I do not feel that either Strauss or Debussy will have an influence upon
the music of the coming Italian composers similar to that which the
music of Wagner had upon Verdi and his followers. Personally, I admire
them very much, but they seem unvocal, and Italy is nothing if not
vocal. To me _Pelleas and Melisande_ would be quite as interesting if it
were acted in pantomime with the orchestral accompaniment. The voice
parts, to my way of thinking, could almost be dispensed with. The piece
is a beautiful dream, and the story so evident that it could almost be
played as an "opera without words." But vocal it certainly is not, and
the opportunities of the singer are decidedly limited. Strauss, also,
does not even treat the voice with the scant consideration bestowed upon
it in some of the extreme passages of the Wagner operas. Occasionally
the singer has an opportunity, but it cannot be denied that to the actor
and the orchestra falls the lion's share of the work.