Articles on Carlotta Patti and her forthcoming concert series

“Carlotta Patti, Jean Prune [sic] and Theodore Ritter will arrive in this city in a day or two, and will give their first concert at Steinway’s on the evening of the 20th. The portraits and biographies of the fair prima donna, so plentifully distributed, have already reminded the public of her pleasant features and successful career, and there is no doubt that the concerts in which she will appear will share with the Parepa operas the warmest regards of the musical public. We notice that the orchestra to be used at the Patti concerts will be conducted by Max Maretzek.”

“The Patti Concerts.—In addition to the very pleasant evenings that are guaranteed to us by the English and French opera companies, the musical attractions of the coming season are to be heightened by the concerts of Mlle. Carlotta Patti, who, in her way, has no superior here or in Europe. Her first appearance takes place at Steinway Hall next Saturday evening.

“During the period of her absence, she has, it is said, constantly progressed in her art, and stands now as a concert singer unsurpassed. Her assistants are [lists participants]. [Illegible sentence to close paragraph.]”

“Carlotta Patti, the Queen of Concert, after an absence of over six years in Europe, returns to this city, the scene of her first successful musical achievements, for the purpose of giving a short series of grand operatic concerts, in which she will be assisted by some of the most eminent artists of the age. The Patti concerts will be under the direct management of that shrewd diplomat of crotchets and quavers, Max Strakosch, whose long familiarity with the trying gamut of operatic ‘ups and downs,’ and whose successful operatic catering, both in this country and in Europe, warrants the prediction that the Patti concerts—from the well known disposition and desire of the strategic manager to please and the recognized ability and talent of those taking part therein—will prove one of the greatest musical successes, not to say sensations, of the day. Already the excitement in musical circles over the expected reappearance of Carlotta Patti has reached a high pitch, and present appearances indicate that the contemplated concerts will create a furor among our music-loving citizens equally as great as that which characterized the advent of Jenny Lind and Catharine Hayes in this city. Carlotta Patti left us years ago, when but a rising star in the musical firmament, and returns to us now in the maturity of her talent, improved by hard and constant study, and with the natural development of those rare and splendid qualities bestowed on her by nature and which seem to be the inheritance of her family. We know that before she left this country she was an exquisite singer. She comes back to us improved and in method and voice, and with a confidence in her merits sustained by a reputation which is not excelled by any concert singer in Europe. Added to the rare combination of talent, accomplishments and musical perfection, is a beauty of person peculiarly of her own, for Mlle. Patti is not only an excellent artists, she is a beautiful woman—a creation as pleasing and fascinating to look upon as to listen to. Nor does she return to us at an inopportune moment. For the past three years we have been haunted with the ghost of Italian and German opera; we have also been surfeited with the sparkling but demoralizing effervescence of opéra bouffe; the cancan and other Frenchified immoralities have been transplanted from the theatres to the drawing rooms; old and young, male and female, have to a certain extent suffered from the effects of the jingling, musical vulgarities of burlesque, while the ‘divine art,’ as well as the legitimate drama during that time has had to stand the shock of stage frippery, illusions and legs. Talent, culture and brains all this time have been forced to content itself with a back seat; but the advent of Carlotta Patti gives promise of a new departure. The demoralizing condition of affairs on the stage will doubtless undergo a reformation and improvement, and with such a voice as Patti’s to tune the public ear, vulgarity and even mediocrity in music must stand aside; for the public that has meritorious music of the highest order will not accept that of an inferior quality, nor will it countenance debasing spectacles.

“The inaugural concert of the Patti series is announced to come off at Steinway Hall on Saturday evening next, the 25th inst. The excitement in musical circles meanwhile has gone up to fever heat, and in order to give all those who desired it an opportunity of being present on the first night it was proposed to sell the seats at public auction, but Mr. Strakosch, deeming the time intervening between now and the first concert too short for any such indulgence, has concluded to sell the seats at the box office in the customary manner. Apropos of the sale of seats, we may mention that the box office at Steinway Hall will be opened this morning for that purpose. A magnificent programme has been prepared for the first night, which, in addition to Mlle. Patti, includes the names of such artists as: [lists performers and program highlights].

