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diff --git a/43873-8.txt b/43873-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2ede8ec..0000000 --- a/43873-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3756 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Giacomo Puccini, by Wakeling Dry - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Giacomo Puccini - -Author: Wakeling Dry - -Release Date: October 3, 2013 [EBook #43873] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GIACOMO PUCCINI *** - - - - -Produced by Charlie Howard and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - GIACOMO - PUCCINI - - BY WAKELING DRY - - [Illustration] - - LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD - NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY. MCMVI - - - - - Printed by BALLANTYNE & CO., LIMITED - Tavistock Street, London - - - - - LIVING MASTERS OF MUSIC - EDITED BY ROSA NEWMARCH - - GIACOMO PUCCINI - - -[Illustration] - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - _To face - page_ - - GIACOMO PUCCINI _Frontispiece_ - _From an autographed copy of a photograph by Bertieri, - Turin, in the possession of the author_ - - PUCCINI'S BIRTHPLACE IN THE VIA DEL POGGIO, LUCCA 8 - _From a photograph lent by Messrs. Ricordi_ - - CHURCH OF ST. PIETRO, SOMALDI WHERE PUCCINI WAS ORGANIST 12 - _From a photograph lent by Messrs. Ricordi_ - - PUCCINI AND FONTANA, THE LIBRETTIST AT THE TIME 18 - _From a photograph lent by Messrs. Ricordi_ - - PUCCINI'S VILLA AT TORRE DEL LAGO 22 - _From a photograph lent by Messrs. Ricordi_ - - PUCCINI IN HIS 24-H.P. "LA BUIRE" MOTOR-CAR 24 - _From a photograph by R. de Guili & Co., Lucca_ - - PUCCINI AFTER A "SHOOT" 28 - _From a photograph by S. Ernesto Arboco_ - - PUCCINI IN HIS STUDY AT TORRE DEL LAGO 40 - _From a photograph lent by Messrs. Ricordi_ - - PUCCINI IN HIS MILAN HOUSE 48 - _From a photograph specially taken by Adolfo Ermini, Milan_ - - PUCCINI MANUSCRIPT SCORE. FROM THE SECOND ACT OF "TOSCA" 50 - _From a photograph lent by Messrs. Ricordi_ - - MISS ALICE ESTY AS MIMI IN "LA BOHÈME" 68 - _From a photograph lent by Madame Alice Esty_ - - PUCCINI MANUSCRIPT SCORES. FROM THE LAST ACT OF "LA BOHÈME" 72 - _From a photograph lent by Messrs. Ricordi_ - - *PUCCINI IN "MORNING DRESS" (NATIONAL PEASANT COSTUME) AT - TORRE DEL LAGO 82 - - *PUCCINI SHOOTING ON THE LAKE AT TORRE DEL LAGO 82 - - *PUCCINI SNOWBALLING IN SICILY 86 - - *PUCCINI WRESTLING AT POMPEII 86 - - *PUCCINI DESCENDING ETNA ON A MULE 90 - - *PUCCINI ON HIS FARM AT CHIATRI 90 - - PUCCINI AT TORRE DEL LAGO IN HIS MOTOR-BOAT "BUTTERFLY" 96 - _From a photograph lent by Messrs. Ricordi_ - - PUCCINI'S MANUSCRIPT. FIRST SKETCH FOR THE END OF THE FIRST - ACT OF "MADAMA BUTTERFLY" 102 - _From a photograph lent by Messrs. Ricordi_ - - PUCCINI'S MANUSCRIPT SCORES. FROM THE FIRST ACT OF "MADAMA - BUTTERFLY" 112 - _From a photograph lent by Messrs. Ricordi_ - -* _From a series of snapshots given to the author by Signor Puccini_ -(_Copyright reserved_) - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. PUCCINI, AND THE OPERA IN GENERAL 1 - - II. PUCCINI'S EARLY LIFE 9 - - III. THE PUCCINI OF YESTERDAY AND TO-DAY 19 - - IV. "LE VILLI" 30 - - V. "EDGAR" 40 - - VI. "MANON" 50 - - VII. "LA BOHÈME" 68 - - VIII. "TOSCA" 83 - - IX. "MADAMA BUTTERFLY" 101 - - - - -GIACOMO PUCCINI - - - - -I - -PUCCINI, AND THE OPERA IN GENERAL - - -A big broad man, with a frank open countenance, dark kindly eyes of -a lazy lustrous depth, and a shy retiring manner. Such is Giacomo -Puccini, who is operatically the man of the moment. - -It was behind the scenes during the autumn season of opera at Covent -Garden in 1905 that I had the privilege of first meeting and talking -with him, and about the last thing I could extract from him was -anything about his music. While his reserve comes off like a mask when -he is left to follow his own bent in conversation, one can readily -understand why he adheres, and always has done, to his rule of never -conducting his own works. - -One thing struck me as peculiarly characteristic about his nature and -personality. The success of _Madama Butterfly_--for that was the work -in progress on the stage as we passed out by way of the "wings" to the -front of the house--was at the moment the talk of the town. Puccini -was full, not of the success of his opera, but of the achievements of -the artists who were interpreting it. "Isn't Madame So-and-so fine?" -"Doesn't Signor So-and-so conduct admirably?" "Isn't it beautifully put -on?" The composer was content and happy to sink into the background and -think, in the triumph, of all he owed to those who were carrying out -his ideas. He has a quiet sense of fun, too. "Let us step quietly," -he said--as we came into the range of the scene that was being -enacted--"like butterflies." - -I have called Puccini the operatic man of the moment. It is not -difficult to account for his popularity. His whole-souled devotion -to this one form of musical art, in which he has certainly achieved -much, has by some been pointed to as defining his limits. Apart from -a few early string quartets, which mean nothing more than the usual -preliminary studies of a gifted student, Puccini has written absolutely -nothing but operas since he started. In this respect his music has a -certain well-defined natural characteristic that gives him--if it be -necessary in these days to fit any particular composer into his own -special niche--a distinct place in the history of the progress and -development of the art and science of music making. - -Roughly speaking, the opera had its beginnings in the dance, but almost -at the same time it travelled along the road of the development of -vocal expression by music. As early as the days of Peri and Caccini, -who reverted to the old Greek drama as the basis on which to build -something anew, and by so doing brought forth the germ which was -afterwards to bear fruit through Gluck and Wagner, the feeling for -freedom of expression, the desire to snatch music away from the -tyranny of a set form--counterpoint, as it was then understood--strove -to make itself felt and understood. It must not be taken to mean that -the old contrapuntists did not endeavour to combine the adherence to -a form with some degree of definite expression; for in the works of -one of the greatest of this school, old Josquin des Près, are to be -found plenty of emotional touches by which, even in so restricted a -pattern as the madrigal form, it was plain that a closer union between -words and music--an emotional feeling, in short--was clearly the thing -striven for. - -Still dealing briefly with beginnings, one may point to the dramatic -cantatas--particularly in Italy, but found in France as well--or -madrigal plays, by which, in distinction to what may be called little -comedies with music, this essential "operatic" feature in the union of -the arts of speech and song, comes out with special clearness. - -In Italy then, the land which owns Puccini as one of its most -distinguished sons, the opera had its rise; and in _Dafne_, the first -child of a new art, it is curious to note, it immediately turned -aside into one of those many by-paths which led it very far away from -the goal of its promise. Curious again is the reason for its first -fall--the desire of the leading singer for vocal display, and the -introduction of long vocal flourishes, which, having nothing to do with -the case, yet pleased the public mightily. In this _Dafne_--the score -of which has been lost--it was the great singer Archilei who was the -offender. Yet again a strange thing comes down to us after these many -years. Peri, the composer, was highly delighted with the interpolations -and the vocal gymnastics. - -But out of something dead, something very much alive was destined to -develop. The old Greek drama was not to be resuscitated by a sort of -transfusion of blood--music, the newest and most emotional of the arts, -being the medium to carry life into the structure. There is not space -here to do more than hint at the various fresh phases--the reforms, as -they have been called--each of which, in trying to deal with what was -already built up, really brought to an achievement the ideal which had -floated before many a worker in the same field. - -In Italy, as early as Cimarosa's day--he died in 1801--the opera, -regarded purely as a musical form, attained as near perfection as -possible. It is difficult, even when dealing with a period that, -unlike our own, was very much more concerned about the manner than -the matter of things, to distinguish between the various styles of -opera; but taking the opera seria and the opera buffa as representing -two great phases of the art, Cimarosa stands out as one who combined -the essential qualities of both into products which had the stamp of -individuality. Pergolesi is another shining light who stands out in the -long line of illustrious workers whose efforts were entirely cast into -the shade by the arrival of Rossini and his followers, Donizetti and -Bellini. All this time, during which so-called Italian opera dominated -the whole of Europe, nothing was done in Italy in the way of developing -orchestral writing, which in Germany had made such marvellous strides. -At the psychological moment--for Italy--came Verdi, who, if he took -the opera very much as he found it, breathed from the very first a -new spirit into its composition. His artistic growth, as seen by his -later operas, was one of the most remarkable things in modern musical -history. And in the fulness of time we come to Puccini, to whom it is -reasonable to point as the successor of Verdi. These two, who may be -linked up with reason with Boïto and Ponchielli, present many features -of resemblance. Puccini's musical expression, at first purely vocal, -has in his later work shown that same growth in artistic development. -From the beginning he was concerned with the continuous flow of melody, -since he had not, like Verdi, to get away exactly from the old form -of the set numbers; but in Puccini's case, the growth referred to is -seen in his latest work in the further elaboration of the orchestral -portion. Although in England we have had few experiments worked out in -the way of the development of opera, it is safe to say that such new -modern works as have been taken to our hearts have owed not a little to -the orchestral part of the fabric. Tchaikovsky's _Eugen Oniegin_ and -Humperdinck's _Hänsel und Gretel_ are at least two notable cases in -point. - -But in whatever way we view an opera, mere orchestral fulness will -not serve to land the work very high up in the esteem of music -lovers. Nor will the purely beautiful in music--melody worked out -with transparent clearness of form--save a poor, unconvincing or -uninteresting dramatic fabric from passing into the great storehouse -of the unacted. Puccini's music is dramatic, and by far the greater -part of it, by a sort of quick natural instinct, is purely of the -theatre. His first and most direct appeal is by the charm and vitality -of the vocal expression, while his whole plan is one of movement. -From the first--if we except for the moment his _Le Villi_, which -was first called a ballet-opera--he called his operas _Dramma per -lyrica_--lyric dramas, a term first established, and moulded into a -definite art-form, by Wagner. With his first opera, Puccini started -something of a new form in the short opera; and two remarkable works -of the kind in _Cavalleria Rusticana_ by Mascagni and _I Pagliacci_ -by Leoncavallo, which came very soon after, clearly indicate that he -had founded a school as it were; and so from Italy to-day, as in times -past, this particular fashion spread to other countries. Puccini, -still exhibiting, with a strong and in many ways typical national -feeling, spontaneous vocal melody as his leading characteristic, did -not limit himself to the perfection of the short opera. His subsequent -works were of larger calibre. He left the fanciful and imaginative and -the old world legends, and turned to everyday life for his subjects. -In general form--for one must revert to this not particularly lucid -description when dealing with opera--Puccini must be placed among the -shining lights who have chosen to deal with what may be called light -opera. _Opéra comique_, as translated by our term "comic opera," -means something so entirely different, that although "light opera" -is but a poor expression, it is one that may perhaps be most readily -"understanded of the people." - -The term "light" is associated practically entirely with the music. The -subjects of Puccini's operas are all of them tragic, but the expression -of the theme, the working out along the already roughly defined paths, -is not by the heavy, the big, or the strongly moving in music. One may -point almost to Bizet, as shown in _Carmen_, as the special point from -which Puccini started. Furthermore, Puccini stands almost unrivalled -in his own particular way in giving us, by means of operatic music, -something very near akin to the comedy of manners in drama. Much might -with advantage be deduced from the success of Puccini in this country, -and the same result applied to the question of our national opera; or, -seeing that such a thing does not exist, to the crying need for some -encouragement to be given to native composers. Puccini, it may be, has -become the vogue simply because he is light and lyrical, not so much -here in the dramatic, but in the musical sense. No one, it is safe to -say, at this time of day desires to go back in any shape or form to the -old "set-number" sort of piece. Such a reversion may fittingly form -the ideal towards which a follower of Sullivan--who in his _Yeomen of -the Guard_ gave us unquestionably the best definite "light" opera of -the last generation--may strive to bring to perfection. Puccini has by -the general mould of his work made his place and found his following -on the operatic stage, and it is surely by the vocal strength and -vocal continuity of his work that this place of his has been achieved -and maintained. It is easy, of course, to point to the simplicity of -the achievement when one sees the fruit of the labour: but without -urging any one to copy an accepted model, or to merely repeat what -has been already designed, one may wonder why, with so many gifted -melodists among contemporary British musicians, no one has given us -definite light opera. It is a direction in which our composers have -never moved. If a reason for Puccini's greatness--or popularity, if -you will--is wanted, it may be found in this extremely clever use of -the light lyrical style. And lest there be any misunderstanding, let -it be said that hardly one of Puccini's songs or dramatic numbers can -be pointed to as making this or that opera an accepted favourite. "Che -gelida manina" from _La Bohème_ is trotted out by not a few budding -tenors, and it may be occasionally heard at a ballad concert, but even -this is not sung one-tenth as many times as, say, the prologue to _I -Pagliacci_, leaving out of the question the extreme popularity, as an -instrumental piece, of the Intermezzo from _Cavalleria_. Puccini's -melodies, if they do not actually fall to pieces away from their -surroundings, at least very quickly lose their full significance, and -not a little of their charm. And it is for this reason, therefore, -that Puccini stands as the most definitely operatic composer of the -moment. He has had great opportunities, it is true, but he has had -great struggles. Like Wagner, he is concerned, and ever has been, with -just one phase of art. To those that come after may be left the task of -deciding as to his exact place in the roll of fame. By the oneness of -his endeavour, by the sincerity of his expression, by the spontaneity -of his vocal melody, does Puccini stand worthily among the living -masters of music. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI'S BIRTHPLACE IN THE VIA DI POGGIO, LUCCA] - - - - -II - -PUCCINI'S EARLY LIFE - - -In Lucca in 1858, in a house in the Via Poggia, Giacomo Puccini was -born. The family originally came from Celle, a typical mountain village -on the right bank of the Serchio. From the earliest times the family -was one devoted to the art of music, and while the world knows only of -the musician who is the subject of this book, the achievements of his -musical ancestors were of no mean order. - -It will be sufficient to trace back the family to one of the same name, -a Giacomo Puccini, who, born in 1712, studied with Caretti at Bologna. -During his student days he was the friend of Martini, and thus from -very early days the Puccini family have had intimate connection with -those musicians whose names will live as long as musical history. On -returning to Lucca this Puccini was appointed organist of the cathedral -and subsequently _maestro di capella_. His compositions were entirely -in the domain of ecclesiastical music, and include a motet, a Te Deum, -and some services. - -His son, Antonio, also proceeded to Bologna for his musical training, -and in process of time succeeded to the post at Lucca. Antonio's chief -composition was a Requiem Mass, which was sung at Lucca on the occasion -of the funeral of Joseph II. of Tuscany. - -The first of the family to turn his attention to opera was Domenico -Puccini, the son of the foregoing, who, like his father and grandfather, -after studying at Bologna, and under the famous Paisiello at Naples, also -held the post at Lucca. Of his several operas, _Quinto Fabio_, _Il -Ciarlatano_, and _La Moglie Capricciosa_ had a certain vogue in his day, -but have passed into oblivion. Dying at the age of forty-four, he left -four children, of whom Michele was the father of the Puccini with whom -we are dealing. - -The grandfather Antonio helped this young Michele and sent him to study -at Bologna, where he came under the influence of Stanislaus Mattei, -the teacher of Rossini. Later on he proceeded to Naples, where he was -taught by Mercadente and Donizetti. Returning to Lucca he married -Albina Magi, and was appointed Inspector of the then newly formed -Institute of Music. Some masses and an opera, _Marco Foscarini_, stand -to his credit, but it was as a teacher that this Puccini did his best -work. Among his pupils were Carlo Angeloni and Vianesi, who afterwards -won distinction as a conductor, not only in Italy but at Paris and -Marseilles. - -Michele Puccini died at the age of fifty-one in 1864, leaving his wife, -who was then thirty-three, to provide and care for his seven children. -It is interesting to record that the famous Pacini, the composer of -_Saffo_, which is still regarded as perhaps the chief classic of the -purely Italian school, conducted the Requiem sung at his funeral. - -Puccini's mother and her noble work in bringing up her large -family--for she was left with no great share of this world's -goods--deserves infinitely more than this bare mention of her -excellence. In the present instance, it is her patient care in making -her fifth child, our Giacomo Puccini, a musician, that we have to -recognise. But for this patience, the way of the man who was destined -to achieve his own place in the annals of fame must have been still -more rough. All praise then to the patient mother whose memory is still -so lovingly cherished by her distinguished son. - -Giacomo Puccini was only six when his father died, and as a child was -remarkable for a restless nature and a keen desire to travel. He was -sent to school at the seminary of S. Michele, and afterwards to San -Martino. Arithmetic appears to have been his chief stumbling-block, -but in everything, his curious irresponsible nature, his strong -dislike to anything like guidance and restraint, made the acquisition -of knowledge a hard task. Failing to acquire any sort of distinction -in any branch of scholarship, an uncle of his, on his mother's side, -tried to make him a singer; but the future musician, whose triumph was -gained, curiously enough, in the display of the very art he despised, -added, in this particular subject, one more to his many failures. The -mother, in spite, doubtless, of a good deal of well-meant advice as -to wasting time and money on a singularly unpromising youth, stuck -to her conviction that Giacomo was destined by his gifts to carry -on the long line of family musicians; and with many real sacrifices -in the way of pinching and scraping, sent him to Lucca, where, at -the Institute of Music, founded by Pacini, he came first under the -influence of Angeloni, who, it will be remembered, was a pupil of -his father. Infinite patience seems to have been the chief quality -possessed by Angeloni, and by dint of great tact and sympathy, he -infused an interest and something of a passion for music into his -wayward young pupil. Giacomo became a fair player, and was sent off to -take charge of the music at the church of Muligliano, a little village -three miles from Lucca, and in a short time he had the church of S. -Pietro at Somaldi added to his responsibilities. It was during the -exercise of his church duties that the spirit of composition seems to -have descended upon him, and certainly, if not in actually a novel way, -a rather disconcerting one. During the offertory, and at other places -in the Mass, it was the custom of the organist to improvise a more or -less extended _pièce d'occasion_, a custom which still obtains. The -officiating priests were more than occasionally startled by hearing, -mixed up with these spirited improvisations of their young organist, -certain plainly recognisable themes from operas, old and new. - -[Illustration: CHURCH OF S. PIETRO, SOMALDI, WHERE PUCCINI WAS ORGANIST] - -There is no definite record of any specific continuation of studies -while Puccini was contributing in a questionable way to the dignity of -the church's service; but in 1877 there was an exhibition at Lucca, and -a musical competition was announced, a setting of a cantata _Juno_, -and young Puccini entered. As happened with Berlioz, so too the -young composer's work was rejected, as not conforming in any way with -the accepted canons of the art of music. Puccini at this point gave -an early indication of that doggedness of purpose, a quiet pursuance -of his own aims and working out his own ideas, which marked his later -career, and which must have come as rather a surprise to his family, -who regarded him in all probability as a lazy wayward youth. He did -not take the refusal of the Lucca authorities to accept his work the -least to heart, but arranged for a performance of it, and the public -found it very much to their taste. About this time another early -composition, a motet for