Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-13
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS


nNB Of the most interesting musical
~ things that has been done in Phila-
delphia for a iors time was the per.
the Philadelphia Grand Opera Co. for.
merry the Italian Lyric Federation, OF
two OF the Verdi operas. la Forsa del
Destino" frst and the great master
Ing.
common in the bitter tragedy upon
which both are based, and they have
several scenes which also arc more or
less alike, such ns the famous duet
which Caruso and scotti have made .
Fora del Destino' and the intense
scene in the second act OF "otelio' be-
tween Otello and Iago. as well as IN
some Of the other numbers.
verdiS soul seemed to revel in the
tragic and his finest works are those IN
had the faculty, possessed alone by
Mozart OF the other really great oper,
attic composers. OF setting an absurd
ana often ridiculous libretto to imper-
!shsble music This was the .,,,s case ,nn IN
insne and absurd iibrettos I'll Trova-
tore" another tragedy az the hearer
can shut his eyes or rathcr ears TO the
ridiculousness OF the story), probably
bears on the palm, not only for me
composer as we'll.
NT A F'ORZA DEL DESTINo" was
- composed In 1862, when the great
composer wns not quito fifty years OF
Sge. presumably in tho very height OF
composed in 1857. when he was seventy
four. an age at which the late DR., Osler
whimsicnlly declared q man to be ut
terly useless.
As q matter OF fact Verdi was the
man most frequently cited to refute the
oontention Of DR.. Osler as 70 the age 's
when mans usefulness ceased, and II
the doctor ever made study OF the ltfe
Of 1taly's greatest operatic composer
he must have found him hard propo-
sltion to explain In conjunction with his
theories regarding the period Of @ tho
ran his most enduring work when he
was very close to sixty.
Thus aida" WAS written when he
was nfty-eight years old. The whole
musical world Of that day thought that
no had finished his life's work with his
ground for the thought. for It was six
teen years before another opera ceIno
from his pen, when without warning hc
produced the gigantic "otcllo," prob
ably his greatest masterpiece. at the
age Of sevonty-four
TT WAS Immediately recognized rs
i greatsr work than aida" but one
not 80 likely to receive the same high
place in popular esteem, and this 1udg-
ment has proved to be correct. Again
It was said that Verdi had done MS
greatest masterpiece at the close Of his
life, md again no fooled them, because
six years later at the unprecedented
age OF eighty came his last opera. "F'al-
STAFF" The master died in 1901. after
having lived nearly a century Of the
But to return to the two operas mem
toned. The gain In dramatic power In
the period which elapsed between the
composition of the works can best be
realised By hssrng the swS S,vs w9rss Sss
the opportunity Of doing In Philadelphia
del Destino" the composer. depends
largely upon the power Of his melody.
sh9%ng that the uenos aSs OF sns
melodic period had not yet passed away
entirely.
But in "Otello" there Is another and
Infinitely higher Verdi shown. Melody
is no longer the predominant element or
marknble extent, for Verdi was pre-
tminently n melodist, but the sense OF
the dramatic has become the principal
Sne, md every resource Of the operatic
stage (and Verdi knew them all) 10 EN-
ployed to this end.
TNHE orchestrntion has broadened un-
i til instead Of being used merely as
color 70 set off the voice It takes q prom
inent part in the unfolding OF tho
drama The Verdi of LA Forza del
Destino" could never have composed the
string quartet accompaniment to the
"Wiliow Song" in the last act OF
"Otello." And yet this manner VI or
chestration Is not an offshoct Of the
wagnarian operas as has been so fre-
uuent,y asserted. The orohestration Is
purely VerdPs own and In no way re-
scnbies the characteristic Wagner soar
ing. He does not employ TO any extent
the 'leit-motic' which was the worry
basis Of tho Wagneran theory.
Perhaps some OF the difference in
these two operas was due to the quality
OF the librettos Az has been said, Verdi.
like Mozart, could set immortal music
to O foolish and banal libretto but with
ell this both OF them could do better
with n good libretto than with poor
one. In La Forza del Destino" Verdi
had one of the weakest librettos which
was ever inflicted upon any great COM
poser; In "Otello" he had one Of the
finest.