A CHAPTER OF CHATTER.
Opera and politics—_Lohengrin_ in Paris—
Opera non-lucrative to the composer—Jenny
Lind’s contract—Modern fees—Royalties—
Librettists—Metastasio and Scribe—The prima
donna—Stories of singers and composers.
[Sidenote: =Opera and Politics=]
Now and again it happens that Opera rubs shoulders with Politics, and
acquires some importance in the affairs of nations. Lully’s power at
court in the days of Louis XIV. was notorious, and none too generously
exercised so far as his fellow musicians were concerned. But influence
with monarchs, such as that which he acquired, is exceptional and rarer
now, and less powerful than in those earlier days. Lully profited by
the royal favour bestowed on him, but some great composers have been
less fortunate.
Cherubini, for instance, was detested by the great Napoleon, who lost
no opportunity of inflicting slights upon him. Cherubini’s sympathies
were clearly manifested in his _Water Carrier_ opera, as on the side
of revolution, but distinctly contrary to the excesses to which it
often led. So enraged were some ruffians with him that he was in 1794
dragged out of his house, marched through Paris, and finally compelled
to provide music for the pleasure of his captors. Napoleon frequently
called him into his presence in order to praise other composers,
suggesting that he compared unfavourably with them. When Cherubini
replied with some little spirit, he was promptly punished by being
compelled to conduct various concerts and state performances with no
reward whatever.
On the other hand, Napoleon, for a time, could not do enough for
Spontini: he commanded the production of _La Vestale_, and rewarded
him with a present of 10,000 francs, loading him, moreover, with
praises and honours; this did not, however, last for very long, for the
downfall of the great conqueror was at hand, and anxieties and cares
claimed his attention.
[Illustration: _Photo_] [_W. Shadwell Clerke._]
[Sidenote: =“Lohengrin” in Paris=]
Political feeling has probably never run so high over operatic matters
as it did in Paris after the Franco-German war: for years no German
work was tolerated, at any rate so far as new matter was concerned, and
the determination of the management to produce Wagner’s _Lohengrin_
in 1891 was the signal for a riotous uproar. Public feeling ran high;
some of the leading singers, considering discretion the better part
of valour, caused frequent postponements of the performance by means
of convenient indispositions, and when the work actually came to
presentation cordons of police were called out to guard the opera
house, both inside and out. M. Lamoureux, who conducted, did so with a
pistol in his pocket. Opposition inside the theatre made itself felt by
an objectionable device of setting floating in the auditorium little
balloons of evil-smelling gas; while opposition in the street was met
by cavalry charges and frequent arrests. The whole occasion was made
one of political import, but fortunately commonsense prevailed, and no
serious issues resulted; happily for opera, such scenes as these are
infrequent and unusual.
In our country opera has little or no connection with political
matters, except that when some foreign potentate visits our shores, a
gala performance at Covent Garden is usually arranged as one of the
features of his visit: so far as English art or English artists are
concerned, there is, unfortunately, little use made of either on these
occasions.
[Sidenote: =Opera non-lucrative to the Composer=]
Opera is not a fortune-making business for the majority of those who
embark on such enterprise: so far as the composition of opera is
concerned, financial result is usually very small. Nowadays an opera
cannot be lightly tossed off in a few days: it is true that Handel
composed _Rinaldo_ in fourteen days, Rossini _Il Barbiere_ in thirteen
(a wonderful performance), and Pacini his _Saffo_ in four weeks; but
these are very exceptional instances, and may fitly be compared with
the labour of Wagner, who had the _Meistersinger_ and the _Ring_ on
hand for something like twenty years. Modern opera, with its polyphonic
orchestral background and amorphous movements, demands years of work,
and for the majority of those who give so much of their lives to it
there is little to show in return, so far as a monetary point of view
is taken.
Operatic management, too, is very speculative; Handel lost his whole
fortune (£10,000) and became bankrupt through his operatic ventures,
and yet his works had enormous success in their day. It is to be feared
that the example set by him has been followed by many a subsequent
manager, and is yet in store for many another.
The chief item in expenditure is, of course, the enormous amount
swallowed up in the fees paid to the singers; Handel paid Senesino
1,400 guineas for the season in 1731, and even allowing for the
greater value of money in those days, that is a comparatively small
amount. Here, for example, is the contract made by Jenny Lind with Mr.
