Scan 12
Musical Courier 1901-12-25: Vol 43 Iss 1135, 1901
43 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 13. See the scan on archive.org.
1near Paris, at the villa and gardens of Flora. The scene is one of great charm—a glorious night in the springtime of April, 1837, in the gardens or park surrounding the villa: inside a music room is seen through an open window; without all nature is in blossom, beaming and blooming with delight and loveliness. Here we find Chopin and Flora, Flora's little daughter Grazia and a lot of other children, boys and girls, on whom friend Elio keeps his eye and looks out for their entertainment. Sister Stella has remained in Poland.
3To give a close, conscientious account of all the music used in this and the following acts, as I did in the previous one, would, no doubt, be very interesting to many Chopin lovers, but there are other readers who may care less and find themselves bored by it. I shall, therefore, touch more lightly upon the music source, and not deem it necessary to call attention to every string of Chopin pearls, or to all the precious gems forming this operatic galaxy of charming, graceful and elegant beauties. The act opens with an instrumental prelude formed of measures taken from the First Piano Concerto, op. 11; Scherzo, op. 3; Etude, op. 10, No. 7; Scherzi, op. 54 and op. 39. Elio tells the children (some ten or twelve boys who do the singing, while the girls but look prettily) a story, a legend, on a theme from the Fantasia, op. 49, which melody the children take up and pursue into the Polacca, op. 44. Here Chopin first sings the melody in Polacca, op. 44, and is then joined by Elio in a spirited duet ending in the Mazurka, op. 33, No. 1. Flora, who should be "George Sand" from all we know of her affair with Chopin, at this stage of the story makes her first appearance and is treated symbolically by the author. Her first words, "Chi sa!" attract Chopin's attention, as if they formed a response to his own thinking. She sang with exquisite grace and charm, and with poetic and musical expression the Nocturne, op. 27, No. 2—a song of hope. The children break in here on Scherzo, op. 54, and the Fantasia, op. 49, and Elio relieves them by singing Etude, op. 10, No. 10, and the Impromptu, op. 29. After this we have in the orchestra the Barcarola, op. 60; portions of Scherzo, op. 54; Prelude, op. 45, and Nocturne, op. 27, No. 1, to which latter melody Flora sings of the loveliness and sweetness of the spring night, which is still evening, and in rapturous praise of the music emanating from the villa. Flora, having gone with little Grazia to the garden gate, returns to find that Chopin, always pensive and moody when alone, has entered the house and seated himself at the piano to express his musings and vent his feelings in a tender, dreamy Nocturne (op. 27, No. 1), which we hear played by Signor Franco da Venezia upon a superb Steinway grand piano.
5The effect of this, however, fell flat and was absolutely lost upon the vast audience, as were also other beauties allowed to pass unnoticed—not being recognized.
7There is a great love duet in this act between Chopin and Flora, sung in genuine Italian style, and this had to be repeated on loud demand of the audience. In fact there are two duets to speak of. During the first or earlier one a bird, a nightingale, is heard singing in the trees. Chopin here has the words:
9"Canto di rosignuol, vivido trillo,
10Anima della notte, * * *"
12on the op. 51 Impromptu melody, but the bird just heard had been trilling in the Prelude, No. 1 of op. 28, and this Prelude is then taken up by the lovers, who pass through a part of Mazurka, op. 41, No. 2, after which the orchestra rocks through a short distance of the Barcarola, op. 60, and arrives at the Etude, op. 10, No. 3, where Flora and Chopin later continue their singing together through the Etude. Mazurka, op. 41, No. 2, measures are heard in the orchestra, after which the singers resume their love song and pass through parts of the Polacca Fantasia, op. 61; Mazurka, op. 41, No. 2; Nocturne, op. 9, No. 2; again the Polacca Nocturne, op. 37, No. 2; Ballade, op. 52; Valse, op. 42, and Prelude, op. 28, No. 17, in which they refer to the delicious warbling of the nightingale, the orchestra concluding with Etude, op. 10, No. 3.
14These love duets called forth deafening applause at the close of the act, many persons rising in their seats. There were three curtain calls for the happy lovers, Chopin and Flora, and in the fourth call Borgatti and la Ferrani were joined by Conductor Zuccani.
