The Strand Magazine : an illustrated monthly. Vol. 1, no. 2, February 1891 / edited by George Newnes.

Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Strand Magazine : an illustrated monthly. Vol. 1, no. 2, February 1891 / edited by George Newnes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    her baby bps issued a trill so long-sustained and so pure of intonation, that the whole company of artists applauded with surprise and rapture. The appearance of Adelina was much what would be imap'ined o —always tiny for her age, but lithe and straight, with her thick, black locks braided on either side of her face, her eyes keen as a hawk’s, whilst her clear brow, mobile mouth, and determined chin each in turn emphasised the expression with ^vhich she was animated at the moment. The street arabs of New York nicknamed her ‘The little Chinee girl,” because of her big, black eyes and some¬ what yellow skin, ’when she used to run up and down Broadway bowling her hoop. Of her phenomenal success, when she appeared as a prima- donna of seven summers at Xiblo’s (xardei'i in New York, it would be idle to repeat an oft-told tale. Rut we are for¬ tunately able to leproduce a photograph of the little prima- donna ; for which, as well as for the notes above, w'e are in¬ debted to the kindne^ sof a friend of the great singer. The signa¬ ture across the photograph is Adelina Patti’s o\vn. I'rmn (( AGE 8. ADELINA PAT'IT. F ever an artist was “ cradled in song,” that artist was Adelina Patti. Before she could utter a word she could hum every air she had heard her mother rehearsing for the opera. Her musical precocity was so extra¬ ordinary that she could detect the least lalsity of intonation in any vocal perform¬ ance, and on one occasion wTen she had been admitted behind the scenes to the dress rehearsal of a new opera in New York, she managed to startle the leading lady—a singer of some reputation—very consider¬ ably, by running up to her and exclaiming, in her little shrill Yankee accent, ‘‘ I guess you don’t know the proper way to trill, you rest too long on the first note. Listen to me^ and try to do it as I do 1 ” And from [X-?r York. (■'riiiii (X hij] PRESENT YUiolt <S' Fi'ii. DAY.