The superstars who came to Blackpool during culture war of the Winter Gardens and Tower Company

Retro articles are often memory joggers but this week's tome comes in the category "before my time."
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The Memory Lane feature of February 18 by David Hewitt, about the redundant Winter Gardens Pavilion, had me retrieving some old research on some superstars of more than a century ago.

The name Melba may pop up on the dessert menu when you're dining out, while the name Patti sounds more savoury. But both names belonged to opera stars who came to Blackpool in the "culture war" between the Winter Gardens Company and the Tower Company before the First World War.

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Contemporary reports say that train loads of well-off patrons came from across Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

Anglo-Italian soprano Adelina Patti who became the highest paid singer of her day.  (Photo by London Stereoscopic Company/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)Anglo-Italian soprano Adelina Patti who became the highest paid singer of her day.  (Photo by London Stereoscopic Company/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Anglo-Italian soprano Adelina Patti who became the highest paid singer of her day. (Photo by London Stereoscopic Company/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Each company tried to outdo the other by booking, at great expense, stars of classical music to headline Sunday night concerts. The rivalry seems to have started when John R. Huddlestone was appointed general manager of the Gardens in 1899.

Huddlestone had resigned as Winter Gardens company secretary when he failed to get the top job after the death of general manager William Holland.

After two years managing the nearby Empire (which later became the Hippodrome), Huddlestone was invited back to the larger venue.

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It would seem he had something to prove and made a statement by booking the very expensive Madrid-born Adelina Patti (1843-1919) who was known as the Queen of Song.

Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873 - 1921) dressed as a Pierrot clown in 'Pagliacci'.  (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873 - 1921) dressed as a Pierrot clown in 'Pagliacci'.  (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873 - 1921) dressed as a Pierrot clown in 'Pagliacci'. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

She headed a Winter Gardens concert bill on August 20, 1900, for a right royal fee of £600, according to the Gazette.

Her songs included The Jewel Song from Gounod's Faust and two by Mozart

Patti was fabulously rich (no wonder!) and lived in a Welsh castle with her husband, Baron Cederstrom. However, she was 57 and her career was fading. Her mantle was picked up by a younger prima donna at the Winter Gardens on September 1, 1901.

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This was Covent Garden's Melba (Helen Porter Mitchell, 1861-1831) who Huddlestone booked eight times up to 1920.

Australian soprano Nellie Melba, otherwise known as Helen Porter Mitchell. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)Australian soprano Nellie Melba, otherwise known as Helen Porter Mitchell. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Australian soprano Nellie Melba, otherwise known as Helen Porter Mitchell. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

She took her stage name from the clipped pronunciation of her home city of Melbourne, but was popularly known as Nellie, the nickname for Helen. Her billing, however, was always Madame Melba.

In her first visit the great lady collected £500 for six songs, including the ever-present Jewel Song, plus the encores that Patti had used a year earlier.

The most frequently recalled Gardens concert was the visit of Enrico Caruso on August 29, 1909. Other star visitors to the venue included violinist Fritz Kreisler and pianist Mark Hambourg.

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The Gazette's review of her August 24, 1913, visit said: "Melba's voice is as sweet as ever, even if a little of it's power and volume has been lost. The old purity of tone, the bell-like resonance, is still there and the power to charm an audience is as great as ever."

On her eighth Winter Gardens visit on October 10, 1920, the Gazette wrote: "It was not quite the Melba of 10 years ago that we heard. Still, the charming artiste gave a delightful selection of songs and was recalled time and again."

For her final item Melba took off her gloves, sat down at the piano and accompanied herself as she sang Home Sweet Home.

It was not only "good night" but a final farewell to Blackpool.