The sun., 1918-12-15

anu tne Drlllantly executed sCherZandO
allotted to the old woman F'ruOold. In
the solo Of the lover one hears for the
first time the passion OF the earlier
Puccini. which echoes again in the
duet of the lover and the wife. The
ambitious solo of the husband lacks
point.
But the score flows from beginning
10 end and 1t breathes the spirit Of the
scene. The orchestra Is utilized with
fucc1nis familiar. skill. 1t has much
10 say and instrumental device height
ems the color Of every episode, espe-
cisiiy the pages Immediately preceding
the denouement, which develop q
mood picture OF sombre power. There
are many details which must be noted
hereafter. To deal with them now
would occupy too much space. Suffice
u 10 cay that I'll Tabarro" has melo-
dramatic vigor.
The story Of "Suor Angelica" is OF
girl Of noble birth who bore a child
ana brought shame upon her family.
confined in a convent she yearns for
news OF the child. Her aunt comes to
get her signature to a deed made nee
essary by the approaching marriage OF
her. sister. The aunt brings news OF
the child. 1t Is dead. When the nuns
nave retired Angelica takes poison and
prays the Virgin for "a sight OF her
Daoy. The Virgin miraculously APP
pears. bringing the little one
Inevitably the mufSc Is Of a charac-
ter wholly different from that which
We have just heard Peace and spirit
ual aloofness succeed passion. The
sweet prattle OF the nuns lie beautifully
composed. 1t Is only when we expect
TO hear music OF the most poignant
expression for the outcry Of the agon-
lied soul OF the mother that we are
disappointed. There are some strong
phrases but there is no sustained ut
terance OF penetrating emotion.
"Gianna Schicchi' Is uproarious
farce. TIE title OF the work is the
name OF the principal person in It.
lie Is observed by Dante and Virgil
In Canto xxx. OF 1.-THE Inferno"
where he is called "a mad sprite"
lin l.ongfellow's translation who
"raving thus goes marrying other
people He is found in strange COM
pany. that of the infamous Myrrha,
whose sin resembled his in that II
consisted In counterfeiting another.
He who goeth yonder undertook
That he might gain the lady Of the herd
10 counterfeit In himself Buoso Donat!,
Making will and giving in due FORM
Forzano's farce shows us GiGnni
playing the sick Buoso (who is in
mct dead) and making a will to pre-
vent the real testament from con-
veying all the worldly goods to the
church. Gtdnnf in the end cheats all
the hungry relatives by leaving the
most important treasure to himself
and then he kicks them all out of
doors.
Long, long ago the Italians found
In the opera buffa scope for swift,
ebullient ensemble writing which Sc
rious opera forbade. and here We find
Puccini repeating the antique for
mula. His two short ensembles are
the most excellent music in this
score. The 500 of Gianni's daughter
Lauretta is reminiscent OF the melodic
style OF The Girl of the Golden
West" 1t Is almost. but not quite
commonplace. yet pretty. But the
score as a whole bubbles with gaiety
and the orchestration shows that
Puccini not in vain listened to the
voice OF Verdi.
The composer of these three operas
did not create them without thought
OF their relation. The succession Is
like that OF symphonic movements,
the first a passionate and stormy al
legro, the second a pallid, elegiac an
dante, the third flashing finale. in
Wiling the mind to frolic in whimsy
of fantastic humors for relief after
the songs of sin and sorrow.
Human experience in three of its
phases was the threefold theme. Mad
love, unbridled lusts of the unre-
strained souls along the river bed with
death hunting at the heels of desire
and fate hidden under the symbolic
robe. all these sang their raucous song
in the opening allegro.
Then the cloister, "the world for
getting, by the world forgot" its gar
den filled with its own sweet flowers
and the maiden lilies OF the church,
suddenly invaded by the grim spectre
Of death and shocked by the exposure
Of a sinful and suffering soul.
Next, donning the comic mask, the
composer offers us the third phase, life
and death confronted again, but this
time in a grim 81 tire on human greed
which strains at trifies and loses the
great stake. VIII any one of these
little operas be set aside as superior to
the others and reserved for association
with "Cavalleria" or "Pagliacci"? Such
an arrangement would be false, in
deed, to the ideal OF the composer, for
1t Is perfectly clear that in this trilogy
Puccini has chosen to treat life dra-
matically and with a purposeful plan
through tho whole succession OF
scenes and moods.
Whether the plan win please the OPP
cratic public is happily none OF the
recorders business. The public settles
all such matters for itself. That no
one OF the three scores resembles in
sharpness OF musical outline or in
gratiating quality OF melody the com
poser's previous creations has already
been intimated, but there is much ad-
mirable matter which will have to be
considered more closely in future ar
ticles.
The production of the three operas
reflects high credit on every one con-
cerned. There are no striking revela-
lions of individual power. but the en-
semble In each work is excellent. Tho
secondary characters are all In capable
hands, and the actions have been we'll
rehearBed.
Geraldine Tarrar does all that cnn