Lumley in 1846. Far less liberal, by the way, than such a singer would
receive to-day:—
[Sidenote: =J. Lind’s Contract=]
“1. An honorarium of 120,000 francs (£4,800) for the season
(April 14th-August 20th, 1847).
“2. A furnished house, carriage, and pair of horses.
“3. A sum of £300 should she desire to have a
preliminary holiday in Italy.
“4. Liberty to cancel the engagement should she feel
dissatisfied after her first appearance.
“5. An agreement not to sing elsewhere for her own
emolument.”
It generally happens that a singer commands higher fees for private
than for public singing, the advantage of the latter being as a rule
a guaranteed number of appearances; Farinelli, for example, the chief
singer engaged by the noble faction that set up in opposition to Handel
in 1734 received only £1,500 per annum, but his private engagements
made up his income to £5,000 a year—a large one at that date. This
singer afterwards visited the court of Philip V. of Spain; that monarch
was suffering from mental depression, from which nothing aroused him
until the advent of Farinelli. The Queen was so delighted to see
her royal spouse once more interested in anything that she engaged
Farinelli at a salary of 50,000 francs to remain in Madrid; this he
did, singing the _same four songs to the King every night for ten
years_! Eventually Philip V. succumbed, but he must have been a patient
monarch.
It does not always happen that singers of equal merit receive the same
payments, some being more fortunate than others; Catalani, for example,
in 1807 received £5,000 for the season, and with her concerts and
provincial tours netted a profit for the year of £16,700. A more famous
singer, Lablache, in 1828 could only command £1,600 for four months;
while Malibran in 1835 received £2,755 for twenty-four appearances in
London, and 45,000 francs for one hundred and eighty-five performances
a few years later at La Scala.
[Sidenote: =Modern Fees=]
But these fees are as nothing compared with those commanded by the
leading singers of to-day, more especially in America, where money is
poured out like water, and where artists are retained at high fees by
one opera house, even if they do not sing a single note during the
whole season, so that a rival house should not secure their services.
It is not very unusual for a singer to receive £1,000 per performance
in the twentieth century. Madame Patti has stated that she received
£1,200 per night for two seasons of sixty nights each. Caruso has
been paid £20,000 for eighty performances, and about £8,000 per annum
for singing into gramophones; his contract for four years at £40,000
per annum with the New York Metropolitan is probably a record in this
direction.
Of course the amount received by those who compose the music never
approximate to such figures as these. For _Don Juan_ Mozart received
only 500 thalers, and for _Figaro_ 100 ducats. Weber’s payment for
_Der Freischütz_ was 80 Friedrich d’ors, out of which he had to pay
the librettist; after the treasury had netted 30,000 thalers from
this work Weber was presented with another 100! There are, however,
a few examples of fair bargains made by musicians: Spontini in 1814
was offered the then liberal salary of £750 per annum for two operas
each year in Berlin; in 1819 he accepted a ten years’ engagement at
the court of Frederick William III. of Berlin at a salary of 4,000
thalers, a benefit of 1,050 thalers, a free concert, and a pension. He
was well treated, but did not himself behave very well, allowing his
servant to sell free admissions to the theatre, and grumbling because
his first-night presentations did not bring in as much as he wished.
He finally ended by a demand for compensation for 46,850 thalers, and
that in face of the fact that he was convicted of _lèse-majesté_ and
sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment: an indignity from which his new
monarch graciously released him.
[Sidenote: =Royalties=]
Sometimes an agreement is made with the composer by which he receives a
royalty or lump sum for each performance of his work. To the composer
of an opera that takes the public fancy this spells fortune, and vast
sums have now and again been made in this way. Isouard, for example,
received for the performances of his _Cendrillon_ in Paris alone over
100,000 francs in 1810, while Rossini and others have by similar
strokes of luck easily acquired wealth. So small, however, is the
proportion of new works to-day which become popular, that the chances
of such good fortune are very small; a _Cavalleria Rusticana_ only
makes its appearance now and then, nor is the composer of such a work
often able to repeat his success.
[Sidenote: =Librettists=]
Although rarely recognized, the work of the author of the libretto
is of vast importance. In the days when the story meant little or
nothing, provided so many pegs were provided on which to hang the
“Arias,” the share of the librettist was a less conspicuous one; to-day
no inconsiderable part of the failure of an opera is due to a poor
libretto. It therefore frequently happens that composers, finding it
impossible to find a poem to please them, write their own libretti,
the chief example of this dual work being Wagner, whose dramas are
often very fine considered from a literary point of view alone.
