ertoire
included about thirty operas, mostly of the Italian school, though she
also sang in the operas of Meyerbeer and Gounod, and others. She was one
of the many "Carmens;" but while her interpretation vocally was
excellent, she was by no means equal dramatically to Mlle. Hauk, and
much less so to Calve, the latest and by far the greatest interpreter of
that role.

One of the most notable events of Madame Patti's career occurred when,
in 1868, at the funeral of Rossini, the composer, she sang with Madame
Alboni the beautiful duet, "Quis est Homo," from Rossini's "Stabat
Mater." On that occasion such an assembly of noted musicians and singers
was gathered together to honor the great composer as probably never
before met under the same roof. To hear that beautiful music, rendered
by two such artists over the grave of the composer, was to feel in the
truest sense the genius of Rossini, and the part that he played in the
music of the nineteenth century.

The name of Patti has always been associated with high prices, and not
without cause; for, although other singers have received larger sums for
isolated engagements, none have ever succeeded in maintaining such a
uniformly high rate.

When she returned to America in 1881, after an absence of some twenty
years, Patti held mistaken notions about the American people, and her
early concerts were a bitter disappointment. High prices and hackneyed
songs did not suit the public, and in order to make a success of the
tour Madame Patti was obliged to throw over her French manager, and
employ an American (Henry E. Abbey) who knew the public, and who
immediately cut the prices down to one-half. Eventually the season was
successful, both artistically and financially, her voice showing but
little sign of wear, and her execution being as brilliant as ever. At
Brooklyn the people took the horses out of her carriage, and dragged her
home,--one facetious writer remarking that he saw no reason for taking
away her horses, and substituting asses. The following clever rhyme, at
the expense of her manager, taken from "Puck," voices the opinion of the
public very neatly, in regard to Patti's tour, in 1881-2:

Patti cake, Patti cake, Franchi man!
"So I do, messieurs, comme vite as I can."
"Roulez et tournez et marquez 'with care,'
Et posez au publique a ten dollars a chair."

Farinelli is said to have made $30,000 per annum, a very large sum for
the times in which he lived