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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 1908)
Italy Leads Vith Three, Leoncavallo, Puccini and Mascagni. Their Early Struggles and Subsequent Fame v.-, ..r vm yyascA&ivr, photozzaphzznizztaly liY IiRXTBR MARSHALL. W ITU Edward Grieg, the Norwe gian, dead, in 190", and Edward Alexander McDowell, the . mcr'fcan, dead, less than a month ago, the. world can boast of very few really great living romposers. Of these, Salnt-Pacns is so old that he has quit writing music, and Dudley Buck, the American practically went into retire ment a few years asm when he retired as organist of Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn, where ho had been music ally Bupreme. for upward of a quarter of a century. Italy, with her trio, Mascagni. Leon cavallo and Puccini, easily leads the list of the nations in living composers of international fame. Then there Is nit-hard Strauss, of "Salome" fame or notoriety, just as you care to look at It. In these men we undoubtedly have the " six most famous living composers. Among those of lesser fame, but more or less widely known, are Reginald De Koven, George W. Chadwlck and Kdgar Stillman Kelly, Americans all, the last named being located in Berlin, where he Is looked upon as a celebrity. Italy's three all had the traditional har.d time of it before fickle fame smiled on them and led them to walk along the paths of Easy street. All d".lZ,i""l r ' patriots l seven years older. Puccini Is the only one who comes of a musi cal family; there were four genera-' tions of musical Pucclnis in a line be fore him. All three, however, early in boyhood displayed a strong liking for music, and each has done nothing much in this world but dream music, pluy music and write music. Leoncavallo's Egyptian. Adventure. HuKglcro Ijjoncavallo did dream once of a military career, but the ap pearance of Kngllsh rifles speedily dis pipatcd the dream and in so doing probably saved the Neapolitan to the world of music. Leoncavallo at the tinm was in Egypt, whither he had gone as a boy to live with his uncle, who was director of the press In the Foreign Office. Through his uncle he ttot the position of piano player to-the court of Mahmoud. Ilamdy. That swarthy son of the Nile fell so much In love witii the Italian's melodies that he promised him a regimental appointment and a big salary at the proper time. But before Mahmoud could get around to the brass button business there was an uprising against the English. Mahmoud cast in his lot with the instigators of the trouble. The British are still in Egypt Leoncavallo had to flee in disguise. He made his way to Port Said, and at the first op portunity took boat for foreign soil. J lo "landed eventually in France. But before he could get aboard ship he was penniless when he reached Port Said he had to raise the necessary passage money by giving a concert. All the time he was playing he was in mortal terror lest some Tommy At 3o J! s -IIS kins' should swagger in and arrest him. The concert netted him between 500 and 600 francs. 1 About the time that Leoncavallo! reached Paris he made the discovery that he was again flat as to pocket book. The first work that offered it self was seized quickly and so Leon cavallo became an accompanist- at a cafe. In the course of time he filled similar positions in other cafes. Then he began to teuch singing,, and, a little later, to work up artists in their rep ertoires. In the midst of kis struggle to make a living by doing such odd musical Jobs he wrote a poem called "Medici.", Fortunately for his future, he got an opportunity to read his lines to Massa net. who advised him 'to go to Milan and read them to Ricordi. That is how Leoncavallo came to pawn the furni ture of his flat that he might have enough money to get to Milan and before M. Ricordi, who commissioned the cafe player to write music for the posm, the pay to be 400 francs a month for 12 months. This meant that the work must be done in a year, and it was. Then Leoncavallo anxiously awaited the Initial production of his great effort. He waited In vain for three years. Meantime he took up teaching again in order to keep from starving. Mean time, too, Mascagnl sprang into in stant popular favor with his "Caval- lerla Rustioana." As Mascagni's fame increased Leoncavallo got bluer and bluer. Then one day he decided not to wait any longer for tie production of "Medici." but to cut loose from Ri cordi and try to write something that would make him famous also. That was how he came to compose "I Pag llacci" in five months. On May 17, 1892, it was produced for the first time, and the next morning the name of Leoncavallo was being coupled with that of Mascagnl. Leoncavallo was 3 4 when Italy learned of his existence. Mascagnl was 25. ' There are many persons in Germany who don't think any too well of Leon cavallo. This is because Emperor Wil liam, after hearing Medici," decided that Its composer was the man best fitted to write for. him an opera with Roland as the theme. The opera called "Roland" was composed by Leonca vallo after long and arduous work. When produced it pleased the Emperor immensely, but the German critics and newspapers "roasted" unmercifully both the work and the composer, be cause the War Lord had dared to se lect an Italian instead of a German to write a pet opera for him. Outside of Berlin, Leoncavallo and his works arc pretty highly thought of the musical world over. Composer of "Madama Butterfly.' Giacomo Puccini, composer of three popular operas, "La Boheme," "La Tos ca" and "Madama Butterfly," got his musical education at the Conservatoire of Milan, and incidentally while there lived the life of a true Bohemian, be cause, forsooth, he had not the means to live in ordinary comfort. During the three years that he was a Conservatoire student his food con sisted largely of coffee, milk and bread. He. 