New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-24
TEGDI And HIS FORKS

HOW HE WAS LED TO WRITE COMIC opr,.
Writing in la Revue de Paris" n. Maure, a.
MES that Signor Verdi was prompted BY Wasn.,,.
"Meistersirgers' TO write comic opera Hs a..
thought Of doing so in 1866. when he visited PAT.
to direct the rehearsa,s OF Don Carlos" Wagn..
then not "un inconnu." but "un meconnu"
Not that Germans were in disfavor. Meyerbeer wa.
then considered in Paris among the first musIci,r.
OF the age and Les Commeres Joyeuses de Wind.
sor," Of Otto Mccall was on at the Theatre
Lyrique, where Ismae personated Falstar "
Carvaho in that year asked Signor Verdi for .
tragic opera. He said he would prefer to write
comic The manager gave evasive answ.,
which S.gnor Verdi took for a refusal. He had If.
own ideas about Fa.staff and the Merry Viva.
and wanted 10 express them, but the opportunity
was only to come twenty-elght years later
Sgnor Verdi seemed TO drop his notion q, =.
comic opera, but he returned 10 It after 1890 He s,M
then to VI. Mature; that he found nothing INSPIRING
in Moere and many French writer's comeds.
Lablche was suggested He seemed. when shaks
speare was mentioned. to take 10 the suggestion
but said nothing. Some days .ater W. Maurel sent
him the manuscript Of Delalrs adaptation Of "rhs
Tanning of the Shrew" for NJ. Coqueiin. The singer
thought 1t contained subject for a comic opera
Sienor Verdi wrote from Genoa that he liked Tia
adaptation. 1t had everything requisite for the II.
bretto OF an Italian opera boufe. Happy the rnu-
stefan who could write the music to such a subject
But 1t would require the eighteenth century masters
the early composers Of this century. such az
C!marosa, Rossin, Donizett The present style
was too orchestral to suit 1t. and masters Of the
present day had not the courage write only what
music was necessary In their orchestral senorItIes
they mufied up the scuptural outline or what
should be the scuptural outline OF the characters
They overdid the dramatic situations As for him.
self Signor Ve-c. said: TOO late. a.as. return
yor Jcn manuscript"
Two years later ~ Maurel was again with Signor
Verdi AT the DORA Palace in Genoa. The master
Shakespeare was mentioned as more inspiring than
Moliere. He had been. he confessed. busy with
Signor Bolto at Shakespearan comic opera and
suspected that somebody had been a'klng about H.
Signor Verdi never talks OF any work in hand until
arrangements are concluded for It's operate pro.
chosen was Faistafr. sgnor BoIto. fearing that
the Falstan OF Henry W. was powerfully de-
Merry Wives" was too low a fellow. designed
parsonage partly from the shakespearian comedy
and party from fifteenth century tale, III PecO.
rome" which NJ. Maurel thinks Shakespeare must
have read. The music for this lbretto was com.
the farm estate OF Busseto, which contains the
village OF Roncole, where SiSnor Verdi was born.
and as a boy was the church organist. The villa
gers were delighted when they knew the maestro
manners and behavior the compositions on which
he is engaged When writing "Otelio' ne was
wrapped up" brusque. impatient. and not pleasant
to deal with He VAS joya and 9pen-mannerec
According to NJ. Maure. s!gnor Verdi. though 50
hard OF head and strong OF viii, Is. above a. things.
intultve He entirely ablndons himself to his in:
tuition when he compOses. He says the artist should
suffer his muse to lead him bindfold He should not
reason nor analyze much. When directing " Maui
rel he gradually insisted on his following the inner
monitor. In ono OF his letters he wrote, do take
care not 10 reason out too much your part The
predomlnance OF the reflective faculty IS N art
Sign OF degeneration. When art becomes science
81 Is neither art science. Try 10 DO well. Dlt
do not try too hard. DO not tire your throat N
adjusting your voice. With your grea; talent OF
an actor-singer. with your dction, your sense or
the true accent, You viii easily get ho'd y The
OF Fastan. The part once learned, the
parsonage will take form quite natura.y without
any beating Of your brain or studies OF exercises
- vary your vocal effects. study a Nttie az YOU
can and An revoir' ". Maure. however. had
French faith in hard. technical study. and believes
that in dsregardinS the Masters inJunctons ne
dd vel These studies enabled him without any
break 10 sing for sixty successive nights Inc re-
hearsais were exceedingly trying. Slgnor Verdi di-
rected them all. His energy was incredible, ana nls
efforts ID spur. % correct 20 suggest, contraictei
his written directions. The musical word OF Europe
ga hered 10 Italy for the first representation OF
'Falstaff" The King sent letters patent creating
the composer Marquis of Busseto. but ne declined
the honor. preferring his own name