VERDI: AN APPROBATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 64

VERDI: AN APPROBATION.

\~crdi was &o c^centl;. l ] 1 " „ conrj. . cr of the p?.&t century that his death at ths age of 87 is oi bi--tonc:\l rathe tl' ni (f purely mu'jicpl interest. Even 1 X I.iur op?r t>, s^ucli as ''Otello'' and "F.iKt. <•£." are now r<.iely oi never hend he**. In the case of "FaU'.aff,'" at any late, this to be a <rri-at p'ty, for much of tiu n is '■apericr to the more labour* d ciioits of the \oiniL:ei <=vliool, while til it tho v. oik is fuily w.thm the me-tn.s of the aveic'^e ops^'i mger vas proved conclu.-ive y encugh by I 'ie admirable performance given by tne ".udents of the Royal Col'e_;e of Music two or tl'ree years ago. Veid', hoy ever, ".iade hii iiu..ae, his fame, ar.d liis fortune by the po-cal!ecl

B VEREL-OP.G \N "' OPr RAS,

v.ln^h 'were so popular in the middle of the lrst century. They are now out of dii'c. "Rigolett'/' is occasionally g'vcii when some youug debutante with a limited repeitoiy desires to displ t y L?r po^e^Fi^n of a fle-xjble, light sopiano voice ; while "La Traviata." is no\^ and again peifoimed mainly in cider tint prime donne miy exhibit to the wondering eves of the ladies, of operatic: audiences, the costliest of jewels and the lat-e.st Parisian gowns. But no rp_'ra drt'jtor m bis sense? would attempt t ) run "11 TicT-aioic," wliicli m Titiens's days was always surp of at lea.st a jM^nilar audience : wrrle "Un Billo in :.las- . iicra' has T think, net been given in London M. Jean de R^s/ke payed the principal part .something like 15 yens a<ro.

Veidi' c c"licr orma* have oithe- never been pmYrmcd hi England, or at ai\v rate are ertnely unknown cc> the present ge"eratior, no i excluding t1.3 only opera l.c ever wrote for London — aamelv, "1 M.^nafucii.' ba^ed upon Schiller's ' Tiic Robin r~," ond r>icdui_ed at the old Her il jc ij'.s Theatre in 1847. Tb's < p:ra, !)v the w i'.v. v.,i« very nearly ih° means o[ j idiirin^ Veidi to rdmou >h emp • lUon altogether. It was at the period of tie of Sir Michael (Jo»ta to Covent Garden, pnd Lumley, the manager, then OFI/.ITD Vi:HDI A HFOK C ALIKY to accept the vacflnt post. Vtrdi, howc\cv. was under contra* 1/ io r<>n:i>ose a, (duple of cprrds (whiih, "-üb-roi °rtl> , pro\ed upsuj'-Pi^fu 1 .) for >1 n Italru in; iv. ger. .''iid a^uidi'i^ly the office of conductor at Her Majesty's was undertaken by I? a lie. IL.d Verdi accepted n, 'Traviata," "Tr .vati.rc. and his otl er most succe^ful (.peas mi^ht never have been comix sod re all. Pra^ticplly the only woik by Veuli row c\i*ting J rc tho London operatic icp'rtciy ]« "Aida '' Verdi, however, was always. both musically and politically, the idol of the luihans, and his influence upon the compowers of modern Italj hn.-, beyond all question, been very great. Potrella, Gomez (who c c "II Guarany" was performed in London in 1872), and March: tti, eonipc-er of "Rnv Bias," wpie undoubtedly much influenced by Verdi's "second manner" ; while hi« melodic style is also more or less impie'sed upon the music of Boito (his old frier.d and librettist) and Ponch : «lli. as well as on Mjsca^ni, Puccini, and the "advanced" composers of the present day.

Among those who watched at Verdi's deathbed vas his nd friend and prnna donna. R'gnora Stolz. Yen.li, indeed, throughout his life,

OWED A CHEAT DEAL TO W OM!,V. His n'ist wife, who died so tragically at the outset of his career (his wife and his two children being carried off by a malady within almost a few days of each oth^r, w;^ the din gliter of his e?rly ber-pt.ictor Barev.zi, the wine manufacturer and provision merchant to whom Verdi was eirand boy, and who paid for the composer's first lessons in music. A portrait of Bare/zi, who died only a comparatively few ye us since, was always above the maestro' s writ-ing-desk in his country Lome at Stint - Asrata. Then came Signora Strepponi, who. for nearly Half a century was Verdi's second wife. " It was mainly owing to Strepponi that Verdi had Ins first chance. He was -an organist at Busseto, v, hen Masini, then director of one of the minor theatres of Milan, commissioned him to write an opera entitled "Oberto." This was in 1839 : but by the time the work was finished, Masini was no longer manager, and the piece was shelved. At that time Merelli was manager of La Scala, and he happened to overhear a (very possibly pre-arranged) "conversation behind the scenes, in which Signora Strepponi, talking to the great Baritone, Ronconi, spoke very favourably of the music of "Oberto." Accordingly Merelli, to the young composer's immense delight, accepted the work, Ricordi paving for it the moderate price of £70. Immediately afterwards Merelli commissioned Verdi to write three other operas. It was Signora Strepponi who created the principal part in Verdi's first real success, "Nabucco," and a few years afterwards

SHE MARRIED HIM. Signora Stolz was the original Aida in Italy, and it was for her also that Verdi designed the principal part in his "Requiem "' In 1875 she came to London with Verdi to sing in the "Requiem." A few years later she married and retired to Bologna. But she maintained her friendship for the composer, and when he was stricken with paralysis, she at once ioined the select circle of his intimate friends as watchers around his death-bed. Most of Verdi's money. it is understood, #oes to the hospital which he founded for decayed musicians at Bus^eto. He leaves no children, but his relations are duly provided for.— Truth.