuba.
God was favorable to her: with such a load, it happens that even adult singers lose their voice, but Adele still retained it. An amazing girl with sad childish eyes and a respectful desire was able to make everyone reckon with her not as a child prodigy, but as an adult singer. She perfectly understood that speaking in the same spirit was temporary. As soon as her family corrected her financial condition, the girl inspiredly began to prepare for the next stage of her career.
Girl singer
Under the guidance of a cousin-musician, the husband of his elder sister, for four years brilliantly masters 19 new Ariel Patti arias. Her biography says that the professionalism of the girl was recognized by the American public. Before the young singer opened the stage of theaters of the New World. Opera connoisseurs from the United States were delighted with her performance level of Luciaās aria in Donizettiās opera of the same name. Music critics realized: in America, vocal talent of a global scale shone.
In confirmation of her professionalism, along with another prima Emma Albany, Adeline was awarded a special honor. They were invited to Montreal to solo at the world premiere of Carl Sabatier's cantata, dedicated to the Prince of Wales.
A range exceeding 3 octaves, flexibility in voice control and natural beauty have earned ardent fans. She sang only what she liked. Spectators always saw only her real laughter and real tears. The girl charged her entire energy with her energy. However, experienced prima could envy the hardness of her character: what was started should be finished.
European scenes
Feeling the power of her gift, the girl decided to do what her parents did not succeed: to receive world recognition. In 1861, Adeline Patti performed triumphantly in London, Paris and Berlin. The singer of sixteen years with a crystal-clear, capable of expressing everything in her voice subdued the Europeans who knew a lot about art. She was invited to Covent Garden to play the role of Amina in Bellini's Sonnambul.
Her crystal-clear voice glided smoothly between the octaves, expressing the very soul of the work. It seemed that, technically, he had no limits: during the performance of the arias, this little fairy of the scene either reproduced the clarinet playing in her voice, or brilliantly imitated the nightingale's singing. But most importantly, while performing the lyrics, she knew how to touch the strings of the soul, so much so that she made people in the hall cry.
Having achieved success in Europe, the singer was still in demand by the American public. A troubled life awaited her: concerts either on one side of the Atlantic or on the other ...
Woman is a symbol of time
As follows from the biography of the singer, in public she always appeared in chic and expensive outfits. Portraits of Adeline Patti at the end of the XIX century adorned many fashion stores. Her admiration was characteristic of the human community of the 19th century. And that is a fact. Proof of this can serve as literary works of writers - her contemporaries. Oscar Wilde mentioned her in Dorian Gray, Emil Zola in the novel Nana, Jules Verne in the novel Village in Tritops.
Wonderful salvation
One of the days of 1862 turned her life upside down. Of the dozens of crew and hundreds and hundreds of people and passengers on the Hamburg-New York steamboat, only a few survived. Among the roaring and billowing storm waves of the harsh Atlantic, three tried to survive: a slender black-haired girl and two sailors.
The poor thing had completely left her strength, she put up with the thought of death and began to say goodbye to one of them. He cut her off rudely: āStop squealing with fear, youāll get it in the face. While I am alive, you will not die. ā He kept her in the waves as he could. Fortunately, the sea calmed down, and the crew of a sailing ship sailed by the disaster.
In the future, this day was considered her second birthday Adeline Patti. Music has now become everything to her. A young woman, hitherto drunk with success, in the face of death, revised her views on life.
New performances
Glory, money became something secondary for her. She, for whom wealth already meant little, seemed to find a taste in the cut of her talent. And everyone soon felt this, even the salon gossips discussing her outfits. It was at this stage that she was called the best singer in the world and the great composer Verdi began to write parts for her, calling her "the best singer in the history of opera" and "an unsurpassed artist." By the way, in his opinion he was not alone, he was supported by numerous music critics.
However, another composer - Rossini, a staunch supporter of Italian classics, sharply criticized, no, not Adeline's vocals, - a modification, a change in the canonical arias by her accompanist and cousin Strakosh.
In the same 1862, Patti performed the parts from "Payne's House" by John Howard in the White House for US President Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary. The president could not stand it and burst into tears: Adeline's expressive voice resonated with his feelings, the feelings of his father, who had lost his son Willy, who died of typhus.
Even modern music critics admit that Adeline Patti owned one of the best sopranos in history due to the remarkable purity of her lyric voice and the unrealistic quality of the belcanto technique.
Performances in Russia
In the years 1869-1877. prima has repeatedly performed in both Russian capitals. Outstanding artists and high society considered it an honor to visit her concerts. Theaters were crowded, tickets sold out instantly. Thousands of views were attracted by a āchiseled small figure, with a profile precisely carved from ivoryā, as K. Stanislavsky wrote about it.
L. Tolstoy mentioned her popularity in Russia in āAnna Kareninaā, when the main character was promised to get a ticket to the box for a concert of āItalian-French primaā. Composers Pyotr Ivanovich Tchaikovsky and Alexander Nikolaevich Serov considered her the best on the opera stage (it is difficult to disagree with such experts). Tchaikovsky wrote:
Ms. Patti, in all fairness, has been taking first place for many years among all vocal celebrities ... This is one of the few chosen ones who can be ranked among the first-class of first-class aristocratic personalities.
She was extolled and admired by her. Once, during a concert in Belokamennaya, the singer touched the stage lamp with the sleeve of her dress, and it flared up. Vigilant fans instantly put out it. However, the audience did not leave the burnt clothing flakes to lie on the stage, but grabbed it as souvenirs.
