Evening star., 1940-11-03
By ALICE EvERSMAN.

Notwithstanding the oft-repeated
assertion that America is not opera
minded, there are a few opera ex-
cerpts that are known the length
and breadth of the land and in every
class of society. Among these are
the dashing and impertinent La
donna e mobile" the brilliant Caro-
nome" and the quartet. all the
deathless music from Verdi's "Rigo-
letto."
The childish ear is entranced with
the hurdy- -gurdy's gay grinding out
Of these imperishable melodies. the
sweet young thing Of is dreams Of
the time when she will sing the
caro- nome" aria and who can guess
what wishful thinking is back Of
every young tenor's try alta dom
ma e mobile"
From vocal quartets, cafe orches-
tras, instrumentalists. at school en-
tertainments, in the fashionable
concert hall, over the air and in
every conceivable direction can be
heard the strains Of the famous
quartet from the opera. 1t has been
sung and played all over the world
for more than three-ouarters Of a
century and can still arouse the Sc
lect audience Of the Metropolitan to
a frenzy of appreciation.
The musical intelligentsia may
scoff. profound thinkers may argue
and students of musical composition
may have irrefutable proofs Of the
weakness of this music but who
cares? Let the gay -tum-tum OF
the introduction of the tenor aria
be heard and applause bursts forth
spontaneously. None Of these bits
from Verdi's most popular opera is
great music when measured by the
yard stick of the classicists yet there
is in 1t that particular quality to
which the whole world responds
without criticism.
Universal in Appeal.
How many earnest and conscien-
tious composers. living and dead.
who have given of their best and yet
remain unsung, but would not have
welcomed the luck of Verdi In hav-
ing the inspiration to write music
of universal appeal.
1t was pure luck, in a way. that
Verdi achieved such enormous sue
cess with "Rigoletto." True. he was
already q famous man in Europe
with much of our present day no.
tariety, for manufacturers named
their products for him and q Verdi
this and a Verdi that could be
bought in clothes. in food and in
other articles. =
This pinnacle of fame had been
reached after the production OF his
'Ernani," now little more than a
name to the opera public. The bane
of all creative work, how to stay
on the pinnacle. dogged him and
for several years he was unable to
produce anything that could hold
the public fancy for any length OF
time. He sought desperately for a
subject and a nbretto that would
light again the spark OF his fertile
imagination \and found it at last in
Victor Hugo's lie Roi s'amuse."
For something like 10 years pre-
ceding the writing of, ,"Rigoletto"
the suspicious eyes Of the police and
censors had been cast In Verdi's
direction. He had q way Of select
ing librettos that hid inflammatory
ideas for the general public which
had pronounced opinions of its own
regarding civil and ecclesiastical
regulations. That Verdi was . par
tisan of some of these forbidden
tendencies was well known. AL
though lie Roi s'amuse" had al
ready come under the ban Of Pa
risian censorship for its moral and
political implications, Verdi had
what he wanted by way of a plot
and arranged for its being turned
into q libretto and called 1t La
Maladizione."
Revised, Given New Title.
Knowing through experience what
procedure he must follow; he had
the lbrettist, Piave, submit 1t to
the censors. Their reaction Is worthy
of being quoted. Returning the
manuscript, they accompanied it
with . notation expressing their
profound regret that the poet,
Piave, and the celebrated Maestro
Verdi should have found no better
field for their talents than the re-
voting immortality and obscene
triviality Of la Maladizione." Te-
nacious of his find, Verdi was not
to be put on. Finally, on the ad-
vice of his admirer, the music low
ing commissary Of police, he con-
sentsd to Dake the changes that