FEINBERG/WHITMAN LITERARY FILE POETRY FILE "The Dead Tenor"(1884). Proof Sheets. Box 26 Folder 49 Includes A. MS. note & newspaper clipping. Also includes A. MS. S. corrections & notations The Funeral of Brignoli. NEW YORK, November 3.—The funeral of Signor Brignoli took place this morning from the Everett house, and was attended by many musical people. The famous singer as he lay in his coffin was very different from the Brignoli of operatic memory. The hair was gray, the once portly figure was wasted by disease, and the face looked pinched. The remains were conveyed to St Agnes' church, where solemn high mass was celebrated at half-past 10 o'clock. NEW YORK, November 3. – Patti arrived from Europe last evening. Nicolini had just been told that Brignoli was dead, and he immediately told Patti. She lost a little color and looked as though she could not believe the news. Then she was speechless for a few minutes. Brignoli and Patti sang at Patti's first appearance in New York in 1859, and they sang in London and Paris together. I heard the earliest singing of Patti, (in 1860 if I remember right) – heard her many times. Brignoli sang with her at her first appearance in NY in 1859 [?] OIL CLOTHS AND WINDOW CROW E, 4[8?]1 & 403 E. Girard av. MATTRESSES AND IRON [?]tson, 48 N. Front. mhl- [?ME????AS] {???AIRED] & COVERED J. C. [? arman], 1304 Chestnut GEO. KELLY & CO. Philadelphia's LARGEST Credit House, 810 Market st. Creamery Buttered Flour is as near perfection as is possible to attain. Try it. At grocers. UMBRELLAS RECOVERED, REPAIRED, at WALLACE'S, 244 S. Eleventh st. TEAS, COFFEES, PURE SPICES, AND FINE GROCERIES. RILEY. 242 GIRARD Ave. GOSSAMER WATERPROOFS, LOW PRICES. d21- ROB'T C. GEDDES, 316 MARKET St. LEARY'S OLD BOOK STORE, NINTH and MARKET Streets. se19- DARLINGTON, RUNK & CO., DRY GOODS, 1126 and 1128 CHESTNUT Street. jy3- From the CRITIC—New York, Nov. 8, '84. The Dead Tenor. As down the stage again, With Spanish hat and plumes, and gait inimitable, Back from the fading lessons of the past, I'd call, I'd tell and own, How much from thee! the revelation of the singing voice from thee! (So firm--so liquid-soft--again that tremulous, manly timbre! The perfect singing voice--deepest of all to me the lesson—trial and test of all:) How through those strains distill'd—how the rapt ears, the soul of me, absorbing Fernando's heart, Manrico's passionate call, Ernani's, sweet Gennaro's, I fold thenceforth, or seek to fold, within my chants transmuting, Freedom's and Love's and Faith's unloos'd cantabile, (As perfume's, color's, sunlight's correlation:) From these, for these, with these a hurried line, dead tenor, A wafted autumn leaf, dropt in the closing grave, the shovell'd earth, To memory of thee. WALT WHITMAN. [*Camden. Nov 4*] [*Can you use this in C of 8th?*] [*(if in time) – the price is 5*] [*– no proof for me needed W W*] 44 The Dead Tenor. As down the stage again, With Spanish hat and plumes, and gait inimitable, [*'/*] Back from the fading lessons of the past, I'd call, I'd tell and own, How much from thee! the revelation of the singing voice from thee! (So firm--so liquid-soft--again that tremulous, manly timbre! The perfect singing voice--deepest of all to me the lesson—trial and test of all:) How through those strains distill'd—how the rapt ears, the soul of me, absorbing [*a/*] Fernando's heart, Manrico's passionate call, Ernani's, sweet Genn[u]ro's, I fold thenceforth, or seek to fold, within my chants transmuting, Freedom's and Love's and Faith's unloos'd cantabile. (As perfume's, color's, sunlight's correlation:) From these, for these, with these a hurried line, [Italian,] dead tenor, A wafted autumn leaf, dropt in the closing grave, the shovell'd earth, To memory of thee. WALT WHITMAN [*November 4, 1884*] [*Brignoli was the Tenor*] [*(bad print*] From the CRITIC—New York, Nov. 8, '84. The Dead Tenor. As down the stage again, With Spanish hat and plumes, and gait inimitable, Back from the fading lessons of the past, I'd call, I'd tell and own, How much from thee! the revelation of the singing voice from thee! (So firm--so liquid-soft--again that tremulous, manly timbre! The perfect singing voice--deepest of all to me the lesson—trial and test of all:) How through those strains distill'd—how the rapt ears, the soul of me, absorbing Fernando's heart, Manrico's passionate call, Ernani's, sweet Gennaro's, I fold thenceforth, or seek to fold, within my chants