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Chapter I. The sea: its charms and drawbacks ; An old salt's opinion ; Birth and early resolve to be a sailor ; Voyage to the isle of man ; Later voyages and their discomforts ; Early surroundings and antecedents ; My father's contemporaries ; Hatton and Sivori ; Hatton at the "Little liver" ; A double inheritance: music and nervousness ; My first song ; The tortures of school recitation ; A quakeress's practical joke and its results ; Stage-struck at five years old ; Dramatic aspirations ; Dislike for music only superficial ; First public appearance in the choir of the Baptist chapel ; Profound effect of an orchestra in church ; My awakening to the power of music ; My debts to Haydn ; A clumsy conductor -- Chapter II. Youthful aspirations and subsequent disillusionment ; Artistic cant ; The need of earnestness ; The singer's difficulty ; First public solo, Christmas day, 1848 ; Bass or tenor? ; Desire to play the violin ; I join an amateur orchestra ; "An accomplished violinist!" ; Elected a performing member of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society ; Performance at an Eisteddfod ; The dangers of the stick ; Performance of the "Elijah" ; Overwhelming impressions ; My first "Domino" ; Difficulties of the dress question ; Viardot Garcia and Ronconi ; Ronconi's dramatic genius ; Lablache and Mario ; Journey to London in 1851 ; Still singing tenor ; Joseph Lidel's friendly encouragement ; Elected principal second violin in the "Società Armonica" ; My excess of zeal: a second "Domino" ; Unsuccessful attempt to join the Philharmonic Orchestra ; I join the basses ; Public appearances ; Stockhausen and Standigl -- |
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Chapter III. Carl Formes' influence upon me ; My ignorance of registers ; The mistakes of singing masters: Jean de Reszke, Mario, and Sims Reeves ; A plague of doctors ; Officious friends predict my approaching decease ; The monotony of business ; A momentous decision ; My farewell concert ; Sims Reeves' encouragement ; Start for Italy, October, 1855 ; The tyranny of fashion ; The art of smoking ; Mario's fondness for tobacco -- Chapter IV. Farewell to Liverpool ; Lack of appreciation in my native town ; Experiences on my journey ; A breakfast at Havre ; I witness a performance at the Paris Opéra Comique ; Cruvelli at the Italian opera ; Journey to Basle ; Passage of the St. Gothard ; Arrival at Milan ; Scene at the railway-station ; The Milanese dialect ; An attack of home-sickness ; Travellers, old and new style -- Chapter V. My lodgings ; Milan under Austrian rule: vexatious restrictions ; A humorous episode: Pollini, Capponi and Galli ; A trying interview with the police ; A lucky letter ; My interview with Lamperti ; Introduction to Nava ; Nava's antecedents ; His wide culture and kindly nature, and honest advice ; Singing v. gabbling ; Duets with Ronconi and Belletti ; Nava's views progress ; His kindly interference ; Halcyon days ; My lessons with Nava: conversation as well as singing ; His family ; The dialects of Lombardy ; Locomotion as an aid to study ; My daily walk ; Milanese soldiery ; Performances at the Cannobiana ; Giuglini as a singer and actor ; Marini and Delle Sedie ; The Scala Orchestra ; Ristori -- |
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Chapter VI. Vocalizzi and solfeggio ; Italian vowel sounds ; Is Italian easy to sing? ; My first piece ; The value of concerted vocal music ; "Donna Pacifica" ; My fellow-pupils: Luigia Perelli and Luigia Pessina ; My friends the Maranis ; "Il signor Inglese" ; The Scala programme, 1855-56 ; I become a subscriber to the Pit ; Subsidies and government supervision ; Gardoni's experiences ; A short way with nervous baritones ; The vagaries of the censorship ; "Libertà" and "Lealtà" ; Ronconi's humour ; Description of the Scala in 1855 ; Recollections of the season ; Italian audiences: their decided way of expressing an opinion ; A ludicrous performance of "Marino Faliero" -- Chapter VII. A cold winter ; Opera at the Carcano ; The Caffé Martini, a great musical exchange ; Struggles and privations of poor singers ; A generous landlady ; The cruelty of Italian audiences ; Pacini's "Saffo" ; Two stentors ; Dramatic performances of the Teatro Rè ; Salvini ; Goldoni's comedies ; Concerts at the Scala: Felicien David's "Le Désert" and the "Stabat Mater" ; Four conductors ; Mendelssohn's "St. Paul" ; A masked ball ; My Lancashire accent betrays me ; A dangerous costume ; English friends ; An Irish adventurer ; The value of dialect ; Change of lodgings ; My new landlady ; Noisy quarters ; A visit to the lakes: a cheap holiday ; Music at the Duom: an aggravating conductor ; A great preacher ; Church music in Italy: strange voluntaries -- |