16Act III. shows us "una certosa abbandonata" (a forsaken monastery) on the Isle of Majorca, whither Flora has taken Chopin to regain his health; nearby we see the blue water of the expansive lake. A new character is seen in this act—the Frate, brother or friar. In this act a tremendous storm, a black tempest, comes over the lake. The orchestra opens with a prelude, playing the Polacca, op. 22. Voices in the distance are heard singing "Maiorca isola bella," to the music in Ballade, op. 38. The Frate is seen near the certosa digging in the garden, and singing to the melodies in Polacca, op. 22, and the Ballade, op. 38, when Chopin appears upon the scene, sickly looking and weak, indulging in much "Camille-like" coughing. He sings of being "so tired" and he looks it; his under-chin reddish brown hirsute growth and his green-colored jacket add to his paleness of face. He looks troubled and anxious. He sings a great aria here:
18"Io sono oppresso da un angoscia muta,"
20being the Ballade, op. 23, followed by Polacca, op. 22, and the Nocturne, op. 15, No. 2—which, however, was received coldly, or rather not at all, as it passed by unknown. The Frate then takes the Ballade melody, op. 38, as his theme, during which Chopin has hallucinations and "sees things." He works himself up into a great state over "those frati" and other things he imagines before him, but is again calmed into singing the Prelude, op. 28, No. 15, and is joined by the Frate through the Ballade, op. 47, when they alternate in the singing of Ballade, op. 38. Chopin then proceeds alone—assisted from time to time by the Frate—singing parts of the Ballades, op. 47 and op. 38; Polacca, op. 26, No. 2; Nocturne, op. 27, No. 1; Prelude, op. 28, No. 24, and again Ballade, op. 38, until he has wrought himself into such a state of agitation, excitement and terror that he falls to the floor, exhausted and helpless; he then has a fit of coughing—leaving him too weak to rise for quite a while. The Frate tries to assist him with the Sonata, op. 4, and appeals to the first movement of Sonata, op. 35, then to the finale of the same sonata for help—but without getting Chopin to his feet. Meanwhile the terrific storm is raging and the orchestral Etude, op. 25, No. 4, has given Chopin enough strength to utter "alas!" (ahimè!) The orchestra continues, playing this time the Allegro Agitato movement of Sonata, op. 35, and the Frate succeeds in urging Chopin to his feet. Shortly after, poor Flora enters sobbing; gazing at each other, they sing in unison—she: "Fritz—ahimè Fritz!" and he: "Flora! o Flora!" upon a theme from Nocturne, op. 62, No. 1, and Chopin, continuing, sings: "But thou weepest? * * * Why? * * *" She answers not. But the chorus of Majorca fishermen and women in their picturesque dress of the isle enter slowly, singing very softly and lento assai, the Prelude, op. 28, No. 6, and bearing the dead body of dear little Grazia, the beloved daughter of Flora, who has fallen a victim to the frightful tempest. Beginning with a grand duet between Flora and Chopin, who are joined later by Elio and the Frate, we have a great ensemble number with the chorus, which is the climax and the finale of this act. With the dead child before them, and the orchestra having played in a slow and very sustained manner parts of the Prelude, op. 28, No. 2, and the Nocturne, op. 62, No. 2, Flora begins Nocturne, op. 48, No. 1,
22"Grazia, mia dolce bimba adorata!
23Sei morta, fiore della mia vita."
25a melodic phrase of four measures, Chopin then singing the next phrase:
27"Luce dell' anima, sei dileguata!
28L'ombra ci arrolge, cupa, infinita."
30After which they continue together this beautiful and touching lament, which soon swells to a quartet and chorus of grand proportions—a finale of stirring, thrilling effect and then dying away in a sotto voce, "Ave, Ave o Grazia," of the chorus on four measures of the op. 51 Impromptu, and an orchestral Adagio movement from the Mazurka, op. 24, No. 4.
32Much applause after the curtain fall for the principal singers, bringing out Ferrani and Borgatti twice and the tenor alone a third time.
34The fourth act consists entirely of Chopin's death scene in his own apartments at Paris. He is seen there in his bedchamber seated in a great arm chair, attended by his brotherly friend Elio; his sister Stella arriving later, in whose arms he breathes his last. Grief stricken Flora is not with him in these last moments; but he has been dreaming of her—and also of his native Poland.
36Prelude, op. 28, No. 4, in E minor, Adagio and Elegiac, forms the orchestral opening of this scene, foreboding almost announcing, the death of Chopin, who raises his voice in accents tragic, if no longer passionate, to sing the Prelude, op. 28, No. 20, with thoughts of his dear Polonia, his birth land, and of his first love; remembering, too, the more recent events; he wanders in this singing through parts of Etude, op. 25, No. 7; Nocturne, op. 32, No. 1; Fantasia, op. 13; Nocturne, op. 15, No. 1; Etude, op. 25, No. 6; Nocturne, op. 37, No. 1, and returning again to Prelude, op. 28, No. 20, when Elio addresses him with music from the Ballade, op. 52, to which Chopin responds, "No, no!" taking up the Agitato Allegro of Study No. 1 in the "Method of Methods," which is continued by Elio, and again followed by Chopin until Elio introduces Nocturne, op. 9, No. 1, and a duet is formed between them; this they continue until Stella arrives, when Elio withdraws and Stella sings Fantasia, op. 13. Chopin, again making an effort to rise from his chair, falls back with the words "Stella"—"Sorella?" in Polacca, op. 26, No. 1, and sings until she replies once more with the Fantasia, and in which they embrace in duet form until they reach the Polacca, op. 44, where the orchestra ventures alone with the chromatic run for the basses and then falls into the op. 36, Impromptu, for Chopin. The dying singer takes up this Impromptu, but soon leaves it for the Nocturne, op. 55, No. 1, in which his sister joins him just a bit; alone he passes on to the Nocturne, op. 62, No. 1, but again returns to Nocturne, op. 55, No. 1, singing which Chopin expires in the arms of his sister. This scene is touching, and many in the audience were affected by it. After a descending chromatic interlude in triplet groupings from Nocturne, op. 9, No. 3, the orchestra brings Stella, Elio and an out of sight chorus far away to sing the Prelude, op. 28, No. 9, with which the opera ends.
38All through this scene the tenor Borgatti was great; his mezza voce Nocturne singing was most beautiful, expressive and musical. But Chopin was not allowed to breathe and sing his last in peace, being interrupted by thoughtless, senseless, indecent applause and cries of "Bravo!" and "Bis, bis!"
40Just imagine "bravo" and "bis" cries during such a scene! At the close of the opera there was an ovation to the principal interpreters, with numerous calls for the conductor, the composer and also for the chorusmaster.
42Should Chopin's music, through this opera, become popular, commonplace street property, I should feel grieved and sorry indeed. To have Chopin's gems and precious jewels treated with the favor bestowed upon big-dropped, dangling earrings, and every-finger, all-hand-
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