[Sidenote: =Metastasio and Scribe=]
Most famous of the librettists of early operas is Metastasio
(1698-1782), some of whose poems were set by thirty and forty different
composers: he wrote dramas used by such composers as Handel, Hasse,
Jomelli, Porpora, Graun, Gluck, Meyerbeer, Caldara, Haydn, Cimarosa,
and Mozart. In later days mention may be made of the dramatist Scribe
(1791-1861), a French poet who provided a vast number of works for both
the Grand Opera and the Opera Comique. The list of composers who have
used Scribe’s libretti includes Auber, Adam, Boieldieu, Donizetti,
Hérold, Halèvy, Meyerbeer, and Verdi. Quite one hundred of his operas
were staged and performed, to say nothing of light dramatic and other
pieces.
[Sidenote: =The Prima Donna=]
Scattered here and there in literature that deals with opera may be
found endless stories of singers, composers, and art-patrons. Most
fruitful in providing amusing tales are the _prime donne_, whose
jealousies and bickerings, although unpleasant enough for those who
have to contend against them, make sufficiently good reading. The Prima
Donna generally knows her power, and is autocratic: there is not every
day at hand a Handel, to take such a one forcibly by the scruff of her
neck and hang her suspended from a window in mid-air until his will
is granted. When such a factious lady has a husband in the same rôle
consequences may be very bad indeed: the tenor Arsani, for example, the
teacher of the Garcias, had a wife who was a prima donna; but instead
of acting together, so jealous were they of each other, that when one
was receiving the plaudits of the audience the other would go round
into the auditorium and hiss!
Rivalry is not always, however, so apparent, and when fine singers are
willing to co-operate, very fine results are sometimes obtained. The
most notable ensemble in this respect was probably that of the four
great singers, Grisi, Rubini, Tamburini, and Lablache, a combination
of talent very seldom equalled, which delighted auditors of the early
Victorian era.
Nowadays, although a person of power, the great singer has not the
field so entirely to himself as to be able to dictate as to what he
will or will not do: a certain tenor, for example, at Marseilles early
in 1905 withdrew his promise to sing at a certain concert for the
reason that a rival tenor had been engaged. Great was his amazement to
find that this refusal by no means jeopardized the concert, as he had
hoped, but rather became an additional source of amusement; for the
management, having advertised him, determined that he should be seen
upon the stage, and a ridiculous effigy of him was brought forward, and
a trio from _Faust_ sung by other singers grouped round it. This may
not have been very dignified, or even witty, but a few drastic measures
of this kind might induce singers to be a little more reasonable in
their treatment of the public.
Strange measures are sometimes taken to prevent the success of an
opera: a hired body of fellows to hiss in opposition to the organized
claque is by no means a rare sight in a French house; but sometimes
more militant measures are taken. Rousseau’s _Le Devin du Village_, for
example, received its _coup de grace_ from the fact that in 1828 some
person (supposed to have been Berlioz) threw a huge powdered wig on to
the stage in the midst of the performance. So bad was the opposition to
Jomelli’s _Armida_, produced in 1750, that its composer flew the house
for his life by a back door. The opposition to _Lohengrin_ in Paris has
already been commented upon, but that to _Tannhäuser_, organized by the
Jockey Club in 1866, was even stronger: noise and disorder filled the
theatre; people in the pit played flageolets, while the gallery sang
riotous songs. So prejudiced was public opinion that a fair hearing was
not accorded to the work. Under these conditions it is not altogether
incredible that Merimée should have exclaimed that he could write
similar music after hearing his cat walk up and down the pianoforte!
Of composers, there are perhaps more amusing stories of Spontini than
of any other single opera writer. This very opinionated and high-handed
Italian thought much of himself, and little of all else, with the
result that his life is very amusing reading. He _would_ have what he
wanted. If his cellos could not play loud enough, they were made to
sing their parts as well; if, after six hours’ rehearsal, his prima
donna fainted, he suggested that someone with more physique should
be engaged. He did not, however, always have his own way. When _La
Petite Maison_ was produced in 1804, the audience dashed on the stage
and smashed everything, while _La Vestale_ was greeted with laughing,
snoring, and the putting on of nightcaps. His orchestra, although
moderate in volume in comparison with what often obtains to-day, was
considered very noisy, so much so that it is said that a certain
doctor who had a very deaf patient thought he might be made to hear
by attending a performance of _La Vestale_. After a specially noisy
passage the deaf man with delight turned to his doctor: “I can hear,”
said he. His remark met with no response, for the reason that the
doctor himself had been deafened by the noise.
