The Complete Opera Book Part 81

Even more p.r.o.nounced is the meaning in the musical phrase at Francesca's words, "Paolo, datemi pace" (Paolo, give me peace).

[Music]

Together they read the story which _Francesca_ had begun reading to her women. Their heads come close together over the book. Their white faces bend over it until their cheeks almost touch; and when in the ancient love tale, the queen and her lover kiss, _Francesca's_ and _Paolo's_ lips meet and linger in an ecstasy of pa.s.sion.

Act IV. This act is divided into two parts. The scene of the first part is an octagonal hall of gray stone. A grated door leads to a subterranean prison. Cries of a prisoner from there have disturbed Francesca. When she complains of this to the youngest brother of _Gianciotto_, _Malatestino_, he goes down into the prison and kills the captive. The introduction to this act is, appropriately enough, based on an abrupt phrase.

[Music]

_Malatestino_ is desperately in love with Francesca, urges his suit upon her, and even hints that he would go to the length of poisoning _Gianciotto_. _Francesca_ repulses him. Out of revenge he excites the jealousy of _Gianciotto_ by arousing his suspicions of _Paolo_ and _Francesca_, pointing out especially that _Paolo_ has returned from Florence much sooner than his duties there would justify him in doing.

The scene of part two is laid in _Francesca's_ chamber. It is night.

Four waxen torches burn in iron candlesticks. _Francesca_ is lying on the bed. From her sleep she is roused by a wild dream that harm has come to _Paolo_. Her women try to comfort her. After an exchange of gentle and affectionate phrases, she dismisses them.

A light knocking at the door, and _Paolo's_ voice calling, "Francesca!" She flings open the door and throws herself into the arms of her lover. There is an interchange of impa.s.sioned phrases. Then a violent shock is heard at the door, followed by the voice of _Gianciotto_, demanding admission. _Paolo_ spies a trap door in the floor of the apartment, pulls the bolt, and bids _Francesca_ open the door of the room for her husband, while he escapes.

_Gianciotto_ rushes into the room. _Paolo's_ cloak has caught in the bolt of the trap door. He is still standing head and shoulders above the level of the floor. Seizing him by the hair, the _Lamester_ forces him to come up. _Paolo_ unsheathes his dagger. _Gianciotto_ draws his sword, thrusts at _Paolo_. _Francesca_ throws herself between the two men, receives the thrust of her husband's sword full in the breast, and falls into _Paolo's_ arms. Mad with rage, her deformed husband with another deadly thrust pierces his brother's side. _Paolo_ and _Francesca_ fall at full length to the floor. With a painful effort, _Gianciotto_ breaks his bloodstained sword over his knee.

Where the drama is lyric in character, and where it concentrates upon the hot-blooded love story, a tradition in the Malatesta family, and narrated by a Malatesta to Dante, who, as is well known, used it in his "Inferno," the music is eloquent. Where, however, the action becomes diffuse, and attention is drawn to subsidiary incidents, as is far too often the case, interest in the music flags. With great benefit to the score at least a third of the libretto could be sacrificed.

Riccardo Zandonai was born at Sacco. He studied with Gianferrai and at the Rossini Conservatory. "Conchita," another opera by him, Milan, 1912, was produced in this country in Chicago and New York in 1913.

Franco Leoni

L'ORACOLO

THE SAGE

Opera in one act by Franco Leoni, words by Camillo Zanoni, adapted from the play, "The Cat and the Cherub," by Chester Bailey Fernald. Produced, Covent Garden Theatre, London, June 28, 1905. Metropolitan Opera House, New York, February 4, 1915, with Scotti, as _Chim-Fen_; Didur, as _Win-She_; Botta, as _Win-San-Lui_; and Bori, as _Ah-Joe_.

CHARACTERS

WIN-SHE, a wise man, called the Sage _Baritone_ CHIM-FEN, an opium den proprietor _Baritone_ WIN-SAN-LUI, son of Win-She _Tenor_ HU-TSIN, a rich merchant _Ba.s.s_ HU-CHI, a child, son of Hu-Tsin AH-JOE, niece of Hu-Tsin _Soprano_ HUA-QUI, nurse of Hu-Chi _Contralto_

Four opium fiends, a policeman, an opium maniac, a soothsayer, distant voices, four vendors, Chinese men, women, and children.

_Time_--The present.

_Place_--Chinatown, San Francisco.

_Chim-Fen_ is about to close up his opium den. A man half crazed by the drug comes up its steps and slinks away.

Out of the house of the merchant _Hu-Tsin_ comes _Hua-Qui_, the nurse of _Hu-Tsin's_ son, _Hu-Chi_. _Chim-Fen_ wants to marry the merchant's daughter _Ah-Joe_. The nurse is in league with him. She brings him a fan, upon which _Ah-Joe's_ lover, _San-Lui_, son of the sage, _Win-She_, has written an avowal of love. _Hua-Qui_ is jealous, because _Chim-Fen_ is in love with _Ah-Joe_. Her jealousy annoys him.

He threatens her and drives her away.

Four gamblers, drunk with opium, emerge from the den. _Chim-Fen_ looks after them with contempt. It is now very early in the morning of New Year's Day. _Win-She_ comes along. _Chim-Fen_ greets him obsequiously and is admonished by the sage to mend his vile ways.

_San-Lui_ sings a serenade to _Ah-Joe_, who comes out on her balcony to hear him. People pa.s.s by, street venders cry their wares. _Ah-Joe_ withdraws into the house, _San-Lui_ goes his way. When _Hu-Tsin_, the rich merchant, comes out, he is accosted by _Chim-Fen_, who asks for the promise of _Ah-Joe's_ hand. _Hu-Tsin_ spurns the proposal.

