The Washington times., 1918-03-14
D'ANNUNz|O'S SOUL
|. IS MOVED BY FAKE
NIGHTINGALE NOTES

MascaEni and D'Annunzio were bitter
enemies for twenty years, during which
time they hated each other as only
Italians OF artistic temperament can.
Last year the two enemies became fast
friends. D'Annunzio admitted that
MascaEni was ltaly's greatest musician.
MascagHI proclaimed D'AnnunZio ltaly's
greatest poet. D'Annunzio's poem
"Parisina" was set to music by Mas
cagni
The collaboration of the musician and
the poet did not prove a great success,
but nobody minded this so long as the
two great men were reconciled. Their
friendship. however. according TO
Rome dispatch to the New York Sun.
threatens to be OF short duration. In
TACT 1t has cooled of considerably al
ready; the relations between the musi-
clan and the poet are strained and an
open break il said to be imminent. Mas
caEni Is to blame. OF course. He ad-
mits It himself and the only excuse
he puts forward Is his great sincerity.
This Is how It all happened.
joke on D'Annunzio.
MascaEnI wrote an article for a maea-
zinc entitled How / Set 'Parisina' TO
music" He praised the poet OF course
and SdlQ IndI MS NCiC hiOAO Q
musical than his, Mascagnrs. notes,
but then he told q story, and a funny
one, too.
"DAnnunzio insisted" Mascagni
wrote. that the chief love scene of
'Parisina' should be accompanied by the
singing OF a nightingale. / am fifty
years old. have Travelled a great deal.
tried my hand at many trades and pro
feSsions, married. made love. composed
music, etc, but had never heard a
nightingale sing / told D'Annunzio and
he was surprised at my ignorance. lie
Dragged that he knew the nightingale s
song by heart. that he could close his
eyes at any moment and hear it and tina:
IL i wanted he could describe IL to me.
felt Inundated and determined TO hear
this birds song and set it 20 music.
AT the suggestion OF some friends
went to the country at night and
waited long to hear the nightingale S
voice. Ny friends had made a mis-
take of course and forgot that the
nightingale does not sing in winter.
1 then decided TO wait until spring,
but suddenly remembered that l was
bound by contract to finish the opera
before then. Finally / got book
written by a German who had patti
entity collected all the notes OF the
nightingale, but although ! studied
the book hard still / did not get on.
The book lacked poetry.
Stuffed Nightingale.
"One day q friend came to my res
cue and brought me q stuffed night
ingaIe which had a mechanism inside
il which when wound up would imi-
tate tho real birds song. 1t was just
what 1 wanted. l invited D'Annunzio
to my house one evening and asked
him whether he was quite sure that
nightingales sang only in spring and
not in winter. He answered that he
was quite certain and with his usual
superior air began to describe to me
the wonderful song OF the nightin-
gale.
"'Wait a minute I said, you are
quite wrong Then l opened the
window overlooking the courtyard
and told D'Annunzio to listen. He did
and the mechanical nightingale start
ed its warbling. My daughter, who
was in the courtyard. had set it off
in the nick OF time.
The poet was transfiNed. His face
lit up, tears came unbidden 10 his
eyes and his poetic soul went out as
II were 10 the bird in the courtyard.
He was OF course very much disap-
pointed when ] told him IT was only
a mechanical toy and he EwoTe that
he had suspected IL all the time and
and only pretended TO believe II was
a real nightingale to fool me-"