Garcia the Centenarian And His Times Part 5

We read that "Master Liszt, the young German pianist, had a concert at the Argyll Rooms, when he exhibited talents that astonished all the leading professors who were present."

Further, we find Signor Rossini giving two subscription concerts at Almack's Rooms,--how strangely the names of the fas.h.i.+onable concert rooms of the past sound to us now!--"Tickets two guineas."

They are announced "To Begin at Nine o'clock"; while the composer has the a.s.sistance of the leading operatic artistes of the day--Catalani, Pasta, Vestris, Garcia, di Begnis, _et hoc genus omne_.

But what is of especial interest is the fact that Rossini not only conducted, but _sang_. He gave "a cavatino (_sic_) from Figaro," and a duetto with Mme. Catalani, "Se fiato in corpo avete" by Cimarosa.

The second of these subscription concerts, given on June 9, 1824, is worthy of our attention, for we find "Mdlle. Maria Garcia" making apparently her first appearance in London, taking part with her father in a duet, "Di Caprici," and adding a solo, "Nacqui al'affano," both by Rossini.

With the close of the London season the elder Garcia returned to Paris.

Here his "Deux Contrats" was performed at the Opera Comique. But the early autumn of this year is princ.i.p.ally memorable for the fact that he allowed his daughter to make her first appearance in Paris as a professional singer,--the concert in which she took part being given at a musical club which he had just established in that city.

Two months later the entire family went to London, and here Maria's musical education was continued in the singing-cla.s.s which her father had established. The elder Garcia was again engaged as first tenor at the Royal Opera, his salary having now risen from 260 (1823) to 1250.

Here he continued to gain still greater fame as a teacher, while his fertility as a composer was shown by two Italian operas, "Astuzia e Prudenza" and "Un Avertimento."

On June 7, 1825, Maria had the opportunity of making her _debut_ in London at the King's Theatre, as Rosina in "Il Barbiere," under the directors.h.i.+p of Mr Ebers.

It was owing to a fortuitous combination of circ.u.mstances--the sudden return of Mme. Pasta to Paris, Ronzi losing her voice through illness, Vestris seceding to the stage, and Caradori, an excellent _seconda donna_, being _hors de combat_--that Maria found herself engaged to fill the gap.

Manuel Garcia, by the way, in after years used sometimes to recall the effect which Pasta's singing made on him, when he heard her in his youth. He spoke of her as possessing a voice of ravis.h.i.+ng beauty, together with perfection of fioriture and grandeur of dramatic conception, but in spite of this there was no doubt in his mind as to his preference for the singing of Maria. Indeed, he would always declare that his sister was the most natural and most precocious genius with whom he had ever come in contact.

With her _debut_ at the King's Theatre Maria achieved a triumphant success, which was witnessed by her brother; and she was engaged by the management for the remaining six weeks of the season for a sum of five hundred pounds.

Once more we find that curious repertoire of operas in favour at that time which contrasts so strangely with the taste of the present day, and serves to ill.u.s.trate the important changes in the form and character of music which Manuel Garcia witnessed during his life.

We may, moreover, in this year trace the first introduction of Meyerbeer's music to English audiences, for we read in the July 'Harmonicon'--

"On the 23rd of last month there was brought out 'Il Crociato in Egitto,' the new grand opera of Meyerbeer, a composer whose name was completely unknown in this country only a few weeks ago.... Mdlle.

Garcia, disguised in male attire, performed the part of Felicia with great ability, both as a singer and actress."

Turning from opera to the concert world of 1825, we learn that "The only regular subscription concerts now supported in London are the Ancient and the Philharmonic," though we find Mme. Catalani during May giving a series of four concerts at the Argyll Rooms, a.s.sisted by Mrs Salmon, Mr Sapio, and Signor Remorini.

In the way of private musical entertainments, the Duke of Devons.h.i.+re gave a fas.h.i.+onable concert in May, with Pasta, Velluti, the last male soprano who ever trod the boards in opera in this country, Puzzi, and a pianist with the mellifluous cognomen "Szymanowska"; while on June 15, a state concert was given by his Majesty King George IV. at--Carlton Palace!

Among the artists taking part in the latter we find Signor and Mdlle.

Garcia, Caradori, Begrez, di Begnis, Curioni, Remorini, Velluti, and Crivelli.

At the end of the season the elder Garcia, together with his wife, son, and daughter, sang at several provincial concerts, and their names appear in the programmes of two of the Gentlemen's Concerts at Manchester on August 15 and September 9.

Four members of the family appearing together was surely a remarkable event!

In the same month Maria was one of the soloists at the second York Festival.

The committee had tried to get Catalani, but, after pecuniary terms had been arranged, the treaty failed in consequence of a stipulation on her part that several songs should be transposed into a lower key to suit her voice.