the feast of San Paolina, was performed. With -these successes, Lucca and its restricted area, with the evidently -uncongenial work of a church organist, soon became entirely distasteful -to him, and after hearing Verdi's _Aïda_ at the theatre, his mind was -made up. To Milan, the Mecca of the young Italian musician, he must go. - -His mother still was his best friend; and although the cost of living -and studying in Milan was sufficient to daunt the courage of any one -far less hampered with domestic difficulties than she was, she bravely -set about making the necessary sacrifices. Through a friend at Court, -the Marchioness Viola-Marina, she enlisted the kindly sympathy of Queen -Margherita, who generously agreed to be responsible for the expense of -one of the necessary three years, while an uncle of hers came to her -assistance by defraying the cost of the other two. - -The Conservatory of Music at Milan is best known perhaps from the fact -that the great teacher of singing, Lamperti, whose pupils number -Albani and Sembrich, was a professor there up to the date of his -retirement, in 1875. With the Royal College at Naples it represents at -the present day the only survival of the most ancient teaching schools -which began to be founded in Italy at the end of the fifteenth century, -the name Conservatorio being given to the union of music schools -for the preservation of the art and science of music. The oldest of -them were the four schools at Naples, all of which were attached to -monastical foundations, and which had their rise in the schools founded -by the Fleming, Tinctor. There were four other schools, similar as to -their foundation, at Venice, the origin of which was due to another -great Fleming, Willaert. - -On reaching Milan, Puccini's first thought was to bring himself -earnestly to study, and to pass the necessary examination for entrance -into this "Reale Conservatorio de Musica." Apart from his steady -determination to mend his haphazard ways, it is good to note that his -good resolutions were put to the test, for he does not appear to have -succeeded at the first trial. But he had grit in him, and he stuck to -his work bravely; and in 1880, towards the end of October, he passed -his entrance examination with flying colours, coming out with top marks -over all the competitors. His actual work as a student did not begin -till December 16 of that year, and we get from an interesting letter -to his mother a vivid picture of his doings at this time. Bazzini, -the master with whom he was put to study, will be remembered as the -composer of that favourite violin piece with virtuosi, the _Witches' -Dance_. - -"DEAR MAMMA,--On Thursday, at eleven o'clock, I had my second lesson -from Bazzini, and I am getting on very well. To-morrow I start my -theory lessons. My daily life is very simple. I get up at 8.30, and -when I do not go to the school I stay indoors and play the pianoforte. -For this I am trying now a new technical method by Angeloni, which is -very simple. - -"At 10.30 I have my lunch, and a short walk afterwards. At one I return -home and study Bazzini's lesson for a couple of hours; after that from -three to five I go to the piano again and play some classic. I have -been playing through Boïto's _Mefistofele_, a kind friend having given -me the vocal score. On! how I wish I had money enough to buy all the -music I want to get! - -"Five is dinner time, and it is a very frugal meal--soup, cheese, and -half a litre of wine. As soon as it is over I go out for a walk and -stroll up and down the Galleria. Now comes the end of the chapter--bed!" - -All through the three years of his sojourn at Milan, Puccini, from the -evidence of his letters which he sent home, seems to have preserved -the simplicity of his nature, and to have kept in a remarkable way to -his good resolutions. For composition he was put, shortly after his -entrance, with Ponchielli, the composer of _La Gioconda_. For both -his teachers Puccini had the liveliest admiration, and the following -extract from another of his characteristic letters to his mother -towards the end of his student days, showed how lively an interest -Ponchielli took in his future:-- - -"To-morrow I have to go to Ponchielli. I have already seen him this -morning, but we have had little opportunity of talking about what I am -to do in the future, as his wife was with him. However, he promised to -mention me to Ricordi, and he assures me that in my examinations I have -made a favourable impression. I am now working hard at my exercise, -towards the completion of which I have made good progress." - -This exercise Puccini speaks of was the equivalent to the composition -demanded by our Universities before a student passes to the degree of -Bachelor of Music. With this _Capriccio Sinfonica_ Puccini made his -first mark as a rising composer. It was not apparently an entirely -spontaneous outpouring, for he wrote it on all sorts of odd scraps of -paper, just as the mood took him. It is curious to note that although -in his general character he had made a radical change from waywardness -to a steady determination and purposeful endeavour towards one definite -goal, his methods of work and his music writing remained, to this -day in fact, as very typical of the carelessness of the artistic -temperament. His scores were, and still are, exceedingly difficult -to decipher. Both Bazzini and Ponchielli were much attached to the -promising young musician, but his handwriting--more particularly his -way of setting down notes on paper--was more than once a great trial -to their patience. Bazzini on one occasion inquired about this final -exercise, and Ponchielli replied: "I really cannot tell you anything -yet about it. Puccini brings me every lesson such a vile scrawl, that I -confess, up to the present, I do no more than stare at it in despair." - -When Ponchielli came to sit down and study the score of this Capriccio, -the black-beetle-like splotches on the untidy manuscript did not -prevent the worth of the music from coming through and making its -appeal to the kindly teacher's mind. Both Bazzini and he were struck -by its freedom, its freshness, its general grip of the orchestra. It -was performed at one of the Conservatory concerts, and Puccini's fame, -heralded by the critic Filippi, who wrote in a special article in the -_Perseveranza_ about the first performance, travelled round Milan. It -is interesting to read what Filippi said about the first serious work -by the future hope, operatically speaking, of young Italy: - -"Puccini has decidedly a musical temperament, especially as a -symphonist, having unity of style and personality of character. There -are more of such qualities in this Capriccio than are found in most -composers of to-day, thorough grasp of style, a quick sense of colour, -an inventive genius. The ideas are bright, strong, effective. He is not -concerned with uncertainties, but fills up his scheme with harmonic -boldness, and knits the whole together logically and with perfect -order." - -This discerning writer goes on to speak of the skilful way in which the -melodic material is worked up, and the general feeling for movement, -states that it called forth the warmest enthusiasm, and dubs it by far -the most promising work of that year. - -Faccio, a well-known conductor, made arrangements to have it played at -an orchestral concert, and Puccini wrote with joy and alacrity to his -mother to arrange to have the parts copied, asking to have sent to him, -without a moment's delay, twelve first violin parts, ten seconds, nine -violas, eight cellos, and seven basses. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI AND FONTANA, THE LIBRETTIST, AT THE TIME OF THE -PRODUCTION' OF "LE VILLI," 1884] - -Flushed with his first real success Puccini was ready to act upon -any suggestion that would enable him to keep the ball, once started, -rolling along merrily. Ponchielli was struck with the essentially -dramatic quality of Puccini's mind and bent, and promised to find him -a suitable libretto so that he might start on an opera. He invited -Puccini to spend a few days at his country villa at Caprino, and there -Puccini met Fontana, who, like himself, was at the beginning of his -career. After much cogitation, it was decided to collaborate in a short -work, so that it might be ready for the Sozogno competition, the limit -of time for that event having nearly expired. Thus it was that Fate, -or Chance, settled the form in which, as it subsequently transpired, -Puccini was from the very beginning to appear as a setter of fashion in -opera. But, as we shall see, the path to fame did not immediately open -to Puccini. The Sozogno prize was not won, but _Le Villi_, his first -opera, was born, and, like Wagner, the ardent and now well-equipped -young composer began to experience those pains and penalties, and -bravely ploughed his way through thorns and over the rough places, and -finally conquered by the sheer force of perseverance, endurance, and -singleness of aim. - - - - -III - -THE PUCCINI OF YESTERDAY AND TO-DAY - - -Puccini, after the death of his beloved mother, sought consolation in -hard work, and _Edgar_ was written in Milan during a period, which was -in like manner experienced by Wagner, of additional anxiety, brought -about by the want of the actual means to live. But it is undoubtedly -that out of such trials and troubles the best work of the brain is -forged and brought to an achievement. - -Puccini was living at this time in a poor quarter of Milan with his -brother and another student. With the £80 he received for _Le Villi_ he -paid away nearly half of it to the restaurant keeper who had allowed -him credit. - -Milan, the chief operatic centre of opera-loving Italy, is full of -music schools, agencies, restaurants and cafés, whose reason for -existence, practically, is found in the fact that half the population -is in one way or another connected with the operatic stage. Milan is -even more Bohemian than Paris in this respect, and it is not difficult -to understand why the subject of unconventionality, as treated by -Puccini in _La Bohème_, should have come to him with such force. He -had, in fact, gone through the whole thing completely, so far as living -on nothing and making all sorts of shifts for existence were concerned. -Milan's social atmosphere is almost completely that of theatrical -Bohemianism, and all the students come very intimately into contact -with its essence and spirit. - -There are many little stories of Puccini in his early days, which, -after all, only represent the common lot of many a struggling genius -the wide world over. He and his companions at the time _Edgar_ was in -the process of making rented one little top room in the Via Solferino, -for which, according to Puccini's friend Eugenio Checchi, who has -recorded the history of these early days, they paid twenty-four -shillings a month. Puccini kept a diary, which he called "Bohemian -Life," in 1881. It was little more than a register of expenses. Coffee, -bread, tobacco and milk appear to be the chief entries, and there is -an entire absence of anything more substantial in the way of food. In -one place there was a herring put down; and on this being brought to -Puccini's recollection, he laughingly said: "Oh, yes, I remember. That -was a supper for four people." - -As will be seen in the chapter on _La Bohème_, this incident was made -use of by the librettists in the third act of that opera. - -From the Congregation of Charity at Rome, Puccini was in receipt at -this time of £4 per month. The sum used to come in a registered letter -on a certain day, and he and his companions usually had to suffer -the landlord to open it and deduct, first, his share for the rent. -Many were the scenes they had with this worthy possessor of real -estate. He had forbidden them to cook in the room, and even with the -marvellously cheap restaurants, where at least the one national dish -of spaghetti could be indulged in for the merest trifle, our group of -young strugglers found it even cheaper to do their cooking at home. As -the hour of a meal drew near, the landlord used to go into the next -room, or prowl about the landing, to listen and to smell. The usual -stratagem was to place the spirit lamp on the table and over it a dish -in which to cook eggs. When the frizzling began, the others would call -out to Puccini to play "like the very devil," and going over to the -piano he would start on some wild strains which stopped when the modest -omelette--two eggs between three--was ready to turn out. - -The material for firing was another source of expense. Their modest -order did not warrant the coal-merchant sending up five flights of -stairs to deliver it in whatever receptacle took the place of the usual -cellar: so Michael Puccini, the brother, used to dress up in his best -clothes, including a valuable relic in the shape of a "pot-hat," and -take with him a black-bag. The others said, "Good-bye, bon voyage," -with some effusion on the door-step to let the neighbours imagine he -was going away for a visit; and off Michael would go, to return in the -dusk with the bag full of coal. - -There is something infinitely pathetic in recording that Puccini, when -fortune smiled upon him, wrote to this brother in great glee to tell -him of the success of _Manon_, and to say that he was able to buy the -house in Lucca where they were born. But Michael, who had departed to -South America to mend his own fortunes, was then lying dead of yellow -fever, to which he had succumbed after three days' illness. - -_Edgar_ being completed, the work brought him in about six times the -amount he had obtained for _Le Villi_, while with _Manon_, which -followed, his position became practically assured for the future. -Always of a shy, retiring disposition, he had often longed to get -away from the cramped conditions of town life, and Torre del Lago, -on a secluded lake not far from Lucca, lying in beautiful country, -surrounded by woods, and connected by canals with the sea--into which -it flows just by the spot where Shelley's body was washed ashore and -afterwards burned--was an ideal spot to which his thoughts had often -turned. He went there to reside first in 1891, about the time he was -writing _La Bohème_; but some time before that he had found a partner -of his joys in Elvira Bonturi, who, like himself, came from Lucca, and -whom he married. Their only son, Antonio, was born in the December of -1886. It was not until 1900 that Puccini built the delightful villa at -Torre del Lago to which he is so devotedly attached, and to which he -always refers as a Paradise. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI'S VILLA AT TORRE DEL LAGO] - -Before finally deciding on a site at Torre del Lago--the Tower of the -Lake--Puccini stayed for a time at Castellaccio, near Pescia, where -a good deal of _La Bohème_ was put to paper. _Tosca_ was begun at -Torre del Lago, and finished during a visit at the country house, -Monsagrati, not far from Lucca, of his friend the Marquis Mansi. At -the time of _Madama Butterfly_ he was back at Torre del Lago, to which -he was taken after his motor accident, but he was at this time the -possessor of another country villa at Abetone, in the Tuscan Appenines, -and in this latter place a good deal of his latest opera was set down. -He has more recently built yet another country villa on the opposite -side of the lake to Torre del Lago, on the Chiatri Hill. It is a -charming example of the Florentine style of architecture, in which -brick and marble are most skilfully blended. But Puccini told me, when -last I saw him, that so far he had only spent a week-end in it. - -Puccini, who was always addicted to sport and an open-air life, went in -for motoring in the year 1901. His accident, by which he broke his leg -and suffered a great deal of pain and anxiety owing to the difficulty -of the uniting of the bone, took place in the February of 1903. He had -left his beloved Torre del Lago and gone into Lucca for a change of air -and place, owing to a bad cold and sore throat from which he could not -get free. One of Puccini's characteristics is a certain obstinacy which -very often leads him to do things in direct opposition to anything like -a command. The fact that his doctor had told him not to go out in his -car at night was sufficient, of course, for "Mr. James"--Puccini is -invariably addressed by those round him as "Sor Giacomo"--to decide on -a little evening trip; and he and his wife and son with the chauffeur -started off in the country. - -About five miles from Lucca there is a little place called Vignola, -where is a sharp turn in the road by a bridge. Going at full speed, -this was not noticed in the dark, and as the car turned, it went over -an embankment and fell nearly thirty feet into a field. Mdme. Puccini -and Antonio were unhurt, but the chauffeur had a fractured thigh and -Puccini a fractured leg. Unfortunately, Puccini was pinned under -the car, stunned and bruised by the fall; and, moreover, suffered -considerably from the fumes of the petrol. A doctor, luckily, was -staying at a cottage near by, and he was able to render first aid. -Afterwards another doctor was sent for from Lucca, and it was decided -to make a litter and carry Puccini to Torre del Lago by boat, as -owing to the inflammation the leg was not able to be set immediately. -Puccini's great friend, Marquis Ginori, went with him on the boat; and, -although in great pain, the invalid found himself regretting that on -the journey so many wild duck flew within range, just at the time, as -he laughingly remarked, he could not shoot them. Three days after his -arrival home, Colzi, a famous specialist from Florence, came and set -the leg. The actual uniting of the bone was a long and tedious process, -which spread over eight months, and Puccini was not really able to -walk again properly until he had been to Paris--where his _Tosca_ was -produced at the Opera Comique--and undergone a special treatment at the -hands of a French specialist. His first visit to Paris had been in 1898 -for the rehearsals of _La Bohème_. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI IN HIS 24-H.P. "LA BUIRE" - -_Photo. by R. de Guili & Co., Lucca_] - -Puccini visited London for the first time when he came over for the -production of _Manon_ at Covent Garden in 1894. He came again in 1897 -for the production in English of _La Bohème_ at Manchester by the Carl -Rosa Company. This was not, by all accounts, one of his most pleasant -visits to a country of which he is very fond. Apart from the nervous -worry of a first performance of a brand new work in a strange language, -there were difficulties which made it a peculiarly trying time for the -composer. Robert Cuningham, the Rodolfo, was unfortunately seized with -a fearful cold which made him practically speechless on the night of -the performance, and he could do no more than whisper his part. All -things considered, it is not to be wondered at that Puccini, after -spending nearly three weeks in rehearsal, decided to keep away from -the theatre on the eventful night. He has himself written down his -impressions of Manchester, as well as those of London and Paris. - -"Manchester, land of the smoke, cold, fog, rain and--cotton! - -"London has six million inhabitants, a movement which it is as -impossible to describe as the language is to acquire. A city of -splendid women, beautiful amusements, and altogether fascinating. - -"In Paris, the gay city, there is less traffic than in London, but life -there flies. My chief friends were Zola, Sardou and Daudet." - -It was when Puccini was in Paris for the production of _La Bohème_ -that he first met Sardou and arranged about the setting of _La Tosca_. -Sardou invited him to dinner, and after the coffee and cigars asked him -to play a little of the music he thought of putting in the new opera. -Sardou's knowledge of music, by the way, has, to say the least of it, -its limitations, and Puccini is very loth to play anything he may have -in his mind in the way of a composition. Puccini sat down at the piano, -however, and played a good deal, which Sardou liked immensely. But -Sardou did not know that the composer was merely stringing together all -sorts of odd airs out of his previous operas. - -Puccini's days at his beloved Torre del Lago are divided between sport -and work. The beginning of his house, by the way, was a keeper's -lodge, a mere hut, on the edge of the wood. It is so white that in -the distance it looks like marble, but as a building it is quite -unpretentious. There is a little garden leading down to the lake, while -at the back stretches the fine open country. He is usually up and away -early in the morning, accompanied by his two favourite dogs, "Lea" -and "Scarpia." He goes to and fro from his shoots in his motor-boat -"Butterfly." The place abounds with wild duck, wild swans and all sorts -of water-fowl, the principal quarry from the sportsman's point of view -being coots, hares, and wild boar. Puccini has been frequently snowed -up while away shooting as late as April. - -To the south of the lake, in the plain, are some remains of a bath -attributed to Nero, with undoubted traces of a Roman road and a fosse. -One can hardly move a yard in Italy without coming across villas of -Lucullus, roads of Hannibal, or fields of Cataline, but this particular -place, not only from the traces of buildings which remain, but from -the result of excavation, by which many Roman remains were brought to -light, is of great antiquity. - -Coming in from a "shoot" Puccini often allows the best part of the -day to pass in more or less what seems like idleness, preferring to -put down his music at night--the one relic, one may say, of his old -wayward restless ways. He works chiefly on the ground floor of his -house at Torre del Lago, in a spacious apartment which is a sort of -dining-room, study and music-room all in one. The ceiling is crossed -with large wooden beams, and he calls the Venetian blinds, which are -outside the many and large windows, "mutes" for the sun, using the -word, of course, in its sense of a device for softening the tone of -a musical instrument. The walls of the room are decorated with some -quick impulsive designs, dashed on by his friend the artist Nomellini, -representing the flight of the hours from dawn to night. For the rest, -the room is full of photographs of all sorts of distinguished people, -from Verdi downwards, and stuffed birds. - -When the desire for work is upon Puccini, "it catches him," as -an Italian would say, "by the scalp," and he works at a thing -continuously. During the recovery from his motor accident he was -wheeled to the piano each day and planned out _Madama Butterfly_, -although the actual writing down of the melodies and the general work -of construction was done, of course, away from the instrument. He makes -a rough sketch of the whole score as a rule, which he subjects to all -sorts of weird alterations only intelligible to himself, and from this -makes a clean copy embodying all the process of polishing and finishing -to which the original idea was subjected. