Turandot, Mussolini, and the Second String Quartet: Aspects of Alfano

Author(s): Franco Sciannameo

Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 143, No. 1881 (Winter, 2002), pp. 27-41
Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1004443
Accessed: 25-05-2019 19:23 UTC

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Turandot, Mussolini, and the Second String Quartet

Aspects of Alfano
FRANCO SCIANNAMEO reappraises the achievement
of the little-known Italian composer
T IHE PHOTOGRAPH REPRODUCED as

fig.l was taken on 23 October 1926 at

the Palazzo Chigi in Rome. The occasion
was the visit to Prime Minister Benito

Mussolini of a group of noted Italian composers.

They descended upon the capital from various
parts of Italy like 'a bunch of poor believers in
search of a patron saint in an increasingly pagan
world', wrote Adriano Lualdi, the gentleman in
the picture wearing a bowtie. These composers
presented Mussolini with a programme initiative,
to take place in Bologna, which would showcase
the finest of Italian contemporary music. Musso-
lini, a sincere music-lover and an amateur violinist,
was impressed. Guaranteeing the organisers much-
needed state funds for the event's implement-
ation, he also suggested (or was it an order?) that
future events take place in Rome. Lualdi, the
Fig. 1: A visit to Mussolini
meeting's chronicler,1 wrote that the historical en-
Acknowledgments
These letters, or at least those written by com-
counter between the leader of the country and
Alfano's autograph
posers, were published by Fiamma Nicolodi in
'the most neglected category of Italian artists' went
letters are ©
her splendid study Musica e Musicisti nel ven-
very well, thus adding a special flavour to the Archivio Centrale
'fettuccine al burro' the musicians savoured at the tennio fascista. Through this correspondence it dello
is Stato, Roma,
celebrated restaurant Alfredo, in the nearby Via possible to formulate a clear idea about the re-
and reproduced
della Scrofa. lationship between music and politics during by
a kind permission
(Autorizzazione
The photograph commemorates some of the period which was as fateful as it was complex. In
no.392).
best musical minds in Italy, led by Franco Alfano the course of a study in progress, Mussolini' music-
and Ottorino Respighi (situated at Mussolini's ians, I have been focussing on three particularlyThe excerpts
from Alfano's
right). Many Italian musicians maintained per- interesting composers and the numerous ex-
2. Quartetto
sonal relationships with Mussolini, keeping him changes they had with their Commander-in- (UE 9401)
abreast of every move of their careers, flooding Chief: Franco Alfano, Ildebrando Pizzetti, andare © 1928 by
his desk with scores and books, pestering him Adriano Lualdi. I have been focusssing on them Universal Edition
AG, Wien,
with petulant petitions of every sort, and re- because they were convinced Mussolinians. They
and reproduced
questing his presence at performances of their unquestionably admired the man, without neces-
by kind permission.
music or, if he could not be present in person, sarily endorsing some of his political decisions
even his ear for radio broadcasts. By hoping for nor siding with those of the many gerarchi sur-
his paternalistic omnipresence, these highly cre- rounding him. Perhaps such a stance allowed all
ative individuals did indeed contribute to thethree of them to remain very much active and in
perpetration of the Mussolini myth, perhaps in
postions of authority in the years after 1945.
tune with the popular saying that 'Mussolini wasLet us begin with Franco Alfano.
everywhere and heard everything'.
Hundreds of the letters which Italian music-
ians wrote to Mussolini, from the time of his Turandot
appointment as Prime Minister to the very lastOn 25 August 1925, when Franco Alfano signed
moments of the Fascist regime, are deposited in a contract with Casa Ricordi2 regarding the task
the Archivio Centrale dello Stato (ACS), Segre-of completing Puccini's Turandot, he had no idea
teria particolare del Duce, Carteggio ordinario.that, over half a century later, the last of Puccini's

THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002 27

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 operas would come to be considered, by a quasi-
universal consensus, as not only the composer's
masterpiece but the grand finale, the closing chap-
ter of the most fascinating book in the history of
Western music - OPERA! He, Franco Alfano, had
been called upon to write its closing chords.
Alfano, an enormously gifted artist and a
successful opera composer in his own right, is
often remembered, at least outside Italy, solely as
the composer who completed Turandot. Had he
imagined the niche mankind or destiny would
carve for him, he would probably have turned
down Ricordi's proposition. The assignment,
sixty-one pages of orchestral score, was delivered
amounting to 377 bars, to 268 bars - that is a cut
of 109 bars. At a contretemps between the two,
Alfano is supposed to have threatened, ironically,
that if compelled to cut he would resign his post
as the director of the Turin Conservatory and
take composition lessons from Toscanini. More
ironically, further cuts were made to the abbre-
viated version, such as the complete omission of
Turandot's aria 'Del primo pianto', which is
important because in it Turandot shows the first
sign of being conquered by Calaf's love.9
Toscanini's dissatisfaction stemmed from his
belief that there was too much Alfano in the
score. 10

to the publisher at the end of January 1926. It In addition to Ashbrook & Powers, Gordon
received a rather critical reception from Arturo Smith, Teodoro Celli, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Janet
Toscanini, and doubts were cast on the 'fidelity' of Maguire and, above all, Jurgen Maedher" have
Alfano's rendition of Puccini's sketches. each provided detailed studies on Alfano's two
It is interesting to know that there were other Turandot completions. Alfano was ultimately cri-
well-known composers on the short list for what ticised for not having consulted the fragmentary
became Alfano's job: Franco Vittadini, Vincenzo portion of Puccini's manuscript (the sketches) and
Tommasini, Riccardo Zandonai, and perhaps even consequently for having composed without
Franz Lehar.3 Alfredo Casella, with characteristic taking into account some hints hidden therein
sagacity and little diplomacy, in a letter to Ricordi about harmony and orchestration. It might be
dated 2 December 1924,4 while expressing sor- that a composer as skilled in his craft as Alfano,
row at Puccini's death, made himself available as pressed for time12 and perhaps a little dis-
an eventual orchestrator of Turandot's sketches.
enchanted with the task, preferred to compose
Although the literature written about Puccini'sex novo rather than further decipher Puccini's
final opera is extensive, and the world awaits Ricor-sketches, despite the assistance which Casa
di's facsimile edition of Turandot's final pages,5 theRicordi provided him by making available Guido
responsibility for its performance still remains onZuccoli, who recopied Puccini's manuscript and
Franco Alfano's shoulders, despite other 'comple-made the final piano-vocal reduction of the score.
tions', such as Janet Maguire's (1990) and Luci- The first performance of Turandot was given at
ano Berio's (2002).6 La Scala on 25 April 1926, seventeen months
At the time of his death, on 29 November after Puccini's death. Arturo Toscanini conducted.
1924, Puccini left unfinished the last two scenes At one point during that historical evening,
of Turandot. The material amounts to twenty-
Toscanini laid down the baton and, turning to
three sheets of music paper, most of them written
face the audience, made the first and last utter-
on both sides, totalling thirty-six pages. William
ance from the podium in his life. He said, 'Here,
Ashbrook & Harold Powers7 suggest dividing the
at this point, Giacomo Puccini broke off his
material into two categories: drafts and sketches. work. Death on this occasion was stronger than
These drafts include the music which Puccini left
art', or words to that effect.13
written as though in piano-vocal or short score,
that is, with voice line(s) and two to four staves This spectacular and much awaited artistic event
of accompaniment containing occasional notes almost generated a political scandal. In the newly
on instrumentation. In the current Ricordi orches- established Fascist calendar of historical events,
tral score8 they correspond to the start of the duet 21 April was recognised as I1 Natale di Roma
(p.402), through the moment before the kiss ('il (Empire Day), the mythical anniversary of the
bacio tuo mi da l'eternita'), until 'la mia gloria e
founding of Rome. Benito Mussolini, therefore,
finita' (p.427). The sketches consist of all the was to arrive in Milan for the celebrations and,
remaining fragmentary material. To furnish a since he was the new Prime Minister of the
proper ending to the opera, Alfano composed two Kingdom of Italy, the regents of La Scala and the
settings. The published, and hence better-known, local Fascist Party authorities invited him to
version is the much shorter setting, the one attend the historical performance on the 25th. I1
preferred by Toscanini, who actually insisted that Duce, however, recalling a previous incident in
Ricordi require it from Alfano. According to Mos- which Maestro Toscanini had refused to conduct
co Carner's account, the customary rendition of the Fascist party song,
'Giovinezza', demanded that the hymn be played
Toscanini forced Alfano, much against his will, upon his entrance into the theatre. The antics
to reduce the first version of his completion, surrounding this event have been recounted

