Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-02-11
SALVINI.
The Greatest Of Living Actors, Speaks
of His Career and other Great
Italian Actors.
In the course of recent interview Salvini

In the course of a recent interview Salvini
said:
sMy teacher in dram attic art was the great
actor, Gustavo Modens. / took lessons Of
him for two years-that is, played in the
same company and listened 10 his sugges-
tions at rehearsal. He was very severe.
Once at Milan / was playing "David" in
Al6eri's Sdsl The public called me before
the curtain several times, but when it was
all over to my dismay he came to me and
whispered: Thou has played like dog to-
night )
in 1850, we met at Naples, where freedom
was a recent arrival with Gsribaldi and the
red-shirts. Modena and his wife came to
dine with me. During the dinner / asked
him to come and see me play, that / might
profit by his suggestions. He was silent for
| a moment. Then he said: 4 have seen thee
play, both In Hamlet and in Saul.'" Salviri
| said that at this he felt as if some one had
| poured glass of ice-water down his back
but at last he pluckea up courage to ask
| the latter, "thou canst play. The fourth acl
of Saul can play better than thou, but in
| the fifth the palm is thine"
Salvini has played in Saul once since he
| came to America. 1t was in New York
Piemonti and the Italian company support
ed him.
Speaking of his support here, which b AZ
been pretty roughly handled by the press
| he said that be had discussed the matter
with his agent, Mr.. Chizzola, who main.
| tanned that the support was quite as good as
that of the ordinary American travelling
| company.
"Ah," said salvini, if could only have
the company l had in Italy few years ago
my wife, Nine. CaEEola, my brother, Alex.
ander Salvini, and my son. Pjementi was
| the excellent actor, Amilcare Belotti. We
travelled all over Italy and Spain.
Sometimes play in comedy. Goldoni is
the Moliere of Italy, and have taken sew
eral of his characters. OF his plays the
Pamela Nabile is my favorite. These come.
dies are all written In the Venetian dialect. .
Salvini appeared at the same time with
Roesi and Ristori at Florence. 1t was on
the anniversary of Dante. The play was
Silvio Pellico's Francesca di Rimini. Sslvini
| played "Lsnciotto," though "Paolo" is gen.
orally his part; Rossi "Pa9lO," and Ristori
| OF course, "Francesca." He and Rossi sp
pesred together ON one other occasion 81
| Florence in Alferi's Oreste.
| There lie q government school Of dramatic
art at Florence. The pupils enter at thirteer
or fourteen and remain six years. They iher
play in subordinate parts for a long time
deliver messages or hand glass Of water
then they rise to the dignity Of secondary
parts, and after a much longer period, some
times indefinitely prolonged, to leading
characters.
"a proposition was made TO me in Bos
ton" said Salvini, ito play three or 81,
months, with an italian company. The pro
gramme would be changed every night o.
two, the repertory to include plays by Ricci
Nicolini, Marenco, Alieri and Goldoni.
II expect to be in Italy by the 18TH o.
March, and live for a time at my countr,
place, some miles from Florence, but nes
enough to make it possible for me to go t
town every day"
Salvini is an occasional victim of the auto
graph hunter. On one occasion in Washing
ton he signed his name 274 times. Tn
tragedian has fought and bled for Italy, an
still carries the old commission he esrne,
under Garibaldi in 1S4S.