The Other 'Bohme'

Author(s): John W. Klein

Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 111, No. 1527 (May, 1970), pp. 497-499
Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/956015
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The solo trumpetin Alessandro's 'Invittiguerrieri'

is the only example in the entire work of an aria
witha single-lineobbligato,and it mustbe admitted
in La Statira is not nearly
that the instrumentation
so interestingas in Scarlatti's later operas, or in
Handel's. But the audience which filledthe Tor di
Nona theatrein 1690 went there primarilyfor the
singing. Almost threecenturieshave broughtmany

changes in the conventionsof opera, but not in the

power of Scarlatti'sbest music to arouse the senses
and excite the mind.
'La Statira' will have its firstperformancesin this
countryat the JeannettaCochrane Theatreon May
7, 8 and 9 givenbyLondonChamberOpera, conducted
by Lionel Friend,as part of the CamdenFestival.

The other 'Bohame'

JohnW. Klein
It is truethatRicordi has commissioneda contraband Manon by a youthfulMr Puccini, who has
not in fact imitated your own Manon, but has
plunderedHirodiade and Le Cid and orchestrated
the whole thing as though it were a matter of
tacklinganotherG6tterdiimmerung.
Thus, early in 1893, did Leoncavallo strive to
reassurehis friend,JulesMassenet. It is, perhaps,a
triflehard to account forthe almost venomous tone
of this strangeletter,for only a year before Leoncavallo had achieved a spectaculartriumphwithhis
Pagliacci. So overwhelmingwas that success that
Alfredo Catalani, composer of La Wally, had
exclaimed in disgust and despair: 'Ah! decadenza!
decadenza!' That opportunist imagined that he
could ape Bizet with murder on the stage; most
reprehensibleunless, like the creator of Carmen,a
man possesses genius as well as daring.
Leoncavallo did not, incidentally,confess to
Massenet that he himselfhad been the very first
librettist of that wretched contraband Manon
Lescaut. But Massenet mighthave been even more
startled had he been told that his enterprising
Italian colleague had already discoveredastonishing
possibilitiesin what,musicallyat least,was a hitherto
curiously neglected work: Miirger's Scenes de la
Boheme,surelyan ideal subject fora semi-romantic,
semi-realisticopera. He had hastilyconcocted his
own librettoon what Somerset Maugham rightly
described as 'this fascinating,ill-written,absurd
masterpiece'. He wittilycast himselfas Schaunard,
'musicista psicologo'; for was he not himself a
poet and a psychologistas well as a composer?
Incidentally,he had also studied Mairger's feeble
adaptation of his work for the stage, with its significantcurtainline: 'La commedia e finita'-which
he himselfused with incomparably greater effect
at the veryend of Pagliacci.
For, in his way, Leoncavallo could claim to be a
pioneer. Like Boito, who detestedhim,he appeared
to excel in everysphere. 'Few musicianshave been
morepromisingin youth',wroteFerruccioBonavia,
a severe judge. Already Leoncavallo had written
three remarkable libretti:the youthfulChatterton,
Pagliacci (which the astute publisherSonzogno had
avidly accepted withouteven seeing the score), and
the dramatic I Medici, which subsequentlyso enthused Kaiser Wilhelm in, who fatuouslyidentified
himselfwith Lorenzo the Magnificent,that henceforward 'the great Italian master' became his
favouritecomposer. Leoncavallo certainlyhad a

knack for what Verdi termed'la parola scenica'some moving or gripping phrase which would
instantlyrivetthe attentionor lingerin the memory,
or blaze forthlike a trumpet. Fundamentally,he
seemed at momentsmore of a poet thana musician.
Yet his Boheme librettois not quite as concise or
inherentlydramaticas those of his previous works.
It has been suggestedthat he wrote it against the
grain. This is unlikely: and yet why did he now
offerit to Puccini,to whom thebook was unknown?
True, the fastidious Boito had summarilydismissed Miirger's novel as hopelessly banal; but
then, like Wagner, he was obsessed by the monumental. For Puccini, however,this 'commonplace
subject' provedto be theveryone afterwhichhe had
been ceaselessly hankering,but with no percipient
librettist
to guide his steps. However,thethoughtof
collaborating again with the touchy and irascible
Leoncavallo was anathema to him. In any case his
voluble rivalkepthis best librettiforhimself;he had
not breathed a word about Pagliacci. He would
scarcelyhave offeredhim his vociferousBohemehad
he been entirelysatisfiedwithit. Obviously Puccini
was disconcertedby what he himselfwould scornfullyterm'prattle'. Those firsttwo acts bristlewith
it; there is scarcely a flickerof the idyllic charm
whichto him was the breathof life.
For thetimebeing,he artfully
feignedindifference,
though he was not the sort of man to let the grass
grow under his feet. 'In a tearinghurry'he got in
touch with Luigi Illica, who had hammered the
recalcitrantthird act of Manon into a masterly
piece of stirringdrama after Leoncavallo himself
had impatientlyabandoned the project. With
Illica's help, and also thatof the exquisite,infinitely
painstaking poet, Giuseppe Giacosa, Puccini was
convinced that he could achieve somethingmore
appealing than Leoncavallo's verbose libretto,
transcribedtoo literallyfromMiirger'snovel.
Curiously enough, only a few months later, he
casually told his rival with extraordinaryinsensitivitythat he himselfwas composing an opera on
Miirger's Vie de Boheme. 'But you can't do that',he
indignantlyprotested,'afterall, it was myown idea!
And what is more, I am settingit myself'. Puccini
retorted,'All right,then therewill be two Bohemes
instead of one'. On March 20, 1893 the Milanese
public was informedthat Leoncavallo was writing
an opera based on Miirger'slivelyromance; and a
day later that Puccini had also chosen exactly the
same theme. But the composer of Manon Lescaut
497