28 THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002

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many times, with several variants. At any rate, Il
Maestro refused to conduct Turandot's premiere if
I1 Duce persisted with the demand. In the end, on
that famous evening, there was no Duce in the
audience, not a single strain of 'Giovinezza' was
heard and not a note of Alfano's completion was
performed. The greatest musical dictator in mo-
dern history had had the last word - for the sake
of Puccini's music, of course. Alfano's ending, the
short version that is, was performed at the dress
rehearsal and at all performances following the
premiere. After the third performance, Toscanini's
baton was passed to Ettore Panizza.I4 The Maes-
tro took a much needed 'vacation' and never con-
ducted Turandot again. As for Mussolini, rumours
circulated that he attended one of the perform-
ances incognito. He probably had a genuine
interest in Puccini's works: indeed, he even wrote
a short eulogy, which he read in parliament to
commemorate Puccini's death.15

Jurgen Maedher rediscovered Alfano's full

score of the integral completion in the archives of
Casa Ricordi, and wrote an illuminating case
studyl6 which inspired the Welsh conductor Owain
Hughes and the impresarios Alan Sievewright and
Denny Davies to mount a concert performance of
the opera at the Barbican Centre in London (3
November 1982). Alfano's original completion
was used for this. Staged performances took place
at the New York City Opera on 22 September
1983 (with Christopher Keene conducting), and at
Rome's Terme di Caracalla on 23 July 1985 (with Fig.2: Franco Alfano
Daniel Oren and Nicola Samale conducting).17
Alfano's reputation in regard to Puccini's
Turandot added little to his artistic pedigree. Guido pighi as a fifth) as the leading Italian composers
Maria Gatti,18 for instance, wrote: of their generation.21

Alfano's additions were heard for the first time at

the second performance. They are sufficiently
satisfactory in the circumstances, but while doing
no violence to Puccini's style, they nowhere sug-
gest his creative personality. The best that can be
said for them is that they achieve what they set
out to do adequately, in a negative kind of way. If
they do not sound like Puccini, at least they
produce no atmosphere of their own that is alien
to his, nor do they aim unsuccessfully at mere
imitation. 19
These encouraging words by a great specialist in
twentieth-century Italian music ultimately stimu-
lated the publication of the most important, to
date, collection of essays on the composer: Ultimi
splendori: Cilea, Giordano, Alfano, a cura diJohan-
nes Streicher (Roma: Ismez Editore, 1999). The
portion on Alfano occupies pp.443-1003 of this
volume.

Another comment appeared in the popular Puc- Franco Alfano

cini biography by Howard Greenfeld, who wrote:
'Following the composer's death, Franco Alfano, a
diligent if undistinguished musician, was given the
task of completing the opera.'20 Fortunately, in
more recent times, the late British scholar John CG
Waterhouse served proper justice to this neglected
composer when he wrote:
Taken as a whole, Alfano's achievement, though
less than Pizzetti's, Casella's or GF Malipiero's,
rates near enough to theirs to give some justi-
fication to the common Italian practice of the
four men together (with or even without Res-
Franco Alfano was born in Naples on 8 March
1875 (not 1876 or 1877, as published in most
sources). His teachers were Alessandro Longo
(1864-1946), with whom he studied piano pri-
vately, and, at the 'San Pietro a Majella' Conser-
vatory, Camillo De Nardis (1857-1951) and
Paolo Serrao (1830-1907) for harmony and com-
position, respectively. After graduating in 1895,
Alfano pursued further composition studies with
Hans Sitt (1850-1922) and Salomon Jadassohn
(1831-1902) in Leipzig. One year later he com-
pleted his first opera, Miranda, for which he also

THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002 29

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 wrote the libretto, after a novel by Antonio Fogaz- aspects of Debussy and the Strauss of Salome and
zaro. Miranda was never published or perform- Elektra, without being slavishly imitative of
ed.22 His next operatic effort, La fonte di Enschir, either. The harmonic vocabulary sometimes has
coincidental affinities with that of the more
with a libretto by Luigi Illica, was staged in Bres-
troubled music of Bax.24
lau (now Wroclav, Poland) on 8 November 1898,
enjoying some success. A sojourn in Paris (Alfa-
no's mother was French) from 1900 to 1905 saw Alfano did not abandon this opera; in fact, a
the composer engaged in a variety of activities, revised version, retitled Don Juan de Manara, was
from that of pianist to writer of light music for Les performed in Florence in 1941. But it was La
Folies Bergere, where his ballet, Napoli, was per- leggenda di Sakuntala, after Kalidasa, on his own
formed 160 times and another production, Loren- libretto, that established Alfano as a stronger pre-
za, was tailored for the famed danseuse Cleo de sence on the international operatic scene.
Merode. The opera was premiered at the Teatro Co-
In 1902, a performance at the Paris Odeon munale in Bologna on 10 December 1921, with
Theatre of Leo Tolstoy's Resurrection influenced Tullio Serafin conducting. Its performing material
Alfano considerably. Cesare Hanau and Camillo (score, and orchestral and choral parts) was de-
Antona Traversi were asked to write a libretto for stroyed during World War II; what survived aside
Alfano, based on the Russian novel. In less than from the published piano-vocal score were two
two years Alfano finished the opera. The first two orchestral movements, Danza e Finale, which
acts were composed in Paris, the third in Berlin, Ricordi had published separately in 1927. After
and the fourth in Moscow; it was finally completed the war, Alfano re-orchestrated from memory the
in Naples. Resurrezione (sometime spelled 'Risur- opera and, retitled Sakiintala, it was staged at the
rezione') was premiered at the Teatro Vittorio Teatro dell'Opera in Rome on 9 January 1952,
Emanuele in Torino on 30 November 1904, with with Gianandrea Gavazzeni conducting.
Tullio Serafin conducting. Fiamma Nicolodi25 offers a brief appreciation
A great success, Resurrezione introduced the of this opera, highlighting many points of interest
twenty-eight-year-old composer to the inter- and the fact that this music actually became reve-
national world of opera. In 1906, the work was latory for contemporary Italian musicians, who
presented at La Scala in Milan and Theatre Royal began to view Alfano as the essential link bet-
de la Monnaie in Brussels; in 1909, at the ween the traditional world of opera and the
Komische Oper in Berlin and at the Teatro Real in efforts promoted by the Casellas and Malipieros
Madrid; and in 1925 and 1927, Resurrezione, star-aimed at rescuing Italian music from the musical
ring Mary Garden, toured the United States. Theremarshland created by the verismo school. As
were more performances in Paris, at the Operaa sort of post-Sakuntala effect, Alfano's non-
Comique, and finally, in 1951, the opera reached operatic music also began to receive attention,
its 1000th performance. On that occasion, Alfanosuch as the eloquent Sonata for Violin and Piano
was much celebrated in his native Naples. composed in 1922-23 and revised in 1933,
With Resurrezione, critics placed Alfano on a the Concerto for Piano, Violin, and Cello (1929),
par with Puccini, Mascagni, and Giordano as anthe Sonata for Cello and Piano (1925), definitely
exponent of verismo, despite the inclusion in thethe most distinguished of Alfano's instrumental
opera of elements quite extraneous to that school. works, and the Secondo Quartetto for strings
In fact, Alfano himself, in a letter to Arturo (1926).
Rossato, dated Bologna 25 April 1921, wrote that A new opera, Madonna Imperia, with a libretto
as a movement he did not believe verismo would by Antonio Rossato after the first Contes dro-
last much longer. Instead, he believed in a latiques of Balzac, was premiered at the Teatro di
humanistic brand of musical mysticism.23 Aside Torino on 15 May 1927. Unfortunately some
from composing for the theatre, Alfano wrote a accused Alfano of wanting to Frenchify Italian
Sinfonia in mi maggiore in 1910 (premiered in Opera. Oppressed by such remarks at a time
1912). A large-scale work, it incorporated many when xenophobia was not an asset, Alfano went
French and German elements, influences which through an involutionary process which cul-
prevented the work from being accepted as a minated in the composition of another opera.
genuine Italian attempt at symphonic music. LUltimo Lord, libretto by Ugo Falena & Antonio
Back to opera, Eombra di Don Giovanni, with a Rossato was first staged at the Teatro San Carlo in
libretto by Ettore Moschino, was premiered at La Naples on 19 April 1930. It was followed by
Scala on 2 April 1914. The result was a so-called Cyrano de Bergerac, with libretto by H. Cain after
succes d'estime. Waterhouse comments on this Rostand. The opera, presented in French and Ita-
opera in the following terms: lian versions, received premieres at the Teatro
Reale in Rome on 22 January 1936 and at the
Though uneven and a bit inchoate, it shows an Opera Comique in Paris on 29 May of the same
awareness both of the more complex, radical year. This period was also productive in the field

30 THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002

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of instrumental music; the Seconda Sinfonia in do vis a vis the current opinion that the Fascist party
(1931-32), more congenial than the first, was was solely symbolised by lack of culture and the
often performed and even commercially recorded manganello'.27 Alfano's correspondence with
(an achievement in those days), and the Diverti- Mussolini, published here in English for the first
mento per orchestra ridotta e pianoforte obbligato time, will reveal the extent to which the com-
(1934), Alfano's most successful orchestral work, poser was involved with the regime and its poli-
was the composer's homage to the fashionable tical network.
neo-classicism of the 1930s. This brilliant com- For a painful two-year period, Alfano was
position is still sporadically performed in Italy. It
Direttore Artistico (Superintendent) of the Teatro
is a pity that the work is not more widely known.Massimo in Palermo. His letter to Mussolini
The same must be said for Alfano's many ex-dated 16 May 1941 indicates that for a composer
cellent artsongs. of Alfano's fame and calibre, a bureaucratic, non-
Another opera, II Dottor Antonio, with libretto artistic post was unsuitable, especially one in
Palermo. In 1941 Palermo was 'like an exile', the
by Mario Ghisalberti after Giovanni Ruffini's novel,
begun in 1941, was finally premiered in Rome oncomposer writes. It is interesting to note that
30 April 1949. It was followed by a radio opera
although Alfano undoubtedly enjoyed II Duce's
entitled Vesuvius (1950), based on a ballet by the sympathy, he was never elevated to the ranks of
same title written in 1933. Mussolini's cultural creation, the Accademia
Franco Alfano's extraordinary output is a far d'Italia.28 In 1929, Alfano's candidacy to the Acca-
cry from his existing classification as the 'diligent demico, endorsed by Roberto Forges-Davanzati,29
if undistinguished composer' who merely com- was defeated in favor of Pietro Mascagni (1863-
pleted Puccini's Turandot. 1945) and Umberto Giordano (1867-1948). In
1939 Alfano lost out again, this time to Francesco
Alfano and Fascism Cilea (1866-1950). He was, however, bestowed
Alfano began his career as a Conservatory peda-with other, if lesser, appointments, such as mem-
gogue and administrator in 1916, when he was bership of the Consiglio nazionale delle Corpo-
forty His first assignment was to teach compo- razioni, Consiglio superiore delle belle arti, Diret-
sition in the famed Liceo Musicale of Bologna; torio nazionale fascista dei musicisti, and other
two years later he became the school's director. Itcommittees pertaining to his position as the di-
should be noted here that, in 1913, Bologna at- rector of a major conservatory, the Hitler Jugend
tracted the attention of Ferruccio Busoni (1866- Competition in Weimar, for example, and the GIL
1924), who took the job as director of the Liceo(Gioventu italiana del littorio).30 Alfano's involve-
Musicale in the hope that it would afford him the ment in Fascist life was therefore well-grounded;
opportunity, for which he had always longed, of but there is no instance in the career of this illust-
establishing himself in Italy and becoming therious artist of his abusing his political connect-
badly-needed leader of the country's musical life. ions nor of his operating out of opportunism. His
The great artist was soon disappointed, how- letters to Mussolini show that on account of his
ever, with what he saw as the cultural provincial-artistic and moral integrity, he may well have be-
ism of the Bolognese people, and left. When come quite the victim.
Alfano assumed the Liceo's directorship times
were different - perhaps thanks to Busoni. In
Bologna, Alfano helped found Musica Nova, a Alfano's letters to Mussolini
society dedicated to the promotion of modern The eleven letters Franco Alfano wrote to Benito
music. In 1923, he accepted the nomination to Mussolini from 1 May 1928 to 14 February 1943
become director of the Liceo Musicale (later Con- are preserved at the Archivio centrale dello Stato
servatory) in Torino, a post he filled until his (ACS), Segreteria particolare del Duce, Carteggio
retirement in 1939. A concordance of his activity ordinario no.518159. The first letter (1 May
as a composer shows how productive Alfano's life 1928) highlights a social occurence which be-
was during his Torino tenure, a period which also came rare in the life of Benito Mussolini: an
coincided with the rise of Fascism and the ap- evening of contemporary music performed at his
pointment of Benito Mussolini as Prime Minister. residence before a special audience, an event
In 1925, the composer signed, along with Ilde- much sought after by Italian and foreign music-
brando Pizzetti, Bruno Barilli, Gino Marinuzzi ians.31 Alfano's Secondo Quartetto in do was, in
and Saverio Procida (all representing music) the fact, performed for the very first time by the
so-called Manifesto degli intellettuali del fascismo,26Quartetto Napoletano at Villa Torlonia on 26
the outcome of a congress on Fascist culture March 1927. Mindful of this event, Alfano invited
which took place in Bologna on 29-30 March the Prime Minister to a hearing of his Sonata for
1925. Fiamma Nicolodi described the Manifesto as Cello and Piano to be performed by the cellist
'a sort of vademecum nationalistic-patriotic in Benedetto Mazzacurati and himself. This Sonata
which ethics and ideology were institutionalised is, as we have stated before, Alfano's finest piece