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI AFTER A "SHOOT" - -_Photo. by S. Ernesto Arboco_] - -It is difficult to get from Puccini any particulars of his ideas and -aims. He much prefers to do things rather than to talk about them. He -has on one or two occasions, however, given a hint of his views which -may be worth putting down again. One is on the interesting question as -to dramatic instinct in music. Puccini maintains that it is a question -not of instinct but experience. He says himself that his early works -were lacking in dramatic quality, but he does not agree that if it is -not inborn it cannot be developed. He maintains that the choice of -librettos has more to do with it than anything else, and from the first -he has worked a good deal in this way by more than the usual amount -of consultation and exchange of ideas that goes on between a composer -and the writer of the book. Marie Antoinette, at the time when I had -the pleasure of talking with him, was the subject for an opera which -was, at least, uppermost in his mind. "But I have thought of many -subjects and stories," he said. "La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret and the -Tartarin of Daudet are two well-known ones. The latter is pure fun, -but I have always thought, when coming to the point, that I should be -accused, if I set it, of copying Verdi's _Falstaff_. The former, I -believe, Zola promised to Massenet. I have also thought of Trilby; and -several excellent themes for plots could be gathered from the stories -of the later Roman Emperors." One statement at least was very -characteristic of Puccini. "My next plot must be one of sentiment to -allow me to work in my own way. I am determined not to go beyond the -place in art where I find myself at home." - -Puccini is very fond of the theatre, and when last in London enjoyed -the production of _Oliver Twist_--he is specially fond, in our -literature, of Dickens--and _The Tempest_. - - - - -IV - -"LE VILLI" - - -The Dal Verme Theatre, where Puccini's first opera was produced, has -been the scene of many experiments in the art of opera. More than one -composer has been able to get a hearing there, if no more, and among -the list of trials and experiments--the value of which taken as a whole -will doubtless some day be accounted at their proper worth, and which -still come out like shades of the night to remind us how little we -appreciate native endeavour--are to be found the names of more than one -English composer. Among the notable successes which have been first -launched at this theatre is Leoncavallo's _I Pagliacci_. - -The cast and general production of _Le Villi_, as has been mentioned, -was apparently more or less in the nature of a friendly "helping hand" -held out to the unknown composer. The first performance was on May 31, -1884, and the cast as follows: - - _Anna_ CAPONETTI. - _Roberto_ D'ANDRADE. - _Guglielmo Wulf_ PELZ. - -When one thinks of modern extravagance, supposedly so necessary for -the production of a new play or musical piece, it is little short of -amazing to learn that the first performance of _Le Villi_ cost a little -over £20. Of course the main expenses were the costumes and the copying -of the orchestral parts. Puccini's fellow-students, with that generous -enthusiasm which is ever part of the artistic temperament, cheerfully -swelled the ranks of the theatre orchestra, and Messrs. Ricordi printed -the libretto for nothing. - -_Le Villi_ met with a favourable verdict, and Puccini's mother received -the following telegram on the night of its production: "Theatre packed, -immense success; anticipations exceeded; eighteen calls; finale of -first act encored thrice." - -The outcome of it all was that Messrs. Ricordi not only bought the -opera, but commissioned Puccini to write another, thus beginning an -association which has not only been marked by commercial success but by -a very real and close friendship. - -The following year it was given in a slightly revised version, divided -into two acts, at the Scala, Milan, that Temple of Operatic Art which -is the Mecca of every aspiring Italian musician. This performance -took place on January 24, and was conducted by Faccio, the cast being -Pantaleoni, Anton, and Menotti. It was not published by Ricordi until -1897, when it appeared with an English version of Fontana's libretto by -Percy Pinkerton. In this year it was done at Manchester, at the Comedy -Theatre, by Mr. Arthur Rousby's company, Mrs. Arthur Rousby being the -Anna, Mr. Henry Beaumont the Roberto, and Mr. Frank Land the Wulf. Mr. -Edgardo Levi conducted. - -Fontana's story was a curious one to be dealt with by a Southern poet; -for the basis of _Le Villi_ is found in one of those curious Northern -legends which seem to be the exclusive property of natures of far -sterner mould. The Villis, or witch-dancers, are spirits of damsels -who have been betrothed and whose lovers have proved false. Garbed in -their bridal gowns, they rise from the earth at midnight and dance in -a sort of frenzy, till the dawn puts an end to their weird revelry. -Should they happen to meet one of their faithless lovers, they beguile -him into their circle with fair promises; but, like the sirens of old -mythology, they do so only to take their revenge; for once within their -magic ring, the unrestful spirits whirl their victim round and round -until his strength is exhausted, and then in fiendish exultation leave -him to die in expiation of his broken vows. - -The scene of _Le Villi_ is laid in the Black Forest. An open clearing -shows us the cottage of Wulf, behind which a pathway leads to some -rocks above, half hidden by trees. A rustic bridge spans a defile, and -the exterior of the cottage is decorated with spring flowers for the -festival of betrothal. With this, his first opera, Puccini adopted the -Wagnerian plan which he has since always adhered to, of a preludial -introduction, indicative of the general atmosphere of the drama to -follow, in place of the conventional overture. As the curtain rises, -Wulf, Anna and Roberto are seated at a table outside the cottage, and -the chorus hail the betrothed pair in a joyful measure. As the lovers -move off to the back, the chorus tells something of the prospects of -the two young people. Roberto is the heir of a wealthy lady in Mayence. -He will have to visit her for the arrangement of the details of his -inheritance, and will then return to wed the bride. The chorus then -sings a characteristic waltz measure, whirling and turning and singing -that the dance is the rival of love. It is a quick impulsive measure in -A minor, and foreshadows in a clever way the weird dance which later on -plays such an important part in the scheme. Guglielmo, the father, is -asked to join in the dance, and he does so after a short instrumental -passage leading back to the dance and chorus proper. Guglielmo dances -off with his partner and the stage is clear. - -Anna comes down alone as the orchestra finish off the rhythmic figure -of the waltz. She holds a bunch of forget-me-nots in her hand, and -sings of remembrance in a characteristic melody which at once reveals -Puccini's individuality both in melody and structure. It varies -considerably in the time, and has all that impulsive charm of movement -with which Puccini always fits the situation and the sentiment. In -actual structure the melody moves along in flowing vocal phrases, but -they invariably drop on to an unexpected note and reveal thereby that -piquancy of flavour which makes them singularly attractive. Anna is -putting the bunch of flowers, the token of remembrance, in Roberto's -valise when her lover comes in. Taking the little bunch he kisses -it and puts it back, and then begs a token more fair--a smile. A -characteristic duet then follows, in which Anna gives expression to the -doubts she feels at her lover's enforced absence. A delightfully suave -second section is sung by Roberto, in which he tells her of his love, -strong and unending, born in the happy days of childhood. Anna catches -the spirit of his fervent devotion, and the duet ends with their voices -blending in a song of triumphant trust. The voices end together on a -low note, but the orchestra carries the melody up to a high C by way -of a climax, and then gives out a bell-like sound skilfully preceded -by a chord of that somewhat abrupt modulation in which Puccini always -delights, which portends the approach of night and the departure of -Roberto. This bell-like note of warning comes in again during the short -interlude which leads to the chorus, who return to sing of Roberto's -departure ere the bright beams of sunset fade in the western sky. - -Roberto bids Anna to be courageous, and asks her father's blessing. -Slow and solemn chords usher in Guglielmo's touching prayer, in which -after the opening phrases the lovers join their voices, repeating the -sentiment of his pious utterances. Towards the end the full chorus is -added to the trio; and this solidly written number, backed by a moving -orchestral figure, ends impressively. Anna sings her sad farewell, the -voice rising to a characteristic high A, and a short orchestral passage -finishes the scene. - -The second act is headed "Forsaken" in the score, and to the opening -prelude is attached a short note explanatory of what has happened -in the meanwhile. "In those days there was in Mayence a siren, who -bewitched all who beheld her, old and young." Like the presiding -spirit of the Venusberg who held Tannhäuser in thrall, so Roberto is -attracted to her unholy orgies and Anna is forgotten. Worn out by -grief and hopeless longing Anna dies, and in the opening chorus of the -second act we learn that she lies on her bier, her features of marble -paler than the moonlight. An expressive and solemn funeral march, the -main theme of which is indicated by this preceding chorus, is then -played by the orchestra, during which the funeral procession leaves -Guglielmo's house and passes across the stage. In order to add to the -air of mystery this is directed to be done behind a veil of gauze. At -the end, a three-part chorus of female voices chants a phrase of the -_Requiescat_. The tableaux curtains are dropped for a change of scene. -The place is the same, but the time is winter, and the gaunt trees are -snow laden. The night is clear and starry, and pulsing lights flash -from the sides, adding their lurid and fitful brilliance to the calm -cold light of the moon. - -With a sharp detached full chord in G minor, the weird unearthly -dance begins in quick duple time, the quaint rhythmic melody being -composed of staccato triplets. Out of the darkness the figures of the -witch-dancers appear and join in the dance as the frenzy increases. It -is a highly characteristic movement, and one can hardly agree with the -critic who on its first production, as will be seen hereafter, wished -that it might be in the major key. For an uncanny, utterly restless -and grim effect, most subtly presented by means of purely legitimate -music, this number stands as an exceptionally fine example. The dance -ends, and the witch-dancers are swallowed up in the darkness, while -Guglielmo comes out to dwell on the villainy of Roberto and the cruel -wrong done to his dead child. The prelude to his plaintive number is -prefaced with a striking descending passage for the chorus. As he -sings of the pure and gentle soul of his daughter, the legend of the -witch-dancers comes into his mind, but at once he prays for forgiveness -for such unworthy thoughts of vengeance. - -From a passage for the hidden voices of the sopranos we expect the -approach of Roberto. The recalcitrant lover is startled by the sounds -he hears, but he thinks remorse, and not the Villis of the legend, -is the cause of it. Into his mind there flashes the remembrance of -all that has passed, and he goes towards the cottage-door with a -pathetic hope that Anna may still be living. But he starts back as -some irresistible force compels him to retreat. Again he thinks a wild -fancy has deceived him, but once more the voices sound the note of -approaching doom. "See the traitor is coming." He kneels in prayer, but -at the end comes in the sinister phrase, "See the traitor is coming." -He rises from his prayer to curse the evil influence that has wrought -his destruction. - -Then, at the back, on the bridge, appears the spirit of Anna. Amazed, -Roberto exclaims, "She is living, not dead!" but Anna replies that she -is not his love but revenge, and reminds him, by a repetition of her -solo in the first act, when she sang to the bunch of forget-me-nots, -of all his broken promises. Roberto joins in this strenuous and -moving duet, and accepts with resignation the fate that has been -too strong for him. Torn with the anguish of remorse he expresses -his willingness to die. Anna holds out her arms, and Roberto seems -hypnotised. Gradually the witch-dancers come on, and surrounding -the pair dance once more in frenzy row carry them off. Over the -characteristic dance is now placed a full chorus. The words "whirling, -turning," which frequently occur as the movement gains in intensity, -show the connection with the joyous measure in the first act. In this -we find one of those effects of unity which, although slight enough in -many cases, reveal the hand, if not exactly of a great master, of an -original thinker and a particularly finished craftsman. Roberto, at -the end of the main section of the chorus, ending on a long sustained -top A, and then dropping sharply to the tonic (it is still as before -in G minor), breaks away breathless and terrified and strives to enter -the cottage; but the spirits drive him again into the arms of Anna, -and once more he is drawn into the whirlpool. With a last despairing -shriek, "Anna, save me!" he dies; and Anna, with an exultant cry of -possession, vanishes, while the chorus change the words of their song -to a shout of exultation. - -By this first effort, slight in texture as it is, Puccini gave -unmistakable evidence of that power of giving, by a series of detached -scenes, an idea of impressionistic atmospheric quality which was -afterwards so beautifully achieved in his _La Bohème_. From the -criticism of Sala, who, as we saw in a preceding chapter, was present -at the meeting at Ponchielli's house which led to the production of -the opera, we get a sound idea of the general effect and trend of the -music, which is worth quoting. It appeared in _Italia_ of the day -after the performance, at which, it may be mentioned, Boïto applauded -vigorously from a box. - -"It is, according to our judgment, a precious little gem, from -beginning to end. The prelude, not meant to be important, is full of -delicate instrumental passages, and contains the theme afterwards used -in the first duet between the lovers. The chorus which follows is gay -and festive and shows masterly handling of the parts: the waltz, which -we should have preferred in a major key, is entrancing, one of the -most characteristic numbers of the opera is the duet between Anna and -Roberto. The prayer of benediction is another inspired page, in spite -of its length. The polyphony of the vocal parts is masterly and the -melodic flow most charming. The symphonic nature of the intermezzi -which connect the scenes, more particularly the wild dance of the -spirit forms, distinctly points to the arrival of a great composer." - -While the salient points of the music appear to have been unerringly -seized upon by the writer, the subtlety of the composer in making the -first dance of the peasants foreshadow the furious revelry of the -witch-dancers appears to have escaped the critic. But this desire for -strongly marked effects is after all essentially typical of the race. -In Italy, the clear, radiant sky, the pure air, the glorious strength -of the light, does not permit of an appreciation for half-tones and -the fascination of shadows. If all need not exactly be dazzlingly -bright it must be quite distinct. _Le Villi_ was a remarkable first -opera, but it has not succeeded in keeping a place in the current -repertory. The music is unquestionably dramatic, but the whole -structure, words and music, has not that quality of characterisation -which, together with the necessary dramatic force, makes up the -theatrical effectiveness without which no opera can ever expect to hold -the stage. To use a hackneyed phrase, _Le Villi_ has the defects of -its qualities, but from the freshness and individuality of its music -there is no reason why it should not be given in our concert-rooms as -a cantata. The dance movement, after all, would lose nothing by being -given as an orchestral piece, and the spirit forms might well be left -to the imagination. At any rate, _Le Villi_ is, by a very long way, -a far greater work than many a so-called "dramatic" cantata. These -things take the place in our provincial towns of the opera abroad; and -since we do not appear in the least likely to establish opera houses, -it would be a good plan for the British composer to take Puccini's _Le -Villi_ as an example of what might be done with a cantata--an opera, -after all, played without action or scenery. - - - - -V - -"EDGAR" - - -With his second work for the stage, _Edgar_--the libretto being by -Fontana, the author of the opera-ballet _Le Villi_--Puccini adopts the -designation of lyric drama. _Edgar_ is in three acts, and with it the -composer attained to the dignity of a first performance at the Scala, -Milan. It saw the light on April 21, 1889, with the following cast, the -conductor being Faccio: - - _Edgar_ GABRIELESCO. - _Gualtiero_ MARINI. - _Frank_ MAGINI COLETTI. - _Fidelia_ AURELIA CATAREO. - _Tigrana_ ROMEIDA PANTALEONE. - -The vocal score was not published by Ricordi until 1905. - -The theme of the drama is the familiar one of a man tempted by passion, -who swerves from the "strait and narrow path," and who afterwards makes -atonement. In the case of our hero, Edgar, the atonement comes too -late, and the end, as in _Carmen_--which in general dramatic outline -may be called the foremost if not the first operatic exploitation of -the idea--is Tragedy. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI IN HIS STUDY AT TORRE DEL LAGO] - -In front of his book Fontana places a foreword to the effect that we -are all Edgars, because fate brings to each of us love and death. He -winds up with a moral statement, true if trite, that it is wrong to let -ourselves be dragged away from pure love to mere sensual passion. - -The action takes place in Flanders in the early fourteenth century. The -scene of the first of the three acts shows us a square in a Flemish -village, at the back of which is Edgar's house, and before it an almond -tree. On the one side is the entrance to a church, on the other an inn. - -Over the distant landscape dawn is breaking. With a bell effect, of -which Puccini is so fond, the simple prelude begins. The plain and -straightforward progression of light chords is French in character, but -the bell effect is established musically by the simple leap of a fifth -in the bass. The chords continue, with a filagree figure placed above -them, and from delicate musical suggestion the effect turns to realism -as the bell itself sounds, ushering in the notes of the unseen chorus, -as the Angelus rings from the church. - -Edgar is asleep on a bench before the inn, and peasants and shepherds -cross the stage, greeting each other as they go to their daily toil. -Fidelia, the daughter of Gualtiero, then comes on to the balcony and -salutes the dawn in a characteristic melody which, although not based -on the bell theme in the way of the use of a representative phrase, -seems very naturally to grow out of the musical idea. She calls to -Edgar and comes down, plucking a branch from the almond tree. Fidelia -continues her address to Edgar in a melody which is much more broken in -rhythm than her former one; and on her departure a curious chromatic -passage, which seems to presage unrest and stress, leads to the entry -of the chorus, who repeat, from afar but coming nearer, their greeting -to the dawn, while Edgar turns to go after Fidelia. - -Strongly dramatic and of distinctive colour is the orchestral passage -which accompanies the entrance of Tigrana. She is a gipsy girl, who has -been brought up by the villagers. She enters with a species of lute--or -guitar, more properly perhaps--called the dembal, a stringed instrument -in common use even now by descendants of the Magyar race. She laughs at -Edgar with a fine scorn of his tame admiration for the gentle village -damsel. "There! I have made Fidelia run away," she sings with a mixture -of sarcasm, irony, and hypocrisy. "I am so sorry. I did not know a -pastoral love affair was at all in your way." - -Gualtiero, Fidelia's father, now comes on, and, with the gathering -crowd of villagers, enters the church. The beginning of the voluntary -on the organ is heard, and over and above this simple diatonic, -ecclesiastical tune, come, in skilful and expressive contrast, the -remarks of the gipsy girl to Edgar, by which she reminds him that she -has opened to his nature the delights of an intense full-blooded love -in place of the mildly inocuous affection of peasant girls. "Trot -along, good little boy," she sings, "and go to church." Edgar's feeling -about the matter is quickly shown by his emphatic "Silence, demon!" -which comes out like the crack of a whip. But Tigrana only laughs at -him. - -As Tigrana turns to go into the inn she is stopped by Frank, the -brother of Fidelia. Frank is in love with the gipsy girl, and from -him we learn that fifteen years ago she was abandoned in the village. -Questioned as to her doings, Tigrana tells Frank that he is a tiresome -bore, while he proceeds with the not very tactful method of reproaching -her for her ingratitude. "You were the child of us all," he sings, "and -we did not know we were nursing a viper in our midst." - -Tigrana, who is not given to wasting much time with preliminaries, -tells Frank that if he has any regard for his virtue he had better not -be seen talking to her; and she goes towards the inn. Frank bursts out -with the confession that he has tried to tear her out of his