THE DEATH OF MADAME PATEY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1156, 27 April 1894, Page 27

THE DEATH OF MADAME PATEY.

From Our Special Correspondent. London, March 2. Tho death of Madame Patey, the famous contralto, who recently visited you, was very sudden, occurring almost on the concert platform. She had resolved to retire, and was making a farewell tour of the provinces. Everywhere the old favourite met

with a cordial, even an effectionate, recep-

tion, and the excitement of bidding goodbye to audience after audience no doubt tried her already weakened constitution severely. At Sheffield on Tuesday eve the large assemblage was specially enthusiastic. Madame Patey in fine voice first sang Handel's "O Rest in the Lord" (considered by many her greatest artistic triumph). A double encore resulted, the last song being "Allan Water/ 5 While singing it, the vocalist staggered, and seemed in pain, but managed to get out the final words " There a corpse lay she." Assisted from the plat- * form, Madame Patey fell into a state of coma. Doctors were sent for, but sho sank

rapidly, and died a few hours later. Tho cause of death was apoplexy, brought on

by excitement. As explaining tho sad occurrence, tho following extract from the Sheffield Telegraph, of course printed before the death took place, will be read with painful interest -.—When Madame Patey finally quits the concert platform (as quit it she will at the close of tho present s:ason), upon which so many of her successes have been. made, remembrances will long remain of the glorious voice and incomparable style of the vocalist who established her reputa-

tion, not only as a ballad singer, but as an. exponent of tho highest forms of sacred music. Tho sympathetic influence exercised by Madame Patey upon the> public belonged in some measure to hev personality, but more account must ba taken of a voice, tho most touching in quality that wo can call to mind. Its very tones spoke of feeling, and it had peculiar ' richness, sonorousness and volume,, to which were added beautiful expression and every artistic elegance. With such resources, Madame Patey could, and did, hold her audiences captive. Who amongst \u* has not felt her power in Handel's greatest contralto airs, or been moved by her infinite pathos in Mendelssohn's " 0 rest iu the Lord," or carried away by her incomparable ballad singing ? Madame Patey's place will be hard to fill. She will live in history, and will take with hor into private life every good wish from those to whom, through-long years, she gave great and refined delight. The concert was full of variety and interest, and Madame Patey had an almost overwhelming greeting. It was some thno before sho could proceed with her first song, " Lascia ch' io pianga." The glorious voice often asserted itself with the wellremembered effect, especially in the lower register. Applauso loud and long recalled the singer thrice, and was not appeased until she appeared to sing a<min. This time it was " Allan Water," and although Madame Patey got through it very well, it was evident that sho was in physical pain. The excitement of the occasion was too great for hor, and on quitting the platform she staggered and fell into the arms of Mr R. L. Ibbs, in a fainting condition. Sha complained of having lost her sight. Medical aid was at once summoned, and Dr Knight, of Rotherham, and Mr E. J. Pye-Smith, who were of the audience, speedily mada their way to the artiste's room, and under their care Madamo Patey slightly recovered, but it was manifestly impossible that she could sing again, and the fact was intimated from the orchestra, to the unspeakable regret of tho audience. We regret to announce (continues tho Telegraph) that tho illness is of a rather serious character. In the course of an interview which one of our representatives had with her manager, Mr B. Leigh Ibbs, late last night, it was explained that Madame Patey was very greatly excited by the warmth of he reception. Somo timo after the completion of the concert Madame Patey still being unconscious, it

was deemed advisable to remove her to her hotel, the Royal Victoria, and this was* accordingly done, an ambulance van being" obtained for the purpose. At the hotel Mr Pye-Sniith continued his attendance, and shortly before midnight, as his patient remained in the same condition, be obtained the assistance of Dr Burgess, and a trained nurse was also called in. Miss Patey, who* accompanied her mother to Sheffield, remained at her bedside all night. At 1 o'clock this morning no change had taken. place. This is the seventh week of the tour, which was to have concluded next week. Madame Patey was to have sungat Coventry to-night, and at Leicester on, Thursday. THE FUNERAL. London, March ft. Madame Pate/a mortal remains were laid to rest in Brompton Cemetery on Saturday afternoon in the presence of a vast concourse of humble admirers. The. crowd was the only sign of the eminence of the deceased. Had Madame Patey been an Italian her burial would have been made the opportunity for an ornate and elaborate ceremony; in Paris the greatest singers of the capital would have taken part in a Requiem at one of the noted churches and adulatory orations would have been poured forth over her grave. But the great singer was buried as, apart from her art, she lived, a simple English gentlewoman. Not a note of music marked her passage to the tomb, and no words of praise were uttered over the open grave. The simple yet beautiful burial service was read in a clear tone by the Rev M. s Cassidy, erstwhile curate of Bexley Church, and the dead singer's friends reverentially spoke the responses. In the funeral cortege one looked vainly for the fellow-artists of the great contralto, but most of the prominent musicians and singers of the day were present by | deputy, and those who failed to be present either in person or by proxy sent wreaths. Of these tokens of admiration, love and re*

Bpcct thero were scores—indeed, not only was the coffin hidden from sight by them, but a carriage following the hearse was completely filled also. The first portion of the service was held in the tiny chapel attached to the cemetery, closo to which the grave was prepared. The police had to clear a way for the mourners before tho body was committed to tho earth, but their task was not difficult. The benediction was pronounced, and a few minutes having been allowed to tho immediate friends of tho great artist in which to take a last long look at her resting placo, the public wero allowed to advance in single file to look down upon the coffin, upon the lid of which could bo plainly read "Janet Monach Patey, born May Ist, 1842; died Fob. 28,1894/'

Madame Patey's death, almost in the very sight of tho public, was so terribly sudden that it is not surprising that many erroneous statements have been circulated as to the circumstances which led up to it. On the very best authority it may be stated that she had shown no previous symptoms of illness apart from a slight cold, which passed off a few days prior to her final appearance. On tho fatal night Madame Patey dined as usual with the rest of the company some three hours before the beginning of the performance. She was received in an enthusiastic fashion by tho warm-hearted Shemclders, but to applause the singer was accustomed, and it seems strange and almost impossible that an oncore should have such disastrous results. A lady who was standing by her Bide says that though Madame Patey seemed pleased at her reception, she was in no way excited. It seems that when mounting the platform steps for the hist time to give the encore, Madame Patey's foot caught in her dress and caused her to fall heavily upon the steps. Tho shock manifestly upset her, she sang in great pain, and on returning she almost fell down the stairs into Mr Ibbs' arms. From that moment, and in spite of medical and other efforts, the great contralto gradually lost consciousness and finally succumbed.