Chapter V: The Bunn Contract

We called attention in our opening chapter to the fact that, notwithstanding a very wide-spread belief to that effect, Mdlle. Lind’s artistic reputation was neither confined to nor even made in the country of her final adoption—England.

Nor was it the special property of Germany—though, for the world in general, it certainly originated there.

Before she had appeared five times on the stage in Berlin, it had spread so far that an attempt was made to induce her to visit London.

She alludes to this, as we have seen, in her letter to Fru Lindblad, written two days after her first appearance in the part of “Vielka.”

The matter was brought about in this wise.

Mr. Alfred Bunn, the then lessee of Drury Lane Theatre, went to Berlin in the hope of securing Mdlle. Lind for his approaching season of English Opera. He was an experienced manager, and had attained, by long experience, the power of predicting, with absolute certainty, whether or not an artist was likely to find lasting favour with the public. His visit to Berlin was well-timed. He was fortunate enough to hear Mdlle. Lind, and to be thus enabled to judge for himself how far the rumours he had heard were well-founded. To a man of his long experience, one hearing was more than enough to decide the question. He saw at a glance that, if he could only succeed in attaching her to his company at Drury Lane Theatre, his fortune would be made. And, being a man of prompt action, he lost no time in making an offer which, to a young singer, seemed not illiberal. But how could she form a fair judgment upon it?— she who was utterly ignorant of everything connected with the stage except in so far as its artistic aspect was concerned? He pressed for an immediate answer. Naturally enough, she hesitated. He was urgent. It was manifestly to his interest to allow her the least possible time for reflection, and still less for taking advice; for the intervention of a thoroughly disinterested and business-like friend might ruin everything— for him. Not a word could be said against his position from a business point of view. He was perfectly justified in endeavouring to secure the services of the most splendid dramatic artist he had ever met with on the lowest possible terms. But it was hard upon the artist, who was probably less able to form a true estimate of her own value in the theatrical market than any one in Berlin. She knew what she was worth to Art; but the manager alone knew what she was worth to him. And, as a man of business, he was certainly not bound to enlighten her on a subject in which her interests were diametrically opposed to his own. The danger was that some one else might enlighten her at any moment. And to prevent this he pressed his offer upon her with the utmost possible urgency. It would be unfair to blame him for it. Any other manager would quite certainly have done the same. Yet our readers must surely feel with us that it was very hard upon her.

On the 10th of January the matter came to a crisis.

On that evening Mdlle. Lind was to play the part of “Vielka” for the second time, and so great was the excitement with which the announcement of the coming event was received, that Herr von Küstner, the Intendant of the Opera-House, finding it impossible to supply the demand for places, determined to raise the prices of admission. As the season advanced, the demand for tickets increased to such an “extraordinary and unaccustomed extent,” that the number of applications frequently amounted to twice, and even thrice, the number of places at the disposal of the Royal Intendantur, who found it necessary to issue elaborate instructions as to the form in which preliminary application for tickets was to be made. Even with these safeguards the number of final disappointments, when the season came to a close, was enormous; and, so great was the pressure, that no less than four clerks were kept constantly employed in answering the letters of application in the order of their arrival.

In the midst of this excitement Mr. Bunn was fortunate enough to obtain a seat in the box of the British Ambassador. We have already had occasion, in a previous chapter, to speak of Lord Westmorland’s deep interest in everything connected with the Art, of which, during the whole of his long and useful life, he was so generous and munificent a patron. He was no less enthusiastic in his admiration for Mdlle. Lind’s talent than Lady Westmorland, whose opinion on the subject we have already learned; and his personal regard for her was sincere and lasting—so lasting that he remained her friend until the end of his life. He had been informed that an engagement for London had been proposed; and, for the credit of his country’s taste, he was anxious that so great an artist should be heard and duly appreciated there. It is more than probable that she had, before this, asked his advice upon the subject; but what could he say? He was as ignorant of managerial business and managerial terms as she was, and was an absolute stranger to the manifold intrigues which seem to be inseparable from the destiny of a “Child of the Drama.” To him the proposal seemed an advantageous one, and there seems no doubt that he said as much to her.

Our information concerning the events of this memorable evening is very far from complete. In after life Madame Goldschmidt could rarely be induced to speak of the occasion, the disastrous results of which she could never recall without pain.

In presence of this element of doubt it seems not unnatural to believe that His Excellency may well have expressed his opinion on the matter without resorting to actual persuasion; and we now know with absolute certainty that he was at first inclined to regard the proposal in a favourable light, but afterwards entirely changed his mind, and rejoiced greatly that it was never put into execution.

Passing from the discussion of the incidental circumstances here related, we proceed to put our readers in possession of a literal translation of the now famous “Bunn contract,” the text of which was originally drawn up in French to the following purport:—

“Mr. Bunn director of Drury Lane Theatre London makes the following
offers to Mdlle. Jenny Lind and engages to execute them entirely at
his own risks and perils if Mdlle. Lind accepts them:

“(1) Mr. Bunn engages Mdlle. Lind to sing twenty times at Drury Lane
Theatre either from 15th June to 31st July 1845 or from 30th September
to 15th November 1845. It depends upon Mdlle. Lind to decide which of
these two different epochs is most convenient to her, but she engages
herself to make known her choice to Mr. Bunn not later than the end of
the month of March.

“(2) Mr. Bunn engages to pay to Mdlle. Lind the sum of fifty _Louis
d’or_[45] for each of these twenty representations and allow her also
the half of a benefit (gross receipts).

“(3) Mr. Bunn engages to pay to Mdlle. Lind the stipulated price of
fifty _Louis_ always twenty-four hours after each representation.

“(4) Mdlle. Lind will sing three times a week and not oftener except
during the last week. She will never sing on two following days and
Mr. Bunn engages to leave an interval of at least one day between one
representation and the next.

“(5) Mdlle. Lind will make her _début_ in the part of ‘Vielka’ in the
Opera _Ein Feldlager in Schlesien_ by Meyerbeer and she will
afterwards sing also the _rôle_ of ‘Amina’ in _La Sonnambula_ by
Bellini if Mr. Bunn requires it. It is understood that Mdlle. Lind
will only sing in two _rôles_ during the whole course of her
representations.

“(6) Mr. Bunn will find at his cost the costumes for the two _rôles_
of Mdlle. Lind.

“(7) Mdlle. Lind accepts these conditions but as she has not time to
consider sufficiently the contract which Mr. Bunn presents to her
to-day and as Mr. Bunn must depart to-morrow she reserves the right of
introducing additions and changes into this contract if that appears
to her necessary but she must make them known to Mr. Bunn by the 1st
of March at the latest. Meanwhile it is well understood that such
additions and changes as Mdlle. Lind may introduce must never apply to
the first or second articles which must remain fixed as they are now.

“It is agreed equally that if the changes and additions are not
agreeable to Mr. Bunn he shall have the right to reject them but if
this be done the treaty shall be revoked and regarded as null and of
no effect.

“Executed in duplicate at Berlin the 10th January 1845.”

It was in these terms that the contract between Mdlle. Jenny Lind and Mr. Alfred Bunn was duly signed and ratified, in the presence of the British Ambassador, and in His Excellency’s box at the Berlin Opera-House—and therefore, in the political sense of the term, within British territory—on the 10th of January, 1845. That is to say, “duly signed” by Mdlle. Lind; but, as we shall hereafter be able to show, the “duplicate” given to her was not signed by Mr. Bunn. She had in her possession no legal proof whatever of her own rights in the matter.