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had, at least,thegraceto add: 'If MaestroLeoncavallo,to whomI am boundby strongsentiments

of friendship,
had confidedin me,I shouldnot of
coursehavethought
ofMilrger's
BohIme'.Probably
this was said with tongue-in-cheek
humility-no doubt.
fortunately,
hisdangerous
Leoncavalloneverforgave
adversary
whathepersistently
as an act of ingratitude
regarded
and even treachery.And Puccinireactedto his
withunexpected
virulence;'Leonasino'
belligerence
becamehis bugbear,'theswinewhomItalyto her
disgracehas acclaimedas a master'. Did some
insidehim? Rarelyfor
strangeguiltcomplexfester
him,he was worried.Leoncavallomightimprove
his libretto;some amiable friendhad even maliciouslyhintedthatitwas 'a miracle'of beautyand
skill.
LeoncavalloawaitedPuccini's
Yet,enigmatically,
touchesto his
Bohimebeforeputtingthefinishing
own work. This was a graveerrorand has never
beenadequatelyexplained.Laterhe was accusedof
fromhis rival'sopera. Why,
brazenlyplagiarizing
hemight
havereplied,
shouldI notborrow
derisively
a fewsnippets
ofmelodyfromhimwhenhe,without
? However,his
a hair,stolemybestsubject
turning
opera would have stood a far greaterchance of
successhadhebeenboldenoughtoforestall
Puccini;
forhe conceived
andtackledhisthemeinan entirely
withboasting
himself
different
mood. He contented
romanticidea
thathis adversary
had a ludicrously
ofhissubjectandthathe himself
wouldteachhima
lessonabout the 'real' BohIme,that
well-deserved
BohIme which had
implacable,soul-destroying
himself.
crushedMiirger
Indeed,he knewfrombitterpersonalexperience
existencemeant. For
whatsucha hand-to-mouth
severalyearshe had enduredan 'idyllic'Bohemian
lifein pleasure-loving,
heartlessParis. 'I passed
wholenightswithout
sleepand dayswithoutfood',
he said, prolongedprivationswhichundoubtedly
hisdeath. Whatdid
sappedhishealthandhastened
? He wouldmerely
Pucciniknowaboutsuchmisery
writeanothertypicallyItalian opera redolentof
overlooked
Milan. Leoncavallocontemptuously
thefactthathe was nowcompeting
againstthreeof
themostastutebrainsin Italy.
streakin hisnaturethat
It wasthemegalomaniac
comparedhimprovedhisundoing.He arrogantly
selfto Wagner,who was also his own librettist.
Wagnerhad managedto conquera king;he himself
had dazzledan emperor.It is hardto understand
his inflated
ego withouthavingread his truculent
to hisfriends.For example:
lettersand manifestos
workofartcan only
'I believethata reallycomplete
be achievedbya singlemind. I wouldscornto set
anotherman'sversesto music'. But thevisionof
one mind,howeverexceptional,
maybe defective.
afterthe successof Pagliacci,LeonParticularly
cavallo graduallybecameless self-critical.Those
almostbe summed
first
twoactsofhisBoIhmemight
up as 'muchado about nothing',withtoo many
trivialepisodes,too muchbombasticchatter.The
new opera,despiteits dramaticlast act, lacksthe
notin
in fourmonths,
varietyofPagliacci(written
four long, brooding years, as La BohIumewas). It

thereare no openair
one as claustrophobic;
strikes
d'Enfer.
scenesat theCaf6Momusor theBarribre
498

