e to impersonate the lover; on the contrary it seems to be his
metier to portray the villain. Scotti has been forced to hide his true
personality behind the mask of a Scarpia, a Tonio, an Iago, and last but
not least, the most repulsive yet subtle of all his villains--Chim-Fang,
in _L'Oracolo_. Perhaps the most famous of them all is Scarpia. But what
a Scarpia, the quintessence of the polished, elegant knave! The
refinement of Mr. Scotti's art gives to each role distinct
characteristics which separate it from all the others.

OPPORTUNITY FOR THE AMERICAN SINGER

Mr. Scotti has done and is doing much for the young American singer, by
not only drilling the inexperienced ones, but also by giving them
opportunity to appear in opera on tour. To begin this enterprise, the
great baritone turned impresario, engaged a company of young singers,
most of them Americans, and, when his season at the Metropolitan was at
an end, took this company, at his own expense, on a southern trip,
giving opera in many cities.

Discussing his venture on one occasion, Mr. Scotti said:

"It was an experiment in several ways. First, I had an all-American
company, which was indeed an experiment. I had some fine artists in the
principal roles, with lesser known ones in smaller parts. With these I
worked personally, teaching them how to act, thus preparing them for
further career in the field of opera. I like to work with the younger
and less experienced ones, for it gives me real pleasure to watch how
they improve, when they have the opportunity.

"Of course I am obliged to choose my material carefully, for many more
apply for places than I can ever accept.

ITALIAN OPERA IN AMERICA

"So closely is Italy identified with all that pertains to opera," he
continued, "that the question of the future of Italian opera in America
interests me immensely. It has been my privilege to devote some of the
best years of my life to singing in Italian opera in this wonderful
country of yours. One is continually impressed with the great advance
America has made and is making along all musical lines. It is marvelous,
though you who live here may not be awake to the fact. Musicians in
Europe and other parts of the world, who have never been here, can form
no conception of the musical activities here.

"It is very gratifying to me, as an Italian, to realize that the
operatic compositions of my country must play an important part in the
future of American music