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New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXII, Issue XV, 15 April 1899, Page 487

Tt is not generally known that the life of Pietro Mascagni before the evening when he suddenly became famous at Rome, in consequence of the success of ‘Cavalleria Rusticana,’ was most original and full of adventures, lie was the son of a modest banker of Leghorn. Passing through the usual Government course of studies when still a mere lad. he abandoned the school benches in order to study music under the mastership of Alfredo SotTredina. of which studies the good fruits were soon seen, for at seventeen years of age he had already’ written two cantati, ’ln Filanda’ and

‘Alla Gioia.’ which were publicly performed in the music-room of the Casino at Leghorn, by the members of the Philharmonic Society of that city. At the same time he was learning, to play’ the violin, the double bass and the clarionet, with the result that today there is not a single instrument of the orchestra that he does not know how to play, and even if he does not pla.v it perfectly, he plays it well enough to know the effect the various instruments should render, a capacity of untold advantage to him in the orchestration of his music.

11 is not only women, it seems, who go to the ‘beauty promoter.’ One of these operators said the other day:-— ’You will perhaps be surprised to hear that my practice is not entirely eonfined to women. For instance, a young man once came to me with eyebrows so arched that they gave him a look of chronic surprise. By removing a few hairs at either end, ami again at the summit of the arch, they’ were reduced to their normal proportions. and, to his surprise, he was converted into quite a handsome man.’