'his brother Michael and a friend all l(ved together in a top-floor hall THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 23, 1903. I in--.? f's: Ira8' v.- A TJSONCAVALZ.0 , WHO WROTE THE TTAISERS PET OPERA V V Z)17D2:7?Y 3TZCIC, DEAN OFUVTNG- AZiEJZZCAN C0ZZOS:ZS ' bedroom. Sometimes, when bread and milk palled on them, they would feast on an omelet of two eggs. Once they gave a little dinner party of four, and then rare treat they served a her ring. . ' Puccini's landlord ran a restaurant in connection, with the boarding-house, and. he naturally forbade cooking in the rooms. To circumvent the crusty old fel low by -drowning the noises of cooking things. Puccini was wont to play ent..us iastically on the piano while his brother played chef. On one occasion, when cne three roommates got hold of a live chicken, Puceini outdid himself at the Instrument. Even the brother, who killed the fowl, declared himself unable to hear its dying quacks for the racket .of the piano. To secure coal in Infinitesimal quanti fies as needed the trio resorted to a clever ruse. Arrayed in his best suit of black. Michael Puccini would take a lit tle black traveling bag in his hand and be noisily waved away as for a trip by his fellow conspirators. At night, when all the house slept, Michael would softly steal back to the little top-floor room with the black handbag full of coal. Michael, poor fellow, went to South America to seek his fortune and -died there of yellow fever, just when Gia como was coming into his own. Many of the incidents of his life as a conserva toire student Puccini has woven into "La Boheme." Wlren the government guaranteed Puc cini's expenses for' a year at the Milan Conservatory Puccini at first failed to pass the entrance tests. In other words, he lined up to his schoolboy reputation. But this time failure grated on him, and he went hard to work. At the next trial he. was successful. Once in the conserva tory he worked indefatigably, but his music was wretchedly written on scraps of paper, and for this reason his teach ers were almost persuaded not to read his graduating composition. Only their fondness for Puccini at last led them to sit down in an attempt to decipher the notes. They had not been at the' task many minutes before they discovered that they had before them an unusual com position. Puccini had called his work "Capriccio Sinfoniea." When it was played at one of the conservatory con certs its composer was enthusiastically hailed as a genius. A subsequent concert performance led to Puccini's introduction to Fon tana, the librettist, then a bcginnei like himself. Together they wrote a Bliort opera for a competition. . They .rr OB ft 7ZE62AZALD HE KOVEN. AN AMERICAN CCT m706ER TV7D&LYJW0WN THRO1 HIS LIGHT CRERA 7ZZS THIS lost, but, nothing discouraged, they set to work on another opera, which became Puccini's first sustained effort, "La Villi.' For the time and labor Puccini put in on the score he re ceived the munificent sum of $80, und no sooner was it handed to him than he was compelled to part with all ot it except a few dollars to- his impor tunate landlord. This same landlord, when Puccini was studying on a Gov ernment pension,- used to take the registered letters containing the pen sion Installments to Puccini, wait un til the latter opened the mail, and then hold out his hand for the board money due. Puccini has made so much out of his operas that he now has three country seats, a motorboat, bearing the name "Madama Butterfly," an automobile or two, and other luxuries of the rich. One evening while he, his wife and son, now. 0 years old, were out for a spin in their auto, the chauffeur dro-e it over a 30rfoot embankment, and Puc cini's leg was fractured. Eight months passed before the leg healed suffi ciently to permit its owner to go to Paris for special treatment. It was while he was convalescing that he wrote the greater part of "Madama Butterfly." This is probably the favorite Puc cini opera in this' country. On a trip to London the composer witnessed the play of the same name, and though he did not understand a .word of what was said, he. nevertheless, then and there decided to write an opera on the same theme. He secured the neces sary permission, obtained "local col or" from the wife of the Japanese Minister to Italy, and finished the task after two years of restless work. When the opera had its initial production at La Scaia, In Milan, it was greeted, ac cording to one account, with "whist ling, shrilling on house keys, grunting, roaring, bellowing and laughing." Puc cini at once withdrew it. but not' his faith in if. A few months later he had it produced at Bruscia, where its sue-, cess was pronounced. Since then It has triumphed everywhere