The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-12-14
TENOR VILE B. =
!. HAPPY If CFiS
OPENS ITS HEART
Slgnor BocCa-Fusca Who Has
Leading Role in .sOtheIIo"
Tuesday Night Great Ex-
ample of True Simplicity.
BY JAMES cAsELLE.

I @sF~@M4r~e .
There are tenors and Is. Ten
ors that prose, tenors thl lose and
tenors that doze betweelz +bles, but
for, genuine, unaffected simplicity.
whole heartedness and the nsiyete of
joyous child, Francesca BDeca- Fus-
CO, who takes the leading role in
"Othello," at the Lyric theater Tues
day night, transcends all. Net even
Caruso, whom he so strongly re-
sembles, both vocally, facially and
mentally can surpass him IN that
respect. a ,s
Imagine strong, mobile, withal
humorous face. with the soft pink
and white skin Of o baby. full red
lips that close over dazzling white,
even teeth, then pafkia joyous smiles
and Infectious laughter. Large wine
brown eyes, where strange lights play
hide and seek as the mood OF the
man changes with every passing mo
ment. True son OF the Latin, he Is
all fire and temperament like the
beautiful. cruel, fascinating vol
cano of his own native Sicily.
Il am looking forward with keen
anticipation to my rendition Tues
day night" he declared. IF Memphis
OpSHS ACl great, idIScf 6CtlpEOuH Hc1Tt
to me" and Signor Boccat Fusco made
all Of Memphis, even as far as
Raleigh Springs, Il shall be SO hap
py." Signor Bocca -Fusco looked
happiness supreme. IF not, ah! the
sun is dead, and I shall be desc
late" The signor looked as though
he was the only rnonrner at his own
funeral.
Like his countryman, Caruso, Boo
ca -Fusco Is not only q superb sing
er. but an actor of challenging Rbii-
ity. He Is impressionism ificarnate
His face is a mountain lake that
mirrors every passing mood When
asked how he liked the United States
his face glowed with enthusiasm He
sprang to his feet, came to attention
--he served with distinction In the
late war-and gave salute. There
was something thrilling in this act OF
homage, 1t may have been q little
theatrical, but there was something
wonderfully fine in 1t none the less
"Ah, bella America" he breathed,
as he once more sank into his chair.
Bella America, queen among nations,
salute you'll His eloquent wine
brown eyes rolled upward Id rapture
and he kissed his finger tips III a
light, graceful gesture to the entire
nation. Salvini could not have
equaled it, and only the w0ndeffui
Duse could have done bette,
Loves America.
america is the wonder. nation. Of
the world" he exclaimed. per Bac-
cho, how it has grown! 1t has ac-
complished in months what poor old
Europe has taken centuries to do
and done it better. In music Amer
lea will lead the world. She is so
anxious to know, so eager to do
and has such wonderful capacity,
One reason Italy has such splendid
Sicily, Is because of the soft balmy
air that bathes the vocal organs.
You possess that atmosnhere.--tQ an
even more marked degree-in all the
South, with the exception of certain
parts of Texas. That means un-
told vocal wealth to you.
Ever the American asks Chi cosa
e? Chi cosa e?' What Is that?
What is that?' They want to know
Always wanting to know! That Is
one reason the country is SO great
You are always finding things out
In my country il they see anything
they do not understand they give a
shrug and flick the ash from their
cigaret, yawn and turn away
Signor Bocca- -Fusco gave an In
imitable shrug of his ELOQUENT
shoulders, tossed imiginary ashes
from an imaginary cigaret' into an
imaginary receptacle, and concluded
with very real and convincing
yawn.
Unlike Tomagno and many other
tenors the signor does not sleep all
the day before he sings. He does
lie down for few hours in the aft
ernoon quietly reading. TOO much
sleep is not good" he declared with
another Of his shrugs. TT hardens
the vocal chords and makes singing
difficult. Rest is all that is neces-
sary. ,., ,
to MAY. 1t Is one that draws on
every part of your vitality. verdi
heard Tomagno sing in Trovatore
and composed the opera especially
for him. 1t was kept in the rep
ertoire of the great magician OF the
voice as long as he lived. Tomagnc
was an interesting character. He
was close in money. oh, so close"
Bocca- Fusco hugged himself with
the fervor Of a school boy with his
first "crush." When travelling he
alwavs insisted upon having candles
in his room, then would take the
guttered ends with him when he
left. once it was rumored' that he
had tipped a bell boy. rney Kne"
hen that old age must be upon him
and his retirement was near. How
ever the rumor turned out to, be
greatly exaggerated. He had mere
" toId a friend that the boy deserved
a fin. The friend, knowing To-
..nnhnnee tnnk the hint.'L