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Show w- ' 'RILEY WRITES A LIBRETTO. Sir A rthnr Sullivan to Compose the DTusic for the Hoosier Poet's Romantic Opera. Aside from the desire of James Whjtcomb Riley to arrange with his publishers, Lang-mans, Lang-mans, Green & Co., for a 6econd edition of "Old Fashioned Roses," there was another very important matter which induced the Hoosier poet to go to London this summer. Mr. Riley had been corresponding very diligently ever since early spring with Sir Arthur Sullivan, the composer, with regard to the libretto of an operetta be has written. "While in London he spent much of his time with the famous composer, reading tbe opera to him and giving him his idea of its scenes and characters. Mr. Sullivan kept the libretto and, before leaving London, Mr. Riley was assured that he had scored a great success in his iirst effort at dramatic writing and that Sir Arthur would as soon as possible bejrin the task of composing the music. The name with -which Mr. Riley christened the opera was "Flying Clouds of the Night," but it most likelv this will give way "to a shorter title. The Rev. Dr. Myron W. Reed of Denver, who is a warm personal friend of Riley's and who went abroad with the poet in May, says that the libretto is in three acts, and is a romantic ro-mantic spectacular opera. The principal character is Nocturnia, queen of the night, and her attendants, nymphs and slaves make up the cast. The first act represents Twilight, the second Night and the third Dawn. In the second act the cavernous regions of Noeturnia's realms are shown w ith her superb palace, the jewel room and the work shop where darkness Is made. As may be imagined, the opera admits of much gorgeous scenic display and many handsome costumes. Mr. Kiley has lavish ideas us to just how it should all be. He detailed de-tailed everything carefully to Sir Arthur Sullivan and even went so far as to advise the great composer that the scene representing represent-ing the guards of Nocturnia battling with the descending rays of the sun should require re-quire lively, spirited music, such as "Marching "March-ing Through Georgia," which the poet proceeded pro-ceeded to exemplify by whistling. |