Scan 157
The American history and encyclopedia of music .., 1908
10 lines. Read by computer on 6 September 2026. Printed page 97. See the scan on archive.org.
1Verdi has been followed by a number of composers of undeniable talent. Among them Arrigo Boito, Verdi's librettist, has won a little fame on his own account with his "Mephistopheles" (1868), produced at Milan after fifty-two rehearsals. Amilcare Ponchielli and Umberto Giordano are names of some importance.
3The spectacular Pietro Mascagni, with his "Cavalleria Rusticana," fanned the breeze of realism which blew freshly over France, Germany and other countries and which is the chief characteristic of the present day. Of more substantial genius is Giacomo Puccini, the latest of several of the name who have been famous in the musical annals of Italy. He is a composer of great versatility and discretion, and "Manon Lescaut" (1893), "La Bohème" (1896), "La Tosca" (1900) and "Madame Butterfly" (1904), are in undeniable favor with opera-goers all over the land. Ruggiero Leoncavallo, of "I Pagliacci" fame, and Nicola Spinelli round out a list indicative that Italian opera is not in decadence.
5The opera in Italy is and has been for many years an ubiquitous institution. Before the days of Rossini, every important city had its opera house. This was true of all the larger towns and some of the smaller ones. It is a part of the life of the people, a necessity rather than a luxury. Without consulting the bill-boards or newspapers, you may know what piece is being produced at the opera by listening to the snatches of songs the people hum or whistle as they trudge home from work.
7One of the most famous of the world's opera houses, if the palm may not indeed be awarded to it, is "La Scala" at Milan whose one hundredth anniversary was celebrated in 1876 and within whose historic walls have resounded the measures of many a notable first performance.
9Naturally, from early times provision has been made for musical education in Italy. The first of all the schools was that founded in Naples in 1496. There is a state institution existing in Palermo which was established in 1615. The Academy of St. Cecilia in Rome antedates this by fifty
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