A fortune-teller comes upon the scene. _Chim-Fen_ has his fortune told. "A vile past, a future possessed of the devil. Wash you of your slime." When _Chim-Fen_ threatens the fortune-teller, the crowd, which has gathered, hoots him and repeats the words of the fortune-teller amid howls and jeers.

_Hu-Tsin_, with _Ah-Joe_, _Hua-Qui_, and the baby boy come into the street, where _Win-She_, gathering a group of wors.h.i.+ppers about him, bids _San-Lui_ prevent the crowd from creating a disturbance, then, with all the people kneeling, intones a prayer, from which he finally pa.s.ses into a trance. When he comes out of it, he says that he has seen two souls, one aspiring toward Nirvana, the other engulfed in the inferno. He also has witnessed the grief of a father at the killing of a hope. At this _Hu-Tsin_ shows alarm for the safety of _Hu-Chi_, and the people join in lamentations, but _Win-She_ prophesies, "_Hu-Chi_ is safe."

Along comes the procession of the dragon. In watching this _Hua-Qui_ neglects her charge. Utilizing this opportunity _Chim-Fen_ seizes the child and carries him off into his cellar. When _Hu-Tsin_ discovers the loss and has berated the nurse, he offers to give the hand of _Ah-Joe_ in marriage to the finder of his son. This is just what _Chim-Fen_ expected. _San-Lui_, however, immediately takes up the search, in spite of _Ah-Joe's_ protests, for the girl fears that some harm will come to him.

_San-Lui_ starts towards _Chim-Fen's_ den. _Hua-Qui_ tries to warn him, by telling him how the opium dealer deceived her and is seeking the hand of _Ah-Joe_, in order to obtain _Hu-Tsin's_ money. _San-Lui_, however, compels _Chim-Fen_ to descend with him to the cellar, where he finds and is about to rescue _Hu-Chi_, when _Chim-Fen_ kills him with a hatchet. _San-Lui_ staggers up the steps to the street, calls _Ah-Joe's_ name, and falls dead. She wails over his body, a crowd gathers, and _Hu-Tsin_ is horror-stricken to find that the man who has been slain at his door is _San-Lui_.

_Win-She_, the father of _San-Lui_, tells the merchant to wait; the death of _San-Lui_ will be avenged. Immediately _Win-She_ goes over to the opium den, hears the child's cry in the cellar, finds _Hu-Chi_ and restores him to his father. He then goes to the door of the opium den, calls _Chim-Fen_, who comes out, apparently filled with indignation against the murderer of _Win-She's_ son, whom he says he would like to throttle with his own hands. From the merchant's house there is heard every now and then the voice of _Ah-Joe_, who has lost her reason through grief, and is calling her lover's name.

The two men seat themselves on a bench near the opium den. _Win-She_ speaks calmly, quietly, and unperceived by _Chim-Fen_, draws a knife, and plunges it into the villain's back. _Chim-Fen_ not dying at once, _Win-She_ quietly winds the man's own pigtail around his neck and proceeds slowly and gradually to strangle him, meanwhile disclosing his knowledge of the murder, but without raising his voice, propping up _Chim-Fen_ against some cases, and speaking so quietly, that a policeman, who saunters by, thinks two Chinamen are in conversation, and turns the corner without realizing that anything is wrong.

_Win-She_ now goes his way. _Chim-Fen's_ body falls to the ground.

It will have been observed that many incidents are crowded into this one act, but that the main features of the drama, the villainy of _Chim-Fen_, and the calm clairvoyance of _Win-She_ are never lost sight of.

The music consists mainly of descriptive and dramatic phrases, with but little attempt to give the score definite Chinese colouring.

_Ah-Joe's_ song on her balcony to the silvery dawn is the most tuneful pa.s.sage in the opera. Scotti, whose _Chim-Fen_ is a performance of sinister power, Didur (_Win-She_), and Bori (_Ah-Joe_) were in the Metropolitan production.

Franco Leoni was born at Milan, October 24, 1864. He studied under Ponchielli at the Conservatory in his native city. Other works by him are "Rip Van Winkle," "Raggio di Luna," and "Ib and Little Christina."

Italo Montemezzi

L'AMORE DEI TRE RE

THE LOVE OF THREE KINGS

Opera in three acts, by Italo Montemezzi; words by Sem Benelli, from his tragedy ("tragic poem") of the same t.i.tle, English version, by Mrs. R.H. Elkin. Produced, La Scala, Milan, April 10, 1913; Metropolitan Opera House, New York, January 2, 1914, with Didur (_Archibaldo_), Amato (_Manfredo_), Ferrari-Fontana (_Avito_), Bori (_Fiora_).

Covent Garden Theatre, London, May 27, 1914. Theatre des Champs Elysees, Paris, April 25, 1914. In the Milan production Luisa Villani was _Fiora_, and Ferrari-Fontana _Avito_.

CHARACTERS

ARCHIBALDO, King of Altura _Ba.s.s_ MANFREDO, son of Archibaldo _Baritone_ AVITO, a former prince of Altura _Tenor_ FLAMINIO, a castle guard _Tenor_ FIORA, wife of Manfredo _Soprano_

A youth, a boy child (voice behind the scenes), a voice behind the scenes, a handmaiden, a young girl, an old woman, other people of Altura.

_Time_--The tenth century.