_Lerchenan_ is appeased not only by the _The Complete Opera Book The Stories of the Operas, together with 400 of the Leading Airs and Motives in Musical Notation

chambermaid, who waits on the _Princess_ and her relative at

breakfast, but also because he is so eager to make a rendezvous with

her. _Octavian_ in his disguise understands so well how to lead

_Lerchenan_ on without granting his request, that he forgets the cause

of his annoyance. Moreover the _Princess_ promises that she presently

will despatch a Knight of the Rose to the daughter of the wealthy

_Faninal_ whose wealth, of course, is what attracts _Lerchenan_. The

_Princess_ chooses _Octavian_ to be the Knight of the Rose. Later she

regrets her choice. For after the handsome youth has departed on his

mission, and she is left alone, she looks at herself in the glass.

She is approaching middle age, and although she still is a handsome

woman, her fear that she may lose _Octavian_, to some younger member

of her sex, cannot be banished from her thoughts.

Act II. Salon in the house of _Herr von Faninal_. This lately ennobled

_nouveau rich_ considers it a great distinction that the _Baron von

Lerchenan_, a member of the old nobility, should apply for the hand of

his daughter. That the _Baron_ only does it to mend his broken

fortunes does not worry him, although his daughter _Sophie_ is a sweet

and modest girl. Inexperienced, she awaits her suitor in great

agitation. Then his proxy, _Octavian_, comes with the silver rose to

make the preliminary arrangements for his "cousin," _Baron von

Lerchenan_. _Octavian_ is smitten with the charms of the girl. She,

too, is at once attracted to the handsome young cavalier. So their

conversation imperceptibly has drifted into an intimate tone when the

real suitor enters. His brutal frankness in letting _Sophie_

comprehend that he is condescending in courting her, and his rude

manners thoroughly repel the girl. _Octavian_ meanwhile is boiling

with rage and jealousy. The girl's aversion to the _Baron_ increases.

The two men are on the point of an outbreak, when _Lerchenan_ is

called by a notary into an adjoining room where the marriage contract

is to be drawn up. _Sophie_ is shocked at what she has just

experienced. Never will it be possible for her to marry the detested

_Baron_, especially since she has met the gallant _Octavian_. The two

are quick in agreeing. _Sophie_ sinks into his arms.

At that moment there rush out from behind the two large chimney pieces

that adorn the room, the intriguers, _Valzacchi_ and his companion

_Annina_, whom _Lerchenan_ has employed as spies. Their cries bring

the _Baron_ from the next room. The staff of servants rushes in.

_Octavian_ tells the _Baron_ of _Sophie's_ antipathy, and adds taunt

to taunt, until, however reluctant to fight, the _Baron_ is forced to

draw his sword. In the encounter _Octavian_ lightly "pinks" him. The

_Baron_, a coward at heart, raises a frightful outcry. There ensues

the greatest commotion, due to the mix-up of the servants, the doctor,

and the rage of _Faninal_, who orders _Sophie_ to a convent when she

positively refuses to give her hand to _Lerchenan_. The latter,

meanwhile, rapidly recovers when his wound has been dressed and he has

drunk some of _Faninal's_ good wine.

_Octavian_ is determined to win _Sophie_. For that purpose he decides

to make use of the two intriguers, who are so disgusted by the

niggardly pay given them by the _Baron_, that they readily fall in

with the plans of the brilliant young cavalier. After the crowd has

dispersed and the _Baron_ is alone for a moment, _Annina_ approaches

and hands him a note. In this the _Princess's_ chambermaid promises

him a rendezvous. _Lerchenan_ is delighted over the new conquest he

believes himself to have made.

Act III. A room in an inn near Vienna. With the help of _Valzacchi_

and _Annina_, who are now in the service both of the _Baron_ and of

_Octavian_, but are more prone to further the latter's plans because

he pays them better, _Octavian_ has hired a room in an inn. This room

is fitted up with trapdoors, blind windows and the like. Here, at the

suggestion of the intriguers, who have the run of the place and know

to what uses the trick room can be put, _Lerchenan_ has made his

rendezvous for the evening with the pretty chambermaid. _Octavian_, in

his girl's clothes, is early at the place.

Between the _Baron_ and the disguised _Octavian_, as soon as they are

alone, a rude scene of courtship develops. _Octavian_ is able to hold

him off skilfully, and gradually there is unfolded the mad web of

intrigue in which the _Baron_ is caught. Strange figures appear at the

windows. _Lerchenan_, ignorant, superstitious, thinks he sees ghosts.

Suddenly what was supposed to be a blind window, bursts open, and a

woman dressed in mourning rushes in. It is the disguised intriguante,

_Annina_, who claims to be the deserted wife of _Lerchenan_. Innkeeper

and servants hurry in. The clamour and confusion become more and more

frantic. Finally the _Baron_ himself calls for the police, without

thinking what a "give away" it may be for himself. When the Commissary

of Police arrives, to save his face, he gives out that his companion,

the supposed chambermaid, is his affianced, _Sophie von Faninal_.

That, however, only adds to the confusion, for _Octavian's_

accomplices have sought out _Faninal_ and invited him on behalf of the

_Baron_ to come to the inn. In his amazement the _Baron_ knows of no

other way out of the dilemma save to act as if he did not know

_Faninal_ at all, whereupon the latter, naturally, is greatly angered.

When the confusion is at its height the _Princess_ suddenly appears. A

lackey of the _Baron_, seeing his master in such difficulties, has run

to her to ask for her powerful protection. She quickly takes in the

whole situation; and however bitterly _Octavian's_ disaffection

grieves her, she is a clever enough woman of the world to recognize

that the time for her to give him up has come. The threads now quickly

disentangle themselves. The _Baron_ leaves, _Octavian_ and _Sophie_

are forgiven, and _Herr von Faninal_ feels himself fully compensated

for all he has been through, because he is to be driven home beside

the _Princess_ in her carriage.

ARIADNE AUF NAXOS

ARIADNE ON NAXOS

Opera in one act; by Richard Strauss; words by Hugo von

Hofmannsthal. To follow Molière's Comedy, "Le Bourgeois

Gentilhomme."

CHARACTERS

ARIADNE _Soprano_

BACCHUS _Tenor_

NAIAD _Soprano_

DRYAD _Alto_

ECHO _Soprano_

ZERBINETTA _Soprano_

ARLECCHINO } Characters in _Baritone_

SCARAMUCCIO } old Italian _Tenor_

TRUFFALDIN } comedy _Bass_

BRIGHELLA _Tenor_

_Time_--Antiquity.

_Place_--The Island of Naxos.

NOTE: On the stage there are present, as spectators of the

opera, _Jourdain_, _Marquise Dorimène_ and _Count Dorantes_,

characters from "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme."

The peculiar relationship of this opera to Molière's comedy is easily

explained, although the scheme is a curious one. In "Le Bourgeois

Gentilhomme," Molière has _Jourdain_, the commoner, who in his folly

strives to imitate the nobility, engage an entire ballet troupe for a

private performance at his house. The opera, "Ariadne auf Naxos," is

supposed to take the place of this ballet. Besides the opera, Richard

Strauss has composed eleven incidental musical members for the two

acts of the comedy, to which the opera is added as an independent

third act.

Into the representation there enters another factor, which is liable

to cause confusion, unless it is understood by the spectator. Besides

the opera, _Jourdain_ has engaged a troupe of buffoons to give a

performance of the old Italian Harlequin (Arlecchino) comedy. Having

paid for both, he insists that both shall take place, with the result

that, while the opera is in progress, the comedians dash on the stage,

go through their act, and dash off again.

The adapter of Molière's work to Strauss's purpose has omitted the

entire passage of the love scene between _Cléonte_ and _Lucille_,

_Jourdain's_ daughter, so that the two acts of the comedy concern

themselves mainly with _Jourdain's_ folly--his scenes with the music

teacher, the dancing master, the fencing master, the philosopher, and

the tailor. They also show how the intriguing _Count Dorantes_ makes

use of _Jourdain's_ stupidity, borrowing a large sum of money from

him, and persuading him that he can win the favour of the _Marquise_

with costly presents and by arranging in her honour the fête at which

the opera is given. At the same time the sly _Dorantes_ represents

everything to the _Marquise_ as if he himself had contrived and paid

for the gifts and the fête in her honour. The _Marquise_ goes to

_Jourdain's_ house to the banquet and celebration, as a climax to

which the opera "Ariadne auf Naxos" is presented. The opera therefore

follows the adaptation of "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme."

On a desert island lies _Ariadne_ asleep before a cave. _Naiad_,

_Echo_ and _Dryad_ are singing. _Ariadne_, on awaking, bewails the lot

of the forsaken one. In her grief she feels herself near death. Then

the old comedy figures come whirling in. In her desire for death

_Ariadne_ does not notice them. _Zerbinetta_ sings and dances with her

four _Harlequins_. This is their idea of life--to enjoy things

lightly. When they have disappeared, _Naiad_, _Dryad_, and _Echo_ come

back and announce the arrival of a youthful god. _Bacchus_ approaches

the island. From afar he sings. _Ariadne_ hopes it is Death coming to

release her. She longs for him, sinks into his arms. They are the arms

of love.

DIE VERKAUFTE BRAUT

THE BARTERED BRIDE

Opera in three acts; music by Friedrich Smetana, Czech, text

by R. Sabina. Produced in Czech, May 30, 1866, at Prague; in

German, April 2, 1893, in Vienna.

CHARACTERS

KRUSCHINA, a peasant _Baritone_

KATRINKA, his wife _Soprano_

MARIE, their daughter _Soprano_

MICHA, a landlord _Bass_

AGNES, his wife _Mezzo-Soprano_

WENZEL, their son _Tenor_

HANS, MICHA'S son by a first marriage _Tenor_

KEZAL, a marriage broker _Bass_

SPRINGER, manager of a troop of artists _Tenor_

ESMERALDA, a danseuse _Soprano_

MUFF, a comedian _Tenor_

Act I. It is the anniversary of the consecration of the village

church. _Marie_, daughter of the rich peasant _Kruschina_, is not

happy for she must today accept a suitor picked out for her by her

parents and she only loves _Hans_ although she does not know his

antecedents. _Hans_ consoles her. He will always be true to her and he

comes from a good family, only a wicked stepmother has robbed him of

his father's love. So she must be of good cheer. Then _Marie's_

parents arrive with the marriage broker, _Kezal_. The latter wants to

complete arrangements for the marriage of _Marie_ and _Wenzel_, the

rich son of the peasant _Micha_. When _Marie's_ father has given his

consent to this union, the go-between considers _Marie's_ opposition

as a trifle which, he tells _Micha_ outside in the inn, can be easily

remedied.

Act II. But with what eyes has _Kezal_ looked upon _Wenzel_ that he

praises his excellences so loudly? At any rate not with those of a

young woman. Can _Kruschina's Marie_ love this stutterer and coxcomb?

Never! Fortunately for her, he does not know her; and so the clever

girl is able to deceive him. She speaks disparagingly to him of

_Kruschina's Marie_ who loves another and whom therefore he should not

allow himself to marry. The puzzled _Wenzel_, enamoured, runs after

the laughing girl. On this _Hans_ comes in with _Kezal_. The latter is

telling his companion to give up his love affair. He offers him first

a hundred and finally three hundred florins if he will do so. At last

_Hans_ consents but only on condition that _Marie_ shall marry none

other than the son of _Micha's_ wife. _Kezal_ is content with that as

he understands it. He goes away to get witnesses and everybody is

provoked at the light heart with which _Hans_ has sold his bride.