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Chapter VIII. Church festivals and their curious customs ; Plum-pudding at Barcelona ; The feasts of San Giorgio, Sant' Angelo, and Corpus Christi ; An impressive spectacle ; My delight in open-air recreation ; Milan: palatial and plebeian ; The best view of the Duomo ; Sad accident to my "Darlin' pair o' bags" ; Gluttony and its miseries ; Advice to singers about food and drink ; Trips to Monza ; Anecdote of some English excursionists ; Performances at the Conservatorio ; Pollini's opera ; My friend Rivetta ; Our excursion to Lecco ; Comfortable quarters at the Croce di Malta ; Demoralizing effect of English and American travellers on foreign hotels ; I turn barber ; Davide Nava and the mountains ; Visit to the Maranis -- Chapter IX. Efforts to obtain work ; Engagement at Pavia ; A conceited tenor and a cross-grained baritone ; I escort an aged secunda donna ; A skittish landlady ; I appear in the "Traviata" and "Ernani" ; My wardrobe ; Failure of "Lamberto Malatesta" ; A stormy first-night and a disastrous sequel ; The mayor proves a friend in need ; Christmas day at Pavia: a hospitable landlord ; The medical student and the raw veal cutlet ; Hotels, old and new -- Chapter X. Return to Milan ; A memorable masked ball ; A generous agent ; Offer of an engagement at Padua: a foolish refusal ; Dark days and short commons ; Suicidal thoughts ; A welcome engagement ; A kind-hearted prima donna ; I throw up my engagement ; Arrival of supplies from home ; Offer of a five years' engagement ; A trump of a landlady ; Good-natured but irritating friends ; Adverse criticisms of Nava ; Declamation, true and false ; Matters reach a crisis ; No engagements forthcoming ; Visit from Henry F. Chorley ; His appearance and prejudices ; He urges me to return to England ; His kindness and generosity ; A tedious journey ; Home again -- |
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Chapter XI. Visit to Huilah: his criticism ; J. L. Hatton's offer ; My début in the "Creation" ; Manuel Garcia's assistance ; Appearances at the Crystal Palace ; Molique's pedantry ; Slow progress ; Anecdotes of Chorley ; Introduced to Costa by Chorley ; A favourable verdict ; Costa's character ; An epoch-making party at Chorley's ; Adelaide and Gertrude Kemble ; Appearance in the "Messiah" ; "The trumpet shall sound" minus the trumpet ; Operatic aspirations ; "St. Paul" at Manchester ; "Elijah" at Exeter Hall ; The Royal Society of Musicians' Dinner ; Sight-reading, its advantages and drawbacks ; Festival at Leeds in 1858 ; Abortive negotiations with operatic managers ; Rejected by the Birmingham Festival Committee ; I attend the festival as Chorley's guest ; Viardot, Garcia, and Sims Reeves ; Private concerts ; Kindly encouragement from Reeves, Clara Novello, Mario, and Grisi ; J. G. Pateey ; His taste in dress ; A visit to the standard theatre ; An unexpected lobster -- Chapter XII. A formidable fellow-lodger ; Engaged to Miss Kemble ; Henry Greville's musical parties ; A compliment from Mario ; Visit to the Pateys in Devonshire ; Breakfast at a private lunatic asylum ; My second season ; Married to Miss Gertrude Kemble, April 9, 1859 ; Benefit concerts ; Engaged at English opera ; Meyerbeer's approval ; Bradford festival ; Preparations for "Dinorah" ; Diffidence and despondency ; Candid criticisms ; "Il Trovatore," "The rose of Castille" ; "Lurline" ; Rhubarb or coral? ; A "Huguenot rush" ; The queen attends "Dinorah" ; Concert at Windsor Castle ; Wallace's "Bellringer" ; Winter season of English opera at her majesty's, 1860-61, under Hallé ; Stage management extraordinary ; An unwelcome dog ; E. T. Smith's great combination ; "Elijah" at the Birmingham Festival ; Costa and the critics ; English opera at Covent Garden, 1861-62 ; Howard Glover's "Ruy Blas" ; A dangerous dagger ; "Robin Hood" and "The Puritan's Daughter" ; Tiresome repetitions ; Benedict's "Lily of Killarney" ; "Billy" West's timely lesson -- |