heart, but -although she brings nothing but grief to him she remains there in full -possession. - -From the church comes the sound of a fragment of a motet, begun by the -sopranos and swelling out afterwards in a six-part chorus. Tigrana -sits on the table outside the inn and jeers at the piety of those -peasants who, not being able to find room in the church, kneel outside -and join in the devotion. To her dembal she sings a quaint and springy -sort of tune which is thoroughly impudent in character. With a murmur -of disapproval, which afterwards grows into a demand, the peasants -indignantly ask her to desist from her frivolity. As she proceeds with -her melody the peasants threaten to take stronger measures to stop -the interruption to their prayers, and Edgar, coming out, rushes at -once to Tigrana's defence. This open devotion to her cause apparently -surprises the villagers greatly, and Edgar finds himself called upon at -once to make up his somewhat vacillating mind. With rather curious and -certainly sudden access of ardour, he rails against his lot, and curses -the home of his fathers. Egged on to a species of frenzy, he rushes -into the house and comes out bearing an ember from the hearth. In spite -of the efforts of the villagers to restrain his mad impulse he flings -the brand into the house, and clasping Tigrana to him, announces his -intention of fleeing with her. Frank then rushes on to prevent their -departure, and the two young men draw their daggers. A lull in the fray -is caused by the entrance of Gualtiero and Fidelia from the church; and -the old man's counsel for peace backed up by pious ejaculations from -the crowd, seems likely at first to prevail. But Tigrana puts an end -to Edgar's hesitation, and he attacks Frank with fury. Frank is badly -wounded, and falls in his father's arms as the chorus curse Edgar for a -reprobate, and the curtain falls as the house, now well ablaze, lights -up the scene with its lurid glare. - -The second act shows us a terrace in a garden with the brilliantly -lighted rooms of a sumptuous mansion glimmering in the distance. -The stillness of the night is broken by the sounds of revelry, more -languorous than strident. The chorus, which sing of the splendour of -the night, is made up of two sopranos, an alto, two tenors, and a -bass; and the essentially nervous, close harmonies--the light detached -phrase begins with a chord of the 13th--establish the atmosphere. -There is some fine and characteristic music in this rather long scene -between Edgar and Tigrana, who have, it is easy to understand, been -partaking too freely of the joys which soon pall. Edgar is weary of -his enervating surroundings, and his thoughts turn to the glory of -the April dawn and the calm love of Fidelia. Tigrana taunts him with -reproaches, and there follow the inevitable mutual recriminations. In -vain does she bring her fascinations to bear upon her lover. The sound -of drums and the march of soldiers is heard, and Edgar calls out to -them as they pass to stay their march and partake of his hospitality. -Tigrana at once begins to be suspicious. Frank, as it turns out, is -the captain of the band. Edgar hails him with joy as the saviour of -the situation. "Frank, forgive me," he cries. "You alone can save me -and enable me to redeem my past." Tigrana is distracted, but she is -powerless to prevent Edgar's departure, and with a menacing gesture she -sees her lover go, a characteristic phrase from the chorus forming the -background to the last utterances of the principals concerned in this -short and not particularly convincing act. - -The third act is prefaced with a short prelude of melancholy mould. -The rising curtain discloses a courtyard within a fortress at -Courtray. In the battle which raged round this castle, the Flemish, -it will be remembered, with very few numbers--and these only armed -with agricultural implements for the most part--conquered the French -army led by Philip Le Bel. Their opponents were decoyed into a sort -of marshy swamp, and were not only hampered by their large retinue, -which included carriages, women-kind, and all sorts of paraphernalia, -but imagined that they were only to meet a handful of ignorant churls. -There is a chapel on one side of the scene, and distant trumpet calls -are heard as a funeral _cortège_ proceeds to range itself around a -hearse, and the monks in the procession light tapers. - -Preceded by a draped banner, the soldiers bear on the body of a knight, -fully armed, which they place on the hearse and then deck it with -flowers and wreaths. Standing apart from the crowd are Frank and a -monk, while in the background are seen Fidelia and her father. The -chorus chant a _Requiescat_, and then Fidelia sings a most moving and -pathetic farewell, for the armed knight is Edgar. It may be stated, -however, that the monk who stands apart is really Edgar, who, for no -very clear or convincing reason, has chosen to be a witness of his -supposed funeral celebration. - -Frank now adds his praise to the farewell of Fidelia, and extols in -an oration the splendid courage of the man Edgar who died for his -fatherland. Then the monk does a seemingly strange and unwarrantable -thing. He tells the soldiers that their hero, before death, directed -that all his misdeeds should be proclaimed publicly, in order that his -life might set an example in true penitence. The monk then relates -the story of Edgar's past life, and discloses among other details the -relations existing between the dead man and Tigrana. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI IN HIS STUDY AT HIS MILAN HOUSE - -_Specially photographed by Adolfo Ermini, Milan_] - -Fidelia, filled with horror at the supposed treachery, boldly asks how -the soldiers dare to listen to this besmirching of their leader's -honour. The soldiers, however, appear to believe the tale, and make -an attempt to drag the body off to throw it to the vultures. The monk -is touched by the loyalty of Fidelia, who is prepared to defend, with -her life if needs be, the body of her hero. "By death," she cries, "he -has expiated his sins. Leave me to watch him through the night, and my -father and I will bear his body away in the morning and find for it -some resting-place in his native village." The monk then kneels for a -space by Fidelia; and the soldiers, touched by her devotion, move off, -and Fidelia leaves with her father. - -Tigrana now enters, and, like Fidelia, would pay her tribute of -respect to the dead man. Frank and the monk, however, after a little -consultation, put a little plan of theirs into operation, and approach -Tigrana. "Would that I were the object of your grief," says Frank. "One -tear of yours is worth a thousand pearls." The monk then comes out with -some rather plainer speaking, and deliberately bribes the erstwhile -gipsy with some jewels if she will do their bidding. Tigrana very -readily falls into the trap and the soldiers are recalled. The monk -now calls on Tigrana to speak out, and prove that Edgar was a traitor -to his country. She hesitates for a moment, but finally acknowledges -that the accusation is true. In righteous anger the soldiers rush to -the hearse and drag the body away, but the armour is found to be merely -the empty pieces and no body is encased therein. Fidelia and her father -now come on, and the fraud is disclosed to them. "Yes," cries the monk, -throwing back his cowl, "for Edgar lives." Fidelia, at first stunned -by the joyful discovery that her lover lives, throws herself into his -arms, and Tigrana is spurned by the soldiers. With an exclamation, "I -am redeemed, only love is the real truth," Edgar leads Fidelia towards -the castle. Like a tiger cat, Tigrana follows them, and with a savage -leap stabs Fidelia, who dies instantly. Edgar and Frank turn and seize -the murderess, and the soldiers, with a bloodthirsty cry, hale her off -to instant execution. With a cry of despair Edgar falls senseless -across Fidelia's body. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI IN HIS MILAN HOUSE - -_Specially photographed by Adolfo Ermini, Milan_] - -Notwithstanding many serious shortcomings, _Edgar_, as a lyric drama, -contains much that is sincere and appropriate. It was not a success on -its first representation, and the blame was laid for the most part on -the libretto. Seeing, however, in the history of opera how many a worse -book has passed muster, it is a little curious that Puccini's second -work should have been so completely laid on the shelf. It is not the -lack of dramatic qualities that make the story of _Edgar_ a poor one; -it is rather that the story, as a play, does not contain enough of -characterisation to really retain the interest. In spite of the weak -third act, with its supposed dead body, and the hero in disguise, the -music of this section, both from its wealth of melody, its treatment, -and above all its powerful expressive qualities, stands as the best in -the work. A finer or more moving scene than that of Fidelia's farewell -is hardly to be found in the whole range of what may be termed modern -opera. Taken as it stands _Edgar_ proved that Puccini had emphatically -progressed beyond his achievement of _Le Villi_. Amid the sweet -notes of love there come strong and virile expressions of anger, tumult -and indignation, but the main theme is kept clearly to the front with -all that force that stands as the leading characteristic of Italian -opera, old or new--definite and direct vocal expression. - -Puccini himself had, and still has by all accounts, a very warm -affection for this _Edgar_ of his; and it is not at all unlikely that a -revised version may be seen in the near future. Indeed, as it stands, -it might very well be permitted the test of a revival. - - - - -VI - -"MANON" - - -Auber was the first opera-composer to be attracted by the Abbé -Prévost's famous romance _Manon Lescaut_. It is one of those vivid -stories of love and passion which have ever made an appeal to those -in search of a theme for musical expression. As drama it has a very -close connection with life in general, and its human interest has that -full flesh-and-blood quality which gives it a certain quick vitality. -Sad and sordid it may be; but the story of the wayward Manon, as -fascinating a black sheep as ever graced the pages of fiction--or -history--is one which is likely to remain in the common stock of tales -which provides novelists with material for practically all time. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI'S MANUSCRIPT SCORES, FROM THE SECOND ACT OF -"TOSCA"] - -The chief romances of the Abbé are the _Mémoires d'un Homme de -Qualité_, _Cleveland_, and _Doyen de Killerine_ (the two latter, by -the way, books which show the result of his sojourn in England). While -these exhibit certain well-marked qualities, they are completely -cast into the shade by _Manon Lescaut_, his masterpiece, and one -of the greatest novels of the eighteenth century, while, from its -characterisation, it may be pointed to as the father of the modern -novel. The Chevalier des Grieux is an embodiment of the saying "Love -first and the rest nowhere," and it is curious that the Abbé made a -French translation of Dryden's once famous play on the same theme, -_All for Love_. Manon, as a creation, is a triumph, one of the most -remarkable heroines in fiction, springing red-hot as it were from the -imagination of the wandering scholar who brought her into existence. -It is all the more extraordinary that the novel which at once makes an -appeal by its interest and sincerity, but which repays study as a work -of art, should have been a sort of appendix to his first work. - -Some years after Auber's opera had been laid on the shelf--it never -attained to any great popularity--Massenet, a notable "modern" French -composer, found by means of its story the expression of quite the -best that was in him. Since _Carmen_ modern French opera has no such -masterpiece of its kind to show. Massenet's _Manon_ was produced -in 1884, and in the fulness of time Puccini turned to the same -story, and after planning his own _scenario_, commissioned Domenico -Oliva--dramatic critic of the _Journal d'Italia_ of Rome, and author of -a play _Robespierre_ which had attained no little success--to write the -"book." This was afterwards so drastically altered and remodelled by -Puccini, in consultation with Ricordi, the publisher, that in justice -to Oliva, his name as the author of the libretto was removed from the -published score. - -It was produced in 1893 at the Regio Theatre, Turin, on the 1st of -February, conducted by Alexander Pomé, and cast as follows: - - _Manon_ FERRANI. - _The Dancing Master_ CERESOLI. - _Des Grieux_ CREMONINI. - _Lescaut_ MORO. - _Geronte_ POLONINI. - _Edmund_ RASSINI. - -For a new work by a composer whose reputation at that time, much to the -wonderment of native judges and musicians, had not traversed beyond -Italy, its production in England was remarkably quick. It was given -the next year, on May 14, 1894, at Covent Garden with the following -cast, comprising a special company of Italian singers brought together -by Messrs. Ricordi, of which the exceptionally fresh chorus appears to -have been the chief point of excellence: - - _Manon_ OLGHINA. - _Des Grieux_ BEDUSCHI. - _Lescaut_ PINI-CORSI. - _Geronte_ ARIMONDI. - -and A. Seppilli was the conductor. The occasion was interesting in more -than one way. The season under Sir Augustus Harris began on the very -unusual day--a Whit-Monday. The opera house had been renovated entirely -and re-upholstered, with new seats and curtains, and glittered fresh -in all the glories of paint and gilding. Tradition has it that this -was the only time in forty years--since the building of the present -house in fact--had a broom ever been known to go into every corner. Yet -another point makes this opening of the season memorable. It began with -this new opera of Puccini's, and then gave Verdi's _Falstaff_ the same -week. - -Without making an "odious" comparison it is obvious that reference -should be made to Massenet's work and the differences between that and -Puccini's opera briefly touched upon. - -In both versions certain departures are made, so far as the story -goes, from the original tale. Let us first examine Massenet's book. -This opens in the courtyard of an inn at Amiens to which Lescaut, a -soldier who is evidently given to loose living, brings his pretty -little sister Manon _en route_ for the convent school to which she is -destined. She meets with the handsome Chevalier des Grieux, and easily -falls in love with him. The quiet life of schoolroom and convent does -not make a very strong appeal to the high-spirited girl, and she very -quickly decides to run away to Paris, and give her brother the slip. -At first honourable intentions as to the pretty and confiding Manon's -future seem to weigh with the lover, but in the second act we find -them installed in the customary _ménage à deux_, Des Grieux's father -having declined to give his consent to a marriage. Thus almost at -the beginning Fate seems to be against Manon, and she accepts only -too easily the situation and--drifts. Des Grieux's "sinews of war" -being anything but opulent, it is easy to understand why the offers -of the aristocrat De Bretigny are too tempting for Manon to refuse. -To him she transfers her affections, and we next see her established -at Cours-la-Reine, the fêted and admired mistress of Bretigny. But -during the ball she hears that her former lover has renounced the world -with its pomps and vanities and is preparing to take orders. With -that instinct known as the truly feminine, Manon immediately makes up -her mind that she wants Des Grieux back again; and after a strenuous -scene at the seminary of S. Sulpice we find, in the third act, that -Des Grieux has thrown his good resolutions to the winds and is again -with his charmer. Manon by this time has become rather more than a -fragile butterfly from whose wings the bloom has been brushed. She is -now running a gambling den, with the help, apparently, of one of her -numerous admirers. Des Grieux and this person come to loggerheads, -and the latter informs the police of the nature of the gaming house, -and Manon is ignominiously dragged off to the lock-up. The last scene -shows us Manon being taken by road to Havre, from whence she is to be -shipped, in company with other undesirables, to the New Continent. Des -Grieux sees her, and begs the warder to allow him an interview. Worn -out by remorse and weakened by her former life, Manon, now reduced to -the last stage of infirmity, dies peacefully in her lover's arms. - -Puccini's librettists follow a different plan, and the _Manon_ of the -Italian composer is a species of impressionistic scenes more or less -loosely strung together, which, while they demand perhaps a knowledge -of the story for their full appreciation--and to opera goers the story -is, of course, quite familiar--exhibit that quality of conjuring -up the atmosphere not so much of the actual place and characters, -but of the spirit which underlies the pathetic tragedy. In short, -Puccini's _Manon_--music and story, for it is impossible to separate -them--exhibits that skilful picturing of the theme which is even more -apparent in the subsequent work, _La Bohème_. - -In Puccini's opera we find after the meeting of Manon and Des Grieux at -the inn at Amiens that the gay young lady is installed as the mistress -of Geronte, and rather less stress, perhaps, is laid on the part her -rascally brother plays in the transaction. By giving the final scene -in America, whither Des Grieux follows the ruined girl, Puccini's -librettists follow the Abbe's original story rather more closely. -Other actual differences will be noted by following the plan, as in -the previous chapters, of giving a more or less detailed story of the -opera, with plot and music side-by-side. - -Puccini begins his _Manon_ with a short, bustling, vivacious prelude -which continues for some twenty bars or so after the rise of the -curtain, which discloses, as in Massenet's first act, the exterior -of an inn at Amiens, with a crowd of citizens, students and girls, -strolling about the square and the avenue. One of the students, Edmund, -sings of the beautiful night dear to lovers and poets, and the band -of his merry companions cut his vapourings short with laughter and -jest. Presently the work-girls come down, and Edmund sings to two of -them a graceful, lively fantasy of youth and love, which is afterwards -taken up by the chorus of students. In characteristic fashion, the -citizens join in, and we get one of those solidly written but vivacious -choruses, a form which Puccini handles so well and dexterously, with -similar splendour of technic to the immortal Leipsic Cantor, keeping -each part clear and effective. Des Grieux comes on and laughingly asks -some of the girls whether among them is to be found the one his heart -dreams of. The chorus continues in its gay spirit of song, dance and -laughter until the sound of a postillion's horn calls their attention -to the arrival of the coach from Arras. An orchestral passage repeating -the brisk theme of the opening prelude leads up to the entry of the -diligence, from which Lescaut and Geronte di Lavoir descend, the latter -assisting Manon to alight. While the travellers give their orders to -the landlord, Des Grieux catches sight of Manon, and is attracted by -her face and figure. The crowd has dispersed and the students settle -down to cards, and then Des Grieux speaks to the girl. In a pretty -little musical dialogue, which Puccini always expresses so dramatically -and with a sort of naturalness that may be called colloquial, the pair -make each other's acquaintance, and, like the conventional action -of writing of letters on the stage, the result is arrived at in the -twinkling of an eye. Manon is called off by her brother's voice, and -Des Grieux has his first love song, a tender impassioned melody full -of great charm and lyrical strength. Edmund and the other students -then chaff him as to the fair charmer good fortune has sent him, -and Des Grieux makes his escape to think over his conquest. Another -typical number, a duet in chorus between the students and the girls -in a quick valse time, is broken by the arrival of Geronte and the -brother, from whose dialogue we learn the sister is destined for a -convent, and that the brother is not at all sorry to be quit of -his responsibility in the matter of looking after her. Geronte di -Lavoir, the elderly and lecherous nobleman, appears to be a chance -acquaintance, who has met with Lescaut and his sister while travelling -in the coach. The carelessness of Lescaut and his evidently mercenary -nature fits in only too readily with Geronte's desires, for he is -immediately attracted to the artless little girl from the country and -lays his evil plans. Darkness falls on the scene. Lescaut is attracted -to the card-players, and joins them quickly in the hopes of adding to -his store of wealth, and Geronte bargains with the innkeeper for a -post-chaise and some swift horses, giving instructions that a lady will -want to pop off very quickly to Paris in a short time. Edmund overhears -this little plot, and discloses it to his friend Des Grieux. A short -characteristic orchestral passage with a changing unrestful rhythm -leads up to Manon's entrance. With a _naïveté_ expressed in the music -she sings, she comes to Des Grieux and tells him that she has kept her -thoughtless promise. In a beautifully phrased impassioned passage Des -Grieux urgently presses his suit. Manon, who continues to hang back a -little, is overcome, and when an interruption from her brother, on whom -the effects of wine is beginning to tell, startles them out of their -ecstatic rapture, she attempts to return to the inn. But Des Grieux -takes her away, and tells her of the plot of the old reprobate to -abduct her, and urges her to escape with himself. - -Edmund now tells Geronte of the escape of his prize, and that -disappointed old _roué_ tries to rouse the brother from his lethargy. -Lescaut decides that pursuit is worthless, and suggests following the -pair to Paris, whither he is sure they have gone. Geronte stifles his -fury and goes in to supper, while the students join in with a merry -chorus, laughing at the old man's discomfiture as the act ends. - -A few bars of a light tripping measure against a slight accompaniment -of pizzicato chords from the strings opens the second act, the scene -of which shows Manon installed in Geronte's luxurious house in Paris. -Manon's toilette is being finished off by the perruquier, and the -detached remarks and inquiries for