Nevertheless,at his best Leoncavallo is more

thanPuccini,in
vigorous,decidedlylesslachrymose
Balfe.
whomtherewasjusta hintofthesentimental
One thinksof Colline's lengthyand somewhat
to his'vecchiozimarra'when
irrelevant
apostrophe
Mimiis at herlast gasp; and one recallsBerlioz's
to Balfe as 'my old armchair'
scornfulreference
afterone of themoremawkishsongsin his ultraromanticMaid of Honour.

an
On theotherhand,in Leoncavallo'sBoheIme
elementof grimrealismgradually
sweepsaside the
charades.His Marcelloand Musetteare no longer
youngcouple who bicker
just a happy-go-lucky
and aimlessly. They are
togetherentertainingly
overwhelmed
by passion. In one of his despairing
moods Marcello(moreakin to Don Jos6thanto
to strangle
Puccini'slight-hearted
attempts
baritone)
evictedfrom
Musette;and she,poorgirl,is brutally
finalact,a
herwretched
garret.In theclosely-knit
littlemasterpiece
oftragicpathoswhichLeoncavallo
no doubt hoped would annihilatehis opponent,
'sans gestes'.
Mimi dies simply,almostausterely,
Her faltering
wordsconveydesolationwitha sustainedeloquencewhichrendersthis,perhaps,the
finestscene in all Leoncavallo. Even the last,
recollection
of 'Nodl' is moving.
gentlytheatrical
of
one ofthemosttantalizing
Thisis nevertheless
act Rodolfoand Mimiare
operas. Duringthefirst
to the less
at timestoo drastically
subordinated
the composerstrove
poeticcouple. Subsequently
to remedythis defectby concentrating
entirely
on thedoomedgirland herdespairing
lover;harshly, even brutallyhe stressedthe more sombre
in thefirst
aspectsofhistheme.'Too muchhilarity
two acts,too muchsadnessin the last two', was
Puccini'sdry,professional
verdict.
is undoubtedly
The firsthalfof thisindictment
true;thesecondis not. We aremadeto realizethat
the existenceof a starvingartist('in winterCol
Saint-Bernard,
Siberia') is a pretty
Spitzbergen,
grimaffair.Onecanalmostfeeltheicywindhowling
Rodolfo'swretched
garretwithitsbroken
through
ofthe
at thebeginning
windows.His tragicoutburst
finalact is particularly
memorable;its cumulative
effectis impressive. Unlike Puccini'sRodolfo,
Leoncavallo'sis a truepoet. It was a strokeof
at thisverymoment
thegloomgeniusto introduce
iestof Miirger'sbitterballads,jotteddownshortlydeath. Seldomhas a poem
beforehis ownterrible
or in thatdifficult
been translated
so beautifully,
as anyprocessso subtlyimproved.As compelling
thingin Pagliacci,thisaria has beencalled'a hymn
ofdespair'.Butitis evenmorethanthat:itis a last
to art,to love,to lifeitself;surelyone of
farewell
and dramaticsongsin all postthemosthaunting
to deathculminating
Verdianopera. Theinvocation
in the humbleprayer'Perdonaa tanta poverti'
is unforgettable. Here Leoncavallo surpasses
Puccini;thisis a noblerpreludeto Mimi'sdeath
than the semi-humorous, semi-nostalgic banter

betweenRodolfoand Marcelloat the equivalent

can
stagein Puccini'swork. For suchan existence
Even its gaietyis painfully
at timesbe terrifying.
thoughthisveryaspect
spasmodicand artificial,
obviouslyappealed to the morefrivolousside of
Leoncavallo's complex nature. Fortunatelyhe
relieveshis ratherdrearyand noisyfun witha

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Leoncavallo's own copy of theprogrammeof the

Viennesepremiereof 'La BohIme'