Spontini felt such opposition very keenly: others are less affected
by hostility. When Rossini’s _Il Barbiere_ was produced at Rome in
1816, it was hooted and hissed, much to the chagrin of several of the
composer’s friends. Thinking to commiserate with him on the failure of
his work, they called at his house, expecting to find him in the depths
of despair: instead of that the maestro was safely tucked up in bed and
fast asleep.
Quotations of stories of singer and composer might fill many chapters
of such a book as this, but there are books such as Sutherland Edward’s
_History of the Opera_ and Ella’s _Musical Reminiscences_ to which
those interested may readily turn, and therefore need not be reprinted
here.
A whole wealth of amusement may be derived from the daily papers, and
to-day the impressarios of New York seem to be the most persecuted
persons in the world. Opera has its worries and troubles, but to those
who love it it is a constant source of refreshment and of artistic
joy.
Appendices.
A. CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF COMPOSERS OF OPERA, GREAT
SINGERS, CONDUCTORS, ETC.
B. FINANCIAL AID GRANTED TO OPERATIC SCHEMES FROM
STATE OR MUNICIPAL FUNDS.
C. GLOSSARY OF TERMS MAINLY USED IN OPERA.
D. LIST OF INSTRUMENTS USED IN THE ORCHESTRAS OF
COMPOSERS OF DIFFERENT PERIODS OF OPERA.
E. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF OPERA.
Appendix A.
Chronological List of Composers of Opera (with names of
their chief works), Great Singers, Conductors, etc.
1535 (?). =Vincenzo Galilei= (Florence). Early
writer of music drama on the lines of Greek
tragedy.
1550 (?). =Cavalieri.= Composer of the first
oratorio, also of four music dramas. One of the
earliest composers to seek to illustrate the
meaning of the words by the music.
15— (?). =Giovanni Bardi.= The instigator of
the idea of modern opera: at Bardi’s house the
circle of dilletanti and musicians assembled and
endeavoured to resuscitate Greek drama by the
provision of suitable music.
15— (?). =Jacopo Peri.= Composer of first
real opera in the modern sense of the term;
_Dafne_ (1597) and _Euridice_ (1600) are
the titles of his works, in the monodic style.
These opened up new ground, and set a model which
other composers quickly followed.
1558. =Guilio Caccini= (Rome). Opera composer of
the monodic school; shares with Peri the merit of
founding modern opera.
1567. =Claudio Monteverde= (Cremona), 1567-1643.
Writer of many operas, intermezzi, etc.; he was
a great innovator in harmony, and also did much
to extend the use of the various instruments of
the orchestra. The earliest composer to associate
certain groups of instruments with certain of the
stage characters.
1575. =Thomas Campion= (London). English composer
of masques and ballets.
1580. =John Coperario= (London). An Englishman who
travelled in Italy, and wrote music for English
plays.
1582. =William Lawes= (Dinton). English composer
of court masques and airs.
1585. =Heinrich Schütz= (Köstritz), 1585-1672.
First German operatic composer, who also excelled
in church music.
1588 or 1590. =Nicholas Laniere= (Italy). A
foreign musician who settled in England and wrote
music for masques; one of his compositions was a
masque by Ben Johnson, “in stylo recitativo.”
1596. =Henry Lawes= (Dinton). English composer who
shared with Matthew Lock and Cook the composition
of one of the earliest English operas, _The
Siege of Rhodes_.
1597. =Benedetto Ferrari= (Venice). Helped to
found the Venetian School of Opera.
1600. =Pietro F. Cavalli= (Crema). A follower
of Monteverde, who wrote at least twenty-seven
operas, mostly for Venice, but some were performed
in Paris; a composer of dramatic power.
1600. Production of Peri’s _Orfeo_, the first
publicly performed opera.
1600 (?). =Francesco Manelli= (Venice). Shares
with Ferrari the credit of the foundation of opera
in his native city.
1604. =Giacomo Carissimi= (Marino). Great composer
of oratorio, who also wrote occasionally for the
stage.