Act III. In the meantime, _Wenzel_ has fallen in love with _Esmeralda_

the danseuse in a troop of acrobats. In his infatuation he allows

himself to be induced to act in place of a drunken comedian. His

parents and _Kezal_ surprise him while practising his dance. They are

very much astonished when he absolutely refuses to marry _Kruschina's

Marie_. But the matter would have been entirely different had he

recognized her to be the lovely maiden of earlier in the day. _Marie_

herself, out of revolt and grief at the fact that her lover has so

lightly prized her heart, is ready for everything. Then _Hans_ rushes

in, freely expressing his supercilious feelings. All stand astounded

until _Micha_ recognizes in _Hans_ his own long missing son by his

first marriage. That _Hans_ now signs the contract as the happy

husband of _Marie_ is the joyful end of this merry opera.

Russian Opera

Too little is known of Russian opera in this country. It is

true that Tschaikowsky's "Pique-Dame," Rubinstein's "Nero,"

Moussorgsky's "Boris Godounoff," Borodin's "Prince Igor,"

Rimsky-Korsakoff's fascinating "Coq d'Or" have been

performed here; while one act of Serge Rachmaninoff's "Miser

Knight" was given by Henry Russell at the Boston Opera House

with that excellent artist George Baklanoff in the title

rôle. But according to Mr. Rachmaninoff thirteen operas of

Rimsky-Korsakoff still await an American production and this

represents the work of only one composer. Who will undertake

the further education of the American public in this

respect?

RUSSLAN AND LUDMILLA

Michael Ivanovich Glinka's second opera is based upon one of Pushkin's

earliest poems. The poet had hardly agreed to prepare a dramatic

version of his fairy tale for the composer when he was killed in a

duel incurred owing to the supposed infidelity of his wife. As a

result of his untimely end, Glinka employed the services of no less

than five different librettists. This, of course, weakened the story.

The opera opens with an entertainment held by the Grand Duke of Kieff

in honour of his daughter _Ludmilla's_ suitors. Of the three,

_Russlan_, a knight, _Ratmir_, an Oriental poet, and _Farlaf_, a

blustering coward. _Russlan_ is the favoured one. A thunderclap

followed by sudden darkness interrupts the festivities. When this is

over, _Ludmilla_ has disappeared. Her father, _Svietosar_, promises

her hand in marriage to anyone who will rescue her.

The second act takes place in the cave of _Finn_, the wizard, to whom

_Russlan_ has come for advice. The knight hears that the abduction is

the work of _Tchernomor_ the dwarf. _Finn_ warns him against the

interference of _Naina_, a wicked fairy. He then starts out on his

search. The next scene shows _Farlaf_ in consultation with _Naina_.

The fairy advises him to neglect _Ludmilla_ until she is found by

_Russlan_, then to carry her off again. The next scene shows _Russlan_

on a battlefield. In spite of the mist he finds a lance and shield.

When the atmosphere grows clearer he discovers a gigantic head, which

by its terrific breathing creates a storm. _Russlan_ subdues the head

with a stroke of his lance. Under it is the magic sword which will

make him victorious over _Tchernomor_. The head then explains that its

condition is due to its brother, the dwarf, and reveals to _Russlan_

the means to be made of the sword.

In the third act, at the enchanted palace of _Naina_, _Gorislava_, who

loves _Ratmir_ appears. When the object of her passion appears he

slights her for a siren of _Naina's_ court. _Russlan_, too, is

imperilled by the sirens, but he is saved from their fascination by

_Finn_.

The fourth act takes place in the dwelling of _Tchernomor_.

_Ludmilla_, in despair, refuses to be consoled by any distraction. She

finally falls asleep, only to be awakened by _Tchernomor_ and his

train. The arrival of _Russlan_ interrupts the ensuing ballet. Forcing

_Ludmilla_ into a trance, _Tchernomor_ meets _Russlan_ in single

combat. The knight is victorious, but unable to awaken _Ludmilla_ from

her sleep. He carries her off.

In the fifth act, _Russlan_ with a magic ring, the gift of _Finn_,

breaks _Tchernomor's_ spell and restores _Ludmilla_ to consciousness.

PRINCE IGOR

Opera in four acts and a prologue by Borodin. Libretto suggested by

Stassoff, written by the composer.

The prologue takes place in the market-place of Poultivle where

_Igor_, Prince of Seversk lives. Although implored to postpone his

departure because of an eclipse of the sun, which his people regard as

an evil omen, _Igor_ with his son _Vladimir Igoreivitch_ departs to

pursue the Polovtsy, an Oriental tribe, driven to the plains of the

Don by _Prince Sviatoslav_ of Kiev. _Prince Galitzky_, _Igor's_

brother, remains to govern Poultivle and watch over the _Princess

Yaroslavna_. The first scene of the first act shows _Galitzky_ a

traitor, endeavouring to win the populace to his side with the help of

_Eroshka_ and _Skoula_, two deserters from _Igor's_ army. In the

second scene of this act young girls complain to _Yaroslavna_ about

the abduction of one of their companions. They ask her protection

against _Galitzky_. _Yaroslavna_ has a scene with her brother and

orders him from her presence. News is brought that _Igor's_ army has

been defeated, that he and the young prince are prisoners, and that

the enemy is marching upon Poultivle. The loyal Boyards swear to

defend their princess.

The second and third acts take place in the camp of the Polovtsy.

Young _Vladimir_ has fallen in love with _Khan Konchak's_ beautiful

daughter, _Konchakovna_. He serenades her in her tent. His father

laments his captivity. _Ovlour_, a soldier of the enemy, offers to

help him escape, but _Igor_ refuses to repay the _Khan's_ chivalrous

conduct in that manner. In the second act the _Khan_ gives a banquet

in honour of his captive. Oriental dances and choruses are introduced.

[Illustration: Photo by Mishkin

Scene from the Ballet in "Prince Igor" (with Rosina Galli)]

In the third act the victorious Polovstians return with prisoners from

Poultivle. _Igor_ consents to escape. _Konchakovna_ learns of the

secret preparations for flight which _Ovlour_ arranges by giving the

army a liberal allowance of wine. After a wild orgy the soldiers fall

asleep. When _Igor_ gives the signal for flight, _Konchakovna_ throws

herself upon young _Vladimir_ and holds him until his father has

disappeared. The soldiers rush to kill him as in revenge for _Igor's_

escape, but the _Khan_ is content to let him remain as his daughter's

husband.

In the last act the lamenting _Yaroslavna_ is cheered by the return of

her husband, and together they enter the Kremlin at Poultivle.

Borodin, who divided his life between science and music, wrote his

opera piece by piece. Rimsky-Korsakoff wrote that he often found him

working in his laboratory that communicated directly with his house.

"When he was seated before his retorts, which were filled with

colourless gases of some kind, forcing them by means of tubes from one

vessel to another, I used to tell him that he was spending his time in

pouring water into a sieve. As soon as he was free he would take me to

his living-rooms and there we occupied ourselves with music and

conversation, in the midst of which Borodin would rush off to the

laboratory to make sure that nothing was burning or boiling over,

making the corridor ring as he went with some extraordinary passage of

ninths or seconds. Then back again for more music and talk."

Borodin, himself, wrote: "In winter I can only compose when I am too

unwell to give my lectures. So my friends, reversing the usual custom,

never say to me, 'I hope you are well' but 'I do hope you are ill.' At

Christmas I had influenza, so I stayed at home and wrote the

Thanksgiving Chorus in the last act of 'Igor.'"

He never finished his opera. It was completed by Rimsky-Korsakoff and

his pupil Glazounoff, and three years after his death received its

first performance. Borodin never wrote down the overture, but

Glazounoff heard him play it so frequently that it was an easy matter

for him to orchestrate it according to Borodin's wishes. The composer

left this note about his opera: "It is curious to see how all the

members of our set agree in praise of my work. While controversy rages

amongst us on every other subject, all, so far, are pleased with

'Igor.' Moussorgsky, the ultra-realist, the innovating lyrico-dramatist,

Cui, our master, Balakireff, so severe as regards form and tradition,

Vladimir Stassoff himself, our valiant champion of everything that

bears the stamp of novelty or greatness."

BORIS GODOUNOFF

Opera in four acts and eight scenes; libretto taken from the

dramatic scenes of Pushkin which bear this title; music by

Moussorgsky; produced at the theatre Marie in Petrograd in

1874.

CHARACTERS

BORIS GODOUNOFF _Baritone_

FEODOR _Mezzo-Soprano_

XENIA _Soprano_

THE OLD NURSE _Contralto_

PRINCE SHOUISKY _Tenor_

ANDREY STCHELAKOV, clerk of the Douma _Baritone_

PIMEN, monk and chronicler _Bass_

THE PRETENDER DIMITRI, called _Gregory_ _Tenor_

MARINA _Soprano_

RANGONI, a Jesuit in disguise _Bass_

VARLAAM _Bass_

MISSAIL _Tenor_

THE HOSTESS _Mezzo-Soprano_

NIKITIN (_Michael_), constable _Bass_

_Time_--1598-1605.

_Place_--Russia.

[Illustration: Photo by White

Anna Case as Feodor, Didur as Boris, and Sparkes as Xenia, in "Boris

Godounoff"]

The subject brings to the stage one of the most curious episodes of

the history of Russia in the seventeenth century. A privy councillor

of the _Czar Feodor_, son of Ivan, named _Boris Godounoff_, has caused

to be assassinated the young _Dimitri_, brother of the emperor and his

only heir. On the death of _Feodor_, _Boris_, who has committed his

crime with the sole object of seizing power, causes himself to be

acclaimed by the people and ascends the throne. But about the same

time, a young monk named Grischka escapes from his convent, discards

his habit, and goes to Poland where he passes as the dead czarevitch

_Dimitri_. The Polish government receives him all the more cordially

as it understands all the advantage such an event might afford it.

Soon the pretended _Dimitri_, who has married the daughter of one of

the most powerful magnates, puts himself at the head of the Polish

army and marches with it against Russia. Just at this moment they hear

of the death of _Boris_, and the false _Dimitri_, taking advantage of

the circumstances, in turn usurps power which he is destined not to

keep very long.

Such is the poetical drama, the arrangement of which is a little

inconsistent from the scenic point of view, and which a historian of

Russian music, himself a musician, M. César Cui, treats in these

words: "There is no question here of a subject of which the different

parts, combined in such a way as to present a necessary sequence of

events, one flowing from the other, correspond in their totality to

the ideas of a strict dramatic unity. Each scene in it is independent;

the rôles, for the greater part, are transitory. The episodes that we

see follow each other necessarily have a certain connection; they all

relate more or less to a general fact, to a common action; but the

opera would not suffer from a rearrangement of the scenes nor even

from a substitution of certain secondary episodes by others. This

depends on the fact that 'Boris Godounoff' properly speaking is

neither a drama nor an opera, but rather a musical chronicle after the

manner of the historical dramas of Shakespeare. Each of the acts,

taken separately, awakens a real interest which, however, is not

caused by what goes before and which stops brusquely without

connection with the scene which is going to follow." Let us add that

some of these scenes are written entirely in prose while others are in

verse and we will have a general idea of the make-up of the libretto

of "Boris Godounoff," which moreover offered the composer a series of

scenes very favourable to music.

The score of Moussorgsky is uneven, like his talents, but nevertheless

remains very interesting and indicative of a distinct personality.

Although the composer was not much of a symphonist and rather

indifferently understood how to manage the resources of the orchestra,

although his harmony is sometimes strange and rude and his modulation

incorrect and excessive, he had at least a lavishness of inspiration,

the abundance and zest of which are calculated to cause astonishment.

He is a musician perhaps of more instinct than of knowledge, who goes

straight ahead without bothering himself about obstacles and who

sometimes trips while on his way but who nevertheless reaches his

object, sometimes even going beyond it by his strength of audacity.

