The Mapleson Memoirs, 1848-1888, vol IIMapleson, James Henry
History
The Mapleson Memoirs, 1848-1888, vol II
Mapleson, James Henry
Opera -- England -- London; Opera -- United States
The next morning the Prophet Taylor came, accompanied by several of his
apostles. Mdme. Patti took great care to praise the magnificent building
she had visited the day previously, expressing a strong desire that she
might be allowed to try her voice there, which led on to my observing
that a regular concert would be more desirable. To this a strong
objection was made by several apostles, who stated that the building was
not intended for any such purpose, but was simply a place of worship.
Mdme. Patti, however, launched into enthusiastic praise of the Mormon
doctrines, and, in fact, expressed a strong wish to join the Mormon
Church. After hearing her sing two or three of her dainty little songs
the Prophet was so impressed that he actually consented to a concert
being given in the Tabernacle the following month. On my suggesting
three dollars for the best seats an objection was instantly made by one
of the apostles, who, having five wives, thought it would be rather a
heavy call upon his purse. It was ultimately settled that the prices
should be only two dollars and one dollar.
We performed the opera of _Lucia_ that evening in Salt Lake Theatre in
presence of all the prominent inhabitants of the lovely city, the
receipts reaching some £750. The Prophet attended.
Starting for the West immediately after the opera, we about thirty hours
afterwards reached Reno, where we stopped to water the engine; and,
although still some 250 miles from San Francisco, the train was boarded
by a lot of reporters, who had been waiting a couple of days to meet the
party, determined if possible to secure an interview with the _Diva_. In
the meantime they busied themselves writing a description of the
magnificent train of boudoir state-rooms until we reached Truckee, where
a considerable portion of the line had been washed away. There had,
moreover, been a snow-slide from some of the great mountains, which
caused a stoppage of nearly twelve hours.
Suddenly, as if by magic, some 1,500 Chinamen arrived and commenced
repairing the road. During this time the reporters had ample time to
interview everybody, as the railway carriages one by one had to be
conveyed over a temporary road which the Chinamen had built.
The whole of Truckee's population came out to meet us, composed of
cowboys, miners, and Indians. Patti was much charmed with a little
papoose carried on one of the Indian women's backs. She placed herself
at the piano and commenced singing nursery rhymes. She likewise whistled
a polka very cleverly to her own accompaniment; which made the papoose
laugh. She thereupon expressed a strong wish to purchase it and adopt
it, having no children of her own. It was only in compliance with
Nicolini's persuasive powers that she ultimately desisted.
On our leaving Truckee a wild shout went up from the Indians, resembling
a kind of war-whoop, in which the whole of the Truckee population
joined.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account