ht murmur, in pleasing the
ultimate, and, on the whole, more satisfactory bench of judges,
the public. It was no new thing to have proved that the mass of
theatre-goers, however eccentric and unjustifiable the vagaries of a
favorite might be, are inclined to be swayed by the cumulative force
of long years of approval. In the spring of 1851, Mlle. Alboni, among
several of her well-established personations, was enabled to appear in a
new opera by Auber, "Corbeille d'Oranges," a work which attained only
a brief success. It became painfully apparent about this time that the
greatest of contralto singers was losing the delicious quality of her
voice, and that her method was becoming more and more conventional. Her
ornaments and fioriture never varied, and this monotony, owing to the
indolence and _insouciance_ of the singer, was never inspired by that
resistless fire and geniality which made the same cadenzas, repeated
night after night by such a singer as Pasta, appear fresh to the
audience.

Mlle. Alboni's visit to the United States in 1852 was the occasion of a
cordial and enthusiastic welcome, which, though lacking in the fury and
excitement of the "Jenny Lind" mania, was yet highly gratifying to the
singer's _amour propre_. There was a universal feeling of regret that
her tour was necessarily a short one. Her final concert was given at
Metropolitan Hall, New York, on May 2, 1852, the special occasion
being the benefit of Signor Arditi, who had been the conductor of
her performances in America. The audience was immense, the applause
vehement.

The marriage of Alboni to the Compte de Pepoli in 1853 caused a rumor
that she was about to retire from the stage. But, though she gave
herself a furlough from her arduous operatic duties for nearly a year,
she appeared again in Paris in 1854 in "La Donna del Lago" and other of
the Rossinian operas. Her London admirers, too, recognized in the newly
married prima donna all the charm of her youth.

In July, 1855, she was at the Grand Opera, in Paris, performing in "Le
Prophete," etc., with Roger, having contracted an engagement for three
years. In 1856 she was at Her Majesty's Theatre with Piccolomini,
and made her first appearance in the character of _Azucena_ in "Il
Trovatore." Her performances were not confined to the opera-house; she
sang at the Crystal Palace and in the Surrey Music Hall. In October she
was again at the Italiens, commencing with "La Cenerentola." She then, in