Page xx

At the Conservatoire Arditi's chosen companions and chums were Luigi Yotti, Bottesini, and Piatti.

Page xxi

At the time of the Emperor Ferdinand's first coronation, Bottesini, Piatti and Arditi were among the favoured artists whose solo playing was enthusiastically applauded at the Austrian court festivities.

Chapter I

Fifty years ago it was my firm intention at the age of twenty-three, buoyed up with great hopes generated by my so far successful musical career, to come to England with Giovanni Bottesini, my dear old friend and comrade, in order that we should give concerts and opera together.

But however felicitously man may propose divers(sic) enterprises Providence often steps forward and intervenes with cool decisiveness to frustrate them.

So it happened in my case. At a farewell dinner given to us by the Duke Antonio Litta, in Milan, in honour of our proposed departure to England, we met Badiali, DonFrancesco Marty's agent, who made us so excellent an offer to accompany him throughout a concert and opera tour, beginning with a visit to Havana and continuing to other parts of the New World, that we reliquished our former plans, and over a jovial glass of sparkling wine, we promptly closed an engagement to try our luck under Badiali's auspices.

In those days long journeys were accomplished by means of sailing vessels, and it took us exactly two months to travel from Genoa to Havana.

Previous to our departure I had never, almost incredible as it seems, set eyes on the sea. The effect of the magnificent stretch of water, with its huge waves and foaming billows, upon my suprised senses was an overwhelming one; it almost took my breath away.

Our journey had for some reason or other been delayed, most luckily and providentially, for had we started on the day originally fixed upon this book would never have been written. A tremendous and disastrous cyclone had passed over the coast of Cuba and across the Atlantic, devastating land and property on shore, and wrecking many ships at sea, among which, no doubt, our little craft would also have foundered.

We started on the 2nd September, 1846, from Genoa with the orchestra, of which I was conductor, and chorus, and my recollections of those two months spent in tossing about on the ocean are anything but pleasant. Fortunately, I was a good sailor, or the discomfort of poor and insufficient accommodation, wretchedly bad food, and rough weather would have been augmented by the same sufferings Bottesini endured. How ill he was, poor fellow! His face grew thin and his body emaciated, but the eyes appeared to become larger and more melancholy as the merciless sea made our small bark dance incessantly to its strident music. And when I come to think of it, the food we were served with was so unfit for human consumption, that we almost lived on the rich, pure, and luscious wine alone, of which we had a large quantity on board, that was being transported to Havana from Italy.

I believe our captain had sinister views with regard to the edibles, and wanted to sell the tinned meats, etc., on our arrival at Havana. However, I own that the stuff that was placed before us was invariably thrown overboard with the accompanying forks, knives, and spoons, and many infuriated expletives, so that towards the end of our voyage there were about three forks and knives left for the use of company and crew alike!

On quiter days, when the company was not quite prostrate with sea-sickness, we rehearsed our music, and having a piano on board, we managed to pass agreeably some of the time that hung wearily on our hands.

The days seemed to us like years, until finally we were informed, to our inexpressible joy, that our arrival at Havana was no longer a question of days, but of hours.

Needless to say, we were all on deck, anticipating with the greatest possible excitement our first glimpse of the land, which, by the aid of opera glasses, telescopes, and binoculars, was bit by bit unfolding itself to our enraptured eyes.

As we approached nearer and nearer, and our arrival practically became a matter of minutes, we all noticed that our agent, Badiali, grew restless and uncomfortable. He danced about the deck backwards and forwards like a man suddenly bereft of his senses, wildly gesticulating with his telescope, and uttering unintelligible exclamations. At last we pinned him down and asked him to explain his extraordinary conduct, which, when we learnt its cause, also filled us all with dismay.

"I can't see the theatre," he screamed, excitedly--"IT'S GONE!"

"What?" shreiked someone, "the theatre gone? Are you crazy?"

"No, alas," he moaned, dejectedly, "the café which adjoined it, and which was my property, is no longer visible either. Dio mio, what can have happened? It must have been burned to the ground!"

