Chapter I: Front Matter

</pre>

Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

THE MAPLESON MEMOIRS

VOL. II.

THE MAPLESON MEMOIRS

1848-1888

IN TWO VOLUMES

WITH PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR

VOL II

CHICAGO, NEW YORK, AND SAN FRANCISCO: BELFORD, CLARKE & CO., PUBLISHERS. 1888

[_All rights reserved_].

COPYRIGHT, 1888, BY JAMES H. MAPLESON

TROW'S PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY, NEW YORK.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

My Connection Severed--Musical Protective Union--American Orchestras--Rival Opera-Houses--Operatic Trial by Jury --St. Cecilia's Day--The Feast of Father Flattery pp. 1-21

CHAPTER II.

Patti and her Shoes--Patti Seized for Debt--Flight of Gerster --Conflict at Chicago--Bouquets out of Season--Cincinnati Floods--Abbey's Collapse--Resolve to go West pp. 22-39

CHAPTER III.

Gerster Refuses; Patti Volunteers--Arrival at Cheyenne --Patti Dines the Prophet--Threats of an Interviewer--Arrival at San Francisco pp. 40-49

CHAPTER IV.

The Patti Epidemic--Gerster Furore--Tickets 400% Premium --My Arrest--Capture of "Scalpers"--Death of my First "Basso"--"That Patti Kiss" pp. 50-69

CHAPTER V.

Luncheon on H.M.S. _Triumph_--Opera Auction--Concert at Mormon Tabernacle--Return to New York--Return to Europe--Sheriffs in the Academy--I Depart in Peace pp. 70-83

CHAPTER VI.

Royal Italian Opera Liquidates--Getting Patti off the Ship--Henry Ward Beecher's Cider--Patti's Silver Wedding--A Patti Programme of 1855--A Black Concert pp. 84-100

CHAPTER VII.

Panic at New Orleans--Thermometer Falls 105 Degrees--Banquet at Chicago--The "Count di Luna" at Market--Coffee John--An American George Robins--My Under-taker pp. 101-117

CHAPTER VIII.

Patti and Scalchi--Nevada's _Debut_--A Chinese Swing--A Visit from Above--Rescued Treasure--Great Chicago Festival--American Hospitality pp. 118-139

CHAPTER IX.

"Count di Luna" Introduced to "Leonora"--A Patti Contract --The Sting of the Engagement--A Tenor's Suite--A Presentation of Jewellery--My "Don Giovanni"--A Profitable Tour pp. 140-154

CHAPTER X.

My Covent Garden Season--Patti's London Silver Wedding--Return to New York--Difficulties Begin--Rival Rehearsals--Grand Opera and Operetta pp. 155-167

CHAPTER XI.

House Divided against Itself--Rev. H. Haweis on Wagner--H.R.H. and Wotan--Elle a dechire mon gilet--Arditi's Remains--Return to San Francisco pp. 168-184

CHAPTER XII.

The Retreat from Frisco--Hotel Dangers--A Scene from _Carmen_--Operatic Invalids--Murderous Lovers--Ravelli's Claim--General Barnes's Reply--Clamour for Higher Prices--My Onward March pp. 185-214

CHAPTER XIII.

Del Puente in the Kitchen--Scalding Coffee--Californian Wine--The Sergeant takes a Header--The Russian Mother--I Become a Sheriff--A Dumb Chorus--Dynamite Bombs pp. 215-228

CHAPTER XIV.

Subterranean Music--The Striker Struck--Tuscan Taffy--A Healthy "Lucia"--I Recover from the United States--A Beknighted Mayor pp. 229-243

CHAPTER XV.

Back in the Old Country--The London Season--Sluggish Audiences--My Outside Public--The Patti Disappointments--The "Sandwich's" Story pp. 244-257

CHAPTER XVI.

Master and Man--_Don Giovanni_ Centenary--Mozart and Parnell--Bursting of "Gilda"--Colonel Stracey and the Demons--The Hawk's Mountain Flight--Ambitious Students and Indigent Professors--A School for Opera--Anglicized Foreigners--Italianized Englishmen pp. 258-275

CHAPTER XVII.

Fight with Mr. and Mrs. Ravelli--An Improvised Public--Ravelli's Dangerous Illness--Mr. Russell Gole--Reappearance of Mr. Registrar Hazlitt--Offenbach in Italian--Who is that Young Man?--Fancelli's Autograph--Ristori's Aristocratic Household pp. 276-291

FINAL CHAPTER.

Envoi 293

APPENDIX.

Singers and Operas produced by me 295

Index to Volumes I. and II. 303