Not much of a symphonist, as I have said, Moussorgsky did not even

take the trouble to write an overture and some entr'actes. But certain

pages of his score are not the less remarkable for their accent, their

colour, and their scenic effect, and especially for the national

feeling which from a musical point of view flows from them. Under this

head we would point out in the first act the great military scene,

which is of superb brilliance, and the chorus of begging monks; in the

second, the entire scene of the inn, in which the dramatic intensity

does not lessen for a second and which presents an astonishing variety

of rhythm and colour; then, in the third, the chorus of female

attendants, sung on a Cracovian woman's air, the song of _Marina_ in

the style of a mazurka, and a great Polish dance full of go and

warmth; finally the whole episode of the death of _Boris_, which has a

really gripping effect. These are enough, in spite of the inequalities

and defects of the work, to cause regret for the death of an artist

endowed with a very individual style, whose instruction had been

doubtless incomplete, but who nevertheless seemed called to have a

brilliant future.

EUGEN ONEGIN

Opera in three acts; music by Peter Ilitsch Tschaikowsky;

text after Pushkin's tale by Modeste Tschaikowsky, the

composer's brother; German text by von A. Bernhard. Produced

at Moscow, March, 1879.

CHARACTERS

LARINA, who owns an estate _Mezzo-Soprano_

TATIANA } her daughters { _Soprano_

OLGA } { _Alto_

FILIPIEVNA, a waitress _Mezzo-Soprano_

EUGEN ONEGIN _Baritone_

LENSKI _Tenor_

PRINCE GREMIN _Baritone_

A CAPTAIN _Bass_

SARETSKY _Bass_

TRIQUET, a Frenchman _Tenor_

As the characterization of the opera as "lyrical scenes" shows, the

poet offers no substantial work, but follows closely, often even word

for word, Pushkin's epic tale, with which one must be fully

acquainted--as is the case with everybody in Russia--in order to be

able to follow the opera properly.

Act I. _Eugen Onegin_ has been called from a wild life of pleasure to

his sick uncle, of whose property he takes possession after the

uncle's sudden death. He has brought with him from the big city a

profound satiety of all enjoyments and a deep contempt for the society

of mankind in his solitary country seat. Here, however, he forms a

friendship for a young fanatic, the poet _Lenski_. Through him he is

introduced to _Larina_, a woman who owns an estate. Her two daughters,

_Olga_ and _Tatiana_, correspond to the double nature of their mother,

whose youth was a period of sentimentality in which she allowed

herself to be affected like others by Richardson's novels, raved over

Grandison, and followed the wild adventures of Lovelace with anxious

thrills. Life later had made her rational, altogether too rational and

insipid. _Olga_ now has become a cheerful, superficial, pleasureful

silly young girl; _Tatiana_, a dreamer whose melancholy is increasing

through reading books which her mother had once used. _Lenski_ is

betrothed to _Olga_. _Tatiana_ recognizes at her first sight of

_Onegin_ the realization of her dreams. Her heart goes out to meet him

and in her enthusiasm she reveals all her feelings in a letter to him.

_Onegin_ is deeply stirred by this love; a feeling of confidence in

mankind that he had not known for such a long time awakens in him. But

he knows himself too well. He knows that every faculty as a husband is

departing from him. And now he considers it his duty not to disappoint

this maiden soul, to be frank. He refuses her love. He takes the blame

on himself, but he would not have been the worldly wise man if his

superiority to the simple country child had not been emphasized

chiefly on this account. But _Tatiana_ only listens to the refusal;

she is very unhappy. _Onegin_ remains her ideal, who now will be still

more solitary, in spite of it.

Act II. _Tatiana's_ name-day is being celebrated with a big ball.

_Onegin_ goes there on _Lenski's_ invitation. The stupid company with

their narrow views about him vex him so much that he seeks to revenge

himself on _Lenski_ for it, for which he begins courting _Olga_.

_Lenski_ takes the jest in earnest; it comes to a quarrel between the

friends. _Lenski_ rushes out and sends _Onegin_ a challenge. Social

considerations force _Onegin_ to accept the challenge; a duelling

fanatic landlord, _Saretsky_ stirs _Lenski's_ anger so severely that a

reconciliation is not possible. This part in Pushkin's work is the

keenest satire, an extraordinarily efficacious mockery of the whole

subject of duelling. There is derision on _Onegin's_ side, too, for he

chooses as his second his coachman Gillot. But the duel was terribly

in earnest; _Lenski_ falls shot through by his opponent's bullet.

(This scene recalls a sad experience of the poet himself; for he

himself fell in a duel by the bullet of a supercilious courtier, Georg

d'Anthès-Heckeren, who died in Alsace in 1895.)

Act III. Twenty-six years later. _Onegin_ has restlessly wandered over

the world. Now he is in St. Petersburg at a ball given by _Prince

Gremin_. There, if he sees aright, Princess Gremina, that accomplished

woman of the world is "his" _Tatiana_. Now his passion is aroused in

all its strength. He must win her. _Tatiana_ does not love him with

the same ardour as before. When she upbraids _Onegin_ that he loves

her only because she has now become a brilliant woman of the world it

is only a means of deceiving herself and her impetuous adorer as to

her real feelings. But finally her true feeling is revealed. She tells

_Onegin_ that she loves him as before. But at the same time she

explains that she will remain true to her duty as a wife.

Broken-hearted _Onegin_ leaves her.

PIQUE-DAME

THE QUEEN OF SPADES

The libretto of Tschaikowsky's "Pique-Dame" was first prepared by the

composer's brother Modeste for a musician who later refused to use it.

Tschaikowsky wrote it in six weeks, during a stay in Florence. The

libretto is that of the well-known story by Pushkin. _Herman_, the

hero, a passionate gambler, loves _Lisa_, whom he met while walking in

the summer garden in St. Petersburg. He learns that she is the

granddaughter of "the belle of St. Petersburg," famous in her old age

as the luckiest of card players. So strange is the old lady's

appearance that she has been named "The Queen of Spades." The two

women exert conflicting influences over _Herman_. He loves _Lisa_,

while the old woman awakens his gambling impulses. It is said that the

old _Countess's_ success at the card table is based upon her secret

knowledge of a combination of three cards. _Herman_ is bent upon

learning the secret. Although _Lisa_ loves _Herman_ she engages

herself to _Prince Yeletsky_. With the hope of forcing the old woman

to reveal her secret, he hides in her bedroom one night. When she sees

him the shock kills her, and _Herman_ learns nothing. Half-crazed with

remorse _Herman_ is haunted by the old _Countess's_ ghost. The

apparition shows him the three cards.

When he goes to her house the night after her funeral and plays

against _Prince Yeletsky_, he wins twice by the cards shown him by the

ghost. He stakes everything he possesses on the third card but he

turns up, not the expected card, but the queen of spades herself. At

the same instant he sees a vision of the _Countess_, triumphant and

smiling. Desperate, _Herman_ ends his life.

Tschaikowsky enjoyed his work on this opera. He wrote as follows to

the Grand Duke Constantine: "I composed this opera with extraordinary

joy and fervour, and experienced so vividly in myself all that happens

in the tale, that at one time I was actually afraid of the spectre of

the Queen of Spades. I can only hope that all my creative fervour, my

agitation, and my enthusiasm will find an echo in the heart of my

audiences." First performed at St. Petersburg in 1890, this opera soon

rivalled "Eugen Onegin" in popularity.

LE COQ D'OR

THE GOLDEN COCK

Opera pantomime in three acts with prologue and epilogue.

Produced in May, 1910, at Zimin's Private Theatre, Moscow.

Music by Rimsky-Korsakoff.

CHARACTERS

KING DODON _Baritone_

PRINCE GUIDON _Tenor_

PRINCE AFRON _Baritone_

VOEVODA POLKAN (the General) _Baritone_

AMELFA (the royal housekeeper) _Contralto_

THE ASTROLOGER _Tenor_

THE QUEEN OF SHEMAKHAN _Soprano_

THE GOLDEN COCK _Soprano_

"Le Coq D'Or" was Rimsky-Korsakoff's last opera. The censor refused to

sanction its performance during the composer's lifetime and his

difficulties with the authorities in this matter are supposed to have

hastened his death. When the work was given in Petrograd it was

thought to be over-taxing for the singers who are obliged to dance, or

for the dancers who are obliged to sing. M. Fokine ingeniously devised

the plan of having all the singers seated at each side of the stage,

while the dancers interpreted, in pantomime, what was sung. In spite

of the protests made by the composer's family, this was done in Paris,

London, and New York.

The opera is composed to a libretto, by V. Bielsky, based upon a

well-known poem by Pushkin. In a preface to the book the author says:

"The purely human nature of Pushkin's 'Golden Cock'--that instructive

tragicomedy of the unhappy consequences following upon mortal passions

and weaknesses--permits us to place the plot in any region and in any

period."

_King Dodon_, lazy and gluttonous, is oppressed by the cares of state.

Warlike neighbours harass him with their attacks. Holding council in

the hall of his palace with his Boyards, he asks the advice first of

one son, then the other. But the wise old _General_ disagrees with the

solutions suggested by the young princes. Soon the entire assembly is

in an uproar. The astrologer then appears and offers the _King_ a

golden cock. The bird has the power to foretell events, and in case of

danger will give warning. The _King_ is overjoyed. From a spire in the

capital the bird sends out various messages. At its bidding citizens

now rush for their weapons, now continue peaceful occupations.

_Dodon's_ bed is brought upon the stage, and the monarch relieved of

all responsibility goes to sleep, after having been tucked in by the

royal housekeeper. Suddenly the cock sounds the war alarm. The rudely

awakened sovereign first sends his sons, then goes himself. _Dodon's_

army fares ill. In the second act, the moonlight in a narrow pass

reveals the bodies of his two sons. At dawn, _Dodon_ notices a tent

under the hillside. The _King_ thinks it is the tent of the enemy

leader, but to his astonishment, a beautiful woman emerges. The lovely

_Queen_ lures on the aged _Dodon_, mocks at his voice, and forces him

to dance, until he falls exhausted to the ground. Finally she agrees

to become his bride.

The third act shows the populace preparing to welcome _Dodon_, There

is a wonderful procession led by _Dodon_ and the _Queen_, followed by

a grotesque train of giants and dwarfs. Soon the _Queen_ is bored. The

astrologer returns, claiming a reward for his magic bird. He demands

the _Queen_. _Dodon_ kills the astrologer by a blow on the head with

his sceptre, but this does not improve his position with his bride.

With an ominous cry, the bird flies towards the _King_ and fells him

with one blow from his beak. A thunderclap is followed by darkness.

When light returns both _Queen_ and cock have disappeared. The people

lament the death of the _King_. In the epilogue the resuscitated

astrologer announces that the story is only a fairy tale and that in

_Dodon's_ kingdom only the _Queen_ and himself are mortals.

MANRU

Opera in three acts. Music by Ignace Jan Paderewski. Book by

Alfred Nossig. The first performance in New York was on

February 14, 1902, at the Metropolitan Opera House. Mr.

Damrosch conducted. The cast included Mme. Sembrich, Mme.

Homer, Miss Fritzi Scheff, Alexander van Bandrowski, Mr.

Mühlmann, Mr. Blass, Mr. Bispham.

The opera had its first performance on any stage at the Court Theatre,

Dresden, May 29, 1901. Before being sung in New York it was heard in

Cracow, Lemberg, Zurich, and Cologne.

The scene is laid among the Tatra mountains, between Galicia and

Hungary. The story illustrates the gypsy's wanderlust. The plot is

borrowed from a Polish romance. _Manru_ has won the love of a Galician

girl, _Ulana_, and married her gypsy fashion. After a time she returns

to her native village among the Tatra mountains, seeking her mother's

help and forgiveness. But her mother curses her, and she is the object

of the villagers' scorn. They taunt her with a song which celebrates

the inconstancy of all gypsies under the spell of the full moon. As

she has already noticed signs of uneasiness in her husband, _Ulana_

seeks the help of _Urok_, a dwarf, who loves her and who is said to be

a sorcerer. He gives her a magic draught by means of which she wins

back _Manru_ for a time. Alone in the mountains, however, the

influence of the moon, the charm of gypsy music, and the fascinations

of a gypsy girl are too strong for him. He rejoins his companions.