Now it was our turn to get excited. No theatre! Then what was to become of us? we asked, turning pale at the horrible anticipations that besieged our minds. It was not long, however, before we learnt the worst possible news taht could have been conveyed to us. The theatre had been literally swept away, carrying with it the adjoining house, including the distracted Badiali's precious café, by the fearful cyclone that had raged with such unwonted severity all over the South of America, and to which, but for a fortunate interposition of Providence, we should also have fallen victims.

That was a pretty pasticcio!

The entire company was obliged to remain on board (it seemed as though we should never land) until arrangements had been made to accommodate us in another theatre. A subscription was speedily raised, and after much mental anxiety at to our fortune, which only a few days previously had apparently smiled so benignly, we and our belongings were transported to the principal theatre, The Tacon, a much finer and more important building than the one in which we had been originally destined to appear.

At last we settled down in Havana: Bottesini and I took rooms together, where we lived in perfect amity, and the rehearsals commenced for "Ernani," the first opera we produced in Havana, which was performed eventually with great success. Perelli was "Ernani," and Mdlle. Tedesco sang "Elvira" with all the Žlan and bell-like clearness that characterized her vocalization, for she had a most lovely voice which, at that period, when she was still in her girlhood, was at its best, in respect to quality and flexibility.

Foreign visitors to Havana are usually assured by the natives on their arrivals that "they can not fail to be pleased with the place," and, of course, a man's first experience of life in the tropics is charmingly full of striking novelty and unexpected incident.

The enterance of the bay called "the finest in the world" is decidedly imposing, and the city which lies to your right, opposite the famous forts of El moro and Cabanas, stretches along the shore, and presents a cheerful, exhilarating spectacle with its houses displaying almost every colour of the rainbow, and its profusion of Church steeples and domes in several varieties of architectural style.

We lived in a quaint little house, Bottesini and I, the doors and windows of which were cut down to the ground, and presented a fresh, gay appearence in spite of the iron bars which were are used in lieu of crystal panes; the glass trade being quite unknown throughout Cuba at that time. Our attendant was a Creole, a frivolous, poor-witted fellow, whose figure was long and scrauny, and who possessed a conspicuous predilection for getting into scrapes.

In those days the surveillance exercised over the negroes was terribly severe, and the laziness and insubordination that they would constantly have indulged in, had they not been constantly under the terror of the lash, created a state of things that was anything but pleasant.

For instance, our black servant was continually disobeying the law by stopping out later than the hour notified to him by the police; on which occsasions, sad to relate, either Bottesini or I had to bail him out of custody. We were far from being rich in those days, and were compelled to come to the unpleasant conclusion that Francesco was a very expensive luxury.

However Francesco was musical, and that was his redeeming point. Music would always touch him when all else failed, and I have often, aided by my violin, lured the truant home, just in the knick of time. His ear for sound was was very keen, so correct, in fact, that I have sometimes relied upon his judgment upon a particular Spanish Melody, when I myself felt dubious.

Fracesco was a character, but he was kind to our pets--we had innumerable parrots and dogs--and so we forgave him many of his shortcomings.

From the...

page 15

I forgot to mention that I composed an opera, "Il Corsaro," in 1847, which was performed in Havanna for my benefit, Tedesco singing the principal role. My first engagement with Marty came to an end in 1848, whereupon Bottesini, Desvernine (a pianist) and I visited the principle towns in the United States, giving one or more concerts in each place. At the close of 1850 I had, however, again returned to my conductorship, under Marty's management, at Havana.

page 17

In 1851, after giving a concert in which Angiolina Bosio (of whom I shall speak later) and Bottesini joined me, we visited Trinidad, Matanzas and Cienfuegos, I once more returned to New York, and was engaged by Maretzek as conductor of the Academy of Music.

page 23

It was during that fatal visit to Mexico that she [Madame Henriette Sontag] was attacked with virulent cholera one night, after a perfomance of "Lucrezia Borgia." She passed away, after a few hours' illness, on the 17th of June, 1854, together with several members of her company, thus...

page 43

[The following is an excerpt of a letter written by the wife of Arditi to her mother after their arrival in Constantinople, which Arditi included in his book. This talks about their arrival and treatment. There is no direct reference to Bottesini but...] "The Sultan, Abdul Medjid, never comes to the opera now, since one night he and his suite were alarmed by the news that a murder had been committed within the precincts of the building. His Majesty, entertaining a horror of bloodshed, has since preferred to command the presence of artists in his palace for the purpose of giving selections of operatic music.