However, not all Russian musicians were of the opinion that it was Adeline Patti who sets the canons of their contemporary opera. Mussorgsky ("Raek", a satirical play) among many of the mentioned ossified Russian and foreign cultural figures ironically mentioned this prima in the aspect of her stay in his world, in a state of "voluptuous self-satisfaction".
The last stage of the opera career
Her contribution to opera is undeniable. Almost all her life she was in the focus of Adeline Patti's listening sympathies. The awards of the British Royal Court and the Swedish throne indicate:
- Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society (1895).
- Medal of Literature and Art (1900).
Even during maturity, one must pay tribute, she constantly changed her repertoire. The audience did not cease to be amazed at the novelty of her images: she applauded Guilda in Rigoletto, the title part of Semiramis, Zerlina from Don Giovanni and Violetta from La Traviata.
In 1893, at her request, composer Emilio Pizzi wrote an opera with the main part of Gabriella for the world premiere in Boston.
Singer Patty made her only unsuccessful tour in the USA 10 years later! Her voice could not withstand super-intense concert loads. However, even after this prima performed separate arias at private concerts.
Her last significant performance took place on October 24, 1914 at a charity concert to help the victims of World War I, a Red Cross concert in London Albert Hall.
However, some music critics agree that, having the perfect technique, at the final stage of her opera and concert career, the singer no longer tried to create an exclusive on-stage, she turned into the usual conservative āacademicā prima with the perfect technique. She maintained her popularity through the performance of sentimental arias with catchy tunes, which were predictably liked by the army of her fans.
Sound recording
Patti's surviving voice recordings date back to 1905-1906. and made by Gramophone & Typewriter (predecessor of EMI Records). However, it was the voice of prima, who, due to her age (60 years), was far from the peak of her artistic form. However, experts, in spite of the decreased respiratory range, from the records can appreciate the purity of her voice and the skill of Belcanto. The singerās voice is bewitching, and you can only imagine what it was like when prima earned fabulous fees.
Personal life
Adelene Patti was known as a passionate lady with a choleric character. The biography, the personal life of the singer bear the stamp of her natural temperament. Few people know, but she was a virtuoso not only on the stage, but also at the pool table. The first male prima is considered tenor Mario. Subsequently, being the mistress of Henri de Lossi, Baron Ville, the prima was married three times. The first husband of the singer, since 1877, was Henry de Roger de Causac (Marquis Co.). Both had connections on the side, and the marriage soon broke up (in 1885). Moreover, the ex-husband behaved selfishly and revengefully: half of her condition was seized from prima.
The second spouse since 1886 for Patty was the French tenor Ernesto Nicolini. This union was interrupted due to the death of the singer. He could have become happy, perhaps if children had appeared in him. However, the touring lifestyle of the diva did not allow their family happiness to happen.
Adelineās third husband since 1899 was the Swedish aristocrat Baron Rolf Sƶderstrƶm, a handsome man, much younger than the singer. The Swede married an aging diva of convenience. The couple settled in South Wales, where Patti acquired the castle of Craig-i-Noss. An outlet for the singerās soul was a small private theater built according to her plan, as well as a chic billiard table, at current prices costing more than one hundred thousand dollars. After the death of the famous wife, Cederstrom did not stay long as a widower, almost immediately marrying a younger woman. She bore him a daughter, who became the heiress of the whole state.
Sponsorship and Patronage
With a rather hectic personal life, the singer did not have her children. However, she loved and cared for her nephews, not sparing money for their education. Those, like aunt, devoted themselves to art:
- famous actress and singer Broadway Patti Lupont;
- popular musician Scott Davurs;
- Welsh opera singer Lisa Dark (wife of tenor Ernesto Nicolini).
At the place of her last residence, the singer financed the construction of a railway station. A well-known winter garden was also created at her expense.
Last years
She lived her life in good old England, a country of classics, a country of observing traditions. Prima is beautifully aged, which is extremely rare. She never lost her main wealth - a wonderful voice.
Patti died in her castle, but then was reburied in the famous Paris cemetery of Pere Lachaise. In her last days, the prima wrote without pretense:
Do not think that I accepted the kindness shown to me by the whole world, and many of the honors that I was honored for are well deserved by me. I know that this is only a tribute for the gift God has sent me, and I only used this gift of God.
Conclusion
Even today on YouTube, we can download and listen to the recordings of her voice. Against the background of the light cod of imperfect equipment, one can hear that it owns it to an even greater extent than many modern divas. I canāt believe that these records were made by a 60-year-old lady! (Only when she was at a respectable age, such a technique appeared). What brilliant and captivating Adeline went on stage at 30 !? We can only imagine this by reading the memoirs of her contemporaries.
Adeline Patti ... Embodying the golden age of theatrical art, the one to whom standing up applauded the audience of all the capitals of the world, the one about whom the sympathetic Jacques Offenbach wrote the lines:
I hasten to see divas in the capital, embodying the boiling of passions on the stage. I love Patty in Don Pasquale and Teresa in Minesweeper.
Adeline Patti became the symbol of her era. Photos of her portraits reflect spirituality and the beauty of an elegant, slender and beautiful brunette with amazingly lively, expressive eyes even on the canvas. There is no reason not to trust such an expert in opera as Giuseppe Verdi is considered. And he said that before us is one of the real queens of the classical scene, one of the representatives of the best soprano in the world for all time!