_Oros_, the gypsy chief, himself in love with the maiden of _Manru's_

fancy, opposes her reinstatement in the band. But through the

influence of _Jagu_, a gypsy fiddler, his wishes are overruled and

_Manru_ is made chief in _Oros's_ place. The deposed chief revenges

himself by hurling his successful rival down a precipice, a second

after the distraught _Ulana_ has thrown herself into a mountain lake.

American Opera

No really distinguished achievement has as yet been reached

in the world of American opera. Various reasons are given

for the delinquency. Some say that American composers are

without that sense of the theatre so apparent in the

composers of the modern Italian school. But whatever the

reasons, the fact remains inalterably true.

The Metropolitan has housed several worthy efforts. Two of

the most successful were Mr. Parker's "Mona" and Mr.

Damrosch's "Cyrano de Bergerac." After much fulsome praise

had been bestowed upon both, however, these operas were

promptly shelved. Others have taken their place. But the

writer of a truly great American opera has yet to make his

appearance.

THE SACRIFICE

Opera in three acts by Frederick Shepherd Converse.

Mr. Converse wrote his own libretto. The lyrics are by John Macy. The

story takes place in southern California in 1846. Americans are

guarding the Anaya mansion, and the American officer, _Burton_, a

baritone, is in love with _Chonita_, the beauty of the household.

_Chonita_ has an old Indian servant, _Tomasa_, who hates the

Americans, yet seems to realize that they will conquer. _Chonita_,

praying in the Mission Church desecrated by the invaders, is told by

_Burton_ that he has killed a Mexican. Her questions reveal that

_Bernal_ is the dead man. But _Bernal_ is wounded, not dead, and he

comes into the church. _Burton_ again assures _Chonita_ of his love

and promises to do for her all that a man can do. "You wretched devil,

'tis I she loves," cries _Bernal_, and he rushes at _Burton_ with a

dagger. _Chonita_ throws herself between the two, and is accidentally

wounded by the American's sword. _Bernal_ is held a prisoner.

In the third act, _Chonita_ is in bed apparently dying. If she could

only have her lover she would live, she sings; despair is killing her.

_Padre Gabriel_ brings her consolation, and sets a trap for the

Americans. _Burton_ brings _Bernal_ that he may sing a love duet with

_Chonita_. She pleads for _Bernal's_ freedom. "He is not a spy."

_Burton_ stands between love and duty. To give _Chonita_ happiness he

is willing to die. The Americans are suddenly attacked and _Burton_,

throwing down his sword, is killed by Mexican rescuers. _Tomasa_ looks

at _Burton's_ corpse and sums up the whole tragedy: "'Tis true as

ever. Love brings life and death."

THE PIPE OF DESIRE

Opera in one act by Frederick Shepherd Converse. Poem by George

Edwards Barton.

The scene takes place in a wood during the first day of spring. Elves

flit to and fro performing sundry occupations. One scatters seeds to

the winds. Others remove dead leaves from flowers. They sing of the

awakening of Nature from her sleep through the winter. _Iolan_, a

peasant, is heard singing in the distance. The elves although

reproached by the _Old One_ desire to show themselves to him. _Iolan_

tells them that he is to wed _Naoia_ tomorrow, and bids them come to

the wedding. The _Old One_ reminds them that it is forbidden to show

themselves to man, and adds that no good can come of it. _Iolan_

laughs at the _Old One_ and his Pipe. The _Old One_ plays for the

elves to dance, but with misgivings. _Iolan_ still defies the power of

the Pipe. The elves demand that the _Old One_ make him dance and

respect its power. When he cannot resist the music, he snatches the

Pipe and breaks the cord which holds it. The _Old One_ tells him that

it is the Pipe God gave to Lilith, who played it to Adam in Eden, and

that the mortal who now plays the Pipe without understanding its

secret will die when it becomes known to him. _Iolan_, however, puts

the Pipe to his lips. At first only discordant sound, later beautiful

music is his reward. _Iolan_ sees a vision of what he most desires. He

is rich. He owns horses, goats, and wine. _Naoia_, his wife, comes to

him through roses. His children play about the door of their home. He

calls on _Naoia_ to come to him. She comes to him, bleeding. Because

he played the Pipe misfortune has come to her. She dies and _Iolan_

soon follows her, while the sorrowing elves proclaim that they who die

for love have accomplished their life.

SHANEWIS, OR THE ROBIN WOMAN

An American opera in two parts; book by Nelle Richmond

Eberhardt; music by Charles Wakefield Cadman. Produced at

the Metropolitan Opera House, March 23, 1918, with the

following cast:

SHANEWIS _Sophie Braslau_

MRS. EVERTON _Kathleen Howard_

AMY EVERTON _Marie Sundelius_

LIONEL _Paul Althouse_

PHILIP _Thomas Chalmers_

An Indian girl, whose voice has been elaborately cultivated, falls in

love with the son of her benefactress. The young man is already

betrothed to _Mrs. Everton's_ daughter. An Indian suitor offers

_Shanewis_ a bow and poisoned arrow which she rejects. When he

discovers that his rival has left _Shanewis_ in ignorance of his

previous betrothal he shoots the gay deceiver, and finishes both the

youth and the opera.

THE TEMPLE DANCER

Opera in one act in English by John Adam Hugo. Libretto by

Jutta Bell-Ranske. Performed for the first time on any stage

at the Metropolitan Opera House, March 12, 1919, with

Florence Easton, Morgan Kingston, and Carl Schlegel.

CHARACTERS

TEMPLE DANCER _Soprano_

GUARD _Tenor_

YOGA _Bass_

The leading dancer of the Temple of Mahadeo has fallen in love with a

youth who is not of her faith. Through her lover's suffering she

realizes the unjust and immoral demands made upon the temple dancers

whose beauty is sold to passers-by in order that jewels may be bought

for Mahadeo. The opera opens with a ceremony in the temple. The great

Mahadeo sits blazing in jewels. _The Dancer_ enters. She has decided

to take the jewels for her lover, who is in want. She considers that

the jewels bought with the price of her beauty are hers, by right. She

pleads for a sign from the god, but as her prayer remains unanswered

she threatens the temple. The returning temple guard, hearing her

imprecations, threatens her with death. To protect herself, she takes

the snake from Mahadeo and winds it around her. She begs to be

permitted to pray before being slain, and in a seductive dance, that

interprets her prayer, fascinates the guard. He promises her his

protection and she pretends to return his passion. In a love scene he

loosens the bands of her outer robe, which falls off. A letter to her

lover tells of her plan to meet him with the stolen jewels. The guard,

enraged, prepares to torture her. But she dances again, and as a last

prayer begs for a drop of water. When the guard brings her the water

she poisons it and persuades him to drink to her courage in facing

death. He drinks and dies cursing her, her laughter, and her mocking

dance. As he dies the dancer calls down curses upon the temple. A

thunderstorm is the answer. Lightning shatters the walls and as the

dancer puts out her hand to take the jewels of the god it strikes her

and she falls dead beside the guard. The priests, returning, see the

bodies of guard and dancer and call upon the gods for protection. The

opera closes with the singing of the hymn of redemption, which

implores forgiveness for the erring spirits of the dead.

THE LEGEND

A lyric tragedy in one act in English by Joseph Breil, with a libretto

by Jacques Byrne. Produced for the first time on any stage at the

Metropolitan Opera House, March 12, 1919, with Rosa Ponselle, Kathleen

Howard, Paul Althouse, and Louis d'Angelo.

_Count Stackareff_, an impoverished nobleman, lives with his daughter,

_Carmelita_, at his hunting lodge in Muscovadia, a mythical country in

the Balkans. In order to make his living, he leads a double life. By

day he is a courtly nobleman, and by night a bloodthirsty bandit,

_Black Lorenzo_. No one but his daughter knows his secret, and she is

in constant fear of his discovery for there is a price upon his head.

The story opens on a stormy night. _Stackareff_ tells his daughter

that he has captured a wealthy merchant, and is holding him for a

large ransom. He expects the ransom to arrive by messenger at any

moment. If it does not come _Stackareff_ intends to kill the prisoner.

_Carmelita_ not only fears for the safety of her father, but that her

lover _Stephen Pauloff_, whom she met in Vienna, will find out that

she is the daughter of such a rogue, and cast her off. She prays

before the statue of the Virgin that the young man will not discover

her father's double life. _Marta_, an old servant, enters and tells

_Carmelita_ that she has seen _Stephen_ in the woods. He has told her

that he will soon come to see his sweetheart. _Carmelita_ rejoices but

_Marta_ warns her of the legend that on this night the Evil One walks

abroad and knocks at doors. He who opens the door dies within a year.

_Carmelita_ scoffs and asks _Marta_ to tell her fortune with the

cards. The ace of spades, the death card, presents itself at every

cutting. _Marta_ refuses to explain its significance and leaves her

young mistress bewildered. The storm increases. There are two knocks.

Thinking it is _Stephen_, _Carmelita_ opens the door. No one is there.

She is terrified. Later _Stephen_ arrives. In his arms she for the

moment forgets her fears, but they are soon renewed when her lover

tells her that he has been sent to take the murderous bandit, _Black

Lorenzo_, dead or alive. _Carmelita_ makes the young man swear before

the Virgin that he will never desert her. Then she prepares to elope

with him.

_Stackareff_ enters, expecting to find the messenger. He is

apprehensive when he sees a soldier at his fireside. _Carmelita's_

assurance that _Stephen_ is her lover calms his fear. But _Stephen_ in

answer to _Stackareff's_ questions tells him that he is after _Black

Lorenzo_. Again the knocks are heard. _Stackareff_, after shouting at

_Stephen_ that he is his man, escapes through the door. When the young

soldier resists her prayers to desist from pursuing the murderer

_Carmelita_ stabs him. Two soldiers bring in the mortally wounded body

of her father. Realizing that _Carmelita_ has killed their captain

they fire upon her. Their shot rings out through the music of the

finale.

NATOMAH

Opera in three acts by Victor Herbert. First performance on

any stage at the Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia,

February 23, 1911, with Miss Mary Garden, Miss Lillian

Grenville, Mr. Huberdeau, Mr. Dufranne, Mr. Sammarco, Mr.

Preisch, Mr. Crabbe, Mr. Nicolay, Mr. McCormack.

CHARACTERS

DON FRANCISCO DE LA GUERRA, a noble Spaniard

of the old régime _Bass_

FATHER PERALTA, Padre of the Mission Church _Bass_

JUAN BAPTISTA ALVARADO, a young Spaniard _Baritone_

JOSÉ CASTRO, a half-breed _Baritone_

PICO } bravos, comrades of Castro _Tenor_

KAGAMA } _Bass_

PAUL MERRILL, Lieut. on the U.S.

Brig _Liberty_ _Tenor_

BARBARA DE LA GUERRA, daughter of

Don Francisco _Soprano_

NATOMAH, an Indian girl _Soprano_

The time is 1820, under the Spanish régime. The scene of Act I is laid

on the Island of Santa Cruz, two hours' sail from the mainland. Act II

takes place in the plaza of the town of Santa Barbara on the mainland,

in front of the Mission Church. Act III represents the interior of the

Mission Church.

At the beginning of the opera _Don Francisco_ is awaiting the return

from a convent of his only child, _Barbara_. His reverie is

interrupted by the arrival of _Alvarado_ and his comrades _Castro_,

_Pico_, and _Kagama_. _Alvarado_ wishes to marry his cousin _Barbara_

in order to gain possession of the estates left to her by her mother.