"The other day the Sultan sent for Luigi and his orchestra, and we all adjourned to the palace at the appointed hour.

"Imagine my suprise when informed that I should not be admitted to the performance, and that I should have to wait for Luigi in the visitors' drawing-room! That was too much to bear, mother! Fancy an American woman allowing herself to be 'sat upon' by a Turk! I instantly resolved to enter the music room by hook or by crook, and quietly awaiting my opportunity, I successfully squeezed myself into the glittering salon with the aid of the player of the double bass, behind whose instrument I practically hid myself. Was not that a triumph?

page 81

Madame Salvador Patti, veuve Barili, Adelina's mother, was anxious that I should hear the child sing, and so she brought her little daughter to my rooms one day.

Bottesini and I were highly amused to see the air of importance with which the tiny songstress first selected a comfortable seat for her doll in such proximity that she was able to see her while singing, and then, having said:"La, me bonne petite, attends que ta Maman te chante quelque chose de jolie," she demurely placed her music on the piano, and asked me to accompany her in the Rondo of "Sonnambula."

How am I to give an adequate description of the effect which that child's miraculous notes produces upon our enchanted senses? Perhaps if I say that both Bottesini and I wept genuine tears of emotion, tears which were the outcome of the original and never-to-be-forgotten impression her voice made when it first stirred our innermostfeelings, that may, in some slight measure, convince my readers of the extraordinary vocal power and beauty of which little Adelina was, at that tender age, possessed. Wer were simply amazed, nay, electrified, at the well-nigh perfect manner inwhich she delivered some of the most difficult and varied arias without the slightest effort or self-consciousness.

page 235

...so he proposed that I should, to begin with , conduct the Saturday morning performances at Her Majesty's.

For divers reasons I agreed to this arrangement, which was carried out through the season.

As long as Sir Michael was at the head of the orchestra there was practically no chance of any other conductor being allowed to share the honours (considering the fact that poor Bottesini had been engaged during one season as assistant conductor to Sir Michael, and was, as a matter of fact, never for one night allowed the privilege of "wielding the wand"), consequently these morning performances were only the forerunners of the regular season throughout which I was requested to conduct after Sir Michael's resignation. ... In July, 1879, I took a hasty trip...

page 253

[From a newspaper clipping included in this book about the marriage of Arditi's daughter in 1884.]

...Telegrams of congratulations poured in from all parts of the world, and from many friends unavoidably absent, amongst whom were Mesdames Minnie Hauk..., Bottesini,...

page 263

[After Arditi's return from another trip to America (San Francisco). There is a reference to the year 1885 on page 253 so this was after that.]

On our return to London, Abbey gave two Patti concerts with orchestra, which I conducted; at the latter my dear old friend and comrade of yore, Bottesini, assisted. Among the artists were Madame Trebelli,...

page 315

[In retrospective... Arditi gives his thoughts about people and places he has come to know.]

Of conductors, Bottesini comes nearest to my heart; for his artistic life and mine were very closely connected in the commencement of our musical career.

page 324

[From a list of works Arditi wrote? performed?]

GRAN DUET--On Airs from the Opera "I Puritani," for Violin and Double-Bass. (Arditi and Bottesini.)

SCHERZO--On Cuban Melodies, for Violin and Double-Bass. (Arditi and Bottesini.)

THE CARNIVAL OF VENICE--For Violin and Double-Bass. (Arditi and Bottesini.)

page 333

COMPOSERS WHOM I HAVE PERSONALLY KNOWN, AND WHOSE OPERAS I HAVE CONDUCTED.

...

Bottesini

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