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When "Lucrezia Borgia," composed for Milan in 1834, was produced at Paris in 1840, the French poet instituted a suit for an infringement of copyright. He gained his action, and "Lucrezia Borgia" became "La Rinegata," Pope Alexander the Sixth's Italians being metamorphosed into Turks.* * Victor Hugo did the same thing with Verdi's "Ernani," and other French authors followed with legal actions.

To accommodate the irate poet, the words were altered, the characters were changed to Italians, and the new title of "II Proscritto" was given to the work. The action of the opera takes place in Arragon, Spain, and the period is 1519. Elvira, a noble Spanish lady, betrothed to the grandee Don Gomez de Silva, is in love with the bandit Ernani, who forms a plan to carry her off.

His first opera, "Oberto," was given at La Scala, Milan, with indifferent success. He was not fairly recognized until his opera "I Lombardi" was performed. In 1844 "Ernani" was received with great enthusiasm.

Elvira, the chosen bride of Don Silva, a Spanish grandee, loves Ernani, an exiled nobleman, who has had to take refuge in brigandage. Silva discovers their attachment, but being connected with Ernani in a plot against Charles V., he defers his vengeance for the moment.

I think we must have been there, waiting and coaxing, nearly half an hour, before she began to hitch along; for walk she wouldn't, and she didn't. She had on a black Ernani dress, and a nice silk underskirt; and as she lifted herself along with her hands, hoist after hoist sidewise, of course the thin stuff dragged on the rocks and began to go to pieces.

When the pianist had finished his Chopin a lady sang, accompanied by her son, who had brought a whole pile of music. She courageously attacked the Cavatina of "Ernani." The son filled up the places in her vocalization which were weak by playing a dashing chord.

"Ernani," a tragic opera in four acts, words by F.M. Piave, the subject taken from Victor Hugo's tragedy of "Hernani," was first produced at Venice, March 9, 1844. The earlier performances of the opera gave the composer much trouble.

"Ernani, Ernani, involami" still the air was vibrant with that glorious voice. But the love of which it was the exponent, the flight which it counseled, had ceased, to Richard's hearing, to bear relation to that which is earthly, concrete, and of the senses.

But the valet remained, impassive in manner, actively anxious at heart. "Have you any orders for the carriage, sir?" he asked. "Garçia drove me down. I told him to wait until I had inquired." Richard was long in replying. His brain was all confused and clouded again, while again he heard the voice of the famous soprano "Ernani, Ernani, involami." "Yes," he said at last.

When I was introduced to her I said, "The first time I heard you sing was years ago when I was a little girl and you were in short dresses." "In Rochester," I replied. "I shall never forget how exquisitely you sang 'Ah! non giunge' and 'Ernani." "Yes, I remember quite well. I was singing in concerts with Ole Bull; but that was a long time ago."