_Castro_ is a half-breed. _Pico_ and _Kagama_ are vaqueros and

hunters. All three have come to the island ostensibly for a wild-boar

hunt, but _Alvarado_ has timed his arrival with the return of his

cousin.

_Lieutenant Paul Merrill_, an American naval officer, and _Natomah_, a

pure-blooded Indian girl, appear together at the back of the stage.

His ship has dropped anchor in the Bay of Santa Barbara. _Natomah_ has

never seen an American before and she is fascinated by him. She tells

him of a legend of her people. She is the last of her race. During

their childhood she was _Barbara's_ playmate. She tells him of the

young girl's beauty, and imagining that when he sees _Barbara_ he will

fall in love, the Indian girl begs him to permit her to be at least

his slave. _Barbara_ and _Father Peralta_ enter. With the young girl

and _Paul_ it is a case of love at first sight. When all but _Castro_

and _Natomah_ have gone into the hacienda, the half-breed urges

_Natomah_ to cease spending her time with white people and to follow

him, the leader of her race. _Natomah_ turns from him in disgust. When

they separate, _Alvarado_ serenades _Barbara_ who appears on the

porch. He has heard that she has eyes only for the American. Fearing

to lose time he declares his love. But he does not advance his suit by

taunting her with her infatuation for the American officer. When she

leaves him he swears to have _Paul's_ life. _Castro_ suggests that it

would be better to carry _Barbara_ off. _Natomah_, hidden in an

arbour, overhears them discussing their plans. The next day a fiesta

will be held in honour of _Barbara's_ return. When the festivity is at

its height fast horses will be ready to bear the young girl away to

the mountains where pursuit would be difficult.

When all the guests have departed, _Barbara_ speaks aloud in the

moonlight of her love for _Paul_. He suddenly appears and they

exchange vows.

The next act shows the fiesta. _Alvarado_ dances the Habanera with the

dancing-girl _Chiquita_. There is formal ceremony in which the

_Alcalde_ and the leading dignitaries of the town pay tribute to the

young girl on her coming of age. _Alvarado_ begs the honour of dancing

with his cousin. The American ship salutes and _Paul_ arrives with an

escort to pay tribute to the Goddess of the Land, _Barbara_.

_Alvarado_ demands that his cousin continue the dance. A number of

couples join them and the dance changes into the Panuelo or

handkerchief dance of declaration. Each man places his hat upon the

head of his partner. Each girl retains the hat but _Barbara_ who

tosses _Alvarado's_ disdainfully aside. During this time _Natomah_ has

sat motionless upon the steps of the grand-stand. When _Castro_

approaches in an ugly mood, rails at the modern dances and challenges

someone to dance the dagger dance with him, she draws her dagger and

hurls it into the ground beside the half-breed's. The crowd is

fascinated by the wild dance. Just as _Alvarado_ is about to smother

_Barbara_ in the folds of his serape, _Natomah_, purposely passing

him, plunges her dagger into the would-be abductor. The dance comes to

a sudden stop. _Alvarado_ falls dead. _Paul_ and his escort hold the

crowd at bay. _Natomah_ seeks protection in the Mission Church at the

feet of _Father Peralta_.

At the opening of the third act _Natomah_ is crooning an Indian

lullaby to herself in the church. She wishes to join her people, but

instead _Father Peralta_ persuades her to enter the convent.

MONA

Opera in three acts. Poem by Brian Hooker. Music by Horatio Parker.

The action takes place during the days of the Roman rule in Britain.

First performance at the Metropolitan, March 4, 1912.

_Quintus_, son of the Roman _Governor_, by a British captive, has

grown up as one of his mother's people. Known to them as _Gwynn_, he

has won power and position among them as a bard. He is about to marry

_Mona_, foster-child of _Enya_ and _Arth_, and last of the blood of

Boadicea. But a great rebellion is stirred up in Britain by _Caradoc_,

the chief bard, and _Gloom_, the Druid, foster-brother of _Mona_. By

birthright and by old signs and prophecies she is proclaimed leader.

The girl has been taught to hate Rome and to dream of great deeds.

_Gwynn_, fearing to lose _Mona_ and his power, swears fellowship in

the conspiracy. But in spite of this, for urging peace, he is cast off

by _Mona_ and her followers.

The faithful lover follows her about on her mission to arouse revolt,

prevents the Roman garrisons from seizing her, and secretly saves her

life many times. The _Governor_, his father, blames him for this, but

he replies that through _Mona_ he will yet keep the tribes from war.

The _Governor_ lays all the responsibility upon his shoulders. He

promises to spare the Britons if they remain passive, but swears to

crush them without mercy if they attack. _Gwynn_ meets _Mona_ just

before the battle and so moves her love for him that she becomes his

creature from that moment. Triumphantly he begins to tell her of his

plans for peace. Suddenly she seems to realize that he is a Roman, and

calls the Britons to her aid. Still, she lies to save his life. The

youth is made prisoner and led by _Mona_ and the bards against the

Roman town.

The rebellion is crushed. _Arth_ and _Gloom_ are slain. _Gwynn_,

coming upon them and _Mona_, tells her of his parentage and pleads for

assistance. But having believed him a traitor, she now thinks him a

liar and slays him. The _Governor_ and his soldiers take her captive.

From them she learns that _Gwynn_ had spoken the truth.

CYRANO

Opera in four acts by Walter Damrosch. Book by William J.

Henderson after the drama by Edmond Rostand. First

performance on any stage at the Metropolitan Opera House,

February 27, 1913, with Pasquale Amato as _Cyrano_, Frances

Alda as _Roxane_, and Riccardo Martin as _Christian_.

CHARACTERS

CYRANO DE BERGERAC _Baritone_

ROXANE _Soprano_

DUENNA _Alto_

LISE _Soprano_

A FLOWER GIRL _Soprano_

RAGUENEAU _Tenor_

CHRISTIAN _Bass_

DE GUICHE _Bass_

LE BRET _Bass_

A TALL MUSKETEER _Tenor_

MONTFLEURY _Bass_

FIRST CAVALIER _Bass_

SECOND CAVALIER _Tenor_

THIRD CAVALIER _Bass_

A CADET _Tenor_

Act I. Interior of the Hôtel de Bourgogne. Act II. "The Poet's Eating

House," _Ragueneau's_ cook and pastry shop. Act III. A small square in

the Old Marais. Act IV, Scene 1. Entrenchment at the siege of Arras.

Scene 2. A convent garden near the field of battle.

Rostand's play was first produced, October, 1898, by Richard

Mansfield, and repeated in subsequent seasons. In 1900 it was given in

French by Bernhardt and Coquelin. The libretto of the opera follows

the play closely. Mr. Henderson retained and successfully remodelled

the main incidents of the drama. The operatic version begins at the

Hôtel de Bourgogne where "La Clorise" is to be played. _Cyrano_ orders

the leading actor off the stage because he has dared to cast insolent

glances at his cousin _Roxane_, whom _Cyrano_ loves but dares not woo

because of the deformity of his hideous nose. _Roxane_, from a box,

sees in the audience the man with whom she has fallen in love,

although she has never met him. _Cyrano_ fights a duel with _De

Guiche_, a married suitor of _Roxane_, and pricks him in the arm.

Elated at the prospect of a meeting with his cousin arranged through

her duenna, _Cyrano_ rushes off to disperse one hundred men who are

waiting to kill one of his friends.

In Act II, _Cyrano_ is at _Ragueneau's_ shop waiting for his cousin.

He writes an ardent love letter, intending to give it to her. His

hopes are high, but they are dashed to the ground when _Roxane_ tells

him of her love for _Christian_, who is to join her cousin's regiment

that day. _Cyrano_ promises to watch over _Christian_. He bears his

insults and agrees to woo _Roxane_ for _Christian_ by his wit and

verse. He even sacrifices his own love letter.

In Act III, _Christian_ rebels at the second-hand love-making. But

when _Roxane_ is disgusted with his commonplaces he is glad to turn

again to _Cyrano_. Under cover of night, _Cyrano_ courts _Roxane_

beneath her balcony. She is delighted and rewards her lover with a

kiss. _De Guiche_ sends a priest with a letter in which he attempts to

gain an interview with her. _Roxane_ tells the priest that the letter

contains an order for him to perform the marriage ceremony. While

_Cyrano_ keeps _De Guiche_ outside the lovers are married. In revenge,

_De Guiche_ orders the Gascon regiment of which _Cyrano_ and

_Christian_ are both members to the war.

In the last act, _Roxane_ visits the entrenchment at the siege of

Arras. Her carriage is driven by the faithful _Ragueneau_. _Cyrano's_

love letters, ostensibly from _Christian_, have prompted her coming.

Her husband realizes that the man she really loves is _Cyrano_,

although she believes it to be _Christian_. He leaves the cousins

alone, urging _Cyrano_ to tell the truth. He is soon brought back,

mortally wounded. _Cyrano_ assures him that he has told _Roxane_ of

the deception and that _Christian_ is the man she loves.

The second scene takes place in a convent. _Cyrano_, wounded and

dying, visits _Roxane_. He begs to see her husband's last letter.

Forgetting himself, he recites it in the dusk. Thus he betrays his

love. But when _Roxane_ realizes the truth he denies it, "dying," as

he declares, "without a stain upon his soldier's snow-white plume."

THE CANTERBURY PILGRIMS

Opera in four acts by Reginald de Koven. Book by Percy

Mackaye. Produced for the first time on any stage at the

Metropolitan Opera House, March 8, 1917, with the following

cast:

CHAUCER _Johannes Sembach_

THE WIFE OF BATH _Margaret Ober_

THE PRIORESS _Edith Mason_

THE SQUIRE _Paul Althouse_

KING RICHARD II _Albert Reiss_

JOHANNA _Marie Sundelius_

THE FRIAR _Max Bloch_

JOANNES _Pietro Audisio_

MAN OF LAW _Robert Leonhardt_

THE MILLER _Basil Ruysdael_

THE HOST _Giulio Rossi_

THE HERALD _Riccardo Tegani_

TWO GIRLS { _Marie Tiffany_

{ _Minnie Egener_

THE PARDONER _Julius Bayer_

THE SUMMONER _Carl Schlegel_

THE SHIPMAN _Mario Laurenti_

THE COOK _Pompilio Malatesta_

Conductor, Bodanzky

The time is April, 1387; the place, England. _Chaucer_, first

poet-laureate of England, travelling incognito with pilgrims from

London to Canterbury, encounters _Alisoun_, the _Wife of Bath_, a

woman of the lower middle class, buxom, canny, and full of fun, who

has had five husbands, and is looking for a sixth. She promptly falls

in love with _Chaucer_ who, instead of returning her sprightly

attentions, conceives a high, serious, poetic affection for the

_Prioress_. She is a gentlewoman, who, according to the custom of the

time, is both ecclesiastical and secular, having taken no vows.

The _Wife of Bath_, however, is determined to win her man. Devising a

plan for this, she wagers that she will be able to get from the

_Prioress_ the brooch, bearing the inscription "Amor Vincit Omnia,"

that this lady wears upon her wrist. Should _Alisoun_ win, _Chaucer_

is bound by compact to marry her. After much plotting and by means of

a disguise, the _Wife of Bath_ wins her bet, and _Chaucer_ ruefully

contemplates the prospect of marrying her. In his plight he appeals to

_King Richard II_, who announces that the _Wife of Bath_ may marry a

sixth time if she chooses, but only on condition that her prospective

bridegroom be a miller. A devoted miller, who has long courted her,

joyfully accepts the honour, and the opera ends with a reconciliation

between _Chaucer_ and the _Prioress_.