1620. =Marcantonio Cesti= (Florence?). Follower of
Cavalli and Carissimi; wrote about twelve operas.
1625. =Giovanni Legrenzi= (Bergamo). Composer of
seventeen operas, mostly produced in Venice.
1627. The first German opera (_Dafne_) produced.
1628. =Robert Cambert= (Paris). First French
composer of opera; at first thoroughly successful,
this musician was ousted from his position by
Lully, and died in England in 1677.
1632 (?). =Matthew Lock= (Exeter). Composer
of incidental music to plays (_The
Tempest_, _Macbeth_, etc.), one of which
(_Psyche_) was published under the title of
“The English Opera.”
1633. =Jean Batiste Lully= (Florence). Migrated to
France at an early age; obtained great power at
the court of Louis XIV., and monopolized French
opera for many years. He wrote at least thirty
ballets and twenty operas. Lully died in 1687.
1635. =G. V. Draghi.= Italian composer who settled
in England and wrote incidental music and act
tunes.
1637. =Bernardo Pasquini= (Tuscany). Wrote a few
operas for Rome; a fine polyphonic composer.
1640. =Giovanni Buononcini= (Modena). Father of a
more famous son; wrote five operas, which remain
in MS.
1645. =Alessandro Stradella= (Venice?), 1645-81.
Although more famous for his church music, wrote
eleven operas.
1645. =Francesco Rossi= (Bari). Wrote four operas
for Venice.
1646. =Johann Thiele= (Naumburg). Composer of
opera and also of Singspiel. His Singspiel,
_Adam and Eve_, produced in 1678, was the
first of such works to be publicly performed
in Germany, and is interesting as being the
forerunner of many a subsequent work of the same
class which has obtained world-wide popularity.
1646. _Akebar, Roi de Mogol_, the first French
opera (words and music by the Abbé Mailly),
performed at Carpentras.
1649. =Pascal Colasse= (Rheims). Wrote many
operas, after the model of Lully.
1650. =Marais.= Composer of French opera; died 1718.
1658. =Henry Purcell= (London), 1658-95. English
composer of great dramatic power and of marked
originality. Wrote music for many masques, plays,
and for the first real English opera, _Dido
and Æneas_; had it not been for the powerful
personality of Handel, which dwarfed all other
matters musical during the time he lived in
London, Purcell might have founded a real school
of English opera. Chief works: _Dido and
Æneas_ (1677), _The Indian Queen_ (1690),
Dryden’s _Tempest_ (1690), _Dioclesian_
(1690), _King Arthur_ (1691), _Bonduca_ (1695).
1659. =Alessandro Scarlatti= (Trapani), 1659-1725.
Composer of one hundred and fifteen operas; is
important as the first to largely employ set
forms in his works. His use of the Da capo Aria,
although at first attended with success, became so
popular as to be the means of its own undoing. He
also uses the orchestral ritornello, occasionally
employed by Monteverde, and is the first composer
to make full use of the orchestra for the
accompaniment of recitative. While histrionically
interesting, little of his music would be accepted
to-day.
1659. =Francesco A. Pistocchi= (Palermo). A member
of the Bolognese school of composers.
1660. =André Campra= (Aix, Provence). Popular
writer of French opera, who attempted to combine
the features of the Italian and French schools; he
produced about thirty works of high rank.
1661. =J. A. Perti= (Bologna). Another member
of the Bolognese school; produced operas in his
native town and at Venice.
1667. =Antonio Lotti= (Venice). Produced an opera
before he was sixteen years of age, and wrote many
others in after life.
1667. =Dr. Pepusch= (Berlin). Famous German
composer who settled in London, and collected the
songs and pieces which made up _The Beggar’s Opera_,
the first of a long line of such ballad operas.
1670 (?). =Johann Conradi.= Early writer of German
opera; produced works at Hamburg.
1672. =Giovanni Batiste Buononcini= (Modena),
1672-1750 (?). Writer of twenty-two operas; mainly
famous as having been the selected composer pitted
against Handel, with disastrous results to both
parties financially.
1672. =André Destouches= (Paris). Wrote a famous
opera, _Issé_; and many other works for the
stage.
1674. =Reinhard Keiser= (Weissenfels), 1674-1739.
First important composer of German opera,
composing sometimes as many as eight in one year;
one hundred and sixteen works stand to his name,
many with the recitatives in German and the arias
in Italian.