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 of chamber music. The same file at the ACS remain active during the post-Fascist era. At any
contains a copy of the reply, dated 8 May 1928, rate, I1 Duce answers Alfano's request generously
which Mussolini's private secretary, Alessandro by sending a cheque of 50,000 lire (a copy of the
Chiavolini, sent to Alfano. The message says thatreceipt is on file). Finally, in the eleventh letter
I1 Duce is very sorry not to be able to give the (26
newFebruary 1943), Alfano thanks Mussolini pro-
cello work a hearing, due to his busy schedule. fusely for his generosity and understanding. On
However, he feels moved by the offer and wishes 25 July 1943 Mussolini was removed from power,
the composer and his work all the best. The thus marking the end of the Fascist Ventennio.
second letter (27 December 1928) is an invitationThese letters have been published in Italian in
to Mussolini to attend the Roman premiere of
Nicolodi's Musica e Musicisti nel ventenniofascista.
The English translation below is by the author.
Resurrezione. The third letter (22 September 1930)
concerns the composition of Himno al libertador
Simon Bolivar for unison chorus and orchestra.32
The composer wishes to communicate to Mus-
solini the honour bestowed upon him by the I

government of Venezuela. The file contains a

telegram, dated 25 September 1930, in which II
Duce congratulates Alfano on the undertaking.
The fourth letter (1 March 1932) again refers to
the Secondo Quartetto, which was, in the mean-
time, published by Universal Edition of Vienna,
bearing a dedication to Benito Mussolini. The
letter also accompanies a complimentary copy of
the libretto of La leggenda di Sakuntala.
A telegram dated 5 April 1932 informs Alfano
that the gift and his comments in the letter were
very much appreciated by Mussolini. The fifth
letter (September 1933) invites I1 Duce to a radio
hearing of La leggenda di Sakuntala; here the
composer takes the opportunity to point out to
Roma, 1 May 1928
Excellency! Being in Rome for a concert
dedicated to my music, I have taken the liberty
of sending You a copy of the 'String Quartet'
which You kindly honoured by having it
performed in Your presence and by accepting the
dedication.
Now I shall be more than happy if You could
hear my Sonata, since the cellist who plays it so
well is presently in Rome. For certain, I dare ask
for too much and Your Excellency will forgive
me, but if my wishes cannot come true at this
time, it will be with great joy that I shall wait for
a more propitious occasion at the Duce's plea-
sure. Always grateful and always reverent

Mussolini certain characteristics in the opera which

he describes as neo-Italianness.33 The sixth letter
(13 January 1936) accompanies a complimentary
copy of the piano-vocal score of Alfano's Cyrano
de Bergerac. Ten days later Mussolini sent a tele-
gram of thanks. The seventh letter (27 January
1940) is an invitation requesting Mussolini's pre-
sence at the Roman premiere of La leggenda di
Sakuntala. In a memo dated 30 January Mussolini
gave orders that Alfano be telephoned to convey
his apologies for not being able to attend the
II
Roma, 27 December 1928
Excellency,
The dress rehearsal of 'Resurrezione' will take
place at the Reale tomorrow night. Opening
night is Saturday I should feel bestowed with the
greatest honor and joy if You could attend.
With my deepest respects,

performance. I1 Duce was vacationing at Termi-

nillo, a ski resort not far from Rome. In the eighth
letter (16 May 1941) Alfano offers a copy of his
Don Juan de Manara and pleads with I1 Duce
about his situation in Palermo, as Superintendent
of the Teatro Massimo. The composer finds the
job anti-artistic and demeaning for an artist of
III
San Remo, 22 September 1930
Excellency, The government of Venezuela, on
occasion of the Centennial of the death of the

his reputation. In the following letter, dated 21 national hero Simon Bolivar, has extended to me
October, the ageing Alfano once again petitions an invitation to compose and conduct there a
Mussolini regarding his need to be transferred to hymn glorifying the venerated South American
'Libertador'. Maestro Bracale, manager of the
Rome, even into a lesser assignment, because
great Italian opera season in Caracas, acts as the
Palermo, as we have already said, was 'like an
intermediary in this affair. Certainly, General
exile' and had become unbearable.34 The tenth
Vicente Gomez, who holds the destiny of that
letter is personal and rather touching, consider- flourishing land, is a loyal friend of our Italy, and
ing the date - 14 February 1943 - on which it wasabove all a fervent admirer of the Duce of Fas-
written. The sense of confusion of an old, honestcism. It is indeed an honour for the selected
artist who had done his best to serve his countryItalian composer, since the ceremony will have,
and the authorities in charge of it is much evidentwithout a doubt, enormous importance, the
here. It is such integrity that will allow Alfano tomatter being also of an unmistakable Italian

32 THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002

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 FRANCO ALFANO Nj Cn U L L .L ^

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Letter III

THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002 33

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 ' - - *** .,~~~ ~~~ o a ,s v, v^^
GRHOTELCONTINENTAL

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Letter IV

.TFIFO,.MI: IDROCIR-ROMA g (a , *_Tc-U' o L 162 272

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L etter IV
Letter IV(conclusion)
(conclusion) ]