Mr. Mackaye in speaking of his libretto at the time of the production

of the opera had this to say:

"In writing 'The Canterbury Pilgrims' one of my chief incentives was

to portray, for a modern audience, one of the greatest poets of all

times in relation to a group of his own characters. As a romancer of

prolific imagination and dramatic insight, Chaucer stands shoulder to

shoulder with Shakespeare. For English speech he achieved what Dante

did for Italian, raising a local dialect to a world language.

"Yet the fourteenth-century speech of Chaucer is just archaic enough

to make it difficult to understand in modern times. Consequently his

works are little known today, except by students of English

literature.

"To make it more popularly known I prepared a few years ago (with

Professor J.S.P. Tatlock) 'The Modern Readers' Chaucer'; and I wrote

for Mr. E.H. Sothern in 1903 my play 'The Canterbury Pilgrims,' which

since then has been acted at many American universities by the Coburn

Players, and in book form is used by many Chaucer classes.

"In the spring of 1914, at the suggestion of Mr. De Koven, I

remodelled the play in the form of opera, condensing its plot and

characters to the more simple essentials appropriate to operatic

production. Thus focussed, the story depicts Chaucer--the humorous,

democratic, lovable poet of Richard Second's court--placed between two

contrasted feminine characters, the _Prioress_, a shy, religious-minded

gentlewoman, who has retired from the world, but has as yet taken no

vows; and the _Wife of Bath_, a merry, sensual, quick-witted hoyden of

the lower middle class, hunting for a sixth husband. These three, with

many other types of old England, are pilgrims, en route from London to

the shrine of Thomas à Becket, at Canterbury.

"Becoming jealous of the _Prioress_, the _Wife of Bath_ makes a bet

with _Chaucer_ concerning the gentlewoman's behaviour--a bet which she

wins by a trick in the third act, only to lose it in the fourth.

"The work is a comedy in blank verse of various metres, interspersed

with rhythmed lyrics. For the first time, I believe, in drama of any

language, it inaugurates on the stage the character of the famous

first poet-laureate of England--the 'Father of English Literature.'"

Mr. De Koven also tells how he came to compose the music:

"I have often been asked the question why I have never before now

written a work in the larger operatic form, and my answer has always

been that I was waiting until I could find a really good book. For an

opera libretto that successfully meets the requirements of a lyric

work of this class, which is primarily for and of the stage, in the

way of dramatic interest, development and climax, a poetic knowledge

of the possibilities and limitations of the English language when

sung, and those visual and picturesque qualities in the story which

alone can make the unreal conditions of opera, _per se_, either

plausible or intelligible, is about as rare as the proverbial white

crow--as many gifted composers have found to their cost.

"All these requirements are, I think, fulfilled in the really charming

libretto which Mr. Mackaye has written in 'The Canterbury Pilgrims,'

which came to me unsought as it were. As a member of a committee for

choosing plays to be used in settlement work on the East Side, my wife

read Mr. Mackaye's earlier play of the same name, and told me she

thought it contained excellent operatic material. Agreeing with her, I

went to Mr. Mackaye and suggested the idea to him. He agreed with me

and soon afterwards, early in 1914, we set to work. To adapt a play of

over 17,000 words for operatic purposes by merely cutting it was

manifestly impossible. Entire reconstruction, both in structure and

language, was necessary, and this Mr. Mackaye has so successfully

accomplished that in my judgment his libretto, as an artistic whole,

is far superior to his earlier play.

"I took the first act with me when I went abroad in March, 1914, and

the entire opera, begun October 10, 1914, was finished on December 21,

1915, during which time I lived at Vevey, Switzerland, amid, and yet

far from, wars and rumours of wars.

"As to my part of the work, the characters of Mr. Mackaye's story,

whose essentially old English atmosphere appealed to me strongly from

the first, naturally suggested Verdi's 'Falstaff' as a model in a

sense. But Verdi abjured the leit motif or motto theme, and I had

always felt that Wagner's theory, applied in some form, was the true

basis of construction for all musico-dramatic work. Yet again it

always seemed to me that, save in the hands of a consummate master,

the leit motif, pushed to its logical development, was only too apt to

become tiresome, obscure, and ineffective. So, after much

consideration, I bethought me of the very way in which Massenet in

'Manon' had used a limited number of what might be called recurrent

themes--such as the one for 'Des Grieux'--and made up my mind to try

what could be done along these simpler and more plastic lines.

"So, without attempting to describe pictorially in music, swords,

tarnhelms, or dragons, or to weave music into an intricate

contrapuntal work, I have in 'The Canterbury Pilgrims,' while

following closely the spirit and meaning of Mr. Mackaye's poetic text,

attributed a number of saliently melodic themes to the characters,

incidents, and even material objects of the story, and when these

recur in or are suggested by the text the attributive themes recur

with them, so that, as I hope, they may be readily recognizable by

the untechnical opera-goer and aid him in following this story and

action.

"Just a word in regard to the English language as a medium for opera

and song. As Mr. Gatti says that a typical operatic audience in Italy,

knowing their own language and generally familiar with both text and

story of their operas, only expect to understand about half the words

as sung, owing to the very conditions of opera itself, may it not be

fairly said that American audiences who go to hear operas in English,

expecting to understand every word, expect the impossible, and should

be more reasonable in their demands?

"Again, I have always contended and maintained that the English

language, properly used, is an entirely singable language, and as so

far during the rehearsals of 'The Canterbury Pilgrims' none of the

artists has seemed to find any great difficulty in singing in English

beyond that inherent to a certain lack of familiarity with the

language itself, it looks as if my contention stands at least a fair

chance of being admitted."

Spanish Opera

During the winter of 1915-16 the interest in Spanish music was at its

height in New York. Enrique Granados, a distinguished Spanish composer

and pianist, came to the city to superintend the production of his

opera, "Goyescas," sung in Spanish at the Metropolitan. Pablo Casals,

the famous Spanish 'cellist, and Miguel Llobet, virtuoso of the

guitar, were making frequent appearances. La Argentina was dancing,

and Maria Barrientos made her début at the Metropolitan. In the season

of 1917-18 the Spanish craze culminated in "The Land of Joy," a

musical revue which came first to the Park Theatre, then was

transferred to the Knickerbocker Theatre. The music was by Joaquin

Valverde, fils, and the entertainment was an entrancing blend of

colour and intoxicating rhythms, with the dancing of the passionate

gipsy, Doloretes, as the most amazing and vivid feature.

GOYESCAS

The characters and setting of the opera are suggested by the work of

the Spanish painter Goya. The opera opens with a crowd of _majas_ and

_majos_ enjoying a holiday on the outskirts of Madrid. Some of the

_majas_ are engaged in the popular pastime of tossing the _pelele_ (a

man of straw) in a blanket. _Paquiro_ the toreador is paying

compliments to the women. _Pepa_, his sweetheart of the day, arrives

in her dogcart. Popular, she is warmly welcomed. Soon _Rosario_, a

lady of rank, arrives in her sedan-chair to keep a tryst with her

lover, _Fernando_, a captain in the Royal Spanish Guards. _Paquiro_

reminds her of a _baile de candil_ (a ball given in a room lit by

candlelight) which she once attended. He invites her to go again.

_Fernando_ overhears his remarks. His jealousy is aroused. He informs

_Paquiro_ that _Rosario_ shall go to the ball, but that he,

_Fernando_, will accompany her. He extracts _Rosario's_ promise to go

with him, while _Pepa_, enraged by _Paquiro's_ neglect, vows vengeance

upon her.

The second tableau shows the scene at the ball. _Fernando_ appears

with _Rosario_. His haughty bearing and disdainful speech anger all

present. The two men arrange for a duel that evening, and when

_Rosario_ recovers from a swoon, _Fernando_ takes her away.

The third tableau reveals _Rosario's_ garden. _Fernando_ visits her

before keeping his appointment with _Paquiro_. When a bell strikes the

fatal hour, _Fernando_ tears himself away. He is followed hesitatingly

by _Rosario_. Soon the silence is broken by a cry from _Fernando_,

followed by a shriek from _Rosario_. The lovers reappear. _Rosario_

supports _Fernando_ to a stone bench where he dies in her arms.

Enrique Granados, perhaps the first important composer from Spain to

visit North America, was born July 27, 1867, at Lerida, Catalonia. He

died March 24, 1916, a passenger on the _Sussex_, torpedoed in the

English Channel. The libretto for his "Goyescas" is by Fernando

Periquet.

INDEX

NOTE: In setting this index, different faces of type have

been used as follows:

For operas, thus: =Aïda=.

For characters, thus: Rhadames.

For singers, thus: _Eames_.

For composers, thus: VERDI.

Abimelech, 725

Adalgisa, 326 ff.

ADAM, ADOLPHE CHARLES, 467, 497

_Adams, Suzanne_, 45, 516

Adina, 335 ff.

Adriano, 94 ff.

Æneas, 539, 541

Aennchen, 64 ff.

Afron, Prince, 829

Aegisthus, 804

Agathe, 64 ff.

Agnes, 816

Agramente, Mother, 765

Ah-Joe, 686 ff.

=Aïda=, 1, 6, 7, 90, 433, 438, 439, 466, 602, 618, 672

Alain, 728

Alberich, 89, 141, 148, 208

Albert, 748

_Alboni_, 306, 308

=Alceste=, 493

Alcindoro, 643 ff.

_Alda, Frances_, 458, 466, 602, 680, 762, 841

=Alessandro Stradella=, 559

Alessio, 319 ff.

Alfio, 612 ff.

Alfonso, 52, 53, 496

Alfonso XI., 359 ff.

Ali, 762

Alice, 343 ff., 501 ff.

Aline, 767

Alisa, 343

Allaine, 760

Almaviva, 308

Almaviva, Count, 23 ff., 295 ff.

Almaviva, Countess, 23 ff.

Almério, 762

_Alston, Elizabeth_, 23

_Althouse, Paul_, 834, 836, 843

Altichiara, 680 ff.

Alvar, Don, 524 ff.

Alvarado, Juan Baptista, 838

_Alvarez, M._, 458, 516, 543, 736, 745

Alvaro, Don, 437 ff.

_Alvary, Max_, 69, 140, 148, 191, 208, 227

Alvise, 482 ff.

_Amato, Pasquale_, 14, 427, 475, 482, 587, 602, 622, 639, 674, 680,

690, 707, 841

_Ambré, Mme._, 586

Ambrosio, 295

Amelfa, 829

Amelia (Adelia), 427 ff.

Amfortas, 272 ff.

=Amico Fritz, L'=, 618 ff.

Amina, 319 ff.

Amneris, 439 ff.

_Amodio_, 402, 416, 531

Amonasro, 439 ff.

Amor, God of Love, 9 ff.

=Amore Medici, L'=, 698

Anacoana, 718 ff.

_Ananian, Paolo_, 765

_Ancona_, 359, 602, 628

Andrès, 724

=André Chénier=, 712 ff.

Andromache, 539

ANGELINO, 638

_Angelo_ (Director), 434

Angelotti, Cesare, 653 ff.

Angioletta, 765

_Angrisani, Carlo_, 44, 295

Anita, 746

Anna, 523 ff., 541, 639, 720, 764

=Anna Bolena=, 334

Anne, 466 ff.

Annetta, 718 ff.

Annina, 416 ff., 807

_Anschütz, Carl_ (Director), 69

Antipas, Herod, 801

_Antognini, Signor_, 333

Antonia, 724

Antonio, 23 ff., 367 ff., 581 ff., 622 ff.

=Aphrodite=, 756 ff.

_Araline, Mme._, 62

Araquil, 746

ARBELL, LUCY (Librettist), 750

Archibaldo, 690 ff.

_Arden, Cecil_, 765

ARDITI, 306

Ariadne, 813

=Ariadne= (=Arianna=), 5

=Ariadne auf Naxos=, 813

Ariane, 759 ff.

=Ariane et Barbe-Bleue=, 759

=Arianna= (=Ariadne=), 5

Ariofarno, 715

Arkel, 752 ff.

