Puccini Among Friends

PUCCINI AMONG FRIENDS PUCCINI AT HIS PIANO IN MILAN PUGG INI AMONG FRIENDS BY VINCENT SELIGMAN NEW YORK THE MACM1LLAN COMPANY 1938 TO THE MEMORY OF SYBIL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I WISH to express my grateful thanks to my friend Antonio Puccini for allowing me to make free use of his fathers letters to my mother My thanks are similarly due to Lady Tosti, Mrs, HL V. Higgins, Mrs. Charles Adams Holder, Signor Carlo Zangarini, Commendatore Gio vacchino Forzano, and Signora Fosca Leonardi for other material which has been used in this memoir. I should also like to thank Baron Frederic dErlanger and Mr. Eric Gillett for their kind assistance and advice, and finally my dear friend, Signora Maria Angeli, who has helped to translate certain obscure phrases in Puccinis letters mostly allusive, or in Tuscan dialect - which would otherwise have eluded me. CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION ..... 1 PART I THE ROAD TO SUCCESS 1858-1904 CHAPTER ONE LH VlLU AND EDGAR 1858-1889 ... 9 CHAPTER TWO MANON LESCAUT 1890-1893 . . - .2,1 CHAPTER THREE LA BonfeMB 1894-1896 . . 3 CHAPTER FOUR LA TOSCA 1897-1900 . . .41 CHAPTER FIVE 4 MADAMA BUTTERFLY 1901-1904 . . .5 PART II OUT OF WORK 1904-1907 CHAPTER ONE RESEARCHES AND REHEARSALS October 1904-April 1906 . 63 CHAPTER TWO D ANNUNZIO, CONCHITA AND OTHERS June igoS-January 1907 79 ix x CONTENTS CHAPTER THREE GODS AND GODDESSES OF SONG An Interlude . . 104 CHAPTER FOUR NEW YORK AND AFTER January 1907 May 1907 . .116 PART III LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST 1907-1910 CHAPTER ONi THE MAKINGS OF A LIBRETTO June --September 1907, MI CHAPTER TWO A LIBRETTO IN THE MAKING October ic 07- eptember U o8 142, CHAPTER THRKli TRAGIC INTERRUPTION October J9o8 juty 1909 . 161 CHAPTER FOUR WORK RESUMEDAugust og-Octobet 1910 . . 184 CHAPTER FIVE THE FIRST NIGHT December xoch, 1910 ., 195 PART IV OUT OF WORK AGAIN 1911-1914 CHAPTER ONE THE SEARCH RENEWED 0anuary xgn-Fefaruaty 1912 205 CHAPTER TWO DEATH OF Giutio RICORDI Jane igu-Fcktaty 1914 zi7 CHAPTER THREE 1 Two LITTLE WOOD BTC., ETC, March i9i4 July 1914 CONTENTS xi PART V WAR-TIME 1914-1918 CHAPTER ONE PAGE LA RONDINE September I9i4-April 1917 - 2 49 CHAPTER TWO IL TRITTICO June I9i7-January 1919, .271 PART VI LAST YEARS 1919-1924 CHAPTER ONE AFTERMATH OF THE WAR March i9i9 July 1920 . . 289 CHAPTER TWO THE BIRTH OF TURANDOT July i92o-August 1921 . 311 CHAPTER THREE TURANDOT LANGUISHES AND RECOVERS September 1921-May 1923 . . - 33 2 CHAPTER FOUR THE LAST ACT 0une i923 November 29th, 1924 . . 349 BIBLIOGRAPHY . INDEX 3 6 5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Puccini at his piano in Milan 1906 . . Frontispiece FACING PAGE That queer capricious fellow, Savoia Tito Ricordi . .25 To the youthful defiler of his blotting-pad . . 3 The beginning of a twenty-year friendship 1904 . 63 Tell Ciccio that 1 love him -Sir Paolo Tosti . . .66 A collaborator manque Gabriele DAnnunzio . . .84 After the premiere of Butterfly in Paris 1906 . . . 101 Your Tenor -Caruso sees himself .... 109 To dearest Sybil, unique and rare creature 1907 . .135 A Friend in Need Lady Tosti . . . . .173 After the Fanciulla del West 1912 . . . .215 A thundering victory Facsimile of Puccinis letter dated November 5th, 1918 . 282 1 believe now that he is my friend Mr. HL V Higgins . 297 After the Trittico at Covent Garden 1920 . . 3 2 His favourite sport - and an allusion to the Covent Garden Programme see p. 9 1922 . . 343 Puccinis last resting-place at Torre del Lago, . .362 Xlll