.... Antonio Scotti
Leandro................................ Angelo Bada
Colombina...............................Bella Alten
Eleonora................................Rita Fornia
Arlechino....................... Andrea de Segurola
Asdrubale........................... Pietro Audisio
Almoro.............................. Lambert Murphy
Alviso.......................... Charles Hargreaves
Lunardo....................... Vincenzo Reschiglian
Momolo............................... Paolo Ananian
Menego................................ Giulio Rossi
Un Servitore....................... Stefen Buckreus
Conductor--Arturo Toscanini.]

In "Le Donne Curiose," the gondoliers sing their barcarolle and compel
even the cynic of the drama to break out into an enthusiastic
exclamation: "Oh, beautiful Venice!" The world has heard more of the
natural beauties of Naples than of the artificial ones of Venice, but
when Naples is made the scene of a drama of any kind it seems that its
attractions for librettist and composer lie in the vulgarity and vice,
libertinism and lust, the wickedness and wantonness, of a portion of
its people rather than in the loveliness of character which such a
place might or ought to inspire.

Perhaps it was not altogether surprising that when Wolf-Ferrari turned
from Venice and "Le Donne Curiose" to "I Giojelli della Madonna" with
Naples as a theatre for his drama he should not only change the style
of his music, but also revert to the kind of tale which his
predecessors in the field seem to have thought appropriate to the place
which we have been told all of us should see once and die out of sheer
ecstasy over its beauty. But why are only the slums of Naples deemed
appropriate for dramatic treatment?

How many stories of Neapolitan life have been told in operas since
Auber wrote his "La Muette di Portici" I do not know; doubtless many
whose existence ended with the stagione for which they were composed.
But it is a singular fact bearing on the present discussion that when
the young "veritists" of Italy broke loose after the success of
Mascagni's "Cavalleria rusticana" there came almost a universal desire
to rush to the Neapolitan shambles for subjects. New York has been
spared all of these operas which I have described in an earlier chapter
of this book, except the delectable "A Basso Porto" which Mr. Savage's
company gave to us in English sixteen years ago; but never since.

Whether or not Wo