Arlecchino, 705 ff., 814

=Armide=, 8, 20, 85, 493

Armide, 14 ff.

Armuth, Lena, 721

Arnold, 313 ff.

_Arnoldson, Sigrid_, 748

Arnolfo, 706

Arontes, 15 ff.

Arrigo, 436 ff.

Arsaces, 310 ff.

=Artaxerxes=, 4

Artemidore, 15 ff.

Arth, 840

Arturo, 343

Ascanio, 536 ff.

Ascanius, 539, 541

Asdrubale, Don, 719

Ashby, 674 ff.

Ashton, Lord Henry, 343 ff.

Assad, 773

Assur, 310 ff.

Astaroth, 773

Astolfo, 339 ff.

Astyonax, 539

Astrofiammante, Queen of the Night, 45

Asvezel Moslain, Khan, 767

Athanaël, 732

=Attaque du Moulin, L'=, 758 ff.

AUBER, DANIEL FRANÇOIS ESPRIT, 2, 306, 426, 496, 498, 510

_Audisio, Pietro_, 765, 844

Autharite, 752

Avito, 690 ff.

Azema, 310 ff.

Azucena, 403 ff.

Baal Hanau, 773

Bacchis, 757

Bacchus, 813

_Bada, Angelo_, 765

_Baglioni, Antonio_, 32

Bahis, Dr., 706

_Baklanoff, Georges_, 767

Balducci, 536 ff.

BALFE, 467

=Ballo in Maschera, Un=, 426, 438

Balthazar, 359 ff.

_Bandrowski, Alexander Van_, 830

Baptista, 772

Barbarina, 23 ff.

=Barber of Bagdad, The=, 770

=Barber of Seville=, 7, 22, 25, 295, 307, 308, 315, 376, 742

BARBIER, JULES (Librettist), 23, 531, 535, 562, 565, 574, 580, 585, 723

_Barbieri, Mme._, 44

Bardolph, 466 ff.

_Barili, Clothilda_, 367

Barnaba, 482 ff.

Baroncello, 94 ff.

_Barré_, 585

_Barrientos, Maria_, 849

_Bartet, Miss_, 728

Bartolo, 719

Bartolo, Doctor, 23 ff., 295 ff.

BARTON, GEORGE EDWARDS (Librettist), 833

Basilio, 295

_Bassett, Charles_, 612

_Bassi, Signor_, 32, 699

Bastien, 52

=Bastien and Bastienne=, 51

Bastienne, 52

BATKA, RICHARD (Libretttist), 781, 788

_Bayer, Julius_, 272, 776, 844

_Beale, Kittie_, 765

Beatrice, 583, 704 ff.

=Beatrice and Benedict=, 538

BEAUMARCHAIS (Librettist), 23

Beckmesser, Sixtus, 246 ff.

BEETHOVEN, 22, 54, 55, 56, 77

_Behne, Harriet_, 665

Belcore, 335 ff.

_Belhomme_, M., 724

BELL-RANSKE, JUTTA (Librettist), 834

Bellangère, 760

_Bellati_, 665

_Bellini, Laura_, 612

BELLINI, VINCENZO, 1, 318 ff., 325, 329, 334, 376, 493, 608

Benedict, 538

BENELLI, SEM (Librettist), 690

Benjamin, 495

Benoit, 643 ff.

Benson, Mrs., 725

=Benvenuto Cellini=, 535 ff.

Benvolio, 575 ff.

Beppe, 619 ff., 628 ff.

Berardengo, Ser Toldo, 680 ff.

_Bérat, Louis_, 699

_Bergmann, Carl_ (Director), 63, 107

BERGMÜLLER, ROBERT, 559

BERLIOZ, HECTOR, 13, 63, 78, 85, 535, 542

Bernal, 832

Bernardino, 536 ff.

BERNÈDE, ARTHUR (Librettist), 749

BERNHARD, A. (Librettist), 825

Bersi, 713 ff.

Berta, 295

Bertel, 781

Bertha, 516 ff.

BERTONI, FERNANDINO, 12

Bertram, the Unknown, 501

Bervoix, Flora, 416 ff.

Besenbinder, Der, 776

=Betrothed, The= (=I Promessi Sposi=), 481

_Bettaque, Katti_, 148

_Bettini_, 501

_Betz_, 89

BEY, MARIETTE (Librettist), 439

_Beyle, Leon_, 756

_Biachi, Hannibal_, 562

Bianca, 772

Biancofiore, 680 ff.

Biaso, 699 ff.

BIELSKY, V., 829

BIERBAUM, OTTO JULIUS (Librettist), 791

_Bignardi_, 386

BIS (Librettist), 317

_Bischoff, A._, 163

_Bispham, David_, 52, 227, 375, 830

BISHOP, HENRY ROWLEY, 30

_Bishop, Mme. Anna_, 546

Biterolf, 107 ff.

BIZET, GEORGES, 2, 494, 510, 586, 601, 603, 728

Black Lorenzo, 836

Blanchefleur, 788

_Blass, M._, 272, 830

BLAU, EDOUARD (Librettist), 742, 747

BLECH, 781

_Bloch, Max_, 772, 844

Blue-Beard, 759 ff.

_Blum, A._, 163

Bobadilla, 718 ff.

BODANZKY, ARTUR, 769, 773, 844

=Bohème, La= (Leoncavallo), 628

=Bohème, La= (Puccini), 638, 643 ff.

_Bohner, Mrs. Jennie_, 612

BOIELDIEU, FRANÇOIS ADRIEN, 495

BOÏTO, ARRIGO (Librettist), 458, 466, 474, 480, 482, 715

Bombardon, 779

_Bonci_, 329, 372, 639

_Bondini, Teresa_, 32

Boniface, 747

_Bonnard_, 745

Bonze, The, 665 ff.

_Borghese, Signora_, 333

Borgia, Lucrezia, 339 ff.

_Bori_, 620, 686, 690

=Boris Godounoff=, 822

BORODIN, 819

Borov, 720

Borsa, 387 ff.

_Bosio, Signorina_, 501, 503

Bostana, 771

Botta, 620, 686

BOUILLY (Librettist), 55

Boy, 440

_Braendle, Miss_, 272

Brander, 543 ff.

Brangäne, 227 ff.

_Brandt, Marianne_, 62, 69, 117, 163, 236, 272, 516

_Braun_, 18, 504

Braun, 781

_Braslau, Sophie_, 834

Brayole, Captain, 788

BREIL, JOSEPH, 836

_Brema_, 516

_Bressler-Gianoli_, 586, 602

Bret, Le, 841

BREUNING (Librettist), 54

_Bréval, Lucienne_, 729, 752

_Bridewell, Carrie_, 752

Brighella, 814

_Brignoli_, 339, 402, 416, 513, 585

_Broschi, Carlo_, 4

_Brough_, 319

BRÜLL, 779

BRUNEAU, ALFRED, 758

Brünnhilde, 7, 89, 140, 142, 146, 164, 208

Bucklaw, Lord Arthur, 343 ff.

BUNGE, RUDOLF (Librettist), 784

_Burgstaller_, 272

Burton, 832

Butterfly, Madam (Cio-Cio-San), 665 ff.

=Butterfly, Madama=, 638, 644, 664

BYRNE, JACQUES (Librettist), 836

Cadi, 762

CADMAN, CHARLES WAKEFIELD, 834

CAIN, HENRI (Librettist), 743, 745, 749

Cajus, Dr., 466 ff.

Calatrava, Marquis di, 437 ff.

Caliph, The, 771

=Calife de Bagdad, Le=, 495

Callidès, 756 ff.

_Calvé, Mme._, 475, 543, 564, 586, 602, 604, 612, 618, 745

CALZABIGI, RANIERO DI (Librettist), 9

=Cambiale di Matrimonio, La=, 294

CAMMARANO, SALVATORE (Librettist), 343, 372, 402

_Campanari_, 23, 628

=Campanello di Notte, Il=, 334, 374 ff.

_Campanini, Cleofante_ (Director), 354, 458, 466, 611, 665, 699

_Campanini, Italo_, 117, 343, 354, 359, 402, 437, 440, 475, 503, 531,

546, 562, 586, 587

_Campbell, Miss_, 612

Canio, 628 ff.

_Canissa, Pauline_, 163

=Canterbury Pilgrims, The=, 843

_Capoul_, 575, 580

Capulet, Count, 575 ff.

Caradoc, 840

Carlos, Don, 377, 437, 438

Carmela, 699 ff.

Carmelita, 836

=Carmen=, 2, 303, 510, 586, 587, 603

Caroline, Queen, 708 ff.

CARRÉ, MICHEL (Librettist), 2, 531, 562, 565, 574, 580, 585, 603, 723

_Caruso_, 14, 335, 337, 339, 343, 354, 386, 388, 402, 412, 426, 475,

482, 504, 516, 546, 564, 587, 602, 604, 611, 620, 622, 640, 665, 674, 714

_Cary, Annie Louise_, 117, 359, 402, 437, 440, 475, 503, 585

_Case, Anna_, 807

Cassandra, 539

Cassio, 459 ff.

_Castelmary_, 557

Castiglione, 765

CASTIL-BLAZE (Librettist), 299, 307

=Castor and Pollux=, 1

Castro, José, 675, 838

CATALINA, ALFRED, 719

Caterina, 619 ff.

Catherine, 530

CAVALIERI, CATERINA, 43

_Cavalieri, Lina_, 640, 715, 749

=Cavalleria Rusticana=, 609, 610, 612, 626, 698, 707, 746

CAVALLI, 5

Cavaradossi, Mario, 652 ff.

Cellini, Benvenuto, 536 ff.

=Cendrillon=, 728, 745

Ceprano, Count, 386 ff.

Ceprano, Countess, 387 ff.

Cesano,765

=Cesare Borgia=, 627

_Cesarini, Duke_ (Director), 300

_Chaliapine_, 475

_Chalmers, Thomas_, 762, 834

Chappelou, 497

_Chapuis_, 601

Charles, Vicomte de Sirval, 367 ff.

Charlotte, 748

Charming, Prince, 745

CHARPENTIER, GUSTAVE, 750

Chaucer, 843

=Chemineau, Le=, 766

Chénier, André, 713 ff.

CHERUBINI, LUIGI, 493, 494

Cherubino, 23 ff.

Chiarina, 765

Chim-Fen, 686 ff.

Chimaris, 757

Chimène, 742

Chonita, 832

CHOPIN, 306

CHORLEY (Librettist), 574

Choroebus, 539

Christian, 841

Christine, 779

Chrysis, 757

Chrysothemis, 804

Ciccillo, 699 ff.

=Cid, Le=, 742

Cieca, La, 482 ff.

Cinderella, 745

_Cinti-Damoreau, Mlle._, 501

CIVINI, G., 674

CLARETIE, JULES (Librettist), 745

_Clarke, Payne_, 612

Claudio, 538

=Clemenza di Tito=, 51

Cleo, 788

Cleopatra, 750

=Cléopâtre=, 750

Clitandro, 706

Clotilda, 326 ff.

Clytemnestra, 804

Cochenille, 724

Colas, 52, 779

COLAUTTI (Librettist), 720

_Coletti_, 503, 562

_Colin_, 562

_Collin, M._, 724

Colline, 643 ff.

Colombina, 704 ff.

Colombo, Cristoforo, 717 ff.

Colonna, Steffano, 94 ff.

Comare, La, 719

Concetta, 699 ff.

=Conchita=, 685, 716

Conchita, 716 ff.

_Conried, Heinrich_ (Director), 272, 612, 804

=Contes d'Hoffmann, Les=, 723

CONVERSE, FREDERICK SHEPHERD, 832, 833

Coppélius, 724

=Coq d'Or, Le=, 828

_Coquelin_, 728

_Cordier_, 531

Corentino, 531 ff.