34 THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002

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character. However, before answering yes to
Maestro Bracale, word of Your approval would be
of great comfort to me, Excellency. All the more
so that this music of mine should be destined to
recall in time and in all Latin America the
memorable dates of such a celebration. Shall I
hope for Your approval, Excellency! I should
start working on this project at the end of
October. Very grateful anyway, please accept my
faithful and deep respect
IV
Roma, 1 March 1932
Excellency!
Allow me to report to You that the 'String Quar-
tet' I had the honor of dedicating to You is being
performed all over the world, in America by the
Quartet of Art [sic Pro Arte] of New York and in
Europe by the Streichquartett of Berlin, always
acclaimed by public and critics alike!
I am so happy about it that I cannot refrain
from reporting it to You, Excellency, who have
brought so much good fortune to this work. I
am taking the opportunity here of offering You
a copy of my most important opera to date:
'Sakuntala', hoping that You will accept it with
kindness.
Always with my deepest devotion
V
Torino, September 1933
Excellency!
On the 5th, 7th, 10th and 13th of September my
opera 'La leggenda di Sakuintala' will be broadcast
from the radio stations of Rome and Turin. This
opera also represents one of the very first
examples of neo-Italianness in the field of opera,
if not the very first one (Bologna 1921!). Tullio
Serafin is rehearsing it with fervid love. I should
be so glad, Excellency, if You would listen to the
broadcast. You should perceive the audacious
effort and, yes, an unselfish one of an artist, who,
in silence but with firm persistence, aims at
his own overcoming, without, however, ever
renouncing the exquisitely Mediterranean cha-
racter of his musical being ['io']. Radio [EIAR],
with this performance, assumes a new propa-
gandistic role. The fact that Tullio Serafin has put
his exceptionally knowledgeable and prodigious
service (with a few rehearsals he will conduct a
work of noticeable complexity) to the benefit of
such a noble artistic manifestation, must be
pointed out to You, Excellency, who knows and
loves everything that benefits our own future.
I hope to receive the honour of being heard,
even if only through a radio receiver, I beg Your
Excellency to please accept my most devoted
respects.
THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002
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VI
Milano, 13 January 1936
Excellency, Please accept, with my devoted
respects, the piano-vocal score of my 'Cyrano'
which will be performed at the Reale on the
22nd. I shall be more than glad if my most recent
composition could interest You out of kindness.
VII
Roma, 27 January 1940
Duce,
The premiere of my Sakintala will take place on
Tuesday the 30th. All of us would be happy to
see You. Could we hope for it?
VIII
Firenze, 16 May 1941
Duce, Please accept with my reverent respects
my last artistic effort: 'Don Juan de Manara'.
I would be happy if You would listen to some
portions of this opera over the radio on the 28th
of May with Gigli singing the title role. I would
like to add... but I cannot refrain from asking You
to judge, with Your fairness and generosity, if the
Author must today prefer his almost poverty-
stricken living condition as a state pensioner for
quite some time (my royalties have become
problematic...) or the very enthrallment, with all
the hazards, of administrative responsibilities -
that is to say, absolutely anti-artistic. And what is
worse, necessity for taking permanent residence
(almost an exile) as Direttore artistico of the
Teatro Massimo in Palermo.
But perhaps there is no other recognition for
a musician who, for about forty years, has tried
to honour his country as a composer and peda-
gogue: nevertheless he was a member of two
sessions of the Consiglio delle Corporazioni (the
22nd) and twice obtained numerous votes of the
Accademici d'Italia - section of the arts - and
during the last conflict he lost his only very
young son.
Forgive me, Duce, for this outburst, but please
make me happy by listening to some portions of
my 'Don Juan'.
IX
Roma, 21 October 1941
Duce, You to whom the longing of the poets and
the suffering of the people are not unknown, I
turn, once again, today.
Forgive me; I hope my request will not seem
strange to You.
After having composed so much music,
served the Revolution in the Sindacato dei mu-
sicisti of Turin and in the school, in order to
make a living (for which I am very grateful to the
35
 tapestries, pictures, an important musical and
literary library, the Treccani, besides manu-
scripts, documents, etc... all collected in forty
years of work (some of them exceptionally pro-
lific). This constituted my entire world, my past,
the memory of which was supposed to bring joy
and comfort to my later years, unfortunately no
longer productive.
During the night of 21 November [1942], the
Gondrand warehouses were totally bombed out.
Of course, the company, though with noticeable
1 ."^ - I_D delays, has taken care of the necessary paper-
work for proper compensation, their policy
number no.14208 was provided with full in-
ventory of the damaged goods which, at the time
of acquisition was valued at 107,000 lire. But I
am taking the liberty of appealing to You, Duce,
who have honoured me with esteem and bene-
C e A eMS I~ volence, and Your sense of profound humanity
so much recognised by all Italians, to approach
D + + H/- --~6Ll~2c
my calamity in the fairest way You can think...
and You will be blessed by an artist who, above
all in recent times, has not been fortunate in
spite of his continuous working and producing!
G(-k.'.I e,/ "h " , rr, h4! t,; . I beg You, Duce, to accept the expression of
my most reverent devotion!

Letter XI XI

San Remo, 26 February 1943

Ministro della Cultura Popolare) I find myself Thank You, Duce, Thank You from my heart!
today in Palermo, Direttore artistico of the opera May God guide and crown every act of Yours for
house here. Duce, a musician is in need of many Your personal welfare and our much loved Italy
things, especially a vast environment in which
to breathe and to feel himself at the centre of
an open world. I appeal to You for a new ap-
pointment as representative of the artists in the Mussolini's quartet
Camera dei Fasci e delle Corporazioni... and, The commonly accepted, yet historically incorrect,
once in Rome I would be able to feel liberated
notion that the string quartet as a form was dead
from exile.
in Italy during the nineteenth century has led
To those who think of politics as being dif-
ferent from Art, I, in full conscience, can answer performers to overlook that repertoire altogether,
that in Italy, today, one must follow only one with the exception of Verdi's String Quartet in E
politic: Yours. Our duty is, therefore, to obey minor, composed in 1873. Even if tenuous, an
and, with our work, contribute to a greater Italy. Italian tradition in composing for string quartet
This is what I have done and wish to continue to was maintained strongly enough to survive the
do. Your always very affectionately operatic sea storm, thanks to the tenacity of a
considerable number of Italian composers from
across the country and abroad. String quartets of
merit were, therefore, composed by the Florentine-
X
born, Parisian expatriate Luigi Cherubini (1760-
1842), the Lombard Alessandro Rolla (1757-1841),
Roma, 14 February 1943
the Florentine Ferdinando Giorgetti (1796-1867),
Duce,
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848), who authored
I am a casualty of the last enemy air raid in
eighteen string quartets, Antonio Bazzini (1818-
Turin! Having left in 1940 the directorship of the
97), the Roman pianist Giovanni Sgambati (1841-
Conservatorio Reale for age limit and not having
been able, because of my wife's serious infirmity
1914) and the much neglected Sicilian composer
(which still persists), to move to Rome, as I have
Antonio Scontrino (1850-1922).35 The list should
wished for a long time, I had to put in storage perhaps include Ferruccio Busoni, who com-
with Gondrand in Turin, the entire contents posed two string quartets: no.l in C major op.19
of my household: antique furniture, carpets, (1880-81) and no.2 in D minor op.26 (1889).

36 THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002

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 A S. ';. Il4lilo Mussolini 3

Dlritt d'eseculxone rlservatJ 2. QUA

Auffuirungsrcht vorbehalten (in Do)
IN TRE TEMPI COLLEGATI

I Franco Alfano
Largo assai (con intimo sentimento) ( 1877)
= 84)

Violilno I , l rf r| ri rrFr O rK
pp nlu mollo et{pre8.iuo sempre r preduminante

Violilno ii Fr r r
ppcpPp

Viola 1b1,f .
I Largo assai Violoicello -l'l i
II Allegretto seniplice
111 Molto Allegro Rit. Ila tempo
y^r r'7'^ * J-'I r" t.r r 4F

Jt ,h , I 'M.