arias for Mimi and Musette,

couple of sprightly
whichin 1899took Parisby storm. They partly
explainwhy,duringthe last yearsof his life,he
despairinglyturnedto what Puccini somewhat
of operetta'.
termed'thedegradation
maliciously
enoughLeoncavallo'sBoheme,at one
Strangely
at the next so
momentso trivialand irritating,
than
moresuccessful
poignant,was at firstslightly
Puccini'scarefully
plannedand idyllicmasterpiece.
This may have been partlydue to the factthat
international
renown
Pagliaccihad achievedgreater
than ManonLescaut. Leoncavallowas then (to
quoteBonaviain TheMusicalTimes,Sept1919)'the
mostpopularcomposerin Europe'. Butas earlyas
1898 he met with an unexpectedrebuffin
Vienna,whichhe had come to regardas one of
his strongholds.There Mahlerreignedsupreme:
he deeply resented being compelled-owing
to a predecessor'srigid contract--toconduct
and which
an opera he consideredlong-winded,
charmand technical
lacked Puccini'ssentimental
he tamperedwithLeonexpertise.Consequently
it up.
to tighten
cavallo'swork,striving
desperately
on tenterhooks,
But thecomposer,constantly
was
he endedbyworkhumiliated;
outragedandcruelly
thathe struckouthis
intosucha frenzy
inghimself
and substituted
own nameon a critic'sprogramme
autocrat'(seeillustration).
foritthatofthe'arrogant
No doubt Mahlerhad littlefeelingfor Italian
exacerbated
opera. Allthesame,hewaslegitimately
of theopeningscenes
tomfoolery
bytheprotracted
of Leoncavallo'swork;and that,probably,is why
itsauthentic
Parisianflavour.
he failedto appreciate
Leoncavallos
wouldhaverecognized
himself
Miirger
Boheme,but not Puccini's. For the creator of
Pagliaccihad enteredinto his veryspirit-semiassiduityhe
farcical,semi-tragic.Withexemplary
theharassedauthor'sprose,
had studiednotmerely
verse.
butalso hisacrid,self-tormenting
Indeed,Leoncavallo'sveryunevenwork,which
a bit like a clumsy
had startedso inauspiciously,
imitation
of the quintetin Bizet'sCarmen,in the
end triumphantly
developed into a powerful,
'veristic'opera. Here,perhapsforthelast
sternly
time,thereis an unmistakable
suggestionof the
forcewhichhas enabledPagliaccito survive
driving
as
fornearlya centuryin thebitterly
competitive
international
well as woefullyrestricted
repertory.
remarkable
forcewas
Yet-most significantly--that
atcertain
crucialmoments,
ennobled,
bya restrained
Leoncavallo
and penetrating
anguish.Occasionally
one
and a pretentious
maystrikeone as a buffoon,
theenthusiasm
at that;butherehe almostjustified
of his admirers(includingthe famousbaritone
Maurel)who acclaimedhim as Verdi'struesuccessor.
Leoncavallo's 'La Bohime' willhave itsfirstperformances in thiscountryat the TownHall, Euston Road
on May 12, 14 and 15, given by Opera Concerts,
conductedby Gerald Gover,as part of the Camden
Festival.

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APPOINTMENTS,

der a le

AWARDS

Mario Bernardi has been appointed music director of the

Stratford Festival, Canada.
Pierre Boulez has been appointed artistic director of Blossom
Music Festival, USA, for two years.
Elliott Carter has been elected a member of the American
Academy of Arts and Letters.
GeoffreyCoffinhas been appointed administrator of the National
Youth Orchestra; he succeeds Peter MacLachlan.
Rene Nicoly is appointed director of the Paris Opera.
V. B. V. Powell has been appointed Secretary of the Arts
Educational Trust.
Brian Priestman has been appointed music director of the
Denver Symphony Orchestra for the season 1970-1.
Jean Sadler is appointed director of the Rural Music Schools
Association from September; he succeeds Helen Wright who
retires in July.
Yuri Simonov has been appointed chief conductor of the Bolshoy
Theatre in succession to Gennady Rozhdestvensky.
Lim Tshui Fei of Singapore, Virginia Hopkins of Auckland
Ramya de Livera of Ceylon, Gabriel Kwok Ka tak of Hong
Kong, have been elected to 1969 Associated Board Scholarships
for three years' study in London.
Gulbenkian Music Fellowships have been awarded to Iona Brown
(violin), Norma Burrowes (soprano), Oriel Sutherland (contralto); Anthony Goldstone and Thomas Igloi have had theirs
extended for a furtheryear.
GwynethGriffithshas been awarded the Leverhulme Scholarship.
Charles Groves is to receive an Hon D Mus fromthe University
of Liverpool.
Bernard Haitink has been awarded the Bruckner medal of
honour by the Bruckner Society of America.
Akiko Kitagawa has won the 47th B6sendorfer Competition in
Vienna.
Ivan Kozlovsky was awarded the Order of Lenin on his 70th
birthday, for services in the development of Soviet music.
Jane Manning has received a Gulbenkian Foundation award to
enable her to commission a work for soprano and piano from
Justin Connolly.
Robin Mukerji has won a New Musical Express award for his
sleeve design of the Decca recording of Strauss's Also sprach
Zarathustra (Los Angeles PO/Mehta).
Hansruedi Willisegger won firstprize in the Aosta Valley Organ
Competition with his Toccata, Arietta and Passacaglia.

Reginald Stead has completed 25 years as leader of the BBC

Northern Orchestra.
Eric Day has retired from the secretaryship of the GSM.
Paul Kletzki has resigned as director of the Suisse Romande
Orchestra.

499

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