Garcia the Centenarian And His Times Part 8

"The expense of postage of letters through the medium of the Twopenny Post Office by Alderman Thompson's Committee, when he first announced himself as one of the candidates for the presentation of the City, amounted to no less a sum than 128."

"_Industry and Talent._--It is a notorious fact that Sir Walter Scott unites drudgery with lofty genius, and has put his hand to almost every department of literay (_sic_) labour, without being scared by occasional want of success."

Farther on we find this heading, in large type, under "Intelligence received, by the _Bayard_, from Havre"--

"SPEECH OF THE KING OF FRANCE,

"Delivered at the opening of the Chambers, January 31st."

Then follows a full report of the address which Charles X. had given eight weeks before.

Next we come to a piece of geographical discovery:--

"The operations of the British armies against the Burmese enable us to correct many errors and to add to our limited knowledge of the geography of the East. A short time since, we announced the important fact that a branch of the Irrawaddy had been discovered to discharge into the Bay of Bengal. This discovery has been fully confirmed, various stragglers from Sir Archibald Campbell's army at Prome having found their way to the coast in that direction, and there got on board English vessels."

The last quotation which I will make from the issue of that date refers to the "Seizure of a slave vessel in England." In it we read how "The French vessel was boarded and subsequently seized by Lieutenant Rye of the coastguard service. She was found well fitted out with all the ordinary furniture of a slave-trader, her hold adapted in the usual way to the reception of slaves. Among her other stores there were, of course, found manacles and shackles in great abundance: a long chain to confine the unfortunate creatures in gangs, with all the usual implements of negro torture that would not be understood by their names, we are happy to say, by most of our readers."

These, then, were the special plums of "Latest Intelligence" from Europe, which the twenty-year-old Manuel no doubt devoured with keenest relish on that morning eighty odd years ago.

I should like to make one more quotation from the same paper, two months later, for it gives us a glimpse of both the artistic and military doings of Europe at this time. The article in question is an appreciation of the President of the Royal Academy.

"Sir Thomas Lawrence is confessedly at the head of the English school of portrait-painters. He is about forty-seven years of age. The Kembles and Mrs Siddons have been his favourite a.s.sociates. At one time he was a particular friend of the late Queen Caroline. His portraits of George IV. are excellent. In 1818 he was commissioned to visit the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle for the purpose of painting the monarchs, warriors, and statesmen of Europe. During that visit the doors of his _atelier_ were open to his friends, and it is impossible to fancy a more interesting sight than his morning levee. The Emperors of Russia and Austria, the King of Prussia, Wellington, Richelieu, Blucher, Bernstoff, and a long train of distinguished personages, were almost always to be met there."

During the opera season of 1826 two strange events took place which Senor Garcia would recall in after-years. At the time the one filled the inhabitants of New York with the wildest excitement, the second with the deepest gloom.

On April 8--three weeks, that is to say, after the future centenarian had celebrated his twenty-first birthday--the extraordinary duel took place between John Randolph, United States Senator from Virginia, and Henry Clay, Secretary of State. The meeting was on the right bank of the Potomac within the state of Virginia, above the Little Falls Bridge--pistols, at ten paces. Each of the princ.i.p.als was attended by two seconds and a surgeon, while Senator Benton was present as a mutual friend. Needless to say, it ended in the way which was to become so fas.h.i.+onable among French duellists in later years. The daring combatants escaped scatheless and shook hands,--the gentlemanly Anglo-Saxon alternative for each rus.h.i.+ng into the other's arms with a wild cry of "Mon ami! mon ami!" and saluting his late adversary with an affectionate kiss on either cheek.

As to the second event, one cannot do better than let the story be told by the notice which appeared in one of the New York newspapers:--

"JUBILEE OF DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

"FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS.

"SUDDEN DEATH OF TWO EX-PRESIDENTS.

"The death of John Adams, late President of the United States, took place on July 4. He was the second President of the United States and the first Minister sent by this country to Great Britain after the acknowledgment of the Independence.

"He departed this life, full of years and honours, on the evening of the 4th inst., as the bells were ringing for the conclusion of the celebration of the auspicious day. The venerable patriot rose in his usual health, rejoicing that he had been spared to witness the jubilee of his country's freedom. Towards noon he became ill, grew gradually worse, and at six fell asleep. He was one of the earliest and ablest and most fearless champions of his country's freedom, and his name fills a wide s.p.a.ce in its history. Only two of the signers of the Declaration of Independence now survive.

"DEATH OF MR JEFFERSON.

"Mr Jefferson, late President of the United States, died at his residence in Virginia, on July 4, at 10 to 1 o'clock. It is a strange coincidence that these two venerable personages should have paid the debt of nature on the same day, and that day the Fiftieth anniversary of that Independence which they so essentially contributed to achieve."

On September 30, as we have seen, the New York venture of Italian Opera was brought to a conclusion.

A few days later the elder Garcia set off for Mexico, where he had arranged to initiate a season at the Opera House. He was accompanied on the journey by the whole troupe, with the exception of his daughter Maria.

The reason of her remaining behind was that on March 23 of that year she had given her hand to Monsieur Malibran, a French merchant three times her own age, and by repute a very wealthy man. It can scarcely have been a love-match, for the union appears to have been a most unhappy one from the start. As to the reason for the marriage, some light has been thrown by Fitz-Greene Halleck's biographer, in a conversation which I had with him recently.