Qucsto lavoro t stato esegiito per la prima volta a Ronia, in ,

casa di S. E. Benito Mussolini, ii 26 Marzo 1927, dal Qualtetto
Napoletano, cosi coilposto: Signora Dc Rogalis-Pr6cida, lo violilo; Rit. _ [I R a tempo
e Signori Finizio, Scarano e Viterbini, risptllidalnente 20 Violilo,v ,
Viola c Violoncello - r v r r " 1

NotR = II segnn r indlrn Il pI).rrt, o I pr pt

r hi. L - Halptstilnme
r his L = Vo,l prlncipale

Alfano: 2. Quartetto in do, opening

At the dawn of the position

new to the French impressionistic
century, the type,young
in Ild
brando Pizzetti which the classic grouping of
composed the fourremarkab
his instru-
Quartetto in la ments tends
(1906). It towas
reproduce, on the technical side, in 1907
followed
the sonority of an orchestra, and to present itself,
OttorinoRespighi's Quartetto in re, a late-roma
for the conceptual side, in the guise of a suite of
derivative work not as promising in term
picturesque scenes bound together solely by
individuality as Pizzetti's.36
contrasts in color.37 In those years,
string quartet literature was indeed experienci
metamorphosis of sorts, with works such
Schonberg's StringTo modern listeners the works as
Quartet a whole does op.7 (1905)
no.l,
no.2, op.10 (1908);
notBartok's no.1,
differ much from Respighi's Quartettoop.7
in re, (1908)
Anton Webern's although Alfano's quartet
astonishing Five is perhaps more
movements o
which date from 1909. engaging.
Franco Alfano's first string quartet, Quartetto in By the time Alfano had composed his Secondo
re, composed between 1914 and 1918, preceeded Quartetto in do (1925-26), the form, in Italy, had
Gian Francesco Malipiero's first quartet, Rispetti e experienced a new development, with Malipiero's
strambotti (1920), and Alfredo Casella's Cinque Stornelli e ballate (1923), Casella's Concerto (1923-
pezzi (also of 1920). In the words of Guido Maria 24) and Respighi's original and much acclaimed
Gatti, Alfano's Quartetto in re is Quartetto dorico (1924). On the international scene,
in direct succession to the last Beethoven the 1920s saw the birth of, among other works,
Stravinsky's Concertino (1920); Janacek's String
quartets, and the Brahms quartets, as regards
Quartet no.1 (1923); Berg's Lyric suite (1926);
their total conception; therefore, like all the
Bartok's String Quartet no.3; Schonberg's String
music of its author, it stands squarely in op-

THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002 37

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 3;{',,<-11~~~~~~~~~ ~Un' idea stent.
Subito piu sostenuto - e

X,. ! f rS I r 'n f 1 f S f r f f :@ >rW

J ,^fifc®fi> F j ] j j -J_
.~ ,ml,r,' I . t

Rall. _ ancbra sempre piu -_ r

4 rff S irS
~anc~ra a!
/ :I - !?- -- - '
.,,m)rr -1
pr;tt r. _ _ t f -"r rr r

.a ' I"' Al
X S SAx Vn t S.a 3'

.4 ,,,',, .. . _ ' - a,Q j ,L· , U

.,./J~

r^n| -m lts -.,_ Prestissimo

Molto energico (J 88-92) 235

:-~ _ _ molto_ _
- tlf br ~ r r tr_.r r r
"rr c f F f ffr afl^'-'Z"- _rf-^ f .
4 i: ^J gJ 5J I i i i J2
muwsima formu >

i'" j n i
iR f

-Y _
.
-
. r-r - -
~~r~~: ~~444~~~ 4+~~. 3pr
_ ftr -> 5; nr. rI^.
mu i,fimnra P7 ' rz

1B - sj; i F L^ri
4-- - [E>f4

- W a2ors

Alfano: 2. Quartetto in do, conclusion

Quartet no.3 (1927); and, finally, Bartok's String disappointed by the war to demonstrate their
Quartet no.4 and Janacek's String Quartet no.2, frustration. Today he has the nation under
control with the resolution of his incommen-
both composed in 1928.
Franco Alfano's Secondo Quartetto in do in tresurable willpower; he holds the nation in his fist,
he uplifts her, obtaining from her citizens an
tempi collegati, was premiered privately on 26
immense power projected toward the future:
March 1927 by the Quartetto Napoletano, a re-
sunken in an armchair, legs abandoned one on
nowned ensemble led by Signora Giuseppina Dethe other, head pulled back in a pose at once
Rogatis-Procida which also included the gentle- tired and satisfied, Benito Mussolini shows his
men Rosario Finizio, Salvatore Scarano, and muscular facial contours, pale and strong under
Sergio Viterbini playing second violin, viola, and a shower of light radiating from the ceiling:
cello respectively. The performance at Benito Mus- Motionless, without batting an eyelid, he talks
solini's residence, although private, was reported softly to whoever is closer to him. In the calm of
in the press. Here are the evening's highlights as the music he finds soothing from the excitement
chronicled by Bruno Barilli39 in 'Cronache musicali and fervour of his working day, while his face
grows dim like the fire turning into ashes [...].
romane: una sera in casa del Duce' (LArtefascista,
Maestro Alfano sits next to him, filled with
11 (1927) N.4, p.175):
pride [...].
Upon entering the Prime Minister's residence In our opinion this new work of Franco
the guests are immediately greeted with the ut- Alfano's is worthy of the most serious con-
most warm welcome [...]. sideration [...].
Let us contemplate for a moment this man at Now, without having to review mentally all
the pinnacle of his power. the masterpieces of the past and reminding
With a firm gesture of his hand he put a stop ourselves of what modern music has to offer
to a seditious movement organised by those today, we must recognise the presence of a great

38 THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002

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 36

Rall. - - - e stentando - - _S2lsempre pii_ _ insino al

t Fl i 2 dj jj st w . fJ f1JJJ
tVi ri rl j

t ? l ^ X js j33 a

Largo assai 250 Rit. molt

seml rv* H--^ n - - Im011 VI ^ t2

^^1E I J l JJ ; 1tiJ 1 A-i..UJI

scmi'!F~ar 1 r r Lvi
P9

) l0 &i i iS fJ: i * Le i^ I
.0.],,'
W(192. 2G)

deal of developed in such

solid a manner as to give
construction Franco
Sciannameo
and thematic
the impression of anlogic in
ever growing, whirlwind-like this
is Professor of
of Maestro Alfano's.
crescendo of sound and instrumental combina- His
Interdisciplinary
sounding along a line
tions. Alfano's very engaging piece can be surely of
Studies in the n
square, symmetric, School of Music orderly
placed on a par with the contemporary string
at Carnegie Mellon
quartets of Malipiero, Casella, Pizzetti, and Res-
University. He
The Quartetto Napolet
pighi. Instrumentalists wishing to perform Alfano's
is the author of

first public performan

Secondo Quartetto should not be perplexed by its
Filippo Trajetta:
Rome at the Accademia Filarmonica Romana. un musicista italiano
dedication to Benito Mussolini, as perhaps was
in America (Bari:
Johannes Streicher who omitted it from Alfano's
Aside from its unusual baptism, Alfano's Secondo Mario Adda
Quartetto in do, 'Quello di Mussolini' as Alfano
catalogue of works in his volume on the com-
Editore, 2002)
called it in a letter to Mario Vivarelli, dated Torino
poser, while citing all other dedications. and Magical friends:
Fellini, Rota and the
20 April 1928,40 has genuine merit. Built as Performers
a should perhaps bear in mind that,
music for Amarcord
collage of short phrases, the work's 'montage' after all, Alfano was not Beethoven - as Mussolini
(Bari: Mario Adda
was not Napoleon.
presents a series of variants of the initial melos Editore, 2002).

