FAMOUS SINGERS AND THEIR QUARRELS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 86

FAMOUS SINGERS AND THEIR QUARRELS.

In no other profession in the world are the- quarrels and jealousies more pronounced and more frequent than among the shining stars of the operatic stage, The quarrels of prime donne, tenore, impresarios, maestros. and so forth, fill hundreds on hundreds of chapters in the history of music.

One of the innumerable stories still told of Patti in musical circles, for instance, relates to the enthusiasm of an aged American Governor of Missouri in kissing the Diva at a reception. Of course, the newspapers made the most of the Patti kies, and some of them, immediately went off to interview Madame" Gerster, at that time Patti's rival star in America.

"I really don't see anything- in it to make such a fuss," replied Gersl*r, on being asked her opinion. "There is nothing wrong in a man kissing a woman." At the end of (he first act of one of her great performances, betore she had hardly sung a note, bouquet after bouquet was passed up to Patti till the audience- became restive, and instead of applauding, relapsed into etony eilence. Presently, howeverj a sipall basket of flowers wa3 handed on to lie etage to Gerster, and the ■whole audience broke Into wild cheering-. This -so annoyed Patti that at the end oi the performance s.he announced she would never play with Gerster again. Talking of Patti, two eminent prime donne, Mdlle. Salla and Mdlte. Anna do Belooca, were one day eilgaged to sing under Mapkson's management at Dublin. ' The two eingere wont to the same hotel. Chancing to arrive at the same time, they both engaged the same suite of rooms, and a fierce quarrel eneuel. '"These rooms will do for me," said Madame Belocca. "For ypviV questioned! ■Salla scornfully. "The right of choice is to the prima donna, and I have engaged them."- "Prima donna J" retorted "Belooca scor&ftllly.- ' "There are only two prime donne' — I and Patti." —The Shah %as Late.— Fox a performance of "La Traviate,'' Madame Nilsson had ordered a magnificent gowh from Worth of Paris in. which to play "Violetta," having heard that the Shah wag coming to witness her performance. But the §hah, as Shahs have a habit of doing, did not turn up till a late hour, 'by which time Nilsson had been compelled to ' change her magnificent gown for the rage of "MignOn." After the Shah had been in the theatre awhile, the Prince of Wales requested that Nilsson snould be presented. In a rage the great singer walked past the Prince of Wales into the ante-room where the Shah was eating- peaches, which, lie held in jbfs Eafide. "You're g, -very bad Shah," ehe oried, 6peaking in" French. "At the /timey<o.u were expecfred.to arrive I wore a beautiful costume expressly for your Majesty, and just now I find myself ragged and eftqelesjs."- •' - •,£ ' =5*- .>// * One evening the pubic waited in vain for the. curtain to_ l ris'6 3>pj the, final aot . of .%IgoM<J." yhw^Td>ot know th%t H" I hind |io Menes "Mongi^.i wa| faying? like , I a 'm^m&byl>r£ndlsiiuil a drawajswoid a^L

threatening to kill everybody, all becauso the theatre tailor, who 'had been, Instructed , to widen hfe overcoat by 2in, had contraobed it by 2in. Nothing' would appease Mcrtgini or indtioe him to go on. till he was assured that the tailor woulii be* severely punished and his wife anid children turned into the streets to r starve the first thing in the morniijg. - 1h& nexfc morning the cowering tailor, duly, cued up to his silent part in the farce, was, called into the_ manager's office in the presence of Mongini,"and solemnly informed that he< and his wife and children must irnm-adiately, go and starve for spoiling Mongini's coat. By this time, however, Mongini had become magnanimous, and supplicated the manager that the poor tailor should not be sentenced to starve, but should be retained in theservio© of the theatre. Madame Albani, when & young 6tnger, bore an introduction to Mapleson of Go* vent Garden from Zimelli, the manager of the theatre at Malta. Albani dtove to what ehe believed was Oovent Garden, but what •was really the- Royal Italian. Operd, House, where Frederick Gye reigaied as a rival impresario. Gye persuaded 1 her that Mapleson ran only a one-horse show in some back street or other in London, and learning 1 that she had come to sign a contract witfi his rival, at once secured her for himself. —Quick Changes.— There is_a story that, when "Le Nozze* di Figaro" was to be performed at Boston, in America, with Marie Roze as -Susanna . and Minnie Hauk as GherubinOj Minnie Hauk went to the theatre with her maid at 3 o'clock in the afternoon in order to secure the prima donna's dressing room. Here she placed' her trunk and dresses. Art. hour afterwards tihe maid of, Marie Roze arrived, and found the room, already occupied. It was the work of a moment foil Marie Rome's huaband to summon some stage hands to rgmore Minnie Hauk's ,trunk and dresses to the room opposite and de< posit his .wife's wardrobe in it. At 5.30 Minnie Hauk'e agent, giving a last; t look mmid, discovered the trunk and cosstumesof Marie Roze in the room where, in his opinion, those of Minnie Hauk shouldl be. Whereupon he instructed thestage hands to exchange the trunks and costumes again-, and then, locking the door, departed in peace. At 6 o'clook arrived Marie Roze, to find the prima donna's dressing roomdoor locked. Summoning the stage hands again, the look was brolten, and Minnie Hauk's things removed 1 into the opposite room again. „ By-and-bye Minnie Hauk arrived at tih.e'. theatre, and, finding th« coveted- dressingtoouj onos more in the possession, of her rival, She left the theatre, and declined to sing. /