The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-11
~ w. J. HENDER SON,

~ w. J. HENDER son.
"HOSE who take their music seri.
ously and love art because 1t IL
i art and not mere pastime may
perhaps expect to find in this
place to-day some further examination
into the merits and dement's Of the
latest disclosure Of the state OF the opera
in Italy. But these readers will have
to wait. There is indeed plenty to say.
but the time 10 not yet ripe. The new
opern, "LAmOre del Ire Re-" IL to be
repeated Tomorrow evening, when there
viii be An opportunity to learn how II
appears to those OF largest influence
In operate affairs in this town
The attitude Of society toward the
opera IL one to he noted with concern.
because the work must stand or fall by
the decree OF the social leaders II they
do not like II the opera will be retired.
This has always been the case with
operas and always will be- However,
while prophecy Is no part Of a critics
duty, q mere newspaper man may be
permitted to predict that society is going
to like this new opera and that II In
also going to discover Lucrezla Bori.
About the young singer something
Will be said later. Meanwhile II may
interest some music lovers 70 learn how
the Italians themselves regard the sue
cess Of Montemezzi's work. From con-
VIBRATIONS had with some Of the rep
resentatives OF Italian thought In this
country this writer has been led 10 the
conviction that Italy will rejoice In the
American triumph of the new talent.
One very thoughtful Italian went SO far
as to say to this writer that italy re-
xarded "L'Amore del Tire Re" as the
rehabilitation Of Italian opera"
This Is saying much and confessing
not a little. The finer and more sensi-
tive Italian minds have become i'm
patient with the methods OF Puccini.
This may aSton.sh many Americans be-
cause too little is known here about
intellectual Italy. our country is
receptacle for al that is most tawdry.
most sordd most circumscribed IL
Italian NE. The comparatively few Gull
tured and refined Italians who come to
this country are rs completely hidden
by the sweating mob as are our own
gentlewomen and gentlemen by the
pushing and vociferous horde of tourists
who throng Europe every summer and
are universally believed to be typical
Americans
There Is no finer gentleman in Europe
than the Italian; there is no other
grande dame closer to the ideal than the
proud and exclusive nohewofnan of
Italy. Enseehled by the waste OF un-
profitable years nevertheless all the
traditions Of Italian intellect are far
from death or even being moribund. In
the sixteenth century. for example. the
most keenly perceptive and brilliantly
polished society the world has ever
known dwelt in Florence. The infu-
ence Of that period and that coterie OF
vital minds has not yet ceased to Oper-
ate upon Italian thought.
Despite the valiant struggles OF
Savonarola to drown In sea Of religi-
Gus mania the poetic and sensuous
paganism infused into the thought OF
their time by Pol!ziano and Lorenzo DE-
Medici. and In the face Of the long con-
tinued domination Of priestly minds In
italy. the italian intellect OF to-day re-.
veals among it's most active and radi-
ant forces traits shown In the Cirque
Cento.
The old passionate idealism survived |
even the era OF the Scientist, when the !
rigorous intolerance Of clericals had
we'll nigh crushed creative thought out |
OF existence. But barren years have
been succeeded by full years and we
find the younger generation Of Italian
poets illum!ning the literary armament !
with q glowing sensuousness Of mag !
nation not equalled by their contem- |
poraries In any other nation.
Doubtless there has been no small !
amount OF regret among the hner |
spirits of Italy that Puccini elected to ,
take his subjects from the literatures
Of other lands and that in some in |
stances he laid himself open to the I'M ,
pleasant charge Of shamelessly playing !
to the gallery. That ne did this in ]
"Tosca" and 1.-The Girl OF the Golden I
West" no artistic mind can question. .
That he did not entirely free himself :
from commercial nsideration Of the .
less scrutin!zing components of the !
public mass when he wrote Madame /
Butterfly" and La Boheme' Ia also
difficult to dispute.
It Is therefore a cause for real re-
joicing on the part Of the Italians that
Montemezzi mas written a stirring lyric !
drama on the text of Sem Benelli, who
has been accepted in Italy as a new
preacher Of the true Italian gospel of
dramatic poetry. No special stress Is !
laid on ltalianlsm as such in this play.
The action might have taken place any
where. But the one item of an Italy
PROSTATE under the hand Of the foreign !
invader makes a strong appeal to the
patriotic sensiblities Of u people whose
history has contained many such
periods.
No. the real ltalianism OF Benefits
story Is In Its mode Of thought and ex-
precision. and here 1t follows. at some
distance to be sure. the great MASTER