Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-12-01
BY ALICE EvERSMAN.


A phenomenon that rarely hap
pens in any other field OF music
often occurs in that of musical dra-
ma. A man may write one work
which is a brilliant success and
never again be able to produce any
thing to equal 1t.
Such was the case Of Ruggiero
Leoncavallo, whose fame Is due ex-
clusively to his opera Il Pagiiacci.
Not that Leoncavallo did not try
hard enough to stay in the spotlight
which "Pagliacci" had cast on him
nor was it for lack of talent or in
dustry, 1t simply was not in his
power to create another work with
the same spontaneity and the ap-
peal which he had so easily found
for his opera of the clown and his
associates.
Leoncavallo had great ambitions
when he began to compose and, had
fortune favored him, he might have
realized them But he was one OF
those individuals who seem dogged
with bad luck for no apparent rea-
son. 1t was a great bitterness to
him his life long that he was known
principally as the composer OF
"Pagliacci" and, although interna-
tional recognition and a certain
amount of wealth accrued to him
from its success, he must almost
have hated the opera since, in Its
short form, had been absorbed all
his originality and further flow OF
a like creative power.
At the time when Wagner was the
most talked-of composer in Europe
Leoncavallo planned to write a
trilogy in the Wagnerian manner
He chose for his subject the italian
Renaissance, and soon completed
the first part. 81 Medici." He had
already written "Chatterton' and
known his first hardship when the
producer ran off with the money
Leoncavallo had put up for its stag
ing. Later he had the misfortune
to write and produce another La
Boheme" which was completely
eclipsed by Puccini's opera of the
same name. After the unprecedented
success of "Pagliacci" he finally
brought out 81 Medici," to which the
public showed such lack Of en-
thusiasm that he abandoned his
idea of duplicating Wagner's ME
belungen" set with an Italian SUBJ
ject.
Never Another "Pagliacci."
He was encouraged by the German
emperor to write an opera on a
German theme and produced Der
Roland" with mediocre success. He
wrote several others and staged
them, but none could compare with
"Pagliacci." His opera "Zaza" has
survived to a certain extent, but
even that was simply the work of a
gifted man. The great moment OF
inspiration had reached him only
once.
He never perhaps understood fully
that the chief reason for the effect
which "Pagliacci' produced at its
first hearing and ever since was the
outcome of his own sincerity and
concentration when writing 1t. The
subject which he chose was an &C
tual experience as child, the I'M
preston of which never left him.
The principal actor of a travelling
troupe had killed. his wife in a fit
of jealousy. and the case was tried
by Leoncavallo's father. who was a
Judge. 1t has been said also that
the boy Ruggiero actually saw the
murder committed At any rate,
when thinking to duplicate the sue
cess of Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rus
ticana," he remembered this ex-
perience and used it as a basis for
his opera. writing the ibretto him.
self.
He had a flash of genius in the
manner in which he designed the
story. The idea of play within a
play had been used often for the
dramatic stage but never before for
the operate This not only offered
a novel angle but heightened the
drama of the whole Having one
of the actors step before the cur
tain and tell about the play was an
ancient device of the old Greek
dramas which, used for the first time
in opera of this era, proved to be
of special appeal. For this Pro-
logue he wrote impershable music,
music which gave to gifted singers
every opportunity to win the au-
dience with their art and arouse
anticipation for what was coming.
The characters of this opera are
foils to each other. They are hu-
man and vivid. and the tragic story
r,,oveS suift1v and with ever-in-