"Mr Jefferson, late President of the United States, died at his residence in Virginia, on July 4, at 10 to 1 o'clock. It is a strange coincidence that these two venerable personages should have paid the debt of nature on the same day, and that day the Fiftieth anniversary of that Independence which they so essentially contributed to achieve."
On September 30, as we have seen, the New York venture of Italian Opera was brought to a conclusion.
A few days later the elder Garcia set off for Mexico, where he had arranged to initiate a season at the Opera House. He was accompanied on the journey by the whole troupe, with the exception of his daughter Maria.
The reason of her remaining behind was that on March 23 of that year she had given her hand to Monsieur Malibran, a French merchant three times her own age, and by repute a very wealthy man. It can scarcely have been a love-match, for the union appears to have been a most unhappy one from the start. As to the reason for the marriage, some light has been thrown by Fitz-Greene Halleck's biographer, in a conversation which I had with him recently.
It will be remembered that Halleck was present at the opening night of Italian opera in America, in the company of his friend Fenimore Cooper. The latter must have been busy correcting the proofs of his latest book, 'The Last of the Mohicans,' since this was published in New York soon after the New Year,—a literary event which of course Manuel Garcia could quite well remember.
Halleck at once fell under the spell of Maria's voice and personality. Of his admiration for her singing he wrote these lines, alluding to his own death:—
| "And when that grass is green above me, |
| And those, who bless me now and love me, |
| Are sleeping by my side, |
| Will it avail me aught that men |
| Tell to the world with lip and pen |
| That once I lived and died? |
| No! if a Garland for my brow |
| Is growing, let me have it now, |
| While I'm alive to wear it; |
| And if, in whispering my name, |
| There's music in the voice of fame |
| Like Garcia's, let me hear it." |
Was ever a more beautiful compliment paid to a singer?
It was not long before the poet obtained an introduction to his ideal. The acquaintance thus began quickly ripened, and Fitz-Greene Halleck became deeply attached to her. This warmth of feeling was undoubtedly returned, and there seems every probability that Maria, girl of seventeen as she was, might have been well content to wed the American poet. Her father, however, intervened, and sternly refused to allow things to go farther.
Here we have a possible explanation of the tragedy which ensued. Monsieur Malibran came upon the scene and offered himself, and Maria perhaps decided to accept him in order to escape from the discipline of an exacting parent. There certainly must have been some very powerful reason at work to bring about her union with a man older than her own father, at an age when youth and romance would naturally appeal to her most strongly, and such a wedding of May and December could not but appear repulsive in the extreme. Certainly it can hardly have been the man's reputed wealth which tempted her to take such a step, seeing that she was already well advanced on the road to becoming one of the greatest operatic stars of her day.