Of the great Italian opera composers of to-day, I feel that Puccini is,
perhaps, the greatest because he has a deeper and more intimate
appreciation of theatrical values. Every note that Puccini writes smells
of the paint and canvas behind the proscenium arch. He seems to know
just what kind of music will go best with a certain series of words in
order to bring out the dramatic meaning. This is in no sense a
depreciation of the fine things that Mascagni, Leoncavallo and others
have done. It is simply my personal estimate of Puccini's worth as an
operatic composer. Personally, I like _Madama Butterfly_ better than any
other Italian opera written in recent years. Aside from _Falstaff_, my
own best role is probably in _La Tosca_. The two most popular Italian
operas of to-day are without doubt _Aida_ and _Madama Butterfly_. That
is, these operas draw the greatest audiences at present. It is
gratifying to note a very much unified and catholic taste throughout the
entire country. That is to say, in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and
Philadelphia one finds the public taste very similar. This indicates
that the great musical advance in recent years in America has not been
confined to one or two eastern cities.