in Europe, and become a prime favorite here. Physically, Puccini is something of a Slant. There is no more enthusiastic sportsman among the living composers, and he is an expert -with the gun. Coun try life enthralls him; hence his trio of country seats, where lie entertains his friends on a lavish scale. His days are pretty fully taken up by pleasure; most of his composing he does at night. While PR V, CAMZLLE SAINT SAENS 7ZZaTaGAPZZ TAKBN 7ZSZiZZ7& JZECE27T TRIP TO COZWZZ&T w at work he is the embodiment of rest lessness. Maseagnl's Leap to fame. What music-loving American has not heard hummed snatches of the intermezzo from "Cavalleria Rusticana?" Of Pletro Mascagnl, its composer, it can truly be said that up to the night the opera was produced for the first time he was ob scure and unknown. The next morning he was famous. There are stories of men started on the road to fortune by reading "want ads" and going after the opportunities named therein. Mascagni's case is somewhat similar. While he was still the director of a band in a small Italian town,' and as such receiving a salary, of 50 a month., he came across a copy of a Milan news paper and chanced to read therein the announcement that the paper would pay G0O to the person submitting to it within a certain time the best one-act opera. All the while he had been leading" the band Mascagni had been studying music and composing. Thoughts of having $600 all his own fired him to enter the contest, especially as he was then having a harder time of it financially than ever before; and he had been Bhy of money from his youth up. He succeeded in getting two friends to adapt a novel for the libretto and in the eight months that ensued he wrote "Cavalleria Rusticana." His joy when he received word that he had won the prize can easily be im agined. Mascagni traveled down to Rome to be present at the opera's production. The public, the crlclts, everybody, went wild over it. Mascagni was hailed as a genuls. His managers rushed to congratulate him. "Thank God," he exclaimed fervently, as they poured out their words of praise, "now I shall be able to buy my wife a new dress!" As soon as he could break away to a telegraph office he sent her this message: "Come, bring the chil dren, that I may know I am the same man." Mascagni's love for his family has been what might be called the hobby of his life. When he composes he likes to have them about him, and he not infrequently interrupts . his work to have a gay time with them. He has a habit of naming each child and his wife for a character In the opera under composition. Mascagni's wife was a member, of an opera company; he met her after he left the Milan Conservatory and while he was traveling about the country as conductor for an opera company. It was at this 'liiiinii 7LZCIARD CC7&0S2;t. OF 13 15 TiH"""hii THE JLATE EDWARD AX -jzandel 'z&ic Dovmu: time that he gained" his practical knowl edge of the stage, which has stood him in such good stead .since he became a writer of operas. After giving up his. place as conductor Mascagni settled down as leader of the aforementioned band. He had been married meanwhile. The composer's father wan a baker in leghorn, where Pietro was born. The father wanted to make a lawyer of him. but when he saw that the youngster's head was full of music he let him have his way, taking him out of the common school for the purpose. When he wah- 16 Mascagni had progressed so far as to take a prize at a Milan exposition for an 'Ave Maria." Then an uncle decided to look after the boy's mufical education, but before he could do much he dii-d and Pietro returned home. About this time he composed a cantata which attracted the attention of a rich nobleman, who placed Pietro in the Milan Conservatory. Of course the youngster was duly grate ful, but his restless temperament got in its work and it was not long before. Mascagnl was waving a baton here and there over Italy for a traveling opera compan.". No,, the "Salome" Strauss is not the waltz king Strauss, though a great many persons who should have known better, so greeted the former when he was In this country. Strauss took the confusion good-naturedly, once going so fer as to let a newspaper reporter remain in bliss ful ignorance all through an extended In terview that he was a Stfauss other than the waltz composer. Strauss' father was a born player and the son began his study of music and the A B Cs simultaneously. At a time wiien most boys are occupied wholly In wres tling Richard Strauss was composing creditably and when he was only 17 he produced his first symphony. Since then his whole life has been devoted to music. One of his pupils, a singer injjrand opera, became his wife. Mrs. Strauss accompa nies her husband everywhere and fre quently sings at social affairs to his accompaniment. She is very charming socially, and is much sought after in the European musical centers, where she is as famous in her way as her husband is in his. - The striking thing physically about Strauss Is his head, marked by a high and protruding rounded forehead and light blue eyes set abnormally far apart His nose has an African broadness, which further accentuates him among a multi tude, and his shock of curly hair is more or less wonderful. Though of strong physique he is slight .in btiiid and about 