File:Pietro Mascagni 02.jpg

Identifier: moderncomposerso00elso (find matches)
Title: Modern composers of Europe : being an account of the most recent musical progress in the various European nations, with some notes on their history, and critical and biographical sketches of the contemporary musical leaders in each country
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors: Elson, Arthur, 1873-1940
Subjects: Composers
Publisher: Boston : L.C. Page
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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and vividnessof Cavalleria deserve all praise. His later works,however, have not come up to the same stand-ard. LAmico Fritz, based on the Erckmann-Chatrian novel, was decidedly unsuited to the sen-sational style, and demanded a gentler hand. IRantzau met with some favour in Italy, and Guglielmo Ratcliff and Silvano also wonpartial successes. The one-act sketch Zanetto was pleasing enough, and Iris gained somerecognition. But none of these works has foundfavour in other nations, as the failure of MascagnisAmerican tour will bear witness. In 1901 he pro-duced Le Maschere, which was performed simul-taneously in six different cities, and made six fail-ures instead of one. He has just completed a newone-act opera, in three scenes, entitled Arnica,treating of a Savoyard love-story with a tragicending. This work is already in the Monte Carlolist The success of Rustic Chivalry aroused Rug-giero Leoncavallo to try his hand in the same school.His first opera, Chatterton, had failed, though in
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PIETRO MASCAGNI. ITALY 167 later years it has met with some success. A discipleof Wagner, he, too, produced an ambitious trilogy,consisting of I Medici, Savonarola, and Cesare Borgia ; but the large work found smallappreciation. Leoncavallo had made piano toursin Greece and Egypt, had lived in Paris some years,and had seen a private performance of his Songedune Nuit d£te ; but fame seemed out of hisreach until the production of his Pagliacci. The story of these strolling players (Pag-liacci) was written by the composer himself.Tonio, the clown, overhears Nedda planning elope-ment with the villager Silvio, and in jealous ragedenounces her to her husband Canio, but Silvioescapes unrecognized. In the play that the littlecompany gives for the villagers the situation hap-pens to be much like the reality, and Canio, actuatedby real instead of miinic passion, stabs Nedda.Silvio leaps from the audience to save her, onlyto meet a similar death. The music of this play,if less popular than that

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