1675. =Marc Antonio Buononcini= (Modena). Wrote an
opera, _Camilla_, which was played sixty-four
times in England during four years; brother of
Handel’s rival.
1677. Production of Purcell’s _Dido and Æneas_,
the first real English opera.
1678 (?). =Antonio Caldara= (Venice). Wrote
sixty-six operas, besides a large number of
oratorios and other works.
1680 (?). =Senesino.= Famous male soprano, who
appeared in many of the operas Handel wrote for
London; he retired from the stage in 1735 with a
fortune of £15,000.
1681. =Johann Mattheson= (Hamburg). Opera singer
and composer and a friend of Handel, in some of
whose operas he appeared.
1683. =Jean Phillippe Rameau= (Dijon), 1683-1764.
One of the early fathers of French opera, and
second only in importance to Lully; produced many
operas, and influenced Gluck, who heard some of
his works in Paris.
1684. =Francesco Durante= (Naples). Wrote
occasionally for the stage, but mostly for the
church.
1685. =George Frederick Handel= (Hallé),
1685-1759. Wrote operas for Italy, Germany, and
England. In great contrast to the music of his
oratorios, his opera music sounds antiquated and
dull; its only performance to-day is the occasional
singing of an air from one of the operas.
1686. =Niccola Porpora= (Naples), 1686-1767. Wrote
many operas, mainly consisting of florid arias and
vocal gymnastics; a wonderful singing-master, who
turned out some excellent pupils.
1698. =P. A. D. B. Metastasio= (Rome). One of the
greatest of librettists; he furnished subjects for
operatic treatment for a vast number of composers,
including Gluck and Mozart.
1699. =Johann A. Hasse= (Bergedorf), 1699-1783.
Fertile opera composer, who produced over one
hundred works with success. Hasse possessed great
gifts of melody, and was fortunate in having a
remarkably fine singer in his wife, who acted as
exponent of many of the leading parts.
1700. =Faustina Hasse= (Venice). Sang also for
Handel, and was very popular in London; her salary
for 1726 was £2,000; a great rivalry existed
between Hasse and Cuzzoni.
1700. =Francesca Cuzzoni= (Modena). Also sang for
Handel; this is the lady whom he threatened to
throw out of the window unless she sang what he
wished. She died in poverty in 1770.
1700. =Nicolo Logroscino= (Naples). Wrote comic
operas, and is credited with the invention of
the concerted finale; his operas are all in the
Neapolitan dialect.
1701. =K. H. Graun= (Wahrenbrüch). Wrote
twenty-seven operas, which contain melodies and
good arias. He is better known by his church
cantatas, especially _Der Tod Jesu_.
1703. =G. M. Caffarelli= (Naples). Famous singer,
said to have been kept by Porpora for five years
to one page of exercises and then dismissed as the
greatest singer in Europe. He had great success in
male soprano parts.
1705. =Giovanni Carestini= (Ancona). Famous male
contralto, who sang for Handel in London.
1705. =C. B. Farinelli= (Naples). Another pupil of
Porpora, who sang for the party opposed to Handel;
one of the most renowned singers the world has
ever produced.
1709. =Egidio Duni= (Matera). Seems to have
founded opera comique in France, writing many such
works for the Parisian stage.
1710. =Thomas Arne= (London), 1710-78. One
of the most famous of early English opera
writers; besides many masques (including
Milton’s _Comus_) he wrote the opera
_Artaxerxes_, which enjoyed many years of
popularity. Arne is best known to-day by the
incidental music which he wrote to Shakespeare’s
_Tempest_, the song, “Where the Bee sucks,”
being world known.
1710. =G. V. Pergolesi= (Jesi), 1710-36. A
composer of great promise, whose early death may
be much lamented. Although best known by his
church music, he had many merits as a writer of
opera. His best work in this direction is a short
operetta, _La Serva Padrona_.
1712. =J. J. Rousseau= (Paris), 1712-78, the
famous litterateur, wrote operas, the most famous
of which, _Le Devin du Village_, may claim to
have been the first opera comique; its success was
enormous, but the orchestration and some of the
details are not Rousseau’s.
1714. =Nicolo Jommelli= (Aversa), 1714-74. One
of the best composers of the Neapolitan school,
who combined skilful design with melodious and
expressive themes. Mozart thought much of his
music and extolled his operas; his sacred music
alone has come down to our day.
