:w, 1919 MUSICAL AMERICA 5 . . How Puccini Got His ~tart, Related by His Schoolmate Tirindelli
Details of Famous Italian's First Look'ng at the dignified Tirindelli of the pre ~ ent day it seems odd to connect Triumph Told by Distin him with any such high jinks! guished Music Master-Latter Pranks of the Elect "Campanari, whom you knew as a Comes to New York After great baritone, was a 'cellist in those Twenty Years in Cincinnati days, and a very fine one. We played in the orchestra at La Scala together, and Tirindelli' s Boyhood Compo Toscanini was another of the 'cellos. Even then Toscanini had a marvelous sition Developed, by Liszt memory and after going over a ny opera once or twice he never needed to look at "The Bohemians" at Play his music, and used to turn out t he light over his desk. One of h!s jokes was to piER ADOLFO TIRINDELLI has play the Garibaldi Hymn in counter come to New York. · For twenty point with the 'Marcia Reale' in one of years this Italian master, who was a the ballets. Campanari's pranks, how pupil of Bazzini and Massart, has been ever, were more elaborate. One day we got a lot of cabbage stalks and cut them connected with the Cincinnati Conserva up and put them into one of the violas. tory, and now New York is to have the The player couldn't imagine why his in privilege of his presence. Born in Ven strument was so heavy and sounded so ice, he was the director of the conserva dull! It never occurred to him that it was breat hing forth the odor of cabbage! tory in that city, and. also conducted Another day we unraveled a G string opera and the Symphony Orchestra, in and tied one end of it to the fr:nge of which latter position he was succeeded the curtain and the other to the wig of by Manc:nelli, Martucci and Wolf-Fer one of the players. You can fancy what rari. For five years he was concert hapEened when· the curtain rose! I No. 1--:-Eugen Ysaye from a Photograph Given by Him to Sig. Tirindelli in Venice in don t know how we ever kept our posi master at Covent Garden and also con 1889. No. 2-Giacomo Puccini in 1887 tions in that orchestra! The very worst· ducted there. He played in all the large which pleases you by its fine feeling. Villi,' for a contest and it failed to win thing we did was to put a live rat into European cities both in recital and with " 'By the way, the Adagio has been so the prize. When the operas which ob one of the bass fiddles. All went well orchestra. Through his compositions he badly copied that another less faulty one tained the first and SElcond prizes were until the fiddle began to play. Then, the has also been identified with all the most will have to be made before sending it performed, Puccini: went to hear them vibration getting on the nerves of Signor prominent composers and musicians. His to print. By this same post you will re- and his comment was: 'My God! Is it Rat, he began looping the loop around operas "Athenaide" and "Blanc et Noir" possible that I could have written any the inside of the ins1;rument and squeal were given with success in Italy and his thing less good than this?' So he took ing like mad in utter dis;regard of key latest work in this form, "Verso la the score to Bo'ito and played it for him signature!" Luce" is now ready for presentation. He and the composer of 'Mefistofele' was so "You really oughtn't to tell those has also written man:y songs which are -I impressed that he started a subscription things!" interrupted the Signora Tirinc delli, "people will think you are not seri- on the programs of the foremost singers. to have the work given. The amount fell ous!" ... During the past season, Mr. Tirindel short of what was n~eded, so in order to li's tone poem, "L'Intruse" was given by reduce the expenses all of us who were The interviewer disagreed and, any the Cincinnati Orchestra under the con friends of Puccini, played in the or how, he pointed out, it was not probable ductorship of Ysaye. Speaking of this, chestra. The work had a tremendous that Tirindelli's rat and cabbage days one of the leading papers of the city success and the day after the perform had persisted for thirty years. · said: "If all American compositions were ance Ricordi sent for Puccini. How well Meeting with Ysaye given the reception accorded the tone I remember that day! We all four went poem 'L'Intruse' of Tirindelli at the together and Puccini made Mascagni, "It was when I lived· in Venice that I concert of the Cincinnati Symphony Or Buzzi-Peccia and myself wait at the was knighted," went· on the maestro: chestra yesterday afternoon, the case of Caffe Biffi in the Galleria Vittorio Em "And one day a young violinist, almost the American composer would be a most manuele while he saw the publisher. We entirely unknown, came to me. He played encouraging one. Mr. Tirindelli's work were in a nervous fever, but presently divinely and we became fast friends and was given a genuinely enthusiastic ap out came Puccini, his face all smiles and, have been ever since. His name is Eugen plause, the audience calling the composer without a word, he laid a pile of notes Ysaye! to the stage and rising spontaneously to on the table. It