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Show SHE GOT COMPOSERS MIXED Queen Victoria's Error Must Have Caused Mascagni to Pass an Uncomfortable Un-comfortable Few Minutes. Sometimes when a great personage essays musical criticism embarrassing errors arise. Once Queen Victoria invited Mascagni, the composer of Cavalleria Rusticana, to play for her at Windsor castle. When the musician was at the piano her majesty said : "I am passionately fond of one of the numbers of your opera." Mascagni played the Intermezzo. "No," said the queen, "that is not the melody I mean." Mascagni played the Prelude. "That's not it, either." Mascagni played the dramatic Duet. The queen became almost impatient. "I'll help you to remember it," she said, and hummed a few measures. With increasing consternation Mascagni Mas-cagni listened as the queen sang the Prologue to Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci ! Le Gaulois. in telling the story, does not say whether the musician informed inform-ed the queen that she had made a mistake. Youth's Companion. |