Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-24
BY ALICE EyERSMAN.

Even in the days when buxom
prima donnas could portray the
young Marguerite or the dashing
Carmen and still get away with it,
there was one operate character
that the public demanded should
be usually correct as well as NOV
ingly sung and acted-that of Vio-
letta, the heroine of Verdi's La
Traviata."
/ In fact, the failure of the first
performance was due mostly to
the audiences sense of humor when,
supposedly wasted with tubercu-
losis and dying, the prima donna
represented the healthiest and best
fed of individuals. The incongruity
of the singers portly bearing and the
frail character she was supposed
to personify was too much for the
Venetian audience that March day
in 1853 when the story was first
presented in operate form, and
laughter overcame it just at the
moment when tears were more ap-
propriate.
For tears have always been the
tribute the world has given to the
sorrowful story which the younger
Dumas wrote for the dramatic
stage and which Verdi further i'm
mortalized with his musical setting.
Even today, no Partisan can sit with
dry eyes as the famous death scene,
of which he knows every word
by now, enfolds before him. 1t is
said that in the cemetery in Paris
where the original of the operate
Violetta found her last resting place,
camellias are still placed on her grave
by some unknown and tender ad-
mirer, who. too young to be &C
quainted with her in life, has cher
ished her memory through the
beloved drama.
Story Well Known in Paris.
The production of Dumas play,
La Dame aux Camellias,' in Paris
in February 1852, aroused the great
est excitement. Society was scandal
lied and famous writers were moved
to take up their pens and flood the
papers and journals with their
eulogies, their criticism or their
analysis of the moral import of the
work. 1t had taken four years for
permission to be obtained for its
production, the censors holding its
theme too immoral to be aired in
such seductive fashion in the thea
ter.
Not that the story was not well
known. A year previous to Dumas
writing of the novel of the same
name which he arranged for the
stage some months later, one of
the most famous courtesans of Paris
had died and her effects were sold
at auction. A beautiful woman,
her history with its sad ending held
a universal appeal and became the
subject Of many stories by prom
inent authors of the day. Even
Charles Dickens, in Paris at the
time of her death, seriously thought
OF it as material for novel.
When the play was finally staged
Verdi was present. He was so
affected by the retribution and the
suffering which overlook the lovely
sinner and the tragedy of her pre-
mature death that he longed to set
it to music. He was busy with I'll
Trovat0re" at the time, however,
and it was not until year later that
he could hasten to his home and
begin writing it. So much did the
story grip his imagination that the
opera was finished in a month, and
year and a month, almost to the
day. after he had seen Dumas play
his operate version was produced
at the La Fenice Opera House in
Venice.
Music Suave and Flowing.
Not all of its failure could be laid
to the door Of the avoirdupois prima
donna. For one thing, the public
was used to having Verdi give it
opera with picturesque trimmings
and romantic settings. 1t simply
could not take to work represent
ing more or less ordinary people
dressed in the then modern fashion
The music also was too suave
and flowing, without the bravado
and fire of his former operas. Verdi
though offended at the reception II
received, would not abandon his
work and labored over It again, re-
| writing some Of the music and