was 2000 francs which "Do you know Venice?" Tirindelli do him honor when he appeared. The Ricordi had given him as advance roy asked the interviewer. . composition itself, an immensely difficult alty, and he also had in his hand a con The interviewer did. · · one and superby played by Mr. Ysaye and Pier Adolfo Tirindelli, Noted Composer, tract for a new work. "Ah, then you remember t he Colleoni the orchestra, depicts the struggle be Teacher,! . Violinist and Conductor "So he decided to go to Monza to write statue?" asked the Signora. "I liyed in tween Life ·and Fate. It is intensely his new opera, which, by the way, was· th~ Palazzo Dandolo on that square, just modern in ·color, treatment and dramatic ceive th.e three works with my altera 'Edgar.' The librettist, Fontana, who had opposite the church of 'Zan!polo,' as the feeling, the melody alternating with bril tions.. - ~ . . written the book for 'Le Villi/ was the Venetian dialect has it. Whenever pho liant and impo3ing climaxes. In its sub · . " 'Your very respectful and devoted guest at the time of Ghislanzoni, who is tographers wanted pictures of the statue· ject matter the tone poem revealed the servant F. LISZT. best known as the author of the book of they used to take them from the balcony: pcet and the thinker, while its technical ' " 'Rome, Sept. 1, 1880.' 'A'ida,' and who was living in a villa on ou_tside our drawing room window. So, structure indubitably displayed the mas "The mazurka he enlarged from a Lake Como. All four of us went and, when ~ou see a p:cture of Colleoni, you ter of orchestral resource. The reception short one of two pages to a long one of when it was bedtime, Signor Ghislanzoni will know that he looks just t he way I given this dignified and beautiful Ameri eight. And you may imagine how proud put us all in one_ big room with four used to see him every . time I looked out can work was one which reflected credit a boy I was, and how proud I still am, beds. Mascagni was always tip to some of the window!" upon composer and audience alike." for that matter! tr;ck or other, so as soon as we were in It was getting late and the interviewer Readmg this, one is not surprised to , "In the class with me at the conserva bed and the light out, a shoe came flying felt that, although he could talk learn that the composer was knighted by tory in Milan were three men who are through the air! Puccini, not to be out indefinitely to people who had known the late King Umberto of Italy, or that now very much before the public. They done; threw two shoes, and Buzzi-Peccia , Liszt, Puccini, Mascagni and-,-Colleoni, no Jess a person than Franz Liszt took are Puccini, Mascagni and Buzzi-Peccia. followed suit with the candlestick, and I they might have other· things to do, s0 · such an interest in his work as to de We were almost like the characters in let fly pieces of the bedroom china until he took his leave. velop one of his early efforts into a Murger's 'Vie de Boheme' which one of everything in the room, nearly, was in JOHN ~LAN HAUGHTON lengthy number. the four was to give to the world in the air and the cry of all was 'Si salvi operatic form a few years later. Puc chi puo!' We were not out of our teens, Marie Morrisey Begins Her Season Encouraged by Liszt Cini, you kn_ow, wrote his first opera, 'Le you see!" "I was only a boy at the time," said Marie Morrisey, contralto, began her, Mr. Tirindelli to the interviewer, "and 111n _. ,, .._ season in Maine on Sept. 8, giving a con on one of my vacations I met the Baron cert in Machias on that date. This was ess Helen Augusz of Buda-Pesth. She followed by concerts in other Maine became interested in a little mazurka I towns and in New Hampshire and Mas had composed and sent it to Liszt. His sachusetts. Later Miss Morrisey will go letter to her about the composWon is to Canada for three weeks and then published in La Mara's Letters of Franz double back through New York and Liszt, and is as follows: Pennsylvania, continuing EOuth and end~ i "'To Baroness Helen Augusz, Sister ing up in Florida just before Christmas. of Mercy in Graz: "'Most Reverend Sister of St. Vincent Emma Roberts to Sing with Stransky de Paule, Forces in Cleveland "'Pray always dispose of my feeble The Musical Arts Association of Cleve services. I ·_am writing to the Baroness land, Ohio, through Mrs. Adelia Pren-· de Roner according to your instructions, tiss Hughes, has engaged Emma Roberts and ·request that you will send her the as soloist with the New York · Philhar· enclosed lines. , 1c Orchestra, Joseph Stransky, con "'M. Tirindelli's abilities deserve at ductor, on March 1' · vt. Miss .l{oberts tention, · consideration and encourage made her de.mt in -'~ last Ma.rch ment. This you have well understood in a song recitat" ,_ ·•11ightly and it will be a pleasure to me to Club, makmg so o :;! p, .,'\t second you. " 'How can I be of· use to him? her re-engagem'i ;:j ~-!!'I D "''By recommending him to some pub MacDowell o§ :tif:@ R ~ ~ lisher in . G"ermany? h 1 0 )::,.- s~- _,e "'Does he,. intend. to travel and give earsa fo ;;:§, ~ ::b ~ J4 is concertsr Yo1.1r protege, M. Tirindelli, The MacD ~" ('j ~~