the various articles necessary are -musically "popped in" with a skilful hand. The brother comes in, and -while the finishing process is still proceeding, he congratulates his -sister on the transference of her affections from the penniless Des -Grieux to the rich old nobleman. Manon, however, is by no means "off" -with the old love, and in a tender little melody she sings of the -humble dwelling where she and her lover passed a blissful time. Like -so many of Puccini's melodies it begins by a reiteration of a single -note, which gradually spreads itself into a lyrical flow. This works up -into an expressive little duet, in which Manon longs for Des Grieux's -return, and Lescaut promises to make him a successful gamester in order -to gather in the necessary funds. - -Some singers now arrive, and Manon explains that Geronte is a composer, -and likes to air his art for her delectation. A mezzo soprano then -begins a tuneful madrigal of a pastoral character, pleasantly -melodious but which hardly gives the idea, in full, of a certain -stilted artificiality which is the peculiar flavour of the period. -The other female voices join in a three-part chorus. Manon is rather -bored with their music, and directs her brother to give them some money -to get rid of them. The brother then departs to find Des Grieux, and -Geronte and his friends arrive to a dainty little orchestral measure of -the character of a minuet, with its fanciful little trills and twirls, -but with its syncopated bass to preserve the idea of movement and -progress. The dancing-master gives some hints in deportment to Manon, -and the chorus of Abbés and other friends of Geronte's murmur their -admiration at her graces. In a spirited little number Manon, who has -politely told the company not to interrupt her lesson, sings to Geronte -of the pleasure she is experiencing in her present life, and with -characteristic skill the chorus is worked into the scheme as part of -the musical fabric, and not merely as a decorative background. - -After the departure of Geronte and his guests, Des Grieux, who has been -told of Manon's whereabouts by the brother, comes in. The scene between -them is musically full of emotional force, Des Grieux expressing -his loneliness and despair at Manon's flight, while Manon deplores -her weakness and assures him of her love in spite of all that the -present situation entails. The highly dramatic duet works up to a fine -intensity, and at the end their voices blend in a clever climax of a -kind--a few strenuous reiterated notes in unison taking an upward leap -at the finish--so characteristic of the composer. Their happiness is -short lived, for Geronte comes in and puts them to confusion. After -cajoling him into something like sweet reasonableness, Manon thinks -the little affair will blow over. But her truly feminine desire for a -compromise, a gentle slipping over of things, is not to be fulfilled. -Des Grieux, when they are once more alone, tells Manon that her present -life is impossible, that she must give it all up and fly with him. -He has a fine broad melody when Manon tries to return to her plan of -letting things go on as they are. Manon is moved by his intensity, and -begs once again for forgiveness, and agrees to wholly give her heart to -him. Lescaut now rushes in breathless to acquaint Des Grieux and his -sister that Geronte has put the police on their track. The scene works -up into a clever trio of quick movement, Manon imperilling herself -and her companion by her desire to carry off as much spoil as she can -lay hands on. Geronte, attended by a sergeant and two men, block the -entrance, and Manon in her surprise and agitation drops her cloak, -and the jewels roll to the floor. With this effective finish--Manon -being arrested, as we may suppose, in this instance for larceny, and -the grimness of the situation intensified by the rascally brother's -double-dealing in the matter being hinted at--the act closes, Des -Grieux being held back from rescuing his beloved, and uttering a cry of -despair. - -Before the third act comes a characteristic orchestral interlude, -in which the Wagnerian plan of continuing the story by means of a -symphonic tone poem is employed with individuality by Puccini. -This intermezzo deals with two main ideas or phases, first the -imprisonment of Manon, and secondly the sad journey to Havre, the port -whence the _filles de joie_--how intensely sad is the irony of the -description!--are to be taken over seas. To the score is appended a -quotation from the Abbé Prévost's story, giving the clue to the strain -of passion that comes in the music of this number, and blends skilfully -with the sadness and the sense of movement which are its leading -flavours, so to speak. - -Des Grieux says in the story, "How I love her! My passion is so ardent -that I feel I am the most unhappy creature alive. What have I not -tried in Paris to obtain her release. I have implored the aid of the -powerful. I have knocked at every door as a suppliant. I have even -resorted to force. All has been in vain. Only one thing remains for me, -and that is to follow her--go where she may--even unto the end of the -world." - -The scene of the third act shows the square near the harbour at Havre, -with the sea and a ship in the distance. To the left is the barracks -serving as a temporary prison, and at the gate a sentinel keeps guard. -Des Grieux and the brother have evidently been keeping their vigil -all through the night, and dawn is about to break. Very poignant and -striking is the fevered agitation shown in the dialogue passages which -open the scene. The brother has done his best to arrange for a rescue -when his unhappy sister shall be brought forth and marched on board. -The sentinel who now comes on duty has been bribed, and Des Grieux is -able to hold a conversation with Manon through the barred window. As -the night passes into day, the all too short interview ends, and Des -Grieux gives some final instructions to Manon. But the plans for the -rescue fail, and Lescaut comes back to tell Des Grieux of their failure -as the clamour of citizens and soldiers is heard. After a spirited -snatch of chorus, the roll on the drums gives the signal for the gate -of the barracks to open, out of which the women, in chains, pass out to -the ship. The chorus in some telling little abrupt phrases pass remarks -as the various names are read out, and the vivacious comments and rough -laughter heighten the effect of sadness as Manon and Des Grieux snatch -their last farewell. Manon hangs behind a little, only to be roughly -pushed on by a sergeant. Then it is that Des Grieux's despair gets the -upper hand. "Kill me," he cries, "or take me along with you as your -meanest servant." The captain is touched by his devotion, and in the -bluff, good-natured fashion of the sailor, agrees to take Des Grieux. - -In the fourth act the death of Manon puts an end to this sad but -very human tragedy. The music is one long duet, full of the highest -emotional expression, and musically reaches to the highest heights -of pure tragedy. The scene shows us a desolate dreary plain on the -outskirts of New Orleans. Manon and Des Grieux by their dress and -manner show the destitution of their circumstances. "Lean all your -weight on me, love," murmurs Des Grieux, as he supports his companion, -worn out by fatigue and privation. Manon suffers from thirst, and Des -Grieux, who can find no water in this arid waste, goes out to search -farther afield. Memories of the life that is past now come to torture -poor Manon, and when Des Grieux comes in again he finds her hopelessly -distraught and at the point of death. Very touchingly does the music -Manon sings picture the ebbing life, the faltering breath, the approach -of the end; and, with a long, low phrase on one note, Manon, whose last -words are that her love for Des Grieux will never pass although her -sins will be cleansed away, sinks peacefully in her long last sleep. -Bursting into tears Des Grieux falls senseless over her body. - -It is inevitable to return to a comparison between this work of -Puccini's and that of Massenet. Massenet remains supreme in his own -place from the delicate and spirited characterisation of his music. -His Manon is essentially French, entirely of the eighteenth century, -bringing out in the music all the artificiality, all the airs and -graces. While the story is not without flesh and blood, it remains -as a thing apart, moving in its own sphere, full of its own special -atmosphere. Puccini takes the same French story and gives us a moving -lyric drama, which is on a far broader plane, is essentially human and -common to every place, every race and all time, since it deals with -purely elemental passions. - -Since _Manon_ was the work by which Puccini's operatic music was first -given to the English music-lovers, the following extracts from the -critiques which appeared after its first performance in England will -be of interest. - -There is nothing which brings back the past so vividly as the -fascinating process of turning up back files of daily papers. The -actual day and all the "common round" come back like a living thing; so -many of the "trivial tasks" seem to assume quite a special importance -of their own. To read the advertisements, the announcements of -concerts, theatres and picture galleries, is to remember events and -pleasant moments which have long passed out of one's mind. Speaking as -a journalist, the astonishing thing to me is that the daily paper of -twelve years ago or so should seem such an old-fashioned thing to look -at. One does not feel this with regard to the journals of a far more -remote age. It is only these few recent years that seem to have rushed -along at such a fearful pace. - -The _Morning Post_ calls attention to the enterprise shown by -producing a new work on the opening night of the season and promising -another--Verdi's _Falstaff_ to wit--within the first week. - -Mr. Arthur Hervey, its critic, says: "Now that Italian composers have -once more come to the fore we may expect to be well provided with -operas from the quondam land of song, and now the home _par excellence_ -of the melodramatic opera. Mascagni and Leoncavallo having been duly -welcomed, it is now the turn of Puccini, the much applauded author of -_Manon Lescaut_." After pointing out the differences in the two books, -he says that they offer the same amount of similarity the one to the -other as do those of Gounod's _Faust_ and Boïto's _Mefistofele_. "The -seeds of Wagnerian reform have not fallen on barren ground. Puccini -reveals himself in _Manon_ as a composer gifted with strong dramatic -power, possessing an apparently innate feeling for stage effect and -considerable melodic expression. His score is exempt from the crudities -and vulgarities from which certain modern Italian operas are not -free. The entire first act is treated with a wonderful lightness of -touch. In the grand duet between Manon and Des Grieux in the second -act, the composer has fully risen to the height of the situation. His -music is full of melody and passion. It ends in a decidedly Wagnerian -fashion which evokes recollections of _Tristan und Isolde_. We have -only singled out a few salient features in a work that is remarkable -from many points of view, not the least of which is its sincerity of -purpose, and we cordially congratulate the composer upon having made so -successful a _debut_ amongst us." - -In contrast to the _Times_ critic, the writer says: "The inevitable -intermezzo separates the second from the third act. It reproduces -some of the motives heard in the above-named duet, and is extremely -effective." - -In the _Academy_ of May 19, 1894, Mr. J. S. Shedlock writes: "The -composer has really something to say, and has said it to very great, -though not the best, advantage. At present he is too strongly -influenced by Wagner and by others to display his full individuality. -The influence of Wagner is specially marked not so much in the use of -representative themes as in phrases and melodies which recall _Die -Meistersinger_, _Tristan_, and _Siegfried_. As, for example, the music -in the first act, when Manon descends from the coach, or the opening -of the intermezzo.... Of the four acts, the second and fourth appear -to us the strongest ... the love duet between Manon and Des Grieux is -a masterpiece of concentration and gradation, the fine broad phrase -at the close, afterwards heard with imposing effect at the end of the -third act and with tender expression in the fourth, ought alone to -ensure the success of the work.... Of course, in a modern opera an -intermezzo is indispensable. Puccini, however, gives to his distinct -dramatic meaning: the coda with its orchestration is original and -expressive." - -The _Times_ said of _Manon_, on May 15, 1894, that in melodic structure -and general cast of its phraseology the new work has many points -of affinity with the most popular productions of the young Italian -school; but it is far above these in workmanship, in the reality of its -sentiment, and, above all, in the atmosphere. It supposes that Puccini -is the author of his own book, and on the whole prefers Massenet's -libretto, and points out that the climax of the piece, musically, if -not dramatically, is the penultimate scene, outside the prison at -Havre. The finale to this scene in which occur the comments of the -crowd on the prisoners, some of whom are covered with confusion, while -others are jauntily defiant, is hailed as the finest number in the -work. The weakest thing in the opera is, according to this critic, the -intermezzo, but an atonement is made by the opening of the third act. -The work, he concludes, amply deserved the very enthusiastic reception -it obtained. - -Even at this short distance of time it is something of a curiosity -to read that the National Anthem was sung, under Signor Mancinelli's -direction, at the beginning of the evening by the choristers grouped -round a bust of the Queen. - - - - -VII - -"LA BOHÈME" - - -The mere fact that _La Bohème_, Puccini's fourth work, to which he -gave the plain title of opera, is his most popular composition for the -stage, makes one all the more inclined to search more minutely for -weaknesses. But with repeated performances (for it has passed into the -regular repertory of all opera houses wherever it has been played) its -unity, both as an idea and an expression, comes out more and more with -remarkable distinctness. - -[Illustration: MISS ALICE ESTY AS MIMI IN "LA BOHEME"] - -It captured the Italian ear and taste immediately, and babies were -christened Mimi and Rodolfo just as ten years before, Santuzza and -Turiddu, culled from Mascagni's _Cavalleria Rusticana_, were favourite -baptismal appellations. It did not take long for England--represented, -in this instance, by the comparatively limited number of -opera-lovers--to take it to its heart. It delighted fastidious France -and even satisfied hypercritical and essentially conservative Germany. -Of all Puccini's work, it exhibits perhaps the most spontaneity, and -as a piece of modern music--if the melodies themselves, apart from -their very definite piquancy and freshness, do not rise to any vast -heights of emotional expression--its absolute continuity is certainly -a very high artistic achievement and stands unquestionably as its most -striking feature. - -Illica and Giocosa provided the book, and their idea in providing the -framework is clearly indicated by the prefatory note to the vocal -score. They begin with a quotation from the preface to Murger's _Vie -de Bohème_, of which the thoroughly impressionistic opera is a most -spirited musical expression. _The Bohemians_, under which title the -opera was first presented in England, does not express by any means the -exact nature of the work. It is the spirit of Bohemianism--that curious -almost undefinable quality, which in reality simply means the absolute -living for, and in, the mood of the moment, and is not by any means -the entire monopoly of the artistic temperament--that is portrayed by -the dramatic scheme. In the matter of following Murger's story, which -as a novel is the most free in the whole range of modern literature, -the librettists have been careful to give the spirit rather than the -letter. They even roll two characters, Francine and Mimi, into one; -for they find that although in Murger's book characters of each person -are clearly defined, one and the same temperament bears different -names and is incarnated, so to speak, in two different persons. "Who -cannot detect," they say, "in the delicate profile of one woman the -personality both of Mimi and Francine? Who as he reads of Mimi's little -hands, whiter than those of the Goddess of Ease, is not reminded of -Francine's little muff?" - -The librettists were content to string together four more or less -detached scenes from the story. Save for the death of Mimi at the -close, there is no real climax to any of the four acts. In the first -act, the two chief characters go off and sing their final high note -in the passage; in the third, where they part more in sorrow than in -anger, the situation is varied between a similar device of finishing -the duet "off" or by quietly sitting up at the back of the scene. These -two, out of many points of subtlety, are mentioned merely as showing -Puccini's mastery in catching the essential spirit of the dramatic -scheme, which is atmospheric, or purely impressionistic. The supremacy -of his art is shown in a very marked way by the preservation of the -continuity of the idea by the musical expression. In this _La Bohème_ -stands as a very notable modern work solely because of its absolute -keeping to the idea which dominates it. Leoncavallo set the same story -to music, writing the book himself. As a mere adaptation of a novel -for stage purposes, the dramatic portion of this opera, which keeps -the stage in France and Germany, may be pointed to as offering certain -points of superiority. But the music is certainly not atmospheric nor -impressionistic, and the two works never really come into rivalry. -Puccini's _La Bohème_ is absolutely on its own plane, and in its own -particular way supreme. - -_La Bohème_ was composed partly at Torre del Lago and partly in a villa -which Puccini took for a time at Castellaccio, near Pescia. It was -given for the first time at the Teatro Regio, Turin, on February 1, -1896, Toscanini being the conductor, and cast as follows: - - _Rodolfo_ GORGA. - _Marcello_ WILMANT. - _Schaunard_ PINI-CORSI. - _Colline_ MAZZARA. - _Benoit_ } - _Alcindoro_ } POLONINI. - _Mimi_ FERRANI. - _Musetta_ PASINI. - -Its first appearance in England was interesting from the rare fact that -a new opera should not only be produced within a year of its production -in its native land, but that an English company should be the first to -present it in our native tongue. With the title _The Bohemians_ it was -given at Manchester on April 22, 1897, at the Theatre Royal, by the -Carl Rosa Company, conducted by Claude Jacquinet, and cast as follows: - - _Rodolfo_ ROBER CUNINGHAM. - _Marcello_ WILLIAM PAUL. - _Schaunard_ CHAS. TILBURY. - _Colline_ ARTHUR WINCKWORTH. - _Mimi_ ALICE ESTY. - _Musetta_ BESSIE MACDONALD. - -It was given at Covent Garden in English, in the October of the same -year, with practically the same cast. Madame Alice Esty, from whom I -learnt several interesting particulars, not only of the production of -the opera, but of the work in general, and some of the past history of -the wonderful organisation which is still doing such excellent work -in keeping alive the love for opera in English, was the first English -Mimi, although she was born in Boston. There were many difficulties in -the production, and, strange to say, the part of Mimi was first offered -to Mdlle. Zelie de Lussan, the well-known exponent of the part of -Carmen, not only in English, but in French as well. The photograph of -Mdme. Alice Esty shows her in the last Act of _La Bohème_; and it will -be noticed that she wears, not the customary black gown of the little -seamstress, but one of some pretensions to magnificence. She followed, -she told me, the idea of the composer, who particularly wished to -bring out the fact that Mimi, after parting with Rodolfo, had formed -an alliance with a rich viscount. This little incident, it will be -remembered, is duly referred to by Musetta in the text. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI'S MANUSCRIPT SCORES. FROM THE LAST ACT OF "LA -BOHÈME"] - -I have also talked with Puccini about this first English performance of -_La Bohème_. "I always feel about past performances," he said, "in the -same way as dead people. Let us say nothing about them but good. But I -shall never forget the shock it was to me on arriving at the theatre to -find the disposition of the orchestra in a fashion which I have never -seen except at a circus. Out of two boxes at each end the bass brass on -the one side and the drum on the other gave forth detached blares and -pops which really frightened the life out of me. They did not seem to -have anything to do with the general musical scheme. I heard this band -rehearsal start, and then I saw that the right idea, simply because of -the square-cut idea as to the tempi on the part of the conductor was -absolutely away from the spirit of the work. I asked the band to take -a rest and then took two rehearsals with the piano myself. It was -not long before the artists, all of them sincerely concerned with the -proper interpretation of my ideas, and myself got into complete accord. -I was very pleased on the whole with the way it eventually went, and -although I did not see the subsequent London production, Ricordi told -me that the Manchester performance was far more spontaneous." - -How wonderfully Puccini is able, by playing a score of his on the piano -and by his eloquent directions as to interpretation, to convey his -subtlest meaning to an artist, I can speak from actual knowledge. I -have heard him take a singer through a good deal of this very opera. -Under his almost magical hands, a well learned interpretation is -transformed into a genuinely spontaneous interpretation. Puccini in the -present year of grace, when I told him that I had seen an important -opera revived in the provinces with the same strange disposal of the -orchestra which had caused him such distress, threw back his head and -roared with laughter, not in the least unkindly. "You are a delightful -people and seriously artistic, but you will keep on doing such funny -things." - -For a long time, however, Mdme. Melba, who in this country has -invariably, since her first performance of the part in Italian here, -been seen in the character, has appeared in the final scene in much -the same plain dress as in the opening Act, the reason, doubtless, -being that Mimi's loneliness and poverty should be emphasised. Lately, -however, Mdme. Melba has reverted to the original method of dressing -the part, and appears in the last scene in an even more elaborate -evening gown of pale blue satin, with a cloak, and dispenses with a hat. - -_La Bohème_ was brought to London after its first production, as we -have seen, and was played about twenty times that season. The Covent -Garden production in Italian was two years later, on June 30, 1899, -when Mancinelli conducted, the cast being as follows: - - _Rodolfo_ DE LUCIA. - _Marcello_ ANCONA. - _Schaunard_ GILIBERT. - _Collins_ JOURNET. - _Benoit_ } DUFRICHE. - _Alcindoro_ } - _Mimi_ MELBA. - _Musetta_ ZELIE DE LUSSAN. - -It will be noticed that the gifted lady who was in the mind of the -Carl Rosa authorities, for their initial production, as Mimi, was then -seen in the particular part for which her temperament fitted her. By -substituting Caruso as the Rodolfo--it is one of the very finest parts -of this tenor--and Scotti as the Marcello, we have practically the same -cast as that with which this opera at the present time fills Covent -Garden; invariably one of its most brilliant audiences. - -In June 1898 Paris saw _La Bohème_ at the Opera Comique, for which -performance the composer visited the French Capital, for the first -time, to superintend some of the first rehearsals. It went to America -in the December of the same year, when it was mounted at the Academy of -Music, Philadelphia, and sung in Italian. Melba was the Mimi, De Lussan -the Musetta, and Pandolfini the Rodolfo. - -New York had seen it, in English, at the American Theatre, in the -previous month. This production, in which the Rodolfo was J. F. -Sheehan; the Mimi, Yvonne de Treville; and the Musetta, Villa Knox, -was by Henry W. Savage's Castle Square Opera Company. It was given in -French at New Orleans in the winter of 1900 by Barrich's Company. It -was first given in Germany at the Ander Wren Theatre, Vienna, Frances -Saville being the Mimi and Franz Naval the Rodolfo. - -Coming to the story, which with the music is by this time so familiar -to opera-goers, the composer, in characteristic fashion, plunges us -at once, without scarcely as much as a few bars of prelude, into the -midst of things. At the outset the atmosphere is established by the -restless, vivacious, detached and spirited phrase which, if it hardly -ever assumes the proportions, musically considered, of a leading -theme, at least flavours very strongly the whole musical fabric. It -may well be taken to represent the free unrestrained spirit of the VIE -DE BOHÈME. The curtain rises quickly, and we see an attic, inhabited -by the quartet of gay spirits, those bold adventurers, as Murger calls -them, who are stopped by nothing--rain or dust, cold or heat. Every -day's existence is a work of genius, a daily problem. Now abstemious as -anchorites, now riding forth on the most ruinous fancies, not finding -enough windows whence to throw their money. Truly, as Murger puts it, a -gay life yet a terrible one! - -Rodolfo, the poet, gazes pensively out of the window, Marcello, the -artist, is painting the passage of the Red Sea. It is Christmas Eve, -and the cold is bitter: and to keep the stove alight, they burn up a -MS.--a drama--of Rodolfo's. - -All through this scene of colloquial and snappy dialogue, the music -runs with remarkable movement. Soon Schaunard the musician comes in. He -has been lucky enough not only to find a job but to get paid for it; -and he tells us it was an Englishman who employed him. He has bought -provisions with the spoil, and they spread the feast, in true Bohemian -fashion, with a newspaper for table cloth. They begin the meal with -light-hearted merriment, when the landlord comes in to collect his much -overdue rent. That worthy is amazed to find his tenants can pay it, and -after taking a glass with them, and chatting about his _amours_, the -four irresponsibles get rid of him. They then decide on a visit to the -café Momus in the Latin quarter, and leave Rodolfo behind for a space, -as he has to finish an article for the _Beaver_. "Be quick, then," says -Marcello, "and cut the _Beaver's_ tale short." - -As Rodolfo sits at the table to work, a timid knock is heard at the -door, and Mimi, the pretty little seamstress who occupies a room -near the roof, and who is already in the grip of the fell disease, -consumption, comes in to ask for a light, her candle having been -extinguished by the draught in the passage. She is evidently worn out -by cough, cold and fatigue, and Rodolfo, after reviving her with a -little wine, makes a remark as to her delicate beauty. Mimi, however, -has not come to chatter or to be flattered, and with thanks, prettily -expressed, she departs for her chamber. Fate, in the shape of a lost -key, sends her back again, and the draught in the passage puts out -not only Mimi's candle, but Rodolfo's as well. While they both search -for the key, Mimi's cold little hand touches that of Rodolfo, and -the latter clasps it; and he then tells her of his life and aims and -prospects in the beautifully melodious number, _Che gelida manina_, -which, like so many of Puccini's themes, seems to grow out of the -reiteration of a single note, swelling out in a delightful emotional -fulness. Mimi tells Rodolfo of her work, and how she embroiders flowers -on rich stuffs, which make her think of the green fields and the sweet -scents of the country side; how lonely she is all by herself in her -little top attic; how she takes her frugal supper all alone. The two -natures are quickly brought together, and Mimi is soon in Rodolfo's -arms and has received his first passionate kiss. The three friends -outside now call up to him, and he says he has three lines to finish, -but that he will join them anon, and that he wants two places kept -at the supper table. With a full confession of her love, Mimi takes -Rodolfo's arm, and their last notes, "My love, my love," are heard as -they descend the staircase. - -At the café Momus--the exterior of which we see as the curtain rises on -the second Act, preceded by a clever and vivacious phrase given to the -trumpets in the orchestra--our four brave Bohemians were known as the -Four Musketeers, since they were inseparable. "Indeed," says Murger, -"they always went about together, played together, dined together, -often without paying the bill, yet always with a beautiful harmony -worthy of the conservatoire orchestra." - -In this scene, which is full of life and movement--showing in the -treatment of the chorus, formed of children, people, soldiers, -students, work girls, and gendarmes, that beautifully polished -technique in melodic construction which makes Puccini so strong and -in every way a master musician--the lively Musetta comes on the -scene. Once more may Murger's own words fittingly recall her to mind. -"Mademoiselle Musetta was a pretty girl of twenty, very coquettish, -rather ambitious, but without any pretensions to spelling. Oh, those -delightful suppers ... a perpetual alternative between a blue brougham -and an omnibus: between the Rue Breda and the Latin quarter." - -Although the incidents represented appear to follow consecutively, it -is a little strange to find a sort of _al fresco_ entertainment in -progress after the references to the bitter cold in the preceding Act. -At any rate, whether the dramatist's license be allowed or not--and -we may easily imagine a flight of time to have taken place since the -happenings in the opening Act--the café Momus, in this second Act, is -so full that our quartet of Bohemians, with Musetta and her elderly -admirer, take their supper _en plein air_. There is little of incident, -or progress of events, in this lively scene. Musetta is reconciled -after singing her delicious song, in slow waltz form, to her Marcello, -and the fatuous old Alcindoro is left to pay the bill of the whole -party. Yet against this, the sense of movement and gaiety, shown by the -ever-moving crowd, and the incident of the toy-seller Parpignol--just a -plain slice of life put down on the stage in a truly modern method--is -beautifully worked out in the music, and never for an instant does it -flag in vivacity. - -Musetta comes into prominence again in the third Act. Again is the -weather intensely cold, and the chill drear atmosphere is indicated in -the music at the opening by the subtle passage of bare fifths, which -is further remarkable as a purely musical effect from its connection -with the trumpet passage which heralded the second Act. The scene is a -place beyond the toll-gate, on the Orleans road, at the end of the Rue -d'Enfer. Over a tavern hangs Marcello's picture as a signboard, with -its title altered to the Port of Marseilles, signifying its adaptation -to its environment. - -Two scenes of parting dominate the dramatic plan of this Act, that -of Rodolfo and Mimi, and that of Marcello and Musetta. They are -cleverly contrasted. Very pathetically does Mimi's "addio senza -rancor" come from the depths of her simple little heart, while the -end is foreshadowed by the hacking cough which frequently chokes her -utterances. Musetta is taken to task by Marcel for flirting, and off -she goes after a strongly dramatic duet, which for characterisation and -force is one of the most distinctive numbers in the opera; and after -her exit, in a fury, Mimi and Rodolfo appear to agree, indicated by -the last phrases of their tender duet, to continue together, for yet a -space, in the old relations. - -In the fourth Act we are back in the attic; and the quartet of -Bohemians are once more struggling with the problem of keeping body -and soul together. Two of them, Rodolfo and Marcel, at any rate, are -lonely, for Mimi has been taken up by a viscount, and Musetta, dressed -in velvet--through which, as Rudolfo tells Marcel, she cannot hear her -heart beat--is riding in a carriage. But with all their troubles they -keep a stout heart and are able to jest over the herring and rolls -which Schaunard and Colline bring in for dinner. They dance and romp, -and play the fool in the lightest hearted manner until Musetta suddenly -breaks in upon their pretended jollity. The end is reached rapidly. -Mimi has come home to die, and this she does after an intensely sad, -simple and moving scene, stretched, as they placed her, on Rodolfo's -hard little bed. Infinitely touching is Mimi's reference, in her last -words, to the song which Rodolfo sang in the opening Act. She begins -_Che gelida manina_ only to break off in a fit of coughing. Marcello -has gone out to fetch a doctor and Musetta brings a muff to warm the -dying girl's fingers. Mimi's spirit passes away however before aid can -be brought to her, and the pathos of the situation is intensified by -the silence in which it takes place. It is Schaunard who whispers to -Marcello that she is dead. To Rodolfo's last despairing cry of "Mimi! -Mimi!" as he realises that his loved one is no more, does the curtain -fall. - -There is little to point to in the music save its chief and outstanding -feature, its continuity. In this the whole charm and strength of the -work lies. Orchestrally, the score of _La Bohème_ is a beautifully -polished one, not so symphonically complete as _Manon_ for instance, -but essentially individual. For fulness as a constructional background -one may point to the orchestration of the duet in the first Act; for -daintiness of effect, the use of harmonics on the harp against the -muted strings in Musetta's waltz-song; while many happy touches are -seen all through, such as the xylophone and muted trumpets at the -toy-sellers' entrance in the café scene; or again, the striking passage -in fifths at the opening of the third Act, given to the harp and flutes -over the 'cellos playing _tremolo_. The orchestra employed is the usual -large modern orchestra, with a piccolo, glockenspiel and xylophone. -Considerable use is also made of the division of the 'cellos, in many -places, into three. - -The complete success, notwithstanding certain difficulties that have -been referred to, of the first performance of the opera in this -country, was duly chronicled in London, on the day following the event, -in _The Times_. The notice states that the composer was called at the -end and bowed his acknowledgments, from which it would appear that -he was prevailed upon at least to appear on the fall of the curtain, -although, by all accounts I have heard from those who took part in the -performance, Puccini adopted the custom--followed, if we may believe -certain traditions, by certain notable playwrights--of wandering up and -down the streets until the _première_ was over. - -The writer of the notice in question places the work on a higher level -than _Manon_, speaks of the highly dramatic intensity reached by simple -means in the scenes between Mimi and Rodolfo, notices in the absence of -set songs the Wagnerian method of continuous melody, and sums it up as -a decided success gained by the beauty of its melody, the refinement of -the music as a whole, the cleverness in the handling of the themes, and -by the absence of clap-trap. The performance is spoken of as a genuine -triumph, in spite of the leading tenor's hoarseness. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI IN "MORNING DRESS" (NATIONAL PEASANT COSTUME) AT -TORRE DEL LAGO] - -[Illustration: PUCCINI WILD-FOWL SHOOTING ON THE LAKE AT TORRE DEL -LAGO] - - - - -VIII - -"TOSCA" - - -With his next opera--for _Tosca_ is the only one of his works so -entitled by the composer--Puccini made a rather curious reversal -of the proceedings as compared with _La Bohème_, taking it from an -Italian story treated from the French point of view. From the old world -story of Murger, Puccini turned to a notable example of modern French -stagecraft, in Sardou's drama of _La Tosca_. His librettists again were -Giocosa and Illica, and they provided the composer with a strikingly -apt presentation of the grim story; not one, perhaps, that lends itself -altogether to musical expression, but one which certainly grips the -attention and carries the hearer along. By _Tosca_, Puccini certainly -sustained his now universal popularity made manifest by the preceding -_La Bohème_. It was given first at the Costanzi Theatre, Rome, on -January 14, 1900, conducted by Mugnone, and cast as follows: - - _Tosca_ DARCLÉE. - _Cavaradossi_ DE MARCHI. - _Scarpia_ GIRALDOIN. - _Angelotti_ GALLI. - _The Sacristan_ BORELLI. - -London saw it in the summer of the same year at Covent Garden, where -it was given on July 12 with the following cast, Mancinelli being the -conductor. - - _Tosca_ TERNINA. - _Cavaradossi_ DE LUCIA. - _Scarpia_ SCOTTI. - _Angelotti_ DUFRICHE. - _The Sacristan_ GILIBERT. - -In America, _Tosca_ was first given in Italian on February 4, 1901, -at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, by Maurice Grau's company, -the cast and conductor being the same as that for the first Covent -Garden performance, with the substitution of Cremonini for De Lucia as -Cavaradossi. - -Its first American production in English was by Henry W. Savage's -company, at the Teck Theatre, Buffalo, and cast as follows, Emanuel -being the conductor: - - _Tosca_ ADELAIDE NORWOOD. - _Cavaradossi_ JOSEPH SHEEHAN. - _Scarpia_ W. GOFF. - _Angelotti_ F. J. BOYLE. - _The Sacristan_ FRANCIS CARRIER. - -In the music of _Tosca_ Puccini reveals, more powerfully perhaps than -anywhere, that quick instinct of the theatre which may be called -dramatic, or merely a very clever fitting of music to the mood of the -moment. It is, in fact, very purely melodramatic, the word being used -here not in its accepted sense of the traditional "tootle-tootle" in -the orchestra when the wicked villain pursues the innocent and sorely -tried heroine. The story is tragic in all conscience, but it hardly -reaches the level of true tragedy, since it is more horrible than -impressive, and lacks that restraint and poetry which are two necessary -qualities. This much must be said for the operatic version. It is a -shade less revolting, less purely realistic than the drama, and it -undoubtedly provides a splendid acting _rôle_ for the exponent of the -name part; while the lover, and the villain--Scarpia, the chief of the -police--are provided with opportunities, very little behind, in point -of vocal and dramatic effect. One could very well imagine a production, -on prevailing lines set upon elaboration of detail, in which Puccini's -music, or a great deal of it, was used purely as incidental music. -This suggestion, however, must in no way be taken to mean that as a -whole the music of this opera lacks continuity of interest or fails -to exhibit the close and essential union between speech and song. -There are many pages of strong and definite lyrical charm, but somehow -the main interest lies in the action which fascinates the spectator, -rather, one feels, against his better--or more calm--judgment. It is, -in short, a most moving picture of love, hate, jealousy, passion and -intrigue. These, after all, form the great bulk of the material for -operatic treatment; and without entering into the question whether -_Tosca_ is or is not a work for all time, it has certain very "live" -attributes which make it a notable achievement. - -The scene in the first act shows the Attavanti Chapel in the Church -of Saint Andrea della Valle in Rome. The strenuous, shuddering chords -which preface the short prelude are representative of the cruel nature -of Scarpia, whose personality dominates the scene--more than this, the -figure seems to give at once the atmosphere of stress, and hints at a -wealth of incident which characterises the whole of that which is to -follow. - -A man in prison garb, harassed, dishevelled, well-nigh breathless with -fear and haste, comes in and glances hastily this way and that. This is -Angelotti, a victim of Papal tyranny, who has escaped from the Castle -of S. Angelo; and his entrance, it will be noted, is also characterised -by a theme always associated with him throughout the work. - -On a pillar is an image of the Virgin, and underneath it a stoup. "My -sister wrote to tell me of this spot," says Angelotti, as he searches -for the key which will open the chapel and allow him to escape. While -he searches in feverish haste the string of chromatic chords carries on -the idea of his agitation. With yet another glance to reassure himself -that he has not been followed, he opens the gate in the grille of the -chapel and disappears. - -A light tripping figure ushers in the Sacristan, and it continues for -a space while he walks to the daïs, on which is an easel and a covered -picture. He complains of the bother he has in washing the brushes of -the artist who is painting an altar-piece. He is surprised not to find -Cavaradossi painting. The Angelus rings, and the Sacristan kneels and -continues the prayer. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI SNOWBALLING IN SICILY] - -[Illustration: PUCCINI WRESTLING AT POMPEII] - -Cavaradossi now comes in, and a broad melodious phrase is heard as -he ascends the daïs and uncovers the picture. The Sacristan is -amazed to find that it represents the features of a lady who has -been frequently to pray in the church, and is further shocked when -the artist draws forth a miniature and compares it with his figure, -into whose features he has incorporated the dusky glow and peach-like -bloom of his beloved Floria. The phrase indicated at Cavaradossi's -entrance now swells out in a lyrical melody in which he sings that his -Madonna's eyes are blue, while Tosca's are dark as a moonless night, -the Sacristan punctuating the rhapsody with a pious ejaculation to the -effect that the artist scorns the saints and jests with the ungodly. - -After the Sacristan's departure to a snatch of his characteristic -phrase, Angelotti, believing the church empty, comes out of the chapel. -Cavaradossi does not at first recognise, in this prison-worn creature, -his friend the Consul of the Republic. Tosca's voice is heard, and -the artist makes a sign to Angelotti to remain yet a little while in -hiding, and on hearing that the fugitive is spent with hunger, he gives -him the basket left, for his refreshment, by the Sacristan. - -A quick moving figure, accompanied by triplets, announces Tosca's -entrance, and she thinks that she has heard her lover conversing -with another woman, and even declares she heard the swish of skirts. -Cavaradossi attempts to embrace her, but she reproves him, and first -makes an offering before the Virgin's shrine. This done, she tells -him that although she is singing at the theatre that evening, the -piece is a short one, and proceeds to sing in a delightfully suave -melody, which increases gradually in intensity, of the delights of love -in a quiet secluded cottage far away from all worldly distractions. -Cavaradossi comes in at the close with an impassioned burst on a -characteristic high note, in which he says that he is caught in the -toils of her enchantment. The artist makes as his excuse for her -quick dismissal the need of continuing his work on the picture, but -his frequent glances towards the chapel show that his anxiety for his -friend is the cause of his agitation. But Tosca now comes in sight of -the picture, and is struck by the resemblance of the face to some one -she has seen. She immediately connects the whispering she has heard -before arriving upon the scene and the anxious looks towards the chapel -together as a proof that Cavaradossi has been meeting the original of -the picture. The incident, however, leads up to a further avowal of -devotion on the part of Cavaradossi, and their voices blend together -for a brief space in a delicious bit of melody. Tosca elects to be -comforted, and with a final thrust she goes out, requesting her lover -to change the lady's eyes to black ones. - -Angelotti now comes out of the chapel and tells of his plan of escape. -Cavaradossi gives him the key of his villa, and indicates the way -he may reach it. Angelotti takes up the bundle of clothes left by -his sister for his disguise--the sister being the lady who has been -frequenting the church of late, and who has attracted the artist's -attention--and goes off, while his friend tells him, as a final -precaution in case of urgent need, of a passage that leads down to a -cellar. Just as Angelotti is going the cannon sound from the fortress, -giving the signal that the prisoner's escape has been discovered. - -On their exit, the Sacristan enters, followed by choir boys, -acolytes and a crowd of people. The Sacristan tells them the news of -Bonaparte's defeat, that there will be rejoicings and a new cantata -for the occasion sung by Tosca, and his snatch of melody is cleverly -derived from the theme heard on his first entrance. The choir boys -burst out into a great riot of joyous merrymaking, beginning with "Te -Deum" and "Gloria," and breaking out into "Long live the King," the -Sacristan trying his best to drive them into the sacristy to vest -for the festival service. Their jollity is cut short by the entrance -of Scarpia--whose sinister theme breaks in characteristically, as -always--followed by Spoletta and others of his staff. After bidding -them curtly prepare for the solemn "Te Deum," he motions the rather -frightened Sacristan to his side, and tells him that a State prisoner -has escaped, and from information received has been tracked here. He -asks which is the Attavanti Chapel, and the facts that the gate is open -and that a new key is in the lock give at once a clue. - -A police agent comes out of the chapel and brings with him the basket -given to Angelotti by Cavaradossi; and Scarpia, after a little more -judicious questioning of the Sacristan, is able to guess that the -fugitive has been assisted by the painter. - -Tosca now comes back, and after signalling to the Sacristan, Scarpia -retires behind a pillar, watching her as she looks about for -Cavaradossi. To serve his own ends, he decides to rouse the jealousy of -the woman; and after a little flattery, expressed in a suave, flowing -melody, he brings out a fan and mildly inquires whether it forms any -part of the customary outfit of a painter. From the coronet on it Tosca -recognises it as belonging to the Marchioness Attavanti, who is the -sister of Angelotti, and a member of the family to whom the chapel is -dedicated. Forgetful of Scarpia's presence and the place where she is, -Tosca, in a finely emotional passage--broken into now and again by -Scarpia, who rams home his poisonous suggestions--bewails the weakness -of her lover; and the wily Scarpia, after tenderly escorting her to the -church door, despatches an agent to watch her closely. His exultation -at having fired her jealousy is punctuated twice by the sound of -cannon; and into the rather curious triplet accompaniments is worked -the opening phrases of the organ, which signals the approach of the -procession of the Chapter, with the Cardinal, to whom Scarpia makes a -reverence as he passes him. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI DESCENDING ETNA ON A MULE] - -[Illustration: PUCCINI ON HIS FARM AT CHIATRI] - -"Our help is in the name of the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth," -sing the Chapter and monks, while Scarpia continues his musings as to -the business he has on hand. From the mere catching of the escaped -prisoners his thoughts turn to lustful possession of Tosca; and the -whole scene, finely contrasted, is worked up with superb force into -one of those magnificently solid finales which reveal the technic of -Puccini so emphatically. The cannon continue to go off--the sound -is managed, by the way, by striking a huge cone over which is -stretched, drum-fashion, a tight skin--the whole crowd turn towards the -high altar, the stately "Te Deum" swells through the church, and at the -end, Scarpia, after saying that for Tosca he would renounce his hopes -of heaven, joins in the last phrase: "All the earth shall worship Thee, -the Father everlasting." The curtain descends quickly to the harsh -progression of chords forming the Scarpia theme. - -The second act shows us Scarpia's room in the Farnese Palace. It is on -an upper floor. To the left a table is laid, and at the back a large -window looks over the courtyard. - -Scarpia is at supper, and looks at his watch from time to time -impatiently. "Tosca is a famous decoy," he sings; "to-morrow's -sunrise shall see the two conspirators hanging side by side on my -tallest gallows." Ringing a handbell, which is answered by Sciarrone, -he inquires whether Tosca is in the Palace, and learns that she -has been summoned thither. Scarpia orders the window to be thrown -open, and borne on the evening air comes the sound of a gavotte -from the orchestra which is playing in one of the lower rooms at -an entertainment given by Queen Caroline. Very skilfully is this -graceful little melody, just sufficiently archaic in its mould to be -characteristic of the period, used as a background for the clever -dialogue which follows, from which we learn that Tosca is to be lured -to the Palace in the hope of seeing Cavaradossi. Spoletta comes in -to give an account of his visit to the villa, and enrages Scarpia by -telling him of Angelotti's escape. The minister is somewhat mollified -when Spoletta tells him that he promptly secured the painter. Now, -with striking effect, the dance measure gives place to a cantata, -proving that Tosca is in the Palace in the Queen's apartments. -Scarpia's directions as to securing Cavaradossi are worked into the -musical fabric with consummate effect, and continue as the painter, -now a prisoner, is led in. Cavaradossi breaks off from his curt and -guarded replies to Scarpia's questioning on hearing Tosca's voice. He -denies strenuously that Angelotti received any aid from him, and even -laughs at his examiner. Scarpia shuts the window in anger, and the -repetition of his characteristic similar phrase leads up to a strenuous -passage in which determination is skilfully depicted in contrast to -the almost colloquial movement of the preceding passages. "Once more," -says Scarpia, "where is Angelotti?" and from a remark by Spoletta the -application of the process torture to wring a confession from the -prisoner is hinted at. Tosca now enters, and runs quickly to her lover, -who tells her quickly in an undertone not to say a word of what she -has seen at the villa. As Scarpia signals to Sciarrone to slide back -the panel which leads to the torture chamber, he says formally, "Mario -Cavaradossi, the judge is wanting to take your depositions." Sciarrone -then gives the directions to Roberto, an underling, to at first apply -the usual pressure, and to increase it as he will direct him. - -Then follows a highly dramatic scene, ushered in with a characteristic -theme indicating the torture which Tosca's lover is to undergo, between -Scarpia and Tosca, in which the latter dismisses the fan episode as -a feeble trick to rouse her jealousy. Scarpia, however, comes very -quickly to plain speaking, and tells Tosca that she had better confess -all that she knows as to the escape of Angelotti if she wishes to -spare Cavaradossi an hour of anguish. Tosca learns with horror that -a fillet of steel, gradually tightening round the temples, is being -applied to Cavaradossi's head, and on hearing his groan of pain, she -relents and bursts out that she will speak if he is released. But -Mario from within calls on Tosca to be silent, and that he despises -the pain. Scarpia directs further pressure to be applied. Tosca is -allowed to gaze through the open door, and, distracted by what she -sees, signifies her intention of revealing all she knows. Her mind -is made up when she hears another groan of anguish, and she tells -Scarpia that Angelotti is to be found in the well in the garden of the -villa. Scarpia now orders Cavaradossi to be brought in. From Scarpia's -directions to Spoletta, the fainting victim, nearly at his last gasp -by what he had endured, learns of Tosca's treachery, and curses her. -This painful scene, finely worked up as it is in intensity, comes to a -climax by the news brought in by Sciarrone of the victory at Marengo -by Bonaparte. This enrages Scarpia, but he will at least keep the -victim he has in hand; and Cavaradossi, exulting as he foresees the -downfall of the minister, is borne off. Tosca now turns to Scarpia, and -implores him to save Cavaradossi. Splendidly dramatic is the closing -scene, beginning with Scarpia's light and airy remark that his little -supper was interrupted, and rising to heights of emotional fulness -when Tosca asks him outright to name his price for saving her lover's -life. Tosca's horrified scream, to a rising passage of two high notes, -when she listens to Scarpia's lascivious proposals, thoroughly fits -the situation. The drums are used cleverly to indicate the march of -the prisoners to their doom, and the setting up of the gallows for -Cavaradossi, and in contrast to Scarpia's sinister passages, comes the -broad lyrical and impassioned prayer of Tosca, who rails at God for -having forsaken her in her hour of need. Scarpia presses his infamous -proposals, when Spoletta returns, and speaking outside brings the news -that Angelotti has poisoned himself rather than allow himself to be -taken. A question as to the disposal of Cavaradossi brings the climax, -and Tosca, by taking upon herself to give directions as to this, -indicates her consent to Scarpia's wishes. But this master of deceit -will not allow the release to be managed in any but his own way. He -tells Spoletta that there will be an execution, but it will be a sham -one, as in the case of another prisoner, by name Palmieri, the guns -being loaded with blank cartridge only, and the victim instructed to -fall and feign death. But Tosca wants more than this on her side of -the bargain. Scarpia must give them both a passport out of the place, -and as he goes to the table to write it Tosca's eyes catch sight of -a knife on the table. In an instant her mind is made up, and as he -returns to give her the paper, and to clasp her in a feverish embrace, -she plunges the knife into his heart. The death-scene is perhaps a -little prolonged, but seeing that it has been preceded by the torturing -of Cavaradossi, it is at least logical that Tosca should remind him of -the ghastly torture he inflicted on her loved one. The intensity of -the scene is rounded off by the expressive phrase on a low monotone -of Tosca, "And yesterday all Rome lay at this man's feet." The action -to the finishing notes of this moving scene follows that of the play. -Tosca searches for the passport, and snatches it from the fast locking -palms of the dead man. With a shudder she rinses her finger with a -serviette dipped in the carafe, and then puts the candles from the -supper table at the head of the corpse, and taking a crucifix from -the wall, places it on the breast, as the Scarpia theme in long-drawn -chords is played softly by the orchestra. She goes out quietly as the -curtain falls. - -The third act takes place on an open space or platform within the -Castle of S. Angelo. At the back we see the dome of S. Peter's and the -Vatican. The expressive prelude, and the opening song by a shepherd, -are musically of great interest. It begins with a horn passage, and -at the rise of the curtain it is still night, and we see the dawn -break, and hear the many bells from the church towers, one of the most -striking sounds of the Eternal city. - -The pastoral melody of the shepherd has a plaintive character, and he -sings: - - Day now is breaking, - The weary world awaking, - Lending new sorrow - And sadness to the morrow. - -And the sheep-bells come in with their jangle as the shepherd -continues, with a suggestion of a love theme: - - If you could prize me - To live I might try, - But if you despise me - I may as well die. - -Then the church bells continue the strain, now near, now afar. - -A gaoler enters and looks over the parapet to see if the soldiers to -whom is entrusted the grim task of execution have arrived. Led by a -sergeant, the picket enters, bringing Cavaradossi. The gaoler, after -making him sign a paper, tells him that he has an hour, and that a -priest is at his disposal. Cavaradossi, after giving a ring to the -gaoler as the price of the favour, is allowed to write a letter, and -sings his beautiful air, one of the chief lyrical gems of the opera, "E -luce van stelle." It ends emotionally, and the singer bursts into tears -with the thought that never was life so dear to him as now when he is -within sight of death. - -Spoletta comes in bringing Tosca, and is amazed to find that she brings -a safe-conduct. Tosca and Cavaradossi join in a finely expressive duet, -in which the latter learns of her devotion, and how for him she killed -Scarpia. Towards the close the voices are unsupported, and the whole -number has a very characteristic force and movement. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI AT TORRE DEL LAGO IN HIS MOTOR BOAT "BUTTERFLY"] - -The sky has gradually been getting lighter, and the passage of time is -marked by the striking of the hour of four by the church clock. Then -Tosca gives the final instructions to the condemned man. "As soon as -they fire, fall down." Cavaradossi, in his joy at his coming release, -is even able to be humorous, and suggests that he will be acting like -Tosca. - -Tosca watches the supposed execution from the parapet. "How well he -acts!" she cries, after she has covered her ears with her hands to -shut out the sound of the shooting, and then sees her lover prostrate -on the ground. Leaning over, she calls to him: "Get up, Mario, now. -Quickly away, Mario, Mario." Then with a heart-piercing cry she learns -that Scarpia has been false to the end, and that the execution has in -very truth taken place. By this time the news of Scarpia's death has -come out, and Spoletta naturally fixes on Tosca as the murderess. The -soldiers' voices are heard joining in the hue and cry, and Sciarrone -comes in to seize Tosca. Tosca after thrusting back Spoletta nearly to -the ground, hurls herself from the parapet. Her last thoughts are of -the tyrant who has so cruelly wronged her, and her last words are: "O -Scarpia, we shall face God together!" - -In pure orchestration, Puccini in _Tosca_ shows an advance on _La -Bohème_, in the general symphonic fulness and in the more extended -use of representative themes. The orchestra employed is the usual -large orchestra of the moderns, and Puccini adds a third flute, a -contrabassoon, a celesta, and for the special effects in the opening of -the third act a set of bells. There are several places where more work -than hitherto is obtained from the dividing of the strings, but not in -any way like the Strauss method, for example, of subdividing them into -several distinct groups. As will have been seen during the progress -of the story, the themes stand out as invariably characteristic, and -at the first entrance of Tosca the theme is delightful, given out by -the flute against the plucked strings. There is excellent work by the -wood wind in the impressive finale of the first act, which is mainly -developed out of the bell theme. - -In the pastoral music at the opening of the third act Puccini uses with -characteristic force a passage of fifths--one which he is always very -fond of employing, and which, curiously enough, always has the effect -of bringing about the special flavour or atmosphere it is intended to -convey in any one particular place. - -In the _Daily Telegraph_ the critic prefaces his column notice, which -appeared the day after the first production, with a protest against -the conjunction of a pure and beautiful art--music--with the workings -of a humanity that has gone to the devil. But apart from these -considerations, the writer has little but praise for the singularly -lucid libretto. - -"The first and all important remark to make concerning the music," he -proceeds, "has to do with its Italian character. There is very little -that can be regarded as common to it and to the typical German opera. -The pedestal is not on the stage and the statue in the orchestra. -Tosca does not offer us declamation as a key to symphonic music nor -symphonic music as a key to declamation. The work does not follow -the old operatic lines into matter of detail. All is subordinate to -the changing situations and emotions of the stage. So far Tosca is -modern; for the rest it presents the characteristics which have always -distinguished Italian opera--long reaches of tender or passionate -melody, intense climaxes, and a disposition to proceed everywhere on -broad and direct lines to the desired goal." - -The charm of the light music of the first act, the beautiful soul of -Cavaradossi to the picture he has painted, the piling up of the effects -in the finale, the vigour of the music in the second act, particularly -where Scarpia presses his suit, and the duet of the lovers at S. -Angelo, are the points which call forth praise, while, on the other -hand, this critic finds most of the music allotted to Angelotti and -Scarpia dull. The notice ends with a tribute to the art of Ternina, who -"acted with the grace and directness of a true tragedian." - -Mr. Arthur Hervey, in the _Morning Post_, sets out, very clearly and -characteristically, a plain and straightforward account of the music -and story. The curious succession of chords at the opening of the -prelude, the suggestion of the amorous nature of Scarpia's character by -the opening notes of the second act, the pleasing effect of the gavotte -heard during Scarpia's monologue, when he awaits the arrival of his -spies, the beautiful song for Tosca, "Vissi d'arte d'amor," the beauty -of the music in the last act, the ingenuity, finish and resource of the -orchestration as a whole, are points which are fully expressed by this -discerning critic. With regard to the interpretation, he does not find -Signor Scotti's Scarpia entirely satisfactory, while he joins in the -fullest praise for Ternina's masterly performance in the name part. It -ends, that the opera was received with every sign of success, and that -the composer, Mancinelli, the conductor, and the exponents were called -many times before the curtain. - -The _Times_ critic makes an interesting comparison at the outset of his -notice, referring to the masterly finale of the first act: "The scene -is one in which Meyerbeer would have delighted, but it is treated by -Puccini with far greater sincerity than Meyerbeer could ever command, -and with a knowledge of effect at least equal to his." With regard -to the use of representative themes, the writer finds that the one -associated with the passion of Scarpia--a phrase with an arpeggio -in it, appears to be derived from the woman's charm in the "Ring." -Referring to the gavotte and cantata at the opening of the second act, -the writer says they are "in excellent style and belong to the period -of the action or a little before it, as it may be doubted whether the -Roman composers of 1800 were capable of producing so interesting a -piece of solid workmanship as the cantata, or so graceful and original -a composition as the gavotte." - - - - -IX - -"MADAMA BUTTERFLY" - - -For his latest opera, _Madama Butterfly_, Puccini turned to the flowery -land of Japan for the environment of a story--the book being by Illica -and Giocosa--which, following his invariable custom, he chose himself. -The suggestion appears to have come originally from Mr. Frank Nielson, -who was then the stage manager at Covent Garden, that Puccini should -go and see the play by Belasco, running at the time at the Duke of -York's Theatre in London. He did so, and was immediately taken with -its possibilities. It may be mentioned as a tribute to the actors who -interpreted this play, that without knowing any English Puccini was -able to follow the story with perfect ease. He was greatly struck by -Miss Evelyn Millard's performance of the name part, and her photograph -as Butterfly is among his collection of celebrities at Torre del Lago. - -The story is a slight one, and is no more Japanese than the plot of -_La Bohème_ is French. It is a presentation of the universal theme of -a man's passion, which is an episode, and a woman's love, which is her -life. A little Japanese girl is wooed and won by an American naval -officer. She, in her trust and devotion regards herself, after going -through some sort of marriage ceremony, as his lawful wife. He regards -the whole affair as an incident, the mere satisfying of an animal -instinct, and returns, married to an American wife, to find the girl a -mother. The ending is the usual sad one--the girl takes her life when -her dishonoured state comes upon her in its full significance. - -_Madama Butterfly_ was written for the most part during Puccini's -recovery from his accident; but he had planned out a good deal of -it by the end of 1902 or the beginning of the next year. He himself -about this time said of the work: "As an opera, it would be in one act -divided by an intermezzo. The theme has a sentiment, a passion which -veritably haunts me. I have it constantly ringing in my head." - -The intermezzo mentioned was Puccini's idea of treating the very -effective and most eloquent silence on which, it will be remembered, -the curtain fell, while the little Japanese girl with her servant and -baby were keeping their long, long vigil through the night, awaiting -the return of the supposed husband who, after all, was only a lover, -and a poor one at that. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI'S MANUSCRIPT. FIRST SKETCH FOR THE END OF THE -FIRST ACT OF "MADAMA BUTTERFLY"] - -Puccini was at Rome for a time soon after his complete recovery from -his accident, and took special pains to get up the local colour for his -new work. For this he invoked the aid of the Japanese ambassadress, and -obtained some actual Japanese melodies from a friend of hers in Paris. -Of music there is no lack in Japan, but by the Japanese themselves it -is never written down. Like the troubadours of old, the musicians, who -are a sort of guild, hand the traditional songs and dances on from -father to son. - -_Madama Butterfly_ was produced at the Scala, Milan, on February 17, -1904. Canpanini was the conductor, and it was cast as follows: - - _Butterfly_ STORCHIO. - _Suzuki_ GIACONIA. - _Pinkerton_ ZENATELLO. - _Sharpless_ DE LUCA. - _Goro_ PINI-CORSI. - _Zio Bonzo_ VENTURINI. - _Yakusidé_ WULMANN. - -Although Puccini was at the very zenith of his popularity a strange -thing happened with the first production of this new opera, and the -composer went through a similar experience to that which Wagner had -to suffer when _Tannhäuser_ was first given in Paris. The audience -simply howled with derision. For the reason of this it is difficult -to account. The storm of disapproval began after the first few bars -of the opening act. Puccini, very quietly, took matters into his own -hands, and at the end of the performance thanked the conductor for his -trouble and marched off with the score. The second or any subsequent -performance was therefore an impossibility. - -He tells an amusing story of a little incident occasioned by the -fiasco, which, he says, brought him at least some little consolation, -and atoned for much disillusion. A bookkeeper at Genoa, an ardent -admirer of Puccini, indignant at what he considered the outrageous -treatment--for it was nothing else--meted out to his favourite -composer, went to the City Hall to register the birth of a daughter. -When the clerk asked the name of the child, he replied, "Butterfly." -"What!" said the official, "do you want to brand your child for life -with the memory of a failure?" But the father persisted, and so as -Butterfly the child was entered. A little time after this Puccini heard -of the incident, and rather touched with the simple devotion, asked -the father to bring the child to see him. On the appointed day Puccini -looked out of the window and saw a long stream of people approaching -his front door. Not only did the father bring little "Butterfly," but, -as in the first act of the opera from which her name was derived, her -mother, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, as well--in fact the whole -surviving members of the genealogical tree. Puccini laughingly said at -the end of a trying afternoon that it was the most gigantic reception -he had ever held. - -The despised opera was given in what is known as the present revised -version at Brescia, on 28 May of the same year, the Butterfly being -Krusceniski, and Bellati the Sharpless, Zenatello being again the -Pinkerton. Strange to say, it proved entirely to the taste of those who -saw it. The revision, as a matter of fact, amounted to very little. It -was played in two acts instead of one, with the intermezzo dividing two -scenes in the second act, making it, in reality, in three acts, and the -tenor air was added in the last scene. - -No more striking proof of Puccini's popularity could be found than the -fact that the new opera quickly came to London. It was seen at Covent -Garden on July 10, 1905, Campanini being the conductor, and was cast -as follows: - - _Butterfly_ DESTINN. - _Suzuki_ LEJEUNE. - _Pinkerton_ CARUSO. - _Sharpless_ SCOTTI. - _Goro_ DUFRICHE. - _Zio Bonzo_ COTREUIL. - _Yakusidé_ ROSSI. - -Its splendid performance was helped in no small degree by the superb -interpretation of the name part by Mdme. Destinn, and the news of its -favourable reception was one of the greatest pleasures ever afforded to -its composer. It was given again early in the autumn season of the same -year, by the company, conducted by Mugnone (who, by the way, was not -the person of the same name whose death was chronicled very soon after -the conclusion of the season), and for which the composer came over, -having been away at Buenos Ayres when the work was given in the summer. -Zenatello, who was the original Pinkerton at the Milan production, was -seen in this part on this occasion, making his first appearance in -London during that season. Giachetti was the Butterfly and Sammarco the -Sharpless. - -The original source of the story, I believe, was a story by John Luther -Long, and emanated from America. It was turned into a play by David -Belasco, and, as in the case of _The Darling of the Gods_, the author's -name appeared jointly with the dramatist, or adaptor, on the play -bills. The simple touching little story depends rather upon its pathos -and atmosphere, which is decidedly poetical, than on any great dramatic -situation. A lieutenant, F. B. Pinkerton, of the United States Navy, -goes through a ceremony of marriage with a little Japanese girl, with -no intention of regarding the contract as in the least degree binding. -Little Butterfly (or Cio Cio San, as her Japanese name is) thinks -differently, and after her child is born watches and waits anxiously -for the return of her husband. Sharpless is a friend of Pinkerton's, -and is the consul at Nagasaki, and he tries to break the news gently to -the sorrowful girl who has been so cruelly misled, and in the "letter" -song in the last act is provided with one of the most subtle and -dramatic numbers in the whole work. Butterfly believes in Pinkerton's -fidelity and honour up to the end, when her ideal is shattered by the -arrival of Pinkerton's wife, an American woman, who wants to befriend -the child, and who has apparently condoned Pinkerton's lapse from the -strict path of virtue. Butterfly, however, prefers to die by her own -hand, and this she does, after caressing the child and giving way to -a torrent of grief, and pathetically placing an American flag in the -baby's hand. Pinkerton comes in time to see her pass away, and in -calling her name in an outburst of sorrow and remorse, the story ends. - -In _La Bohème_ it has been seen how singularly happy Puccini was in -stringing together, by the flow of his music, a dramatic scheme that is -concerned with detached scenes and incidents; and in _Madama Butterfly_ -he is equally successful and characteristic. The music is essentially -vocal, but the chief melodies are often to be found in the orchestral -fabric, a feature which comes out more prominently in this work than in -any of this composer's since _Manon_, and which goes to prove that it -stands as his chief orchestral achievement. - -The present work begins in somewhat curious fashion with a tonal fugue, -as if to show that the composer with all his modernity has still a -regard for the old forms. A similar figure is used for the opening -of the second act. The first indication of the Japanese character in -the music--and this flavour is very sparingly introduced--comes when -Goro (a sort of marriage broker) parades his wares, in the shape of -girls, before the lieutenant. There is here a very distinctive melody -in octaves underneath the vocal part, which is most effective. Several -of the little melodies make an entrance after their first quotation -much after the fashion of the old _ritornello_, which is an interesting -point, among several, to note in Puccini's working out, on quite -modern lines, of his scheme. The themes are often altered, in place -of development, by a change in the time; and at the opening of the -first act several examples are to be found, while here and there an -Eastern character is given to the music by the frequent use of the flat -seventh. Another noteworthy feature is the constant modulation by means -of chords of the seventh. - -Sharpless, the friend (a baritone), makes an entry with a fine burst -of melody--the theme, easily recognised on hearing the work, which -is associated with this character, being one particular rhythmic -distinction--and when Pinkerton (the tenor) explains that he has -bought the house, and probably the little lady with it, on an -elastic contract, there is a clever counterpoint in the music to the -introductory fugue. Pinkerton's first chief solo--the music, of course, -runs on continuously from start to finish--is a broad and vocal aria, -quite allied to the old form. The general trend of the music gets -brisker at the entry of Butterfly and her girl friends. Butterfly's -first song, a beautiful "largo," in which she tells of her approaching -happy state, is skilfully blended with the sopranos of the chorus, and -ends with a high D flat for the soloist. The procession and arrival -of Butterfly's relations give an opportunity for some humour in the -music, which is quaint and characteristic, and brings in a clever theme -for the bassoons. Just before the signing of the contract, Butterfly -has a pathetic air, in which she states that, fully believing in -Pinkerton, she has embraced the Christian religion and discards her -native gods. Soon after, a noisy and cantankerous old uncle of the -bride comes in to protest against the union. Here is another of the -few examples of Japanese music, and his entry is shown by a quaint -march of the conventional pattern chiefly in unison. After the guests -leave, Butterfly and Pinkerton have a very tender scene, and begin a -duet of great charm. Butterfly's share continues rather more vigorously -when she is preparing for the marriage chamber, while Pinkerton has a -contemplative air as he admires her pretty movements. The act ends with -a strenuous outburst of love and longing, both voices going up to a -high C sharp by way of a finish. - -The second act is in Butterfly's little house, and is divided into two -sections without a change of scene, the curtain being lowered merely -to mark the passage of time. Butterfly and her faithful maid Suzuki -begin to feel the pinch of poverty, and the desertion of Pinkerton is -soon realised, although Butterfly will not believe it. Butterfly has a -characteristic air, vocal but possibly commonplace, and quite typical -of "Young Italy," in which she explains that Pinkerton will come back, -how she will see the smoke of his vessel, and watch him climbing the -hill from the harbour. Sharpless then comes in to try and break the -news, and brings in a former native lover, a Prince, Yamadori, who is -evidently quite willing to accept Butterfly as his spouse and make -her happy. But she simply bids Sharpless to write and tell his friend -Pinkerton that Butterfly and Pinkerton's son await the coming of their -lord and master. The first scene ends with Butterfly, the maid, and the -child sitting up all the night to watch for the arrival of Pinkerton's -vessel. She dresses herself in her wedding garments, and decorates the -little house with flowers. The maid and the child soon fall asleep, -but as the moonlight floods the scene Butterfly remains rigid and -motionless. A delicate instrumental passage in the music gives the -idea of the vigil, in the nature of an intermezzo, and a fresh and -pleasing effect is obtained by the use of a humming with closed lips, -by the chorus outside, of the melody, supported by the somewhat unusual -instrument, a viol d'amore. It is a curious instance, and probably the -first, of the use of this "bouche fermée" effect as an integral part -of the orchestration. For a special effect, Puccini also adds to his -score in another place the Hungarian instrument, a czimbalom, added to -the dulcimer. - -The second scene has a rich, picturesque, and gay opening, the voices -of the sailors and the bustle of the vessel's arrival being well shown -in the bright music. The end of the tragedy is near, and is very -pathetic. Pinkerton is full of remorse, and his wife Kate tries to -console Butterfly, but the little Japanese girl, with her heart broken -when she learns that Pinkerton has passed out of her life, decides to -kill herself. She bandages the child's eyes, commits the deed behind a -screen, and then staggers forward to die with her arms about the child. -With Butterfly's farewell to the child the work ends, as Pinkerton -and Sharpless come in to see her die. The music ends with a curious -outburst of Japanese character almost in the nature of an epilogue, and -oddly enough it ends on a chord of the sixth in place of the accustomed -tonic. - -All through the music is fresh and interesting, and, provided that -by the setting and general interpretation the necessary picturesque -atmosphere is established, the opera proves singularly attractive. From -the nature of the story, the text reads extremely well in English; in -fact, contrary to usual custom, much of the dialogue is strange in -Italian, in which mellifluous tongue there is no equivalent apparently -for "whisky punch" or "America for ever!" - -With this last opera of Puccini we come to the end of the chapter, and -with it, he may fittingly be left to the verdict of those who shall -come after. At the time of writing no one can say with what the gifted -melodist will follow it--whether one of the few themes which have -been mentioned as being in his mind will materialise, or whether the -"Notre Dame" of Victor Hugo, or a certain play of Maxim Gorky's will -eventually come to an achievement. Certain it is, that the present -success of _Madama Butterfly_, with all its progress on the purely -orchestral side, cannot fail to call attention to the earlier works, -particularly _Le Villi_, _Edgar_ and _Manon_, as being compositions of -singular sincerity. - -One of Mr. E. A. Baughan's most interesting pieces of criticism, I -think, was that written in the _Outlook_ of July 15, 1905, after -the first production of _Madama Butterfly_ in England. After making -comparison between Puccini and other modern Italians on the subject of -musical expression of a theme, in general, he deals, in characteristic -fashion, with the dramatic structure of the opera in question. - -"The story itself, as arranged by the Italian librettists, has also -grave defects as the subject of an opera. The character of Madame -Butterfly herself, with her _naïve_ love for the American naval -officer, her belief that she is a real American bride and that he -will return to lift her once more into the paradise from which she -was so cruelly cast out by his departure, and, when the truth of her -"marriage" is at last revealed, her tragic recourse to the honourable -dagger is a fit subject for music. The emotions to be expressed are -mainly lyrical. The other characters are outside musical treatment. -F. B. Pinkerton, the American naval officer, is never possessed of -any lyrical emotion, except when he expresses his remorse for the -consequences of his misdeeds; Sharpless, the American consul, who -acts as a go-between, feels nothing but a vague disquietude, which is -easily drowned in a whisky-and-soda, and later a rather tender pity -for Butterfly; Goro, the marriage-broker, is antipathetic to music; -Mrs. Pinkerton is the merest of shadows; and of all the cast the only -characters that have thoughts or feelings which can be interpreted -by music are Butterfly's faithful maid, Suzuki, and her uncle Bonzo, -who objects on religious grounds to Butterfly's marriage. Puccini -has written a love-duet for the American naval officer and Madame -Butterfly, but as he can make no pretence to any more passionate -feeling than a passing sensualism there is a want of emotional grip in -the scene. Then the Japanese environment of the story does not help -the composer. Madame Butterfly is only Japanese by fits and starts. -When she is emotional she is a native of modern Italy, the Italy of -Mascagni, Leoncavallo and Puccini himself. It could not be otherwise, -for there is no musical local colour to be imitated which would serve -in passionate scenes. - -[Illustration: PUCCINI'S MANUSCRIPT SCORES, FROM THE FIRST ACT OF -"MADAMA BUTTERFLY"] - -"The composer has overcome many of these difficulties with much -cleverness. When the stage itself is not musically inspiring, he falls -back on his orchestra with the happiest effect. The prosaicness of the -European lover and his friend the Consul and the sordid ideas of the -Japanese crowd are covered up by a clever musical _ensemble_, and the -whole drama is drawn together by Puccini's sense of atmosphere.... -Madame Butterfly herself is a musical creation. The composer could -not, of course, make her Japanese, but very poetically he has made -her musically _naïve_ and sincere. She is a fascinating figure from -the moment when she appears singing of her happiness in having been -honoured by the American's choice. Her share in the love duet is also -well conceived. It is not exactly passionate music; rather ecstatic and -sensitive. And the gradual smirching of this butterfly's brightness -until in the end she becomes a wan little figure of tragedy is subtly -expressed in the music. It is not deep music--indeed it should not -be--but it has all the more effect because it is thoroughly in -character. Even when Madame Butterfly sets her child on the ground -and addresses to him her last worship before dying with honour she is -not made to rant by the composer. A German would not have forgotten -Isolde's Liebestod; a Mascagni would have remembered his own Santuzza; -a Verdi would have metamorphosed the Geisha into an Aïda; but Puccini -has kept to his conception of the character and she is never once -allowed to express herself on the heroic scale." - -_Madama Butterfly_ is published (like all the operatic works of -Puccini) by Ricordi, who, with the vocal score (the English translation -being by R. H. Elkin), departed from the usual style of binding and -issued it in a very decorative "Japanesy" cover of white linen, with -all sorts of tasteful little designs--butterflies and flowers--jotted -about on the cover and on the margins. - -My final paragraph may well be an expression of thanks to those who -have been kind enough to assist me with the preparation of my little -book. First of all I would thank Signor Puccini, who has cheerfully -submitted to two things which he cordially detests--sitting for his -photograph on two special occasions and answering letters. Again would -I thank him for the time he was good enough to spare me when I had the -pleasure of meeting him in London during his last two visits. Then to -Messrs. Ricordi, who not only have been at considerable pains to verify -casts, first performances and biographical details, but have generously -enriched my library of opera scores by those Puccini works which I -did not possess. Yet again, to Mr. C. Pavone, their representative in -London, for considerable assistance most cheerfully rendered; and to my -friends Mrs. John Chartres--for helping out my very limited knowledge -of Italian, and Mr. Percy Pitt--for allowing me to see his orchestral -scores of the Puccini operas. - - - - -LIVING MASTERS OF MUSIC - -An Illustrated Series of Monographs dealing with Contemporary Musical -Life, and including Representatives of all Branches of the Art. - -Edited by ROSA NEWMARCH - - Crown 8vo. Price 2s. 6d. net each vol. - - - HENRY J. WOOD - By ROSA NEWMARCH. With numerous Illustrations. - - SIR EDWARD ELGAR - By R. J. BUCKLEY. With numerous Illustrations. - - JOSEPH JOACHIM - By J. A. FULLER MAITLAND. With Illustrations. - - EDWARD A. MACDOWELL - By LAWRENCE GILMAN. With Illustrations. - - EDWARD GRIEG - By H. T. FINCK. With Illustrations. - - THEODOR LESCHETIZKY - By A. HULLAH. With Illustrations. - -_The following Volumes are in preparation--_ - - RICHARD STRAUSS - By A. 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Crown 8vo, 5s. net. - - - - - THE LIFE OF PETER ILICH TCHAIKOVSKY - - (1840-1893). BY HIS BROTHER, MODESTE TCHAIKOVSKY. EDITED AND - ABRIDGED FROM THE RUSSIAN AND GERMAN EDITIONS BY ROSA NEWMARCH, - WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS AND FACSIMILES AND AN INTRODUCTION - BY THE EDITOR. - - Demy 8vo. 21s. net. Second Edition. - - _Times_: "A most illuminating commentary on Tchaikovsky's - music." - - _World_: "One of the most fascinating self-revelations by an - artist which has been given to the world. The translation is - excellent, and worth reading for its own sake." - - _Westminster Gazette_: "It is no exaggeration to describe the - work as one of singular fascination." - - Mr. ERNEST NEWMAN in _Manchester Guardian_: "For the present - large and handsome volume we have nothing but praise ... for - Mrs. Newmarch's translation no praise can be too high." - - - THE SINGING OF THE FUTURE - -By D. FFRANGCON-DAVIES. With an Introduction by Sir EDWARD ELGAR and -a Photogravure Portrait of the Author. Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d. net. Second -Edition. - - "On almost every page there are sentences which might well be - committed to memory."--_Times._ - - "The book is a valuable and stimulating contribution to musical - æsthetics; it is animated throughout by a lofty conception of - the responsibilities of the artist, and it enforces with spirit - and with eloquence the sound and wholesome doctrine that the - vitalising element of song is thought."--_Spectator._ - - "This interesting and valuable work ... every word of which - should be read and carefully studied by professors and pupils - alike.... The work renders conspicuous service to art, and - deserves the highest praise." - - _Daily Chronicle._ - - - MUSICAL STUDIES: - ESSAYS. By ERNEST NEWMAN. Crown 8vo. 5s. net. - - "In this book of penetrating and brilliant essays we have - the most valuable contribution of the year so far to musical - æsthetics."--_Manchester Guardian._ - - "Mr. Newman writes with a rare sympathy and an extraordinary - insight." - - _Daily Chronicle._ - - - MUSIC AND MUSICIANS - By E. A. BAUGHAN. Crown 8vo. 5s. net. - - _Tribune_: "Certainly a book to be recommended. Its readers - cannot fail to be stimulated, interested and instructed by it." - - - - - Concert Direction E. L. Robinson - 7 WIGMORE STREET, - CAVENDISH SQUARE, LONDON, W. - - -_Sole Agents for the following Artists_: - - HERR FRITZ STEINBACH } _Conductors_ - M. EDOUARD COLONNE } - - -Violinists-- - - Mr. FRITZ KREISLER - M. PAUL KOCHÀNSKY - (The new Russian Violinist) - MISS MAUD MacCARTHY - SIG. ALDO ANTONIETTI - MME. MARIE SOLDAT - -'Cellists-- - - HERR ANTON HEKKING - Mr. PERCY SUCH - Mr. HERMAN SANDBY - (The Danish 'Cellist) - -Pianists-- - - Mr. MARK HAMBOURG - MISS FANNY DAVIES - HERR ERNST VON DOHNÀNYI - MADAME SANDRA DROUCKER - MISS KATHARINE GOODSON - Mr. PERCY GRAINGER - Mr. GEORGE MACKERN - Mr. EGON PETRI - -Vocalists-- - - MRS. HENRY J. WOOD - (Soprano) - MISS KATHLEEN MAUREEN - (The new Irish Contralto) - MISS EVA RICH - (Soprano) - MISS ALICE VENNING - (Soprano) - MR. GERVASE ELWES - (Tenor) - MR. FREDERIC AUSTIN - (Baritone) - MR. WILLIAM HIGLEY - (High Baritone) - MR. PEDRO DE ZULUETA - (Bass) - -Accompanist-- - - MR. HAMILTON HARTY - - - THE JOACHIM QUARTET - THE NORAH CLENCH QUARTET - - - _Telephone--793 P.O. Mayfair._ _Telegrams--"Musikchor, London."_ - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - - -Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant -preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. - -Simple typographical errors were corrected. - -Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. - -Page vii: Illustration "PUCCINI IN HIS STUDY AT HIS MILAN HOUSE" -(facing page 46) is not in the List of Illustrations. - -Page 15: "On! how I" may be misprint for "Oh!". - -Page 19: "music schools, agencies," was missing the first comma; added -here. - -Page 88: "the toils of her enchantment" was printed that way. - -Page 96: "E luce van stelle" was printed that way. - -Page 100: Missing closing quotation mark added after 'at least equal to -his.'. - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Giacomo Puccini, by Wakeling Dry - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GIACOMO PUCCINI *** - -***** This file should be named 43873-8.txt or 43873-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/8/7/43873/ - -Produced by Charlie Howard and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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