The sun., 1890-12-21
ECCENTRIC LITTLE DIAA

Ing false pretences.
ECCENTRIC LITTLE DIAA
How the Composer OF " Benvenuto Celliai"
Forced His Way Into Fame.
PARIS. Dec. 4.-The new opera "Benvenuto
Cellini I" had q triumphant representation last
night at the Opera ComiIue. The applause
was noisy and spontaneous. the artists were
covered with flowers. the composer hailed
with acclamations. After 1t was all over,
good many people began asking themselves.
who is this little midget with the black heard
who calls himself Eugene Diaz2 Have we
heard of him before? The majority had not.
Diaz Is the son Of the great painter, and this
is the third time In twenty years that he has
seen his name on the bills Of theatre. 1t
might be imagined that q composer who had
made one success on the operate stage would
not allow himself to be forgotten. but Little
Dlaz." as his friends call him. is peculiar
During the first rehearsals Of Benvenuto
Celllni" dinner WAS given to some Of the
artists and q few chosen critics. A little.
brown. nervous man, with bristling hair, sat
OF in corner unobserved. Suddenly he rose.
pushed aside his chair raised himself to his
full height. and, knife in hand. gave his neigh
Dor an admirable lesson In the art OF fencing.
The precision and dexterty with which he
welded the blade. his passionate gestures and
military bearing. left no doubt in the minds OF
the guests that this was the now fencing mas
ter OF the Opera ComiQue. Seating himself
again he continued his meal. doing wonderful
tricks with his fork and knife and wine glass
that made the ladies present eye him with
astonishment. Another minute and he was
performing miracles OF strength with his chair.
Then 1t was decided that he must be a juggler
and athlete who had been hired to perform In
some future representation.
When the dessert was reached. 1t was no.
ticed that this strange in dvidualiwas scratch
ing on a piece OF paper with q blue pencil The
paper was passed around among the guests it
eyy11ked murmuts ot approval. ,-,
They saw a landscape IN midwinter.
melancholy forest opening and frozen waters.
the distant spire OF church. all admirably
% All. monsieur is painter" one lady said to
ed and a9lsR an satRiste as W we'll. uss'f' '"0ioS"an
saan Ges eS @
plane; He M asked one Of the singers present 70
Composed a passIo onate little waltz. a and played
it with a dash and yerve that set eyeryboiy's
When the applause was over he performed
an Unpublished onera of his own composition.
he all the hSSs W.a the aid St
the spirit OF the vlrtnoso.
:, To add 10 the sound Of Il the piano ne initiated
the first violin to the cymbals. 1t was Won
who Sssss e ,hf snEtsd
Day Why K. ss saor o shs cnD da Il fsSe1s H
Thule and dozen more operas that have
never seen the light Of the stage"
stitution and jet black hair and beard make
him appear much younger. He is really now
With b. muscles OF steel: sort Of Docket edition
His ir.t Work. produced twenty years ago, is
Americans. Le Ioi Caudaule " was produced
q! the old Lyric Theatre; having been .seie{c!ed
the works Of such composers Us Bizet. Saint
saens, as Massenet aud Dellbes Del we'e repres.
sss pss ef r nHs has ss M
fore him. but the good angel that was planning
ssS to hs sVSa %a Sefh him. on hand at the time to
Roi % Dc Thule then The war broke @ out. qp TWAS as
postponed Indefinitely Many years passed be-
9Ts the TSs again put in
velocipede. looked after everything helped
with the scenery, and ,i w3rried the properly man
one Of The leading Iarls. complaned about
trick M thai that a had boon played on him by one of
Listen to me" said Diaz. you lot me
know il he teHI,ns ,.I That sor. 81 work again. Il
as ass w ana sIp wa myTe Fl a
tree In the courtyard When no comes alonS
l will break his head"
FsSre again, I'M, Ths l bissps :, e; e the composer
counter. with their owner,
The night arrived for the prodnG,t1on piaz
wh sd Ss hHbs hs
opera. We must make the most OF your sue
csss csns Will. every one Z talking about you.",
llni"' It was accepted at once They were dis
cussing the date OF the production when the
Poor Diaz had 20 write ten years before he
b s ad to his
h,s In the Iosa mean lime the Opera Comloue was
There seemed to be strange fatality about
hi. opera Two theatres n that "a, accepted i we're
mithaps On somo beautiful temple. ri. Th manu- ami
ss arm sS sss The hsss wha If WS 5 'ns s.ass
in theatrical history: nothing; Ike i; WAS ever
: The recital began at ! O'Clock and ended at I.
He did not read the librelto he played 1t. He
whis,lers in the gallery,
1T is Dlaz In four editions" exclaimed one
yet uneasy at the won 'eriul energy OF tbo liite
brown man. The opera went iuto rehearsal
and you may well believe that la Wa pune
iual. iet all he time that this fantastic musi-
Gan was in q fever heat over his product n.
no was Thinking Of somethii else lie
dreamed OF q patent bit to STOP dr4ugAt horses.
GOULD stop horse as we'll as he could. He
directed the rehearsals a. the Chatelet and
Champs Elysees. 1t would have been hard to
tell whether he thought more q his opera than
second triumph tut II docs moi asionisl lin
in the least. lie cyl eete'i to succ,s ed aud know
IL was only quest on al time
You have noble future before YOU" they
told him the morning after the production OF
lie Roi CaudRule " or Coup du Roi dc Thule"