It will be remembered that Halleck was present at the opening night of Italian opera in America, in the company of his friend Fenimore Cooper.

The latter must have been busy correcting the proofs of his latest book, 'The Last of the Mohicans,' since this was published in New York soon after the New Year,--a literary event which of course Manuel Garcia could quite well remember.

Halleck at once fell under the spell of Maria's voice and personality.

Of his admiration for her singing he wrote these lines, alluding to his own death:--

"And when that gra.s.s is green above me, And those, who bless me now and love me, Are sleeping by my side, Will it avail me aught that men Tell to the world with lip and pen That once I lived and died?

No! if a Garland for my brow Is growing, let me have it now, While I'm alive to wear it; And if, in whispering my name, There's music in the voice of fame Like Garcia's, let me hear it."

Was ever a more beautiful compliment paid to a singer?

It was not long before the poet obtained an introduction to his ideal.

The acquaintance thus began quickly ripened, and Fitz-Greene Halleck became deeply attached to her. This warmth of feeling was undoubtedly returned, and there seems every probability that Maria, girl of seventeen as she was, might have been well content to wed the American poet. Her father, however, intervened, and sternly refused to allow things to go farther.

Here we have a possible explanation of the tragedy which ensued.

Monsieur Malibran came upon the scene and offered himself, and Maria perhaps decided to accept him in order to escape from the discipline of an exacting parent. There certainly must have been some very powerful reason at work to bring about her union with a man older than her own father, at an age when youth and romance would naturally appeal to her most strongly, and such a wedding of May and December could not but appear repulsive in the extreme. Certainly it can hardly have been the man's reputed wealth which tempted her to take such a step, seeing that she was already well advanced on the road to becoming one of the greatest operatic stars of her day.

After the wedding and her family's departure for Mexico, the unhappy Maria discovered that her husband's affairs had for some time past been in a very bad state, and that he had really been counting on the income which would accrue from her talents. Matters grew rapidly worse, and within a year of the marriage he was declared bankrupt and thrown into prison. Under these circ.u.mstances Maria at once, of her own accord, determined to resign, for the benefit of her husband's creditors, the whole of the provision which had been made for her by the marriage settlements. It was a n.o.ble act, which gave rise to strong manifestations of favour and approbation on the part of the American public.

For some months after this she remained in New York, singing on Sundays at Grace Church, and occasionally appearing at the Bowery Theatre in English operettas, such as "The Devil's Bridge" and "Love in a Village."

By this time, however, the youthful contralto had had her eyes thoroughly opened as to the character of the man to whom she had given herself, and at last she bravely decided to cut the Gordian knot by leaving her husband and returning to Europe.

Accordingly her final appearance on the American stage was announced for September 28, 1827, and on this night she took her farewell benefit at the Bowery Theatre, in Boieldieu's "Jean de Paris." Of the closing scene of that evening we read--

"When the programme had been completed, the Signorina came forward and seated herself at her harp, but seemingly overcome with emotion again rose. Mr Etienne, the pianist, thereupon took up the prelude to a farewell song, specially written for the occasion, and this, on regaining her composure, she sang in a most touching and effective manner."

Within a few days of this performance Maria set out for Paris, where, as we shall see, she was to be joined almost immediately by her brother.

And now we will turn to the fortunes of the rest of the Garcia family, who had left New York to inaugurate a season of opera in Mexico.

Upon arriving at the end of the journey, the elder Garcia soon found that the duties of impresario, composer, conductor, chorus master, and even machinist and scene-painter, must all centre in himself.

But this was not the worst, for at the very outset a calamity fell upon the company which with any one else would have been sufficient to bring the season to a close before it had opened, as an Irishman might have put it.

On reaching the Opera House in Mexico city, they at once began to prepare for their forthcoming season. Everything was unpacked, and they commenced going through scenery, dresses, properties, and the rest. All these they found in order. When, however, they began to look for the music score and orchestral parts, they found, to their horror, that nearly the whole of the music had been left behind or lost _en route_.

What was to be done? Their season was advertised to commence in a few days, and without music it was utterly impossible. The artists were in despair, and completely lost their heads. The elder Garcia alone remained calm in the midst of turmoil. They could not perform without music; very well, he must write out fresh copies of the scores as best he could. What was advertised for the first night? "Don Giovanni"?

_Bien_; then he would make a start on that. Without losing a moment he set to work, and actually reproduced the whole of the full orchestral score from memory! As each number was finished it was given out to copyists, who prepared the separate parts for the various instruments.

This task being ended, the marvellous man set to work on "Otello" and "Il Barbiere," which with the first named had always been the most important in his repertoire. How successfully he carried out his self-imposed task may be judged from the fact that when "Don Giovanni"

was given, no one present could tell that it was not the original score.

As if this had not been enough work, he promptly proceeded to compose eight operas for his company to perform; nor was this all, for finding that the words of the Italian operas were not understood, and that the people had not the northern affectation of liking them better on that account, he translated into his native Spanish every work which was performed. And here a few words may be said upon the memorising of new operas.

It was customary in those days for managers to allow their artists nine days to learn a two-act opera. For three acts the time would be increased to twelve days, and for four acts sixteen. That the elder Garcia did not always allow so much is borne out by the statement which Maria Malibran used to make that, on one occasion, her parent bade her learn a _role_ in two days and sing it at the opera.

"I cannot do it, father."

"You _will_ do it, my daughter; and if you fail in any way, I shall _really_ strike you with my dagger when I am supposed to kill you on the stage."