1. Adriano Lualdi: 'La visita al Duce', in completing Turandot, as it was suggested by

Viaggio musicale in Italia (Milano: Treves, Toscanini. Such a decision, Maedher thinks,
1927), pp.203-09. Valcarenghi of Casa Ricordi (see Maedher:was probably taken in view of the success
note 5d, below), the composer was of Alfano's latest opera, La leggenda di
approached early in July 1925 by Puccini's Sakuntala (Bologna, 1921), and the fact
2. According to an exchange of letters and
telegrams between Alfano and Renzo son, Tonio, who asked him to consider that Alfano belonged to the inner circle of

THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002 39

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Ricordi's music publishing empire. After a
series of meetings between Tonio Puccini,
Toscanini, Giuseppe Adami (the opera's
librettist), Alfano and Valcarenghi, a contract
regarding the completion of the opera
was finally issued on 25 August 1925.
The financial terms were as follows: Alfano
was to receive the sum of 30,000 lire upon
delivery of the score, 2,500 lire for every
month of forced suspension of his duties
as director of the Turin Conservatory, and
four per cent of all income generated by the
opera's performances. The first two items
were the responsibility of Puccini's heirs,
the third to be equally divided between the
Puccinis and Ricordi.
3. Franco Vittadini (born Pavia, 1884; died
1948) was a composer of some success
during the 1920s and 30s. His operas
La Sagredo (Milano, La Scala, 1930) and
Caracciolo (Roma, 1938), the ballet Vecchia
Milano (Milano, La Scala, 1928) and much
religious music won him favours during
the Fascist regime. Vittadini had a long
association with Casa Ricordi. Vincenzo
Tommasini (born Roma, 1898; died 1950)
reached notoriety with the ballet Le donne
di buon umore (The good-humored ladies),
based on keyboard sonatas by Domenico
Scarlatti, produced by Diaghilev in Rome
in 1917. It preceded Stravinsky's Pulcinella
(1919-20), another celebrated Diaghilev
production based on music attributed to
Giovan Battista Pergolesi. Tommasini was a
composer of important instrumental music,
including a remarkable Concerto for
String Quartet and Orchestra (1930). The
composer was engaged with Toscanini and
Antonio Smareglia (bor Pola, 1854; died
Grado, 1929) on the completion of Arrigo
Boito's Nerone, premiered posthumously
at La Scala in 1924. It seems, however, that
Toscanini had initially wanted Ildebrando
Pizzetti for the job (see Bruno Pizzetti:
Ildebrando Pizzetti: cronologia e bibliografia
(Parma: La Pilotta, 1980), pp.179-80.
Riccardo Zandonai (bor Sacco Trentino,
1883; died Pesaro, 1944), a pupil of
Pietro Mascagni, was the much acclaimed
composer of Francesca da Rimini, an opera
after D'Annunzio, premiered in Turin in
1914 and at the Met two years later. As an
added curiosity it should be mentioned here 9. Mosco Carer: Puccini: a critical biography pp.106-07.
that rumours circulated that Franz Lehar, (3rd edition, New York, NY: Holmes &
the celebrated composer of The merry widow Meier Publishers, 1992, p.263.
and Puccini's friend, was also considered for
completing Turandot. The story is reported
by William Ashbrook in 'La Rondine',
a chapter of The Puccini companion, edd.
40 THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002
This content downloaded from 161.116.100.129 on Sat, 25 May 2019 19:23:36 UTC
William Weaver & Simonetta Puccini (New
York-London: WW Norton & Company,
1994), p.247.
4. The original of Alfredo Casella's letter is
preserved in the archives of Casa Ricordi.
A copy is in the Fondo Casella (L. no.1601
VII.2. no.1601), Fondazione Giorgio Cini,
San Giorgio Maggiore, Venezia.
5. Jurgen Maedher: (a) 'Studien zun
Fragmentecharakter von Puccini Turandot',
in Analecta Musicologica XXII (Laaber,
1984), pp.297-379; (b) 'La trasformazione
interrotta della principessa', in Atti del primo
convegno intemazionale sull'opera di Puccini
a Torre del Lago (Torre del Lago: Giardini,
1984); (c) 'Puccini's Turandot: a fragment,
studies in Franco Alfano's completion
of the score', in English National Opera
Guide no.27 (London & New York, 1984),
pp.35-53; (d) 'Studi sul carattere di fram-
mento della Turandot di Giacomo Puccin',
in Quademi pucciniani 2 (1985), pp.79-163;
(e) Das Puccini Research Center, 'FU-Nach-
richten: Das Magazin der Freien Universitat
Berlin', 5/97 (15 May 1997), pp.18-19;
(f) 'Turandot e Sakuntala: La codificazione
dell'orchestrazione negli appunti di Puccini
e le partiture di Alfano', in Giacomo Puccini:
Luomo, il musicista, il panorama europeo:
Atti del convegno (Lucca 1994), a cura di
Gabriella Biagi Ravenni e Carolyn Gianturco
(Lucca: Libreria Musicale Italiana, 1998,
pp.281-315.
6. Janet Maguire's completion has remained
unperformed and unpublished. See her
essay 'Puccini's version of the duet and final
scene of Turandot', in The Musical Quarterly
74 (1990), pp.319-59. Luciano Berio's
version of Turandot's finale was premiered
on 24 January 2002 in Las Palmas (Canary
Islands).
7. William Ashbrook & Harold Powers:
Puccini' Turandot: the end of the great tra-
dition (Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1991).
8. Giacomo Puccini: Turandot: partitura:
nuova edizione riveduta e corretta (Milano:
Ricordi, 1958).
10. There were witnesses to the fact, how-
ever, that Puccini had the opera completed
in his mind, since he played it on the piano
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
for Toscanini and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedes-
co on different occasions (see Harvey Sachs:
'Una vita di musica, Mario Castelnuovo-
Tedesco', in Nuova Rivista Musicale Italiana,
XXIII-3, luglio-settembre 1989, p.385).
11. Gordon Smith: 'Alfano and Turandot',
in Opera (1973), pp.223-31; (b) Teodoro
Celli: 'Gli abbozzi per Turandot', in Quademi
pucciniani 2 (1985), pp.43-65; (c) Jurgen
Maedher: see note 5; (d) Gianandrea
Gavazzeni: 'Turandot: organismo senza pace',
in Quademi pucciniani 2 (1985), pp.33-42.
12. See Alfano's letter to Valcarenghi dated
5 July 1925 in Maedher: note 5d, p.107.
13. Mosco Carner: op. cit., p.264.
14. Ettore Panizza (bor Buenos Aires,
1875; died Milano, 1967), Italian composer
and conductor of Argentinian origin, was
Toscanini's assistant at La Scala from 1921
to 1929. He became a regular conductor
at that theatre during the seasons 1930-32
and 1946-48. Aside from composing operas
and instrumental music, Panizza wrote an
interesting autobiography in Spanish.
15. Benito Mussolini: 'Giacomo Puccini', in
Opera Omnia vol.XXI, edd.: E. & D. Susmel
(Firenze: La Fenice, 1956), pp.188-89.
16. Maedher: op. cit., note.5d.
17. Alfano's original completion can be
heard on CD SRO-839-2, with Christopher
Keene conducting (New York, 1985).
This portion of the disc is an appendix
to a live recording of Risurrezione (Elio
Boncompagni, conductor; RAI Turin,
22 October 1971).
18. Guido Maria Gatti (bor Chieti, 1892;
died Grottaferrata, 1973), an eminent Italian
music critic and writer, was responsible
