Maria Patti, according to her own statement, which she
related to the Queen Isabella of Spain, was born at Madrid, on
February 19, 1843, and is the youngest daughter of two famous Italian
singers, Signor Salvatore Patti and Signora Patti-Barili. The signor
having placed her two sisters--Amalia, who subsequently married
Maurice Strakosch, the well-known impresario, and Carlotta, also a
vocalist of remarkable powers--in a boarding-school at Milan, went to
New York with his wife and daughter, where they remained until Adelina
reached sixteen.

Adelina Patti had barely reached the age of three years when she was
heard humming and singing the airs her mother sang.

The child's voice was naturally so flexible that executive
difficulties were always easy to her, and, before she had attained her
ninth year she could execute a prolonged shake with fluency. Her
father not being prosperous at the time, it became a necessity for
him to look for support to his little Adelina, who had shown such
remarkable promise; and, accordingly, she began to take singing
lessons--not, as is stated in Grove's "Dictionary of Musicians," from
Maurice Strakosch, but from a French lady, subsequently studying with
her step-brother, Ettore Barili, who was a famous baritone singer; but
nature had been so prodigal of her gifts to the child that she never
undertook a serious course of study, but, as she herself says, her
real master was "le bon Dieu." At a very early age she would sing and
play the part of Norma, and knew the whole of the words and music of
Rosina, the heroine of Rossini's immortal "Il Barbiere di Seviglia."
She sang at various concerts in different cities, until she reached
the age of twelve and a half, when her career was temporarily
interrupted, for Maurice Strakosch, observing the ruinous effect the
continuous strain upon her delicate voice was working, insisted upon
her discontinuing singing altogether, which advice she happily
followed. After this interval of two years' silence, and having
emerged from the wonder-child to the young artiste, she recommenced
her studies under M. Strakosch, and very soon afterward was engaged to
sing on a regular stage. Strakosch travelled with her and Gottschalk,
the pianist, through the United States, during the tour giving a
number of concerts with varying financial results; ultimately
returning to New York in 1859, where she appeared at a concert of
which _The New York Herald_ of November 28th gi