The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-30
SALTIN AN ORANGE
STARTS OPERA FEUD
Tenor DE Primo and BassO
Ananian's Differences
Aired in Court.
TONGUES AND FISTS FLY

There was a clash OF tongues and a
ntap,an Of hsts In the executive Of
Ace. OF the Metropolitan Opera House
Anna Paviowa's Boston Opera Company
me, there to receive the vulgar cash
that even high art must depend upon
for its proteins.
What was IL one saw-one heard.
Name OF a name. Paulo Aranian. basso
.iperbc. basso magnifaue! and Zanco
De Primo. tenor extraordinairc. tenor
Incompatible were toe to toe and chin
10 chin. eyes burning into eyes. BOOM
ing bass and clear tenor struggling for
the mastery OF ear. And up twitchcd
De Primo's arm and down came De
primo's cane upon Ananian's arm. ami
what would have happened then no man
knows had not DE Primes faithful friend
and secretary. Frank Escalsno. banged
Ananian upon the nose with quick and
potent Hst. Then the police came.
The encounter. so violent. so upsctting
10 the gentle artistic heart. was dc.
scribed to Magistrate Barlow yesterday
IN the Yotkyillc police court. when the
basso and his friends appeared to press
fheir complaint against the cnor. DE
Primo was not In court. but his friend
and fellow defendant Escalano was,
and bore the weight OF Ananian's UNI
auenchable wrath. Between them. as
they sat and glared, or stood and elared,
and charged up and down two good oc-
taves Of vibrant accusation. the Macis-
trate had the story OF the deathie.s feud
l<tw~n the baseo and tenor.
salt In His Orange.
II began. so Escalano says. out in De-
troii, when the Boston Opera Company
was on tour and when the gentle DE
Primo. all tuned for the lifting lowell
ness Of his song in ''Otello.' applied his
,irs TO an orange. fancying that tho
soothing juice OF the fruit would be
agreeable to a sensitive throat. What
d.d De Primo And? One asks. what did
re find That a wretch. a scoundrel
ard assassin had put harsh salt within
The orange pulp. put II there with malice
sforethousht N with cunning intent
to ruin De Primo's song.
And In Toronto. who tried to hit the
tenor with scenery from aioft: And in
Louisville. why was 1t a sandbag nap
pened to drop upon De Primo's arm of
all the arms that were waving about
and around? One asks. Who? ANYWAY,
DE Primo blamed II all upon Ananian.
the ~ centimeter basso. and one little
thing led to another until on last Mon
day night many things happened which
were foreign TO the quiet serenity Of the
great temple OF opera at broadway and
~f'ort!eth street. Lot Escalano tell his
story as he told II to Magistrate Barlow.
n sat lingering his beard and some
times smiling as the epic was spread
before him:
DE Pr!mo il a great singer. and to
b great among a lumber OF rivals !s
deadly. for they Try to make everything
AS hard AS they can. They brite stage
hands and mechanics. as we'll as the
lesser members Of the company. 10 try
and arouse the artistic temperament to
such a heat that the singer cannot sins.
I'm Detroit the first Of the insults
came. for when De Primo ran into his
dressing oom to refresh his voice with
the Juice Of an orange ne found after
the first mouthful that il had been filled
with salt and a hunt for olive oil was
begun. When that was found IL was
hlled with vinegar. and the tenor had
10 sing his great aria after rinsfng his
mouth with only water.
Sandbasgers At Work.
an Toronto he was just AZ the height
Of his greatest song when a piece OF
scenery came tumbling about his ears.
In Louisville a sandbag fell on him when
he was about to taxi the heroine i'll his
arms. and on every occasion his way TO
the stage after his cue was generally
blocked by a stage hand or some menu
Der Of the compan humping into him 10
rumple his temper.
"!All this aggravated him 81 that he
sent me a teleg. am from Toronto saying.
Come Immediately, absolutely right
now, to protect me After 7 joined him
he was not hur; any more until Monday
light. when Ananian took his arm as we
were passing through the ofhce and tried
a. kidnap him..
De Primo could -eVec stand this. so
he took his walking stick and tapped the
irsolent more basso across the arm.
Nearly ten minutes after the basso again
tried to draw him into 4 room. and this
time ! in;e.fered. and thea the fight"
IL should not be difficult to imagine
the bearing Of Ananian as t.sca!ano so
i~mpetuously rec.;cd tho story of his
friend De Prlmo's woes and wrongs.
Had not A~nanian's lawyer placed his
land ove- Ansn.ln's mouth roArs OF de-
NAL and justification would have nled
the court. He did indeed manage to let
fly this appreciation OF himself and
opinion of the tenor
Shall l." he asked, beating his great
chest until II doomed holloway. snail !
despatch heem now or shall | let hoem
tenor, mediocre tenor. am basso
Great basso! / am Ananian' Tenor,
bst"
Magistrate Barlow decided that an
other hearing was necessary for the
proper adjudication of the rights of the