"The committee had conceded," says the 'Harmonicon,' "to the condition with regard to detached airs, but refused for those which are connected with choruses. Then they tried to get Mme. Pasta, but this was refused, as they could not give her permission to come without materially compromising the interests of the Italian Theatre Royal. Thus disappointed, they entered into negotiations with Mr Braham and other eminent performers, and finally succeeded in obtaining the following a.s.semblage of talent:--

Mr Greatorex, _Conductor_.

Dr Camidge, _a.s.sistant-Conductor_.

_Princ.i.p.al Vocalists._

Miss Stephens. Mr Braham.

Miss Caradori. Mr Vaughan.

_Mdlle. Garcia._ Mr Sapio.

Miss Travis. Mr Knyvett.

Miss Wilkinson. Mr Terrail.

Miss Goodall Mr Bellamy.

and Mr Phillips.

Miss Farrar. Signor di Begnis.

A Grand Chorus of 350 voices, and 248 Instrumentalists in the Orchestra."

A perusal of the programme brings home to us the change which has taken place in the last eighty years.

Handel naturally figured largely, while Mozart was represented by his Jupiter Symphony, Beethoven by his Symphonies in C and D and one of the Leonora overtures. Such names, however, as Pepusch, Spontini, and Salieri have long since disappeared. Again, the style of Festival programme was then of a very mixed, and, as regards some of the numbers, of a very "popular" kind. Festivals of the present day are of a much more serious character.

Mdlle. Garcia we find set down for such items as "Gratias" by Gugliemi, "Alma invitta" from "Sigismondo," "O patria" from "Il Tancredi," a terzetto from "Il Crociato in Egitto," and one of her "chevaux de bataille," "Una voce poco fa" from "Il Barbiere."

With the York Festival the visit to England was brought to a close, and at the end of the month the Garcia family embarked at Liverpool for New York, where Manuel was to take part in the first American season of Italian Opera.

Before following them there, let us seek a glimpse of some of the operatic and theatrical events between the year of Manuel Garcia's first visit to England and his trip to America.

In 1816 John Kemble was playing Coriola.n.u.s at his London season; Charles Kean was at Drury Lane; and at Covent Garden Mrs Siddons reappeared as Lady Macbeth, while Charles Mathews brought to an end his contract with that theatre.

Next year Henry Bishop's operatic drama "The Slave" was produced at Covent Garden, and a novel pantomime ent.i.tled "Robinson Crusoe," with Grimaldi as Friday. It was, moreover, on June 13 of this season that Kemble played Coriola.n.u.s for the last time, and retired. In 1818 Macready appeared in an acting version of "Rob Roy,"--a novel which Sir Walter Scott had published shortly before.

This year, moreover, saw the birth of Gounod, and the death of Mrs Billington, heroine of so many Covent Garden triumphs. In 1819 several oratorios were given under Henry Bishop, with Samuel Wesley the church musician as conductor; while on June 9, at the benefit of Mr and Mrs Charles Kemble, Sarah Siddons appeared on the stage for the last time in her life: a few months before this the beautiful Miss O'Neill retired from the boards.

Sh.e.l.ley pa.s.sed away in 1822 (the year which followed that of the coronation of George IV.); while within a few weeks there took place an interesting benefit performance, at which "The Rivals" was acted, with the following cast:--

_Sir Anthony_ Munden.

_Captain Absolute_ Charles Kemble.

_Faulkland_ Young.

_Acres_ Liston.

_Lydia_ Mrs Edwin.

_Mrs Malaprop_ Mrs Davenport.

The next year is specially noteworthy for the production, in May, of Henry Bishop and Howard Payne's opera, "The Maid of Milan," which contained the air "Home, Sweet Home"; while in the following December, a tragedy by Mrs Hemans saw the light under the t.i.tle "The Vespers of Palermo."

The year is, however, perhaps most important to us from the, at that time, unparalleled constellation of stars who were appearing at Drury Lane: Macready, Kean, Young, Munden, Liston, Elliston, Terry, Harley, Knight, Miss Stephens, and Mme. Vestris.

In 1824, the year of Byron's death, Henry Bishop left Covent Garden for Drury Lane, and Carl Von Weber was engaged in his place, in honour of which event "Der Freischutz" was brought out at the English Opera House, being also produced in the autumn at Covent Garden, where it was given for no less than fifty-two performances during the season of 1824-25.

And what of the salaries which were being received by theatrical stars at the beginning of the nineteenth century?

The great Charles Mathews writes at this time of a proposed engagement, "Now to my offer, which I think stupendous and magnificent, 17 a-week."

John Kemble, for acting and managing, was receiving 36; Miss O'Neill, at the most brilliant portion of her career, never had more than 25 a-week; while Mrs Jordan at her zenith had thirty guineas; and Charles Kemble, until he became his own manager, never received more than 20 a-week.