“By the above it will be seen that the programme for the inaugural concert contains quite enough in the way of choice selections, from the most popular composers, to satisfy even the most fastidious. It will also be observed that Mlle. Carlotta Patti—whose voice, by the by, ranges from the low do to four full octaves to the high la—will sing in three distinct styles: the first operatic, the second [illeg]tive and brilliant and the third religious. [Illeg…] present is is the intention of Mr. Strakosch to give but eight concerts in this city, after which Mlle. Patti and her company will favor the people of Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis and other Western cities in a similar manner, returning afterwards to New York. The concert nights, as far as announced, are: [lists dates]. On Tuesday, the 28th, an opportunity will be afforded the Brooklynites of hearing Mlle. Patti at their Academy of Music.

“[Brief biographical sketch of Patti’s early life and training.]

“[In 1861] Patti made her debut with eclat at the New York Academy of Music. Shortly afterwards, the war having disconcerted the projects which such a precocious talent had induced the family of Patti to plan out, Carlotta sailed for Europe, where her sister Adelina had already acquired a wide reputation. The rest of her career is well known. During her six years abroad she has given over 1,200 concerts in the principal cities of Europe, everywhere meeting with the most flattering success and creating unprecedented furors.”

“About ten years ago a French writer named d’Alembert returned to Paris after a brief tour through the United States, and in a small volume of sketches offered to the public the results of his voyage. We have but a dim recollection of the larger portion of the work, but that part of it coming under the caption of ‘Art in America’ commended itself to us so strongly by its lightness as to be remembered much longer than the passages preceding and following it. It consisted of a half a dozen pages covered with stars, and illustrative of the perfect ignorance of the American people on all subjects pertaining to art. Without pausing to discuss the then validity of the charge, it is worth while noting, so far as music and the drama are concerned, that, with a very few exceptions, the best actors, the best singers and the best plays listened to by European audiences have been introduced here with a degree of enterprise that show the confidence of a few business men [sic], at least, in the unreliability of the indulgent writer alluded to above. During the past three years, Italy has sent us Ristori, Germany Janauschek and Dawison, France its Opera-bouffe artistes, and England its blondes, though we can hardly believe the latter to be the choicest products of that country. Fechter and Rossi will come upon us of a sudden. Musicians and singers and musicians have been and will be numerous, too, and the news of fresh engagements of known artistes is flashed under the deep from day to day. Adelina Patti is to sing here in 1871, and Nilsson sooner. Capoul’s services have been secured, and in him local dilettanti will recognize a tenor di grazia of rare merit. A vanguard of lyric artistes, in fact, has already arrived, and the Carlotta Patti [sic, no small caps] concerts, the first of which is take place [sic] on Saturday evening, are to introduce the new comers. So many years have gone by since Mlle. Carlotta Patti was heard in the United States that she is really to be looked upon as a stranger of whose position in art much has been written abroad, and been reëchoed by the all-recording Press at home. Since 1863 she has traveled throughout Europe, and her marvelous voice, constantly improved by study and practice, has been applauded in every capital. She returns to us now—like most of the artistes we are to greet hereafter, none of whom care to depend on the indulgence or incompetency of the public to make of a visit to the United States a kind of ante-mortem act—in the fulness [sic] of her powers, and is assured of a cordial welcome. An eminent pianist, M. Theodore Ritter, accompanies her, and a violinist of note, M. Jehin Prume. It seems to us that the present concert season could hardly be commenced with more brilliancy than by the performances of such a songstress as Mlle. Carlotta Patti. She is first of a host whose frequent trips to this country will make of New York, now that time and space are all but annihilated, the sister city, as regards are of London and Paris. A special schedule of admission prices, printed elsewhere, has been adopted by Mr. Strakosch, director of her entertainments.”

“The interest in these forthcoming entertainments is unusually great, and there is every reason to believe that the attendance at Steinway Hall to-morrow night will be very large and brilliant. The price of admission has been fixed at one dollar, reserved seats being fifty cents and one dollar extra, according to location. Only four concerts are announced, at each of which Prume, the violinist, and Ritter, the classical pianist, will appear. Mr. Habelmann, the tenor, has also been engaged.

“Carlotta Patti, after an absence of over five years, comes back to us with as wide a reputation as any concert singer living. Under the management of Ullmann and Strakosch she has sung in all the principal cities of Europe, and has [illeg.; possibly “elsewhere”] been received with the most cordial enthusiasm. Before she left this country she was a most brilliant vocalist; but, of course, she will now be doubly appreciated because of her foreign successes.”

Brief. “Is it Just the Thing for the manager of the Carlotta Patti’s concerts [sic] to put Carlotta in small letters on his posters and Patti in very large types? Isn’t it taking advantage of our own little Patti’s great popularity to bring forward Carlotta?”