New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-25
ITALIAN OPERA AT HOME.
TIE CHIEF JOY OF A SMALL CITY

A MUSIC LOVING NATlON-oPEKAllC ftIFV
IN SMALL TowNs-A STRANGE SCALE or PRICES
-sINGEEs AND PLAYERS FROM THE orAii'iSs-
Tj,y PrlMA DONNNs BENEFIT.
txrox Az occ ,sIOSAI CORRESPONDENT oP THP TEBrNbI
CArr,nA. ITALY, Feb. lot is an almost
universally accepted fact believe, that the i'al
i.ns are prominently the music-loving and the
mu,ic.making people of the world. Music IS born
An thctn. and they take 10 singing, fddlng' mando-
lning and as a last resort, to hand-organ grinding
A. naturally rs duckliugs take to water we nave
had notable example OF the musical genius OF 'io
race here in Carrara during the past year CaiTaia
H. a very small city. II has numerous mountain
villages dependent on it. but OF itseI u h"h"'tS
3itIe more than II. 900 inhabitants. Ana vel inns
Attic city has maintained two good seasons OF opera
;,ce last Faster and will bestow liberal patronage
unon another operate enterprise now on ioot' the
srope Of which will he The presentation OF fanst'
kixty-fye nights of opera We have had III less tlah
N twclvcmonth real enjoyable opera. fancy one
could hardly count up dozen cities In the Chited
States the size of CaraIa which have had cach
ssngle night of Italian opera or any O'Der klhu Oh
opera in the course of year. In the ohiteu
States Sunday school concerts, minstrel ana
? ,or;etv shows Scriptural panoramas and fourth
rate theatrical entertainments are what 'he
,eonle of towns like CarTara crave Here IN
ITALY the demand is for music. The people VIII
on night after night for weeks to hear the same
opera and when they hear il no longer, lecanse
fhe season is ended. they will sing 1t and whistle IL
md play it upon the piano or even the accordeoh'
antil some new thing comes around. In ths way
tbe, learn thoroughly every new opera that they
hear You will hardly find an Italian OF twenty
wears who cannot whistle ii lrovatore' La
T,oviatar ala Sonnambula" and three or four
other operas from beginning TO end ASK the Irst
Italian Won meet for the pedlers cry in the
/. Force of DestinyT or the trumpeters chorus in
Aida. ror in fact for anything else you want in the
opera line. and the chances are ten to one that he
win give what YOU call for without even stopping
10 clear his throat.
POPULAR EOX-oFPlCE RATES.
1t is eminently fitting that in a country where
music is so much esteemed, l might say IN c0nh-
try where music is a necessity OF HE, the opera
should bc very cheaply gotten up and be offered Tor
the enjoyment of the people at very reaSonape
prices Ii seems almost absurd that one should be
obe TO witness good representation of hrst-claSs
o,era for the small sum Of one franc. less than
twenty American cents. But franc is the fixed
price in Carrara for admission to all parts OF the
oncra house except the sky gallery, and To the sky
gallery body can GO. if his legs are equal to tVe
Dight of stairs. for fifty Centimes-abont cents
That Is one side of the story the other sidc oil IL
Is that the impressarO does what he considers very
good business at these prices of admission. sup
nose thu, latter side of the story Will be very nara
for American opera gocTs TO believe. The eXpIana-
ton il that musical talent of passable degree oil
excellence is wonderfully chcapin Italy. very fair
p;ma donna can be hired for fifteen francs night.
of course she will not he Patti nor Gcrster; but
ehe will lie "A person with good voice and some
dramatic capabilities and withal she will not he
bad to look upon at the distance and in the light III
which opera singers are ordinarily looked at our
last opera was Verdis Fore of Destiny" and the
nrima donna received twelve francs-S2 2o-per
night for her services. Ont of this sum she paid
her board at the hotel and also the board OF
woman who was supposed TO be her mother She
was very young thing, scarcely out OF her teens
blessed with beautiful black eyes, luxuriant
growth of black hair and mouthful of sound white
teeth and she had voice which, to say the ieastwas
very plcaang Altogether she was q bargain, as
bargains 90 in Italy. at twelve francs night Inc
scconda donna was even more OF bargain one
filed the role of the fOrtune-teller remarkably we'll
10 her the mpressarO paid about half as much as
he gave the prma donna lie paid her so little that
when because of the coming on OF cold weather, the
poor girl purchased cheap winter dress and some
canncIs there was nothing left of her wages. The
people of tue town had to give her second benefit
In order to provide her with which to get ont
pf town The basso tenor. baritone and two other
men had each to be paid something like seven
francs The leading women of the chorus cost tho
hnprcssarO each about four francs mght, the
men OF the chorus franc n night each. lhc cx-
Dense cf the orchestra amounted to about franc
and n half night per man. Taking everything
together 1 fancy thc imprcssario was able to put
into his pocket all the excess of receipts above 700
francs or $50.
FROM sncr 10 STAGE.
II must however. be understood that tho
,naiorty of the persons engaged in the production
of the opera were Carrara people Tho chorus was
almost exclusively made up OF Carrarcse and, with
The exception of thee performers, the orchestra
WAS composed of CarTara musicians The leader
Of the orchestra and the director of the opera was
Iarrara music teacher: the other members OF the
orchestra were a rule sculptors ana marble
workers 1t was astonishing with what ease AMI
effectiveness these wOrkmcn turned their hands
from the hammer and chiscl of the workshop to
the fddlcs. .hc trumpcts. the baNSoons and the
flutes of the orchestra. Their execution was won
dcrfuly spirited and correct
; In small American cities the most that is ever
bopcd for in the orchestral luc is to get together
Erst aud second violin. cornct. trombone
rlarinet and. to use an Amcricanisn, bull fiddle,
and frou such an organization nothing better is ex-
pected than an oxasperating rendering of Fishers
Hornpp. and Money Musk" Choruscs get on
little better. believe but even choruscs are pot
expected to do much. II takes an immense deal of
worryinp TO get the chOlrs of the churches up 10
such a pitch of training that they can sing Boyls
ton - and Windham" with anything approaching
neatne>, and dispatch. But the orchestra and
chorus made ND of workmcn in this little city have
during year successfully wrostled with "Son-
nambula,r " Sappho" and the Force of Destiny"
and are Just about taking UP the difficult work OF
Faust