Verdi's
later operas contain such melodies and he is the model which the young
composers of Italy will doubtless follow. Puccini, Mascagni,
Leoncavallo, and others, have written works rich in melody and yet not
wanting in dramatic charm, orchestral accompaniment and musicianly
treatment.

OPERA THE NATURAL GENIUS OF ITALY'S COMPOSERS

When the Italian student leaves the conservatory, in ninety-nine cases
out of a hundred his ambitions are solely along the line of operatic
composition. This seems his natural bent or mould. Of course he has
written small fugues and perhaps even symphonies, but in the majority of
instances these have been mere academic exercises. I regret that this is
the case, and heartily wish that we had more Bossis, Martuccis and
Sgambattis, but, again, would it not be a great mistake to try to make a
symphonist out of an operatic composer? In the case of Perosi I often
regret that he is a priest and therefore cannot write for the theatre,
because I earnestly believe that notwithstanding his success as a
composer of religious music, his natural bent is for the theatre or the
opera.

THE COMPOSERS OF TO-DAY

Of the great Italian opera composers of to-day, I feel that Puccini is,
perhaps, the greatest because he has a deeper and more intimate
appreciation of theatrical values. Every note that Puccini writes smells
of the paint and canvas behind the proscenium arch. He seems to know
just what kind of music will go best with a certain series of words in
order to bring out the dramatic meaning. This is in no sense a
depreciation of the fine things that Mascagni, Leoncavallo and others
have done. It is simply my personal estimate of Puccini's worth as an
operatic composer. Personally, I like _Madama Butterfly_ better than any
other Italian opera written in recent years. Aside from _Falstaff_, my
own best role is probably in _La Tosca_. The two most popular Italian
operas of to-day are without doubt _Aida_ and _Madama Butterfly_. That
is, these operas draw the greatest audiences at present. It is
gratifying to note a very much unified and catholic taste throughout the
entire country. That is to say, in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and
Philadelphia one finds the public taste very similar. This indicates
that the great musical advance in recent years in America has not been
confined to one or two eastern cities.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE STAR SYSTEM

It is often regretable that the reputation of the