THE  NEW  YORK  CLIPPER  ANNUAL.
 

19
 

PALMO'S  OPERA HOUSE, N. Y. (later Burton's), 1844.
 

peared here, and continued  for a few nights in an enter¬
tainment of his own.

It Avas not Avitli the great singers that Palmo found his
final difficulty, for these cormorants guaged their diges¬
tion according to the receipts of the house. KnoAving
their presence to be the attraction Avithout which the
house must close, they simply extorted from the manage¬
ment every available cent in his till, leaving the more
obscure members of the troupe unprovided for. It is the
feather Avhich breaks the camel's back. Poor Palmo had
petted his imported senoras until he had brought them
into a state of co-operation Avith his final spasmodic en¬
deavor to resuscitate his fortune, noAv reduced to the
technical OAvnership of the property, firmly attached to
the soil by heavy mortgages, vainly imagining that the
poor dependents of the house Avouhl, like him, wait until
some signal dispensation of Providence should restore
the fallen hopes of the operatic drama. Palmo was dis¬
appointed, for he had never read the parable of the bel-
loAvs blower as an appendage to the organ. His decisive
night came Avith the Borghese in all the stateliness of her
beauty and the irresistiijle attractiveness of her smile; a
good audience Avas in attendance, and CA'erything prophe¬
sied a favorable turn to Palme's fortunes. The ope ra
selected Avas one of Borghese's master regies; the over¬
ture was played Avith delicacy and accurac.y Avhich fairly
astonisheei the house, for never did orchestra so far exce-l
itself; then came the opening choruses, which were exe¬
cuted Avith a similar degree of excellence. Palmo and his
admirers Avere delighted; the hitch in his day dream wai*i
apparently shaken out, and a revived future daAvned be¬
fore him. Then Borghese, the magnificent, stalked with
queenlike tread to the centre of the loctlights, and opened
her arched mouth to give a solo, which was the feature of
the piece. To her astonishment, no symphony, no deli¬
cate melody accompanied her movements f)r heralded her
approach. In perplexity, she gazed upon the leader of the
orchestra; indignantly she stamped her majestic foot to
arouse him to his sense of duty, but that dignitary re¬
mained in his chair, his A'iolin firml.y tucked beneaih his
arm. Borghese raveel in Autuperative Italian; the audi¬
ence hisscnl at the obdurate orchestrans, feir all imitated
their leader and discarded their usual implements of
toil. Finally, Palmo came on the stage and excitedly de¬
manded the cause of the musicians' strike. "No pay,"
curtly answered a Teuton, quie'tly taking his cornet to
pieces. "Pay you tomorrow!" shouted Palmo, in a state
of frenzy. "Toni.ght's the time," suggested the cornet
player, as he snapped the lock of his instrument case.   A
 

bright idea struck Palmo, so, whispering to Borghese to
amuse the audience with a bit of pantomime for a mo¬
ment, he rushed around to the box office there to draAV
from the receipts of the night sufficient to appease the
rebellie)us e)rchestra. To his horror he found the entire
treasury, bills, specie and coppers, in the hands of a deputy
sherift'. Poor Palmo fainted, while the magnificent Bor¬
ghese, breathing vengeance against the musicians, at¬
tempted to execute a grand aria Avithout their aid. The
effort Avas a success; "but amid the thunders of applause
greeting this Amazonian defiance, the orchestra tran¬
quilly disappeared Avith their instruments under their
arms'—big fiddles, little fiddles, horns and drums leaving
the queen-like Borghese and the remainder of her associ¬
ates to raise music from S' me other quarter than from
the deserted orchestra. This grand strike of the fiddlers
terminate I Palmo's career as'^an opera director. Palmo
introduced among us some of the finest artists which
have appeared upon the lyric stage—Pico, Borghese, Cas¬
tellan and others of celebrity, the rivalr.y e)f whose friends
and admirers created a passing furor", Avhich aided the
dramatic treasur.y for the moment. Despite all the at¬
tractive prima donnas and the endeavors of the impres-
sario charged as Palmo's proxy in the mana.gement, the
opera commenced financially to droop, then to quiver,
and finally to come to a dead standstill. After the Palmo
collapsed the theatre stood at the mercy of sherifPs
officers, landlords, substitutes and every species of legal
officials char.ged Avith creditors' rights. It was rented
for almost every kind of theatrical exhibition, and, after
the affairs of Palme)'s estate became slightly out of chass,
it AA-as occupied by various companies, some of them of
considerable merit.

William E. Dinneford leased this house and opened it
April 7, 1845. It Avas at this theatre that George Vanden-
hoft" and his sister attempted to rcAdve the classic tragedy
of "Antigone," Avith a fac simile of a Greek theatre and
stasre, and Mendelssohn's music. A ncAV GrAcian prosce.
nium was painted, and a double stage erected, alt.er a
model of a Grecian theatre. A very large audience
listened intently to the play, but soon groAV Avear.y of the
monotony of the dialogue and the absence of change in
scenery, notAvithstandihg the stray gems of the great mu¬
sical composer. The piece would assuredl.y have proA'ed a
failure, when a Avag in the pit brought matters to a serious
consummation. A messen.ger, dressed as a sejldier, with
shield upon his arm, mounted upon the stage, and, kneel¬
ing before the kin.g, delivered messages of about five
Avords in length.   After performing this caner some dozen