The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-12

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ten to meet a portly old gentleman
who paraded his embompoint day after
| day in the garb Of a dandy at the res
taurants and other resorts Of fashion.
| Gioachlno Rossini started life as pen
| niless peasant boy; he ended life in the
front ranks of composers, the possessor
of splendid house in Paris and villa
| at Passy, with purse that permitted
| days Of luxurious comfort and idleness
at Florence and Rome.
Rossini, 1t is interesting to note, in
| mature life passed this criticism upon
his works: 1.-THE third act of 'Otello,
the second act of 'Guillaume Tell and
| the whole of IL Barbiere di Seviglia' will
| perhaps live" Contemporaneous opin-
ion and the judgment of posterity have
| accorded to the Barber of Seville" the
! some high estimation as it's composer.
| Next to Mozart's Marriage Of Figaro
it ranks as the greatest of comic
| operas. But some of the credit for this
masterpiece Is due Beaumarchais,
whose clever brains furnished Rossini
with the foundation of the book for
the Barber"
Not Voltaire, or Diderot, or Rous-
seau is more characteristic represen-
| tative Of the 18th century than Beau
| marchals. During the last 80 years of
his life he was connected with all the
great contemporary political and So
| cial movements; and his wit and gem
| ius, as displayed in literature, were
also most essentially of his time Gay
clever, witty, versatile, active, alien
terprising and indomitable, he was. like
his own Figaro, everything by turns
put on a grander and more serious
fashion. He quilted his first occupa-
ton of matchmaker at "a, and became
successfully courtier, teacher of the
harp to royal princesses, a merchant
army vlctualler, a contractor and spec
| ulator, writer for the stage, both in
sentimental melodrama and in comedy
a composer OF operas, q publicist,
manufacturer a publisher, a secret
diplomatic and court agent, minister
ial adviser and the most brilliant plead
er in his own law suit the world has
ever seen. Nothing was too high, moth
ing too low, for his mercurial intellect;
the same man who in his youth in
vented a new escapement for a watch
and amused his age with its two most
daring and witty comedies, drove
false parliament from its benches;
planned new political alliances, sent out
feat of 40 vessels of his own and got
decorated for their valor; brought about
TGNOlLeQ
colonies of America received the
thanks of congress for his services and
nearly ruined himself by the advances
or money which he made in their cause
Finally during the French revolution
a patriotic undertaking brought upon
MIN prescription, daily and hourly fears
for his life, flight, Imprisonment, exile
and every calamity of the reign of
terror, from which his own head, and
the heads of his wife, daughter and
sister had the most miraculous escape.
Beaumarchais' comedy, lie Marriage
de Figaro is continuation of his
earlier comedy, lie Barber de Sc
vile. Mozart chose the former for the
subject of his opera, LIE Nozze df FL
caro-" while Rossini took the earlier
piece for the book of I'll Barbiere di
Stviglia. From a literary point of
view, the Marriage" is no doubt su-
perior to its predecessor, the Barber;
but notwithstanding the eminently
lyrical character of the page in the
former work, the Barber" is the best
adapted for musical setting. Rossini's
genius Is very much akin to that of
Beaumarchais, of which impressible
gayety, versatility and brilliancy are
leading characteristics; Mozart's, is
not, Rossinf is Beaumarchais in mu-
sic; Beaumarchais Is not Mozart in
literature. One reason why the
Barber" proved 80 eminently suit
able for musical treatment is that
Beaumarchais, who had strong views on
the subject of the musical drama and
was himself good musician, had in
the first instance designed 1t as lib
retto.
Rossini was not the first composer
to make musical setting for the
Barber" In 1880 Paisiello adapted it
very successfully. Beaumarchais
heard Paisiello's opera and was
much pleased. Thirty-five years
later Rossini hit upon the book
ana obtained the authority of
the Roman censors to use 1t for one of
the two operas which he was engaged
to write for the carnival of 1916. The
Roman censors were very particular to
allow no opera rejecting directly or in
directly on the Roman Catholic religion
and the rights of princes, or intoxicating
patriotism or touching in any way up
on the concerns of the papal
court, to be performed, but the
Barber" was let through. Paisiello,
sure OF the popularity of his work, gave
the young composer permission to try
his hand with it.
The first of the two operas being well
out OF the way, Rossini set to work on
the Barber on Dec. 20, 1915, and fin
ished 1t Jan. "a, 1916, occupying just 13I
days in the work of composition.
With the librettist-for Rossini would
only consent to take the Barber on
condition that a new libretto should be
prepared for him-and Luigi Zamboni,
the original Figaro, Rossini took UP his
residence while the masterpiece was
being manufactured.
Sterbini, the librettist, read Beau
marchais' comedy aloud from beginning
to end to Rossini and the two then
decided what out Of that should be
adopted and what in Paisiello. Rossini
had made Sterbini promise to remain
with him until the opera was finished,
and as rapidly as one wrote the verses
the other set them to music. Sometimes
Rossini found himself getting in adj
vance of the librettist, and he then
suggested words for the music which
he had already in his head Some of
the best pieces in the Barber" notably
that of La Calunna," seem to have
been directly inspired by Beaumar-
chais eloquent, impetuous prose. On
the other hand, the famous Largo al
Tattotum' is said to owe something of
its rhythm and therefore of it's gayety
to Sterbinis rafting verses. The lib
rettist was in happy vein that morn
ing, and thought he had overwritten
himself. He told Rossini to take what
verses suited him and throw the rest
aside. Rossini took them all and set
them to the rapid, elastic, light hearted
melody which at once stamps the
character of Figaro.
Beside them. they had a number of
copyists to whom Rossini threw the
sheets of music as he finished them