[Illustration: [handwritten note] To Miss Harriette Brower Cordially A
Scotti New York 1920]
With all his varied endowments, it seldom or never falls to the lot of a
baritone to impersonate the lover; on the contrary it seems to be his
métier to portray the villain. Scotti has been forced to hide his true
personality behind the mask of a Scarpia, a Tonio, an Iago, and last but
not least, the most repulsive yet subtle of all his villains--Chim-Fang,
in _L'Oracolo_. Perhaps the most famous of them all is Scarpia. But what
a Scarpia, the quintessence of the polished, elegant knave! The
refinement of Mr. Scotti's art gives to each rôle distinct
characteristics which separate it from all the others.