for promoting contemporary Italian music,
especially abroad, from the pages of his
La rassegna musicale and other periodicals.
19. Guido Maria Gatti: 'Franco Alfano',
in Eric Blom, ed.: Groves dictionary of
music and musicians (fifth edition), vol. 1,
20. Howard Greenfeld: Puccini (New York:
GP Putnam's Sons, 1980), p.277.
21. John CG Waterhouse: 'Franco Alfano', in
The new Grove, vol.1, pp.250-51.
22. Massimo Bruni: 'Franco Alfano e
la cerchia della Generazione dell'80', in
Atti del Convegno Musica Italiana del primo
Novecento 'La Generazione dell'80: Firenze
9-11 maggio 1980: a cura di Fiamma Nicolodi
(Firenze: Olschki, 1981), pp.97-109.
23. Johannes Streicher: 'Le lettere
di Franco Alfano ad Arturo Rossato',
in Ultimi splendori: Cilea, Giordano, Alfano
(Roma: Ismez, 1999), p.777.
24. John CG Waterhouse: op. cit.
25. Fiamma Nicolodi: Musica e musicisti nel
ventenniofascista (Fiesole: Discanto Edizioni,
1984), p.158.
26. Manifesto degli intellettuali delfascismo
was the outcome of the Bologna (29-30
March 1925) Convegno per la cultura
fascista (Conference of Fascist Culture),
which was generated by the philosopher
Giovanni Gentile, Mussolini's first Minister
of Education, to whom the task of aligning
intellectuals behind the regime was assigned.
The Manifesto, which appeared in the
press on 21 April 1925, provoked a strong
reaction from Italy's leading philosopher
Benedetto Croce, who, with Giovanni
Amendola, published on 1 May 1925
a counter-manifesto. Only one musician
signed this document: the conductor
Vittorio Gui. The 'Manifesto degli intellettuali
antifascisti, represented an important and
significant moment not only in the history
of Italy but in the struggle to defend the
intellectuals' right to freedom of thought
against regimentation.' The quote is taken
from Emiliana Noerther's entry in the
Historical dictionary of Fascist Italy, edited
by Philip V Cannistraro (Westport, Conn.:
Greenwood Press, 1982), pp.320-21. For
further details on both documents see
Emilio R. Papa: Fascismo e cultura (Padova:
Marsilio, 1974) and Storia di due manifesti
(Milano: Feltrinelli, 1958), in which the two
manifestos are reprinted.
27. The manganello was a wooden club,
used first by the squadristi and then by the
Fascist Militia in their so-called 'punitive
expeditions'. The word manganello became
synonymous forforced order. Later in Fascist
literature, it was sarcastically referred to as
santo manganello - the 'holy club'.
28. For a detailed account of the
Accademia's functions and activities see
Marinella Ferrarotto: LAccademia d'Italia
This content downloaded from 161.116.100.129 on Sat, 25 May 2019 19:23:36 UTC
(Napoli: Liguori Editore, 1977).
29. Roberto Forges-Davanzati (born Naples,
1880; died Rome, 1936) was one of the most
influential public and political figures of
the Regime. Member of the Fascist Grand
Council and president of the Society of
Authors and Publishers, in 1933 he created
a widely followed radio programme called
Cronache del regime, which he hosted until
his death.
30. It is interesting, if not unbelievable, to
note that the GIL was officially abolished in
the summer of 1995 as part of a plan aimed
at eliminating 643 'useless agencies' lingering
on the government payroll. See Maurizio
Tortorella: 'Ewiva, aboliscono la Gioventu
littoria!', in Panorama (21 giugno 1995),
pp.14-15.
31. For an enlightening account of
Mussolini's cultural and social activities
see Philip V Cannistraro & Brian Sullivan:
II Duces other woman: the untold story of
Margherita Sarfatti, Benito Mussolini's Jewish
mistress, and how she helped him come to
power (New York: William Morrow & Co.,
Inc., 1993).
32. The Hymn was performed in Caracas on
22 December 1930. For the bicentennial of
Simon Bolivar's birth, 1983, the Venezuelan
government commissioned Krysztof Pende-
recki to write a commemorative work. The
result was a Concerto for Viola and Orchestra.
33. What Alfano meant by neo-Italianness
was his way of interpreting Mussolini's
directives which were concerned with the
government's fostering primarily opera, since
only that artform, or dramatic theatre, could
have reached the masses of the 'new' Italians.
Therefore Alfano wished to point out to
Mussolini that his opera La leggenda di
Sakuntala had all the required attributes
of neo-Italianness to qualify the work
as traditional and innovative at the same
time, in tune with the basic Fascist rhetoric
of the period. Many Italian composers active
during the Ventennio aimed at expressing
such a concept, including Alfredo Casella,
who considered his remarkable Concerto
for Trio and Orchestra (1933) to have been
composed in pure Stile littorio. See Nicolodi:
op. cit., p.253.
34. Alfano did receive an appointment in
1943 at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in
Rome to teach 'Opera studies'.
THE MUSICAL TIMES / WINTER 2002
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
35. (a) Bea Friedland: 'Italy's Ottocento:
notes from the musical underground',
in The Musical Quarterly, LVI (1970),
pp.27-53; (b) Sergio Martinotti: Ottocento
strumentale italiano (Bologna: Fori, 1972);
(c) Franco Sciannameo: 'Unpublished and
out-of-print Italian viola music of Giuseppe
Sarti and Ferdinando Giorgetti', chapter
XIV in Maurice W Riley: The history
of the viola, vol.II (Ann Arbor, MI: Braun-
Brumfield, 1992), pp.182-91; (d) Franco
Sciannameo: Ferdinando Giorgettis Viola
Method (1854) (Lewinston, NY: The Edwin
Mellen Press, 2003).
36. The Quartetto in re, published in
Bologna by Bongiovanni, was always
considered Respighi's first string quartet.
In reality, it is at least the fifth of a group
of string quartets composed between
1897 and 1909. See Potito Pedarra:
'Elenco dei manoscritti autografi di
Ottorino Respighi', in Alberto Cantu:
Respighi compositore (Torino: Edizioni EDA,
1985), pp.235-58.
37. Guido Maria Gatti: 'Franco Alfano',
in The Musical Quarterly IX (1923),
pp.556-77.
38. It is interesting to note that the Quartetto
Napoletano, a rival ensemble of D'Annun-
zio's Quartetto del Vittoriale, was led by a
woman, Giuseppina De Rogatis, who also
was the leader of another ensemble, the Trio
Stabile, comprised of pianist Nietta Curcio
and cellist Sergio Viterbini, an unusual
situation in a rather chauvinistic environ-
ment. Was Margherita Sarfatti (see note 31)
instrumental in selecting the group? For
detailed information on the condition of
women during the Ventennio see Victoria
De Grazia: How Fascism ruled women: Italy
1922-1945 (Berkeley, CA.: University of
California Press, 1992).
39. In spite of the inevitable hyperbole of
this chronicle, Bruno Barilli (bor Fano,
1880; died Rome, 1952) was no ordinary
music critic. For more information on this
composer-writer, see Fedele D'Amico: 'Barilli
o la caducita del miracolo', in Un ragazzino
all'Augusteo (Torino: Einaudi, 1991),
pp.92-110.
40. Aurora Cogliandro: 'Lepistolario di
Franco Alfano (1924-1954) conservato
a San Remo', in Ultimi splendori: Cilea,
Giordano, Alfano (Roma: Ismez Editori,
1999), p.853.
41