Walker-My_Musical_Ex.. - Walter Cosand

78 MY MUSICAL EXPERIENCES
attracted. This suggestion, however, never came to
anything, not because of any refusal on the part of
Sgambati, any holding back from associating himself
with amateurs. Sgambati was altogether so entirely
above such considerations, that he never made any
difficulty about sitting down to play even on the
worst of instruments, and would readily take the bass
of a duet—and this not only with his own pupils, but
also with persons whom he had seldom, perhaps
never, seen before. And he knew well that in this
instance the mere mention of his name on the programme
of any entertainment would be quite suffi-
cient to ensure its success. But the fact was, that in
the first instance there seemed to be no one forth-
coming who could set the whole thing in motion
decide what the entertainment was to be, find out the
people who would be able and wilhng to take an
active part in it, and briag all the different elements
together so as to make some coherent whole.
Finally, however, three American young ladies,
who with their mother were staying for the summer
at the Bagni di Lucca, came forward and suggested
a series of tableaux vivants, in which they offered to
arrange everything—to allot the respective roles, plan
the scenery, and design with the least possible outlay
costumes appropriate to the different characters.
Bills were sent round, accordingly, to all the hotels,
stating that on a given evening there would be
tableaux vivants and other entertainments in the de-
—