The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-04
Mr. Antonio ScOH

l O1 cARcELY had the little tinkly bell M of the telephone stopped ringing ISS and I had asked MT Scotti's "fidus i Achates" in the language of the Pagl- iacci "Prologue'
 "si DUO, si puo?" and received the an- swer;
 "Si accomodi', ere I found myslef en- toying a delightful visit yesterday with MT. Scotti; and such a visit; such an unusual one-such friendly, nice, com 1 fortable sort of visit; like calling on old frneds; because breakfasting, lunching, diEing-whatever you care to nominate the delectable meal MT. Scott was en- l toying, he invited me to join him and his little coterie Zen famille' which 1 did eagerly and delightedly, for around the festal board Mr Scotti had assem- bled from his company of charming art ists, Madame Florence Easton, Madame Marie Sundelius, Madame Evelyn Scot ney, MT. Orville Harold, Mir. Martino, MT. Stage Director with an unpronounca- ble name, and his nice MT. Press Agent Man. Mir. George Eyssautier fright hand man of my adored Mir. Billy Guard of Metropolitan Opera Press Agent fame) whose name is also so unpro- nounceaIble that Mir Scotti declared it always resolves itself into "Alphonse' among his "intimates", and "Alphonse'
 it was with me. the latest recruit to the Scott Opera Company family, but none the less ardent.
 The setting" was the lovely Garden Restaurant at the Tutwiler and the golden rays of a radiant and beuaitful hoo, iY,er us, as Mir. Scotti the Beau Brummelr' of the Metropolitan Opera, bachelor, star, Impressario, and all the other won- derful things that you might mention, because he is all of them and more bade me welcome and arranged a nice little tete-tete for him and me, within the little coterie so that I might ply him with the many questions I had on the top of my tongue and which he so graciousy answered.
 Tall, handsome, with all the savoir faire of the Neapolitan courier. MT. Scotti is the adoration of the fair sex, and the envy of the masculine sex, and when I asked him why so stunning and handsome a star as he is should always be relegated to play william roles instead of the lover-he smiled his irrepressibly charming smile, and declared that he was very much fattered." :,
 Antonio Scotti celebrated his twenty fifth anniversary-not his wedding anni- versary you understand, because as l have already told you he is bachelor but the "Silver Anniversary" of his welded art-five years ago, and this per ennially young, perenniallly handsome, psrennially great artist, singing-actor, for that is what Mir Scotti primarily is looks as young. is as active, and as charming. as the day he first stepped before the footlights and made his bow to an adorng public.
 Mr Scotti has drunk deeply of the Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth, and whether he is essaying the role of the perfumed and pommaded Scarpia, the willy Iago, the clownish Tonio or the yellow skinned Chim Fang, as Lilli Leh- mann once said of the great Italian bari tone. Mir. Scottt is "un Don Giovanni parfait."
 As I said before, Mir Scotti is a. great favorite with the fair sex, and the story is told of him that at the smart hos tlery in New York where he makes his home during tho opera season. the woJn- en have made the maitre d'hotel wealthy ny "f.ppng so that they may be seated near enough to MT. Scotti to see him swallow every mouthful q am deeply appreciative of the fact that I sat near enough to him yesterday to watch him eat at close range and believe me he does it beautifully)
 Of course our conversation turned upon MT Scottts faNoritc role and when 1 mentioned Scarpa and how I adored him in it having seen him with Caruso and F'arrar. at the Metropolitan few years ago, he smiled and said;
 But you haven't seen my Chim Fang. An! wait It is a wonderful character; I created the role you know and I love it You understand that in all my roles I try to play the part. I must be Ch i'm Fla ng for the moment; I must be Scar pia; I must be Iago; I must be Sharp less:''
 You know of course. Puccini asked me to create the role of Scarpia" MT. Scotti continued but l was engaged and could not do so''
 'I made my debut in Malta at the Malta Opera, and there I sang ten roles ir the old Italian operas. In the conn pany at Malta there was a base buffo ana he was the manager of the Manzoni a small opera house in Milan. He said to me, When you make a success here
 in Malta, nobody hears about it-come sing at my theater in Milano and you will become known As Milan is the center of the operatic world over there accepted his offer. As the result of my season at tse Manzoni I received four ey e "a S-fOr VerOna. the Argentina