Scan 6
Musical Courier 1894-12-12: Vol 29 Iss 770, 1894
49 lines. Read by computer on 20 September 2026. Printed page 5. See the scan on archive.org.
1A Christmas Dream.
3By Max Maretzek.
5CHAPTER IV.
7LASTOR (through the infernal long distance telephone)—"Hallo!"
8"Hallo! Give me No. 77777!"
9SOPHIS.—"Hallo!"
10ALASTOR—"Is this you, Sophistocles? Where are you, and what are you doing? Nearly one hundred years have passed since your fiasco in Rome, and we have heard nothing further from you!"
11SOPHIS.—"I am in Florence, Italy, and watching the progress and development of opera."
12ALASTOR—"Opera! What is that?"
13SOPHIS.—"A new invention—a new kind of musical production—music that does not appeal exclusively to religious thoughts; on the contrary it expresses mundane sentiments, such as love, hatred, jealousy, friendship, revenge or folly; in fact all kinds of passions that stir the human heart."
14ALASTOR—"It sounds as if this new departure in musical production might become available for our purposes at some future time; but I suppose it is as yet an 'infant industry' that deserves and needs protection. Who are the most conspicuous opera composers at present?"
15SOPHIS.—"Monteverde, and Lulli. The first is a bold innovator in instrumentation and harmonic modulation, and the second is a graceful writer of pleasing melodies, without any attempt at sublimity, nor yet sufficient carelessness to become frivolous. I have tried to convert them both, but the first took Holy Orders and retired from the world, while the second is in Paris, protected by the King and favored by the ladies of the Court, and fully satisfied with his lot. Nor do I think that either of them would have met the requirements of his Satanic Majesty."
16ALASTOR—"All right; but don't be so lazy in reporting in future. Farewell!"
17SOPHIS.—"One moment, your excellency. Will you not confidentially tell me what his Majesty said when he learned how I baffled the stratagem of the Inquisition in Rome by turning into a mouse?"
18ALASTOR—"He said: 'Parturiunt montes, nascitur ridiculus mus.' The entire Inferno laughed at his Majesty's wit. It tickled his vanity and made him feel pleased."
19SOPHIS.—"And what did the other devils say?"
20ALASTOR—"Mephistopheles sneered, and thought that with a woman and a Jew interested and compromised you ought to have succeeded if you were at all a clever devil. Asmodel was of the opinion that if you had been smart, you would have bribed the Grand Inquisitor with that pretended inexhaustible purse, and he would have compelled Palestrina to compose whatever you wished. Azrael said that if you expect to succeed you must abstain from expounding the Scriptures in new ways, as the old version is too deeply rooted in the minds of men to be exploded by your sophistries. In fact, they all made fun of you."
21SOPHIS.—"I see that the devils down below are just as jealous of each other as the musicians are here in the upper world. But tell me, what did 'Grandma' say?"
22ALASTOR—"She said that you were yet young in the business, and advised giving you plenty of rope, if for nothing else, to let you down easier into the bottomless pit in case you do not succeed; but that you have yet nearly 200 years left in which to accomplish your mission."
23SOPHIS.—"God bless her!—Oh! Ah! excuse me! I meant to say many thanks to the devilish old lady! Apropos! Do you think she would be inclined to once more tie the knot of matrimony? In your opinion, would she listen to honest propositions!"
24ALASTOR—"What do you mean?"
25SOPHIS.—"Well! I mean in case I cannot find what I am in search of, the husband of the Devil's grandmother might find protection enough to save him from that pit without a bottom."
26ALASTOR—"You are crazy! I have no time to fool away with you. Bye-bye."
28CHAPTER V.
30About the year 1720 A. D. George Frederic Händel was in London, at the height of his reputation, and, having saved a competency, determined to invest it in operatic enterprises. Dissatisfied with the mercenary tactics of impresarios and music publishers, he resolved to be his own manager.
32It is said that on one occasion, a certain publisher having cleared 8,000 guineas with one of Händel's operas, while the composer had received only 400, he notified the publisher that the next opera must be composed by said publisher, while he (Händel) would attend to selling the music.
34With the assistance of several noblemen, among them Robert Walpole, Lord Cooper and Count Kinsky, the German ambassador at London, Händel founded the Royal Academy of Music and engaged an Italian Opera Company, with Francesca Cuzzoni as prima donna and Signor Senesino as first tenor. Signora Cuzzoni appeared for the first time in Händel's opera, "Otho," and her success was instantaneous and extraordinary. She became an immense favorite with the subscribers and enjoyed unbounded popularity with her audiences.
36Cuzzoni could not be called a beauty, though she possessed lustrous black eyes and pearly white teeth, but her complexion was olive brown and her figure uninteresting. She was of a quick, turbulent temper, being an Italian, and of a saucy and capricious disposition, being a prima donna, but her wonderful voice and power of expression enabled her at will to transport her audiences to realms of bliss and ecstasy, or to bathe them in their own tears.
38Of course she was persecuted by admirers and followers of all classes of society, and conspicuous among them was a German gentleman, Colonel Irreitner von Trugschloss. He claimed to have fought under Prince Eugene and horoscopes, and pretended to possess the power of telling any person's past or future life. Not using his many accomplishments as a business, but only as a means of social entertainment and amusement, and being seemingly well supplied with money, he was received in the best society and also acted as "cavalier servente," chaperon and interpreter to Signora Cuzzoni.
40Of course this gallant Colonel Irreitner was nobody else than Sophistocles in a new character.
42If at first Cuzzoni was capricious and quick tempered, she became, after her great success and her acquaintance with Herr Irreitner, both obstinate and insolent, and imagined that she could do just as she pleased and that her will must be law. Händel, delighted with her voice, took great pains to compose music specially adapted to her vocal capacities, but in return she treated him with the utmost insolence, changed the phrases of his arias at her pleasure, ventured embellishments not in accordance with the spirit and character of the compositions, insisted upon changing entire passages and sang only when she felt inclined, regardless of damage to her manager or of inconvenience to the public. She had at length so worn out the patience of Händel and his co-directors by her obstinacy and selfishness that they decided to engage the services of an additional prima donna, Signora Faustina Bordoni, a daughter of a noble Venetian family and a pupil of Mariella.
44When Cuzzoni learned of the arrival of Faustina she could hardly contain her rage, and could only be consoled by the thought that her own popularity was so great that nobody else could possibly eclipse her. So in anticipation of the exquisite pleasure of witnessing the failure of a would-be rival, she went, with her cavalier Irreitner, to the general rehearsal of Händel's new opera "Alexander," in which Signora Faustina Bordoni was to make her début.
46Hardly had she glanced at Bordoni when she felt the pangs and throes of jealousy and hatred, for Faustina had the advantage of possessing a form of elegant symmetry, a beautiful face and a charming personality; but when Faustina had finished her aria "Alla sua gabbia d'oro," and the directors, orchestra, chorus and invited guests shouted spontaneously "Bravo," and repeated the compliment several times, Cuzzoni could remain no longer. She left the house suddenly, dragging the Colonel after her, and driving home, gave full vent to her rage.
48"I don't know what I would not give if I could see them
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