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Chapter XIII. 1862: an eventful year ; Costa suggests Italian opera ; I start for Italy ; My visit to Rossini in Paris ; Recalled to London by an offer from Gye ; Costa's advice in regard to engagements ; Costa's rebuke to Tamberlik ; An inauspicious rehearsal ; Costa on artistic jealousy ; A flattering reception and an unfounded charge ; Engaged by Mapleson ; A bad start at her majesty's and Covent Garden ; Production of Wallace's "Love's triumph" ; Charles Lucas's prophecy ; My last English opera at Covent Garden ; Balfe's "Armourer of Nantes" ; A free performance and a stupid audience ; A curious bet ; Four seasons' work ; English opera, old and new styles ; George Honey ; St. Albyn ; Palgrave Simpson and Harrison - Chapter XIV. My new comrades: Tietjens, Alboni, Trebelli, and Giuglini ; Trebelli's father ; Dressing-rooms at the English and Italian opera ; An operatic perquisite ; The advantages of Italianization ; A visit to Paris ; Madame Carvalho and Monjauze ; I persuade Mapleson to let me paly Valentine ; Gounod's congratulations ; Divergent opinions as to the part ; Origin of "Dio Possente" ; The season of 1863 ; Schira's "Niccoló de' Lapi" ; A trying out part ; Mdlle. Artôt in "La Traviata" ; A dilatory "Faust" ; Revival of "Oberon" ; Alboni's magnificent singing and excessive nervousness ; My holiday and escape on the Lake of Lucerne ; Début at Worcester Festival ; Schachner's new oratorio: his criticism on Benedict's "Coeur de Lion" ; Mapleson's operatic tour ; "Lucia" at Dublin ; My dress as Enrico ; Mistaken for Oliver Cromwell ; The Dublin gods and "Faust" ; Mephisto's misadventures ; Return to London ; Wanted, a Faust -- |
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Chapter XV. Season of 1864 ; "Faust" in Englsh ; I play Mephisto at short notice and under difficulties ; My daughter's terror at the duel scene ; "Merry Wives of Windsor" ; "Mirella" ; The Shakespeare centenary ; Music hath charms ; Costa's "Naaman" ; Operatic tour ; Off to Barcelona ; We lose our way ; Stage properties in the custom-house ; A land of garlic ; Opera at Barcelona ; "Macbeth" ; Where's the romance? ; Return home ; With Mapleson in Dublin -- Chapter XVI. Season of 1865 ; Loss of Giuglini ; Advent of De Murska ; I play Papageno, and sip a cup of castor-oil ; A panic adverted ; Gloucester Festival ; "Don Giovanni" ; Telbin's skeletons ; My season at the Scala ; "Trovatore": a critical audience ; Too many cooks ; I escape from Milan -- Chapter XVII. Season of 1866 ; Madame Grisi at her majesty's ; A Gluck performance at Dudley house ; Hoel leaps over Coventino: his life saved by a goat ; "Ernani" ; Season of 1867 ; Puffs and promises ; First appearance of Mdlle. Christine Nilsson ; "La forza del destino" produced under difficulties ; Mongini draws blood ; I sing with Jenny Lind in "Ruth" ; Her majesty's theatre destroyed by fire -- Chapter XVIII. Death of J. C. Tully, composer, conductor, and gourmet ; A bumptious Yankee tenor ; "La Gazza Ladra" ; Florid singing ; Decadence of the florid style ; "Production" ; "Rigoletto" ; Kellogg and her drum ; A monstrosity at the Crystal Palace ; Dr. Wesley ; Carl Formes ; At Covent Garden ; A deluge and an empty house -- |
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Chapter XIX. Season of 1869 ; Gye and Mapleson combine ; A phenomenal Buffo ; Nilsson as Ophelia ; I play the Doge in "I due Foscari" ; A spirited conductor ; A hard day's work ; Rossini's "Messe Solennelle" ; In a railway accident, an insinuating doctor ; Concert touring in 1870 ; Brutus and the goat -- Chapter XX. Mr. George Wood undertakes Italian opera at Drury Lane ; The "Flying Dutchman", first representation of Wagner in England ; An obtrusive cat ; I desert Italian for English opera ; We start with "Zampa" ; Broken promises ; Friendly critics ; A season of death ; Friendship with Charles Dickens ; Fechter's misfortunes ; Trial of the Albert Hall ; Stage v. platform -- Chapter XXI. Off to America ; A farewell concert ; A voracious charmer ; Cure for sea-sickness ; New York pavement ; The American oyster ; More laurels than pence ; Lunch at nine p.m. ; Where is the town? ; Oil preferred to music ; "Hearts of oak" ; Patriotic Toronto ; A waiting race for supper -- Chapter XXII. Success with "Zampa" ; Italian opera season in New York ; A prim songstress ; Realism and the "high C" ; A "real good time" ; Return voyage ; Music hath charms ; My peaks of the mountain range ; Mario and John Parry -- Chapter XXIII. Retrospect and prospect ; The half-amateur ; Academies and students ; A musical lord mayor ; A national school and a national theatre ; A lesson from abroad. |
| LCCN | 06005791 |
