Chapter VI: Rigoletto to Aïda--Second Period Operas

Turning-point in Verdi's career--The libretto of _Rigoletto_--Production
of _Rigoletto_ in Venice, London, and Paris--Great success of the
opera--_Athenæum_ and _The Times_ on _Rigoletto_--"_La Donna è
mobile_"--A second period style--_Il Trovatore_ written for Rome--The
libretto--Its reception at the Apollo Theatre--The work produced at
the Royal Italian Opera, Covent Garden--Its cast, and Graziani's
singing therein--Lightning study of the _Azucena rôle_--_Athenæum_
and _The Times_ on _Il Trovatore_--_La Traviata_--The libretto and
argument--The first performance at Venice a _fiasco_--Judgment
reversed--Brilliant success of the opera in London--Piccolomini's
impersonation of Violetta--Mr. Lumley's testimony--The Press and _La
Traviata_--_Athenæum_ and _The Times_ criticism of _La
Traviata_--_Les Vêpres Siciliennes_--_Prima donna_ runs
away--Reception of the opera in Paris and London--Verdi in
Germany--_The Times_ criticism--_Simon Boccanegra_ a failure--_Un
Ballo in Maschera_--Trouble with the authorities--Production and
success of _Un Ballo in Maschera_--Its reception in London--_The
Times_ on the opera--_La Forza del Destino_ unsuccessful 104

CHAPTER VII

_REQUIEM_ MASS AND OTHER COMPOSITIONS

Verdi as a sacred music composer--Share in the "Rossini" mass--Failure
of a patch-work effort--_Missa de Requiem_ produced--Splendid
reception--Performed at the Royal Albert Hall--Structure of the
work--Von Bülow's opinion--Divided opinions on its style and
merit--Its character--Modern Italian Church style--Northern _versus_
Southern Church music--Verdi's early compositions--E minor Quartet
for strings--_L'Inno delle Nazioni_--Its performance at Her Majesty's
Theatre--Verdi's slender share in orchestral music--National
temperament involved--Thematic method inconsistent with Italian
national life 150

CHAPTER VIII

THIRD PERIOD OPERAS

A matured style--Methuselah of opera--The last link--_Aïda_--A higher
art plane--Ismail Pacha commissions _Aïda_--Its libretto--Production
at Cairo--The argument--Patti as _Aïda_--_Athenæum_ criticism of
_Aïda_--_Otello_--Scene in Milan--The initial cast--Its production
and reception in London and Paris--_Athenæum_ review of _Otello_--Its
story--Vocal and instrumental qualities--_Falstaff_--A surprise
defeated--Boito--_Falstaff_ produced at La Scala--In
France--_Falstaff_ at Covent Garden--The comedy and its
music--_Athenæum_ opinion of _Falstaff_--A crowning triumph 167

CHAPTER IX

POLITICIAN AND CITIZEN

A born politician--Attempt to draw Verdi--The revolutionary ring of
Verdi's music--Signor Basevi on this feature--National and political
honours and distinctions--An inactive senator--England's neglect--The
composer's nature and character--Bluntness of speech--A dissatisfied
auditor--Verdi's alleged parsimony--Verdi and the curate--The gossips
and his fortune--Life at St. Agata villa--An "eighty-two"
word-portrait--Verdi's old-age vigour--Love of flowers--His hobby at
the Genoa _palazzo_--Independence of character 203

CHAPTER X

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF STYLE

Verdi's popularity--An important personality in music--Most successful
composer of the nineteenth century--Verdi's opportuneness--Keynote of
future struck in _Nabucco_--Its characteristics--Distinguishing
features of Verdi's music--Stereotyped pattern operas--Change of
style imminent in _Luisa Miller_--Altered second period style of
_Rigoletto_--This maintained in _Il Trovatore_--_La Traviata_
forebodings--Basevi's charge of an altered style therein--_La
Traviata_ and _débutantes_--True Verdi style in _Les Vêpres
Siciliennes_--_Simon Boccanegra_ and _Un Ballo in Maschera_--Third
period works--_Aïda_--Alleged Wagner influence--Mistaken
criticism--Orchestration of _Otello_--Its style and _technique_
compared with _Aïda_--_Falstaff_--Its position as an opera--A saviour
of Italian art--The _Illustrated London News_ defends Verdi from
early critics--Later critics silenced--Verdi vindicated 223

CHAPTER XI

EFFECT UPON AND PLACE IN OPERA

Origin of opera--Melody in music--The first opera, _Dafne_--Monteverde's
advances--Early opera orchestration--Gluck's reformed style in
_Orfeo_ and _Alceste_--A complete structure--Verdi's
starting-point--Wagner's methods--Verdi's early operas--_Don Carlos_
and an altered style--Its reception--A third or matured period
method--Its characteristics--_Aïda_, _Otello_, and
_Falstaff_--Verdi's disciples--Opera as a social need, past and
present--Its reasonable decline--Verdi's ultimate position--His
lasting works 273

CHAPTER XII

VERDI LITERATURE

Its scantiness--Restricted scope for the writer and historian--English
ideas of Italian opera--English books on Verdi--German historian's
measure--Recent English press notices--Foreign journalistic
criticism--Italian writings 293

ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

Giuseppe Verdi _Frontispiece_

Antonio Barezzi 14

Margherita Barezzi 40

Giovanni Provesi 160

Giulio Ricordi 216