5 feet 7 or 8 in height. He is 43 years old. m 6 ir." STILAIfSS "s5AL0?S " He probably is the most restless noted composer of today. His nerves are on edsje not only when he is composing, but at all times else. For instance, when he is in an automobile he i. forever chang ing seats, fur no other reason than that It is impossible for him to keep still while tile machine spins more than a mile or two. White directing lie shows his cx tremo nervousness by working his whole body. This habit lias led to his being called eccentric as a director. VnHko a great many "big" men, Strauss has tint been a. bit "swelled up" over his succeys He is as simple anil uimffected as a child: fond of his home; a lover of the outdoors, to which he escapes at every opportunity: and an enthusiastic and expert skat player. Like Puccini, lie does most of his composing at nisht. and once he has settled down to work he will not brook interruption. Charles Camllle Saint-Saens. the pre mier of Jiving French composers. nd who visited us last year, began taking piano lepsons from his great aunt when he was 3 years old. At . he was compos ing little waltzes: at 7 he began to study tiie piano under a professional teacher, and a few weeks later he tackled the o-g;in in addition. In IStfi, when he was 11. he made l-.ls first public appearance in Paris as a child prodigy. This anil subsequent performances on the piano won him unstinted praise. Three years later he took second prize for piano , playing at the Paris Conservatoire: the first prize for organ playing was his in 1831. He was 16 and already full of honors. Meanwhile ho had written nu merous difficult things, a symphony among them. Saint-Saens was nearing 40 before lie composed any operatic musnc. When he produced his first opera. "The Young Princess," lie had been organist at the Church of St. Mary, in Paris, for 14 years. He remained at this post until 1877. Dur ing this time lie composed an enormous quantity of church music, in accordance with his contract all this music has been left with the church and will not be pub lished until after his death. It is now inaccessible in the church library. Saint-Saens' habitation In his conser vatoire days was a little attic room al most as barren of furniture as the Sahara is of trees. One day. as the boy was playing scales. Henri Appy. a violinist, heard and was so charmed witii the l.ielody of the notes that be climbed up ueveral flights of stairs to get a sight of the person at the piano. Asking and learning the boy's name. Appy made him blush by declaring that a great future was ahead of him. Some time after this Appy left France and never saw Salnt Paens again, but when the latter had become famous he proudly put this little Incident into circulation. Anierk-an Writers of Music. With Edward Alexander Mae.Dowcll re cently dead. Dudley Buck is, perhaps, the leading living American composer, and. us lias been said, he Is in retiretiient. A legion of churchgoers of three genera tions have sung his songs and listened to his music. Tor a quarter of a century he was organist in Holy Trinity Church. Brooklyn, and director and organist of the Apollo Club, a really great power In the American musical world. Since 186!, when he became organist for St. John's Church. Chicago, he has been the best known church organist in this country. He hod not left St. John's when the Chicago fire oeeurred, but was in Albany. N. Y., ready to give a concert when he received word from his wife that their home was threatened. He nevertheless went on with the concert and when it was over lie received another telegram telling him that his house had been burned, togethev with many valuable music manuscripts, and that his wife had gone to a neighbor's for shelter. Shortly after this Buck moved to Bos ton, where he became organist in St. Paul's Church. It was here that he met Theodore Thomas, who persuaded him to go to Xew Yonk as assistant conductor of the Thomas concerts. This was in 1S76. That year Buck became an organist in Brooklyn and from then on until his retirement his work was solely in what is now Greater New York. After Buck. Reginald De Koven is. per haps, the most widely-known American composer; what theatergoer has not lis tened time without end to DeKoven's comic opera and orchestral music? The . son of an Episcopalian clergyman, it is interesting to note that DeKoven turned to the stage for his career. As a member of New York's "400" lie is as successful as he is as a writer of light opera music. Forty-six years of age. he is a Yankee by , birth, Connecticut giving both him and Buck to the musical world. He got h's college and conservatoire education in England and Germany respectively. Mai-Dowell, who died in January, like Buck, took to music as a boy, and un less watched would neglect his piano practice and compose instead. Vnlike Buck he made his musical reputation abroad, where, in company with his mother, he went to study. When he re turned to this country, in 1888, after an absence of 12 years, he found that his fame had preceded him home. From then on till the day of his death he was called by the critical America's best com poser. He was 46 when he died, and he passed away with his mind- like that of a child's, a sad occurrence due to over work. (Copyright, 11)08, by Dexter Marshall.)