CORMON (Librettist), 603

CORNEILLE, 742

CORNELIUS, PETER, 769, 770

=Corregidor, Der=, 792

_Corsi, Pini_, 674

=Cortez, Fernando=, 80

Cortez, 765

Cosse, 504 ff.

=Così Fan Tutte=, 24, 52

COSTA, 63, 78

_Crabbe, Mr._, 837

_Cremonini_, 359, 652

=Crepusculum=, 627

Crespel, 724

=Cricket on the Hearth, The=, 775

Crisogono, 721

=Crispino e La Comare=, 718 ff.

Crispino, 718 ff.

=Cristoforo Colombo=, 717 ff.

_Crivelli, Signor_, 295

Cuno, 63 ff.

Cyril, 720

=Cyrano de Bergerac=, 832, 841

=Czar und Zimmermann= (=Czar and Carpenter=), 80

=Dafne=, 4

Daland, 98 ff.

Dalila, 725

_Dalmorès, Charles_, 543, 587, 602, 749

=Dame Blanche, La=, 495

Damian, 784

=Damnation de Faust, La=, 535, 542 ff.

_Damrosch, Dr. Leopold_ (Director), 62, 90, 107, 163, 498, 523, 542, 830

DAMROSCH, WALTER, 832, 841

_d'Angelo, Louis_, 836

Danielo, 765

Danish Knight, The, 15 ff.

DA PONTE, LORENZO (Librettist), 29, 30, 31, 44, 52

David, 247 ff., 619 ff.

DÉBUSSY, 2, 752

_Defrère, Désiré_, 767

D'ENNERY, M. (Librettist), 742

_de Gebel, Frida_, 163

DE GRAMONT, LOUIS (Librettist), 756

DE KOVEN, REGINALD, 843

DELAVIGNE (Librettist), 496, 501

DELDEVEZ, EDOUARD, 559

DELIBES, 724

_Delmas, M._, 736

_Delpouget, M._, 736

_Del Puente_, 402, 503, 562, 586, 612, 736

_de Luca, Giuseppe_, 628, 665, 762

_Demellin_, 756

Démétrios, 756 ff.

_de Reszke, Édouard_, 45, 208, 227, 246, 440, 503, 516, 523

_de Reszke, Jean_, 23, 45, 140, 208, 227, 246, 426, 503, 516, 523,

542, 575, 563, 586, 736, 748

DESCHAMPS (Librettist), 503

_Deschamps-Jéhin, Mme._, 750

Desdemona, 459 ff.

_de Segurola, Andrés_, 674, 762

Desfonandres, Dr., 706

Despina, 52

Despréaux, 707 ff.

d'Este, Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, 339 ff.

_Destinn, E._, 427, 466, 475, 482, 504, 665, 674

=Deux Journées, Les=, 493

Diable, Le, 728

Diana, 18 ff.

Dido, 541

_Didur, Adamo_, 516, 622, 674, 686, 690, 765, 776

Diego, Don, 524 ff., 742

Diemut, 797

_Dilthey, Minnie_, 9

Dimitri, the Pretender, 822

_di Murska, Ilma_, 531

_Dinh-Gilly_, 674

Dinorah, 531 ff.

=Dinorah, ou le Pardon de Ploërmel=, 500, 530

Di Silva, Don Ruy Gomez, 377 ff.

=Djamileh=, 605

Djamileh, 605

Dmitri, 720

d'Obigny, Marquis, 416 ff.

Dodon, King, 828

_Dolci, Alessandro_, 720

Dominique, 759

Donati, 679

=Don Carlos=, 437, 441

Donella, 680 ff.

DONIZETTI, 1, 308, 334, 359, 366, 372, 376, 493, 608

=Donne Curiose, Le=, 698, 704

Donner, 89, 148

Dorabella, 52

D'ORINVILLE (Librettist), 720

Doris, 788

_Dorus, Mlle._, 501

Dot, 775

Douphol, Baron, 416 ff.

=Duca d'Alba, Il=, 366

_Dufranne, Mr._, 729, 837

_Dufriche_, 652, 745, 752

DUKAS, PAUL, 759

Dulcamara, 335 ff.

Dulcinée, La belle, 743 ff.

DU LOCLE, CAMILLE (Librettist), 752

_Duprez_, 313, 343

Durham, Lady Harriet, 546 ff.

Dursel, 788

=Dusk of the Gods, The=, 89

Dutchman, The, 98

DUVAL, ALEXANDER (Librettist), 495

DU WAILLY (Librettist), 535

_Eames, Emma_, 23, 140, 246, 402, 426, 458, 466, 475, 564, 575, 586,

612, 620, 715, 748

_Easton, Florence_, 622, 769, 835

EBERHARDT, NELLE RICHMOND (Librettist), 834

Eboli, Princess, 438

=Edgar=, 639

Edgar of Ravenswood, 343 ff.

Edgardo, 343, 608

Edmund, 640 ff.

_Egener, Minnie_, 844

Eislinger, Ulrich, 246 ff.

El Dancairo, 587 ff.

Eleanora, 704 ff.

=Elektra=, 769, 804

Elektra, 804

Elena, 475 ff.

Elisa, Princess, 708 ff.

Elizabeth, 107 ff.

Elizabeth, St., 769

Ellen, 725

_Ellis, Mary_, 765

=Elopement from the Serail, The= (=Belmonte und Constance=), 52

El Remendado, 587 ff.

Elsa of Brabant, 117 ff.

Else, 781

Elvino, 319 ff.

Elvira, 330, 377, 608

Elvira, Donna, 31 ff.

Emilia, 459 ff.

Engel, Friedrich, 787

_Engel, Lotta_, 776

Enrico, 343, 375

=Enrico di Borgogna=, 335

=Ensorcelée, L'=, 764

Enya, 840

Erda, 89, 140, 142, 148

Eric, 98 ff.

ERLANGER, CAMILLE, 756

=Ernani=, 377, 385

Ernani, 608

Ernani, John, of Aragon, 377 ff.

Ernesto, 372 ff.

Eroshka, 820

Escamillo, 587 ff.

Eschenbach, Wolfram von, 107 ff.

Esmeralda, 816

Estella, 716 ff.

ÉTIENNE, V.J. ("JOUY"), 313

=Eugen Onegin=, 825, 828

=Euryanthe=, 63, 69, 77, 85

Eurydice, 9 ff.

Eva, 247 ff.

=Evangelimann, Der=, 787

Everton, Amy, 834

Everton, Mrs., 834

Fabrizio, 718 ff.

Fafner, 141, 148

=Fairies, The=, 82

=Falstaff=, 7, 376, 466, 480, 847

Falstaff, Sir Henry, 466 ff.

=Fanciulla del West, La=, 638, 674

=Faniska=, 494

Farlaf, 818

_Farneti, Marie_, 620

_Farrar, Geraldine_, 23, 45, 565, 586, 602, 611, 622, 665, 705, 707,

741, 765, 776

Fasolt, 141, 148

Fatimah, 762

_Faure_, 45, 531, 562, 585

=Faust=, 7, 79, 510, 561, 562

Faust, 475, 543, 562

Favart, 788

=Favorita, La=, 334, 359

=Fedora=, 714, 720

Fedora, Princess, 720

=Feldlager in Schlesien, Das=, 500, 530

Fenella, 496

Fenton, 466 ff.

Feodor, 822

Ferdinand, 359 ff.

Fernando, 850

=Fernando Cortez=, 80

Fernando, Don, 54 ff.

Ferrando, 52, 402

_Ferrari-Fontana_, 690

=Feuersnot=, 769, 796

FEVRIER, HENRY, 761

Fiamina, 729

=Fidelio=, 22, 54, 56, 62, 77

Fides, 516 ff.

Fieramosca, 536 ff.

Figaro, 23, 24, 295, 309

=Figaro, Marriage of=, 51, 295

=Figlia del Reggimento, La=, 334, 355

=Figliuol Prodigo, Il=, 481

Filipievna, 825

=Fille de Roland, La=, 763

Finn, 818

Fiordiligi, 52

Fiorello, 295

_Fischer, Emil_, 69, 117, 140, 148, 191, 208, 227, 246

_Fitziu, Anna_, 719

Flaminio, 690 ff.

Flammen, 622 ff.

Flavius, 326 ff.

Fléville, 713 ff.

Flora, 690 ff.

Florestan, 54, 62

Florinda, 704 ff.

Flosshilde, 148, 208

=Flying Dutchman, The=, 69, 79, 84, 98, 109, 118, 226

Folco, 626

Folz, Hans, 246 ff.

_Fontaine, Charles_, 761, 767

Ford, 466 ff.

Ford, Mistress, 466 ff.

Forêt, Lysiart de, 69 ff.

_Formes, Carl_, 313, 501, 503

_Fornia_, 807

Forth, Sir Richard, 330 ff.

FORTUNA, FERDINANDO (Librettist), 639

=Forza del Destino, La=, 436 ff.

FORZANO, GIOACCHINO (Librettist), 622

Fouché, 707

=Fra Diavolo=, 497

Francesca, 680 ff.

=Francesca Da Rimini=, 680 ff.

Francesco, 536 ff.

FRANCHETTI, ALBERTO, 717, 721

=Franco Arciero, Il=, 63

François, 767

Françoise, 759

Frantz, 724

Franz, 622 ff.

Frasquita, 587, 793

Frédéric, 581 ff.

Frederica, Duchess of Ostheim, 434 ff.

Frederick, 724

Frederick of Telramund, 117 ff.

Frederico, 619 ff.

Freia, 141, 148 ff.

=Freischütz, Der=, 62, 77, 81, 85

_Fremstad, Olive_, 14, 140, 227, 801, 804

Freudhofer, Johannes, 787

Freudhofer, Matthias, 787

_Frezzolini_, 386

_Friche, Claire_, 756

Fricka, 89, 142, 148, 164

Friedhold, 799

Froh, 148 ff.

_Fuchs_, 272

_Fugère, Lucien_, 729, 750

Furies, The, 10

_Fursch-Madi_, 483

Furst, Walter, 313 ff.

GABEAUX, PIERRE, 55

Gabriel, Padre, 833

_Gadski, Johanna_, 9, 227, 246

_Galassi, Antonio_, 332, 354, 367, 387, 402, 437, 458, 587

Galitzky, Prince, 820

_Gall, Yvonne_, 767

GALLET, M. LOUIS (Librettist), 605, 731, 742, 758

_Galli-Curci, Amelita_, 295, 306, 343, 386, 388, 416, 532, 575, 742

_Galli-Marié_, 586, 601

GANDONNIÈRE, 542

Gansemagd, Die, 776

Garcia, 716, 743 ff.

_Garcia, Mme._, 44

_Garcia, Manuel_, 44, 295, 309

_Garcia, Jr., Manuel_, 44

_Garcia, Maria_, 44, 295

_Garden, Mary_, 587, 603, 747, 750, 756, 761, 801, 804, 837

_Garrison, Mabel_, 52

Garrito, Gen., 746

Garsenda, 680 ff.

Gaspar, Don, 359 ff.

_Gates, Lucy_, 52, 375

_Gatti-Casazza_, 516, 611

GAUTHIER-VILLARS, HENRY (Librettist), 804

_Gay_, 466

Gazello, 339 ff.

GAZZANIGA, GIUSEPPE, 31

Gelsomino, 707 ff.

Gennaro, 339, 699 ff.

Genoveva, 752 ff.

Geôlier, Le, 756 ff.

Gerald, 724

GÉRARD (Librettist), 542

Gérard, Charles, 713 ff.

The Complete Opera Book The Stories of the Operas, together with 400 of the Leading Airs and Motives in Musical Notation · 第 8 / 9 章

_Lerchenan_ is appeased not only by the charms of the supposed