transmuting, Freedom's and Love's and Faith's unloos'd cantabile. (As perfume's, color's, sunlight's correlation:) From these, for these, with these a hurried line, dead tenor, A wafted autumn leaf, dropt in the closing grave, the shovell'd earth, To memory of thee. WALT WHITMAN 1st Proof before corrections & printed version [CATALOGUED WILLIAM WHITE] DATE Sept 21 The Dead Tenor. As down the stage again, With Spanish hat and plumes, and gait inimitable Back from the fading lessons of the past, I'd call, I'd tell and own, How much from thee! the revelation of the singing voice from thee! (So firm--so liquid-soft--again that tremulous, manly timbre! The perfect singing voice--deepest of all of to me the lesson--trial and test of all:) How through those strains distill'd---how the rapt ears, the soul of me, absorbing Fernando's heart, Manrico's passionate call, Ernani's, sweet Gennuro's, I fold thenceforth, or seek to fold, within my chants transmuting, Freedom's and Love's and Faith's unloos'd cantabile, (As perfume's, color's, sunlight's correlation:) From these, for these, with these a hurried line, Italian, A wafted autumn leaf, dropt in the closing grave, the shovell'd earth, To memory of thee. WALT WHITMAN [*From the Critic—New York, Nov. 8, '84.*] The Dead Tenor. As down the stage again, With Spanish hat and plumes, and gait inimitable, Back from the fading lessons of the past, I'd call, I'd tell and own, How much from thee! the revelation of the singing voice from thee! (So firm—so liquid-soft—again that tremulous, manly timbre! The perfect singing voice—deepest of all to me the lesson—trial and test of all:) How through those strains distill'd—how the rapt ears, the soul of me, absorbing Fernando's heart, Manrico's passionate call, Ernani's, sweet Gennaro's, I fold thenceforth, or seek to fold, within my chants transmuting, Freedom's and Love's and Faith's unloos'd cantabile, (As perfume's, color's, sunlight's correlation:) From these, for these, with these a hurried line, dead tenor, A wafted autumn leaf, dropt in the closing grave, the shovell'd earth, To memory of thee. Walt Whitman. [*1711*] 1884 4 November The Dead Tenor: Proofs with Corrections, Change, and Notations. A.MS.s.(3p. 21 x 15, 20½ x 15¼, 24¼ x 15 cm.) Written in pencil on a proof of 'The Dead Tenor', a 14-line poem, with a printed signature, 34 words: [At top:] Camden Nov 4 Can you use this in C of 8th (if in time)—the price is $5 —no proof for me needed W W ------------- [Line 2: comma added at end of line] [Line 8: Gennuro's changed to Gennaro's:] a [Line 12: Italian crossed out and in margin:] dead tenor, [At bottom:] November 4, 1884 Bngnoli was the Tenor [Figure 44 in blue pencil in another hand.] Another proof has new printed line at top, From the Critic—New [*[over]*] [*1712*] all 3 changes made, York, Nov. 8, '84., printed signature, and at very top, 2 words: (bad print Third proof, same as above, corrected, printed signature, a better print: no MS material by Whitman. [*1267*] 1884 8 November The Dead Tenor: poem: proof, clipping. A.MS. (2p. 24 x 15 cm, 10½ x 16½ cm.) Written in pencil on a small page from a notebook, on which is pasted a clipping from a newspaper (The Funeral of Brignoli. New York, November 3.—The funeral of Signor Brignoli took place this morning from the Everett house, and was attended by many musical people. The famous singer as he lay in his coffin was very different from the Brignoli of operatic memory. The hair was gray, the once portly figure was wasted by disease, and the face looked pinched. The remains were conveyed to St. Agnes' church, where solemn high mass was celebrated at half-past 10 o'clock. ¶New York, November 3.—Patti arrived from Europe last evening. Nicolini had just been told that Brignoli was dead, and he immediately told Patti. She lost a little color and looked as though she could not believe the news. Then she was speechless for a few minutes. Brignoli and Patti sang at Patti's first appearance in New York in 1859, and they sang in London and Paris together.), pinned to [a] an unmarked proof of 'The Dead Tenor', From the Critic—New York, Nov. 8, '84, by Walt Whitman, [*[over]*] [*1268*] 30 words: I heard the earliest singing of Patti, (in 1860 if I remember right)—heard her many times Brignoli sang with her at her first appearance in N Y in 1859 ('The Dead Tenor' was included in November Boughs, 1888.) Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.