New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-12
MUSICAL COMMENT.
DEATH OF THE GRANDSON OF MOZARTS
LIBRETTIST.
WAS HE DESCENDED FROM DoGE OF VENICE

WAS HE DESCENDED FROM DOGE OF VENICE
THE BAssooN As a HUMOROUS INSTRUMENT.
The news comes from New Orleans that Durant
Da Pontc. for many years one Of the leading jour
nalists and politicians of Louisiana s dead He
died in Alameda. Cal. whittier he had gone to
look after some business matters. Mr.. Da Ponte
was a grandson OF Lorenzo On Ponte. the Italian
poet, who lives in history chiefly az the author OF
Mozarts operas lie NOzze Ill Figaro ana 'Don
Giovanni" Lorenzo Da Ponte died In this city on
August H. 1898, after having lived here a genera
ton as fun OF vlcssudcs as either of the two
that preceded 1t: how checkered they were some
OF the readers OF the Tribuncs articles on the
of the old published In 1857 will readily
recall. When those articles. based on original
researches. were printed II was the opinion OF the
writer that Mr. F. Elery Anderson the on.y sur
viving OF Da Ponte's daughter the only
grandchild OF the poet. record having been
found OF the family OF Lorcnzos son. Lorenzo j..
Ia Ponte who died here In Ncw-York at the age
OF thirty-hve years in 1S40. This gentleman. who
must have been the father of the Da Ponte whose
death at the age of sixty-lve is now chroniclcd.
was professor Of the Italian language In the Uni
versity OF the City Of N-w-York and we believe.
among his pupils VINO stu remember him with
anectionate admiration is General Sickes. ~ Du-
rant Da Ponte born in 1929. as his age would
indicate. his birthplace must have been No. &2
Broadway. three doors from the small bookshop
near Catharine Lane which his grandfather was
then keeping with the help OF his son. When the
poet died his son was still occupant OF his
home No 81 Spring-st., which fact contributed 10
the conclusion formed in 1881 that the Andersons
were the only descendants OF pa Ponte. 1nforma-
ton now comes from New orleans that Durant
Da Ponte named after his uncle. Thomas j.
Durant. OF Washington. a lawyer and once candi-
date for the Presidency OF the United States. Du-
rant IS said TO have gone 10 Mexico with the
American Army from New Orleans. which cir
curnstance would seem 10 indicate that he had
gone south from New-York shortly after the death
OF his father. He only eighteen years old
when he established an American newspaper In
Mexico but returning to New-Orlcans he associated
himself with THE Delta" "Picayune. and other
newspapers During the war. when he fought for
the Confederate States he wrote letters TO THE
Dispatch" After the War OF the Rebellion he
returned to New-Oreans. and again engaged In
journalism and politics. but retired ten years ago
when he acquired large fortune from speculation.
He held at various times important political Offices.
and was a member of the Returning Board in
and art.
A new element Is introduced into the variegatel
n, Por,e story by the statement that Durant Dl
Ponte claimed descent from the Doge % Venice
who butt the bridge OF the Ratio from which the
family name Is taken" II such was the belief OF
the man Just dead. he must have had Information
touching the NE story OF his grandfather Of which
OF the antecelen,s OF Lorenzo Ia Ponte was pretty
thoroughly discussed mere and IN Germany In 1881
IN consequence OF The Trlbunes Interesting reve.a-
,,ons Robert Process. a critic In Frankfort. In par
tlcuar attempted 10 controvert the proposition that
the poet was by birth Jew, and that Ia Ponte was
not the family name. but assumed by him ana
his brother out OF compliment, to their benefactor
Lorenzo ia Ponte Bishop OF Ceneda. who adopted
them when the poe; fourteen years old. AMI
educated them. Here Process argued that The state
mcnt that Lorenzo la Ponte was Jew rested Only
on an allegation Of Michael Kelley. in hs 'R-innis
cences" and that 10 establish II Il would be neces-
sarv % tel what was the original name OF Da
pon,e and his father. For the words ignorance on
that point la Pon;e Is h,msef responsible. lie does
not give the names OF his parents In his Meh'ore'
nor set up any ehim TO relationship with the Lo-
reno Ia Ponie. Bishop Of Eeneda. VINO e'nch''i
him But Key ony gave u'terance 70 what hha
Iorg been popularity accepted AMI never denied when
h s,,J Of hi. friend ia Poni". ~ said that
orisina.y he was a Jew turned Christian. dubbed
himself an Able. and became great dramatic
writer" This not published until ia Pon'e
had been over twenty years in America More than
ten years before the poet left England ne had a
literary quarrel with Italian. who continuity
,wI,tel him with his change Of religious faith The
tte % one OF the pamphlets directed against Ia
Pon,e who at the time Was poet to the Royal
Theatre. WAS az fo..ows
Breye Notzia dsl opera eur ma lnn sc,,, ia
ceiebre I.orenz Dapon's qua do 5s, IN It1s
g in Germania, 81 trOVa scco'lrr ihiil"'V ' "''"'
IN LOndrs
There are also two scurri,ous sonnets In the
namph.et one Of which Is inscribed as follows On
Italian:
To the inenable mer!, o: the Jew Lorenzo Ia
Pon,e poet OF the Italian Theatre In i.onioni wno
city Of Venice. embraced the Cnurca.y state 80
successfully that he reachei the dignity vi PR,
hut come to Eng.anl. would wear no oihe. rome
Z if1uO
"Dominus vobscum" in order 10 Increase the num-
b-r OF rasca.s.
A "piaccvoa No,ere,le" was published In answer
the oft-repcated statement that Da Ponte was born
d Jew Is be found.
The story that la Ponte originally jew
did not originate with Kelley. 1t Is scores OF years
older than the iattcr's "reminiscences In The
New York Mirror OF September -. ISIS. Sam ward
was la Ponies necrologist. Both he and y +.
Willis then one OF the editors Of The Mirror.
v,ere old and intimate friends Of Ia Pontc. Ward
speaks with evident conviction of the TACT twhich
from the tone OF the article we can safely assum,
was based upon Information communicated % thc
poeO. and says tnat he was me son OF a. ,h
under the Mosaic law" until mis- fourteenth year
He was then placed in the Seminary OF tencda by
the bishop. Lorenzo la Pontc. II Is evident tnat
I)a Ionte was an assumed name. ana if So whiic
the Bishop Of Ceneda may have been the poett
was not by that token descended from the Doge OF
Venice who built the bridge OF the Rialto from
which the family name Is taken.
Readers of musical literature have long been IA
miliar with the provincial tone and spirit of many
of the English historians and critics. troVcs
Dictionary" with all It's merits, is a monument
of that provinciasm which measures the importance
of composers and performers by their relationship
Inc