Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 June 1894 — WHAT THE COMPOSER THOUGHT [ARTICLE]

WHAT THE COMPOSER THOUGHT

She Took Him at Hts Word—And Reported It. "Pagliacci" was to be given on one occasion, but no one knew of Leonoavallo’a arrival. “He went to the door and bought his ticket. The house was full and no one recognized him. He listened, but naturally did not join in the loud applause which'greeted the presentation. Next to him sat a pretty young woman with lively dark eyes, who beat her little hands as though she was td be rewarded for it. “ ‘Signor,’ she said, turning to Leoncavallo, ‘why do you not applaud? Does the opera not please you?’ “ ‘Not at all,’ came the Answer of tho oomposer, who enjoyed the possibility of somo fun at pis own expense; ‘it displeases me. It is the work of a beginner, to say nothing worse.’ “ ‘Then ypu understand nothing about music.’ replied the young woman. * ‘On, yes I do.’ And the oomposer then began tb talk of the counterpoint and other toohnioal characteristics oi the piece with hia fair neighbor. ‘And as to originality,’ he continued, 'there is none. See this motive was taken from ,’ and he whistled a tune to correspond. ‘That air was stolen from Bizet, and that from Beethoven,' he added, as bar aftor bar was chanted. He declined to admit that the opera hail a single merit. “After the curtain had fallon and the young woman was about to leave the theater, she turned again to her discontented neighbor and asked if the opinion expressed of his opera was a genuine one, and received an affirmative reply. With a merry and malicious look she bade him good-by. “ ‘On the following morning’—the composer may be allowed to tell the ending of the story himself—’l was still in bed when the waiter brought me my ooffee and one of the morning papers. 1 hurriedly glanced througu the journal, when my eye fell on tho headline, “Leoncavallos Opinion of His ‘Pagllacoi.’ ” I road it—and—well, you may imagine my feelings at seeing, word for word, wnat I had told my pretty neighbor concerning the work on tho night before. She was a reporter of the paper and had taken her revenge. I vowed thon that I should never again say an unfavorable word about my operas, especially to ladles.” —Bt. Louis Republic.