, 1881-11-13

cause Of his musical 1uency and productivity,
and again because heis still Lying and work
ing, there has always been a peculiar charm
about the music Of poor Donizetti and d
sentiment Of romance such as attaches also
to the music Of Sehumanll, which may be
traced to the melancholy. fate which ended
the lives of both these composers in mad
house. The principai works of the Italian
such as Lucia" (which he wrote in six
weeks. and one number Of which, the
"Sextet," comes nearer to inspiration
than any other number in modern Italian
opera, unless it may be the "Quartet 7"
in Verdi's "Rigoletto''); "Fayorlta," lit
orally a "fayorit" with every mezzo-soprano; !;
1.-The Martyrs; ''The Daughter of the
Regiment'; "Lucrezla Borgia"; "Linda," ]"
one Of the sweetest Of operas, and "Don
Pasquale," one of the merriest-llave lost
none of their charm and freshness with time
Their very dramatic quality and bright melo
dlousness have commended and will always
commend them to lovers Of the Italian school.
The announcement, therefore, that pos
thumous work Of his hns been discovered
will create unusual interest," not alone in the
musical world Of Italy, but wherever his
music is admired-and where is it not? The,
opera is entitled the "Duca d'Alba,' the
libretto being by Scribe, who. furnished
Meyerbeer and other composers with so many
stories for musical Illustration. 1t consists
Ut four acts, including altogether twenty
four scenes. The overture is wanting, but
its theme is indicated In the opening chorus,
Us well us the tone and point for raising the
curtain. The first act is entire with the ex-
cepti0n OF the dance music, of which there
is no trace. The second act is q little I'M
perfect The third is without Instruments
ton, but the bass is always written, and
there are indications for the Instruments, so
that the accompaniment can be easily filed
in. In the fourth act, the music of the first
scene is gone; in the second scene the i'll
strumentation is imperfect; and in the third
there Is only musical idea which is
inti1nated on the margin of the libretto.
The last act is also somewhat i'm
perfect. There are eighteen numbers COLL
p1etely finished, and for the others the
master has left such clear indications
that they can easily be completed by
any skillful musical writer; SO that the opera
Zetti. The authenticity of the work has been
established by u commission appointed by
the Council Of the Milan Conservatory, who,
after careful examination of the opera and
a comparison of the autograph with the
original manuscripts of several Of Doni-
zetti's autographs of various dates, such as
the "Torquato Tasso," "Fausta," and 9TH
ers, have declared that it is written through
out by him.
It Is fortunate that the work discovered Is
so complete, for Donizetti was very rapid
and careless writer and left many Of his
works in very fragmentary shape. Il
who could write out the score Of
Ill opera in two days would naturally do
L great deal Of hasty and incomplete
work, aud it is i good instance
Df his facility that, though he died
while yet a young man, he is
known to have written more than sixty
operas, OF which we know less than one
;hIrti. In these days. when the music Of the |
future is making such encroachments upon |
he Italian music that almost every year one |
,r more Of the italian operas are taken out |
If the standard repertory and shelved, it is q |
llpp4 circumstance L1dt su!uE ultucILU uu-
Known can be unearthed in condition to be |
mounted upon the stage. A vigorous search |
would unquestiohably find still more of
)onizetti's works, as well as of Bellini also,
WHO wrote many operas, though now there l.
ire but three that keep the stage Norma"
Puritani," and "Sonnanbula-" If Italian
'pera is to be rescued from its present deca-
lent state who knows but that its posthu-
nous music may be the means?