1714. =Cristopher Willibald Gluck= (Weidenwang),
1714-87. The first of the great reformers of
opera. Besides a very large number of works
written on old models, his newer-fashioned and
enduring masterpieces include _Orfeo_ (1762),
_Alceste_ (1767), _Iphigénie en Aulide_ (1774),
_Amide_ (1777), _Iphigénie en Tauride_ (1778).
1725. =Gaetano Guadagni= (Lodi). A great male
contralto who sang for Handel and created a
_furore_ in London.
1726. =F. A. D. Philidor= (Dreux). Famous
chess player and operatic composer; was a
prolific writer. He was the first to introduce
the unaccompanied quartet upon the stage. His
happiest essay was upon the English subject _Tom
Jones_.
1728. =J. A. Hiller= (Görlitz). Established the
Singspiel, composing fourteen of these works,
which met with pronounced success.
1728. =Nicolo Piccini= (Bari). A good composer,
now mostly remembered as the opponent of Gluck;
while the fact militated against the success of
his operas upon their production, it has kept his
memory green and has gained attention for his
music, which, although on the prevalent model of
its time, has much merit.
1729. =Guiseppe Sarti= (Faenza). Produced many
operas of great excellence, which are forgotten
to-day. His triumphs were won in such contrasted
centres as Milan and St. Petersburg.
1729. =P. A. Monsigny= (St. Omer). Composed many
forgotten operas; while possessing melodic gifts
he had little training, and his scoring and
constructive powers were weak. His best works
are _Le Déserteur_ (1769), and _Félix ou
l’enfant trouvé_ (1777).
1732. =Joseph Haydn= (Rohrau), 1732-1809, the
master who excelled in so many branches of the
art, made no serious claim to be a composer of
opera. A few works were written by him for the
stage while he was attached to Count Esterhazy,
but they can in no way compare with his labours in
other fields, nor had they any bearing upon the
growth and development of opera as an art form.
1733. =F. J. Gossec= (Hainault). A Belgian
composer of some repute in his day; his operas
were mostly written for Paris.
1734. =A. M. G. Sacchini= (Pozzuoli), 1734-86.
A composer of dramatic gifts much influenced by
Gluck, whose compositions quite overshadow those
of his follower. Sacchini wrote over forty operas.
1739. =K. D. von Dittersdorf= (Vienna). Composed
very many operas, both serious and light. He
is best known by the Singspiel, _Doctor und
Apotheke_ (1786).
1741. =A. E. M. Grétry= (Liége). A fertile
composer, very gifted for the writing of opera
comique, wrote fifty operas for Paris. He had
a knack of cleverly illustrating the stage
situation, and although his harmonies were so thin
that it was said that one could “draw a coach and
four between the bass and the first fiddle,” he
yet seems to have been more apt in his musical
conceptions than many a more cultured musician.
1741. =Giovanni Paisiello= (Tarento). May be
reckoned amongst the most prolific of Italian
composers of his period. He was one of the first
to introduce the concerted finale into serious
opera, this form having hitherto been almost
entirely confined to light opera. His _Barber of
Seville_ became so famous as almost to wreck
the production of an opera under the same title by
Rossini.
1743. =Lucretia Agujari= (Ferrara). Was a singer
of extraordinary ability and compass.
1745. =Ludwig Fischer= (Mainz). Also a singer of
great compass, having a round bass voice of two
and a half octaves. He was a friend of Mozart’s,
and sang in the production of _Entführung aus
dem Serail_.
[Music]
1748. =William Shield= (Durham). Composer to
Covent Garden Theatre; wrote operas both serious
and comic. He appears to have possessed great
melodic gifts, and his many works are notable for
their vigour and their tunefulness. He died in 1829.
1749. =The Abbé Vogler= (Würzburg), 1749-1814.
Was a man of many parts; he wrote upon theatrical
matters, and composed music for the organ, for
instruments, for the church, and for the stage.
His operatic music is perhaps of the least
importance, although his stage productions number
some sixteen pieces.
1749. =Domenico Cimarosa= (Aversa). Was in his
day a most popular composer of opera, sixty-six
fine works standing to his credit. He made his
mark more especially in his comic operas, of which
_Il matrimonio segreto_ (1792) is the best
known.
1749. =Gertrude Elizabeth Mara= (Cassel). A fine
singer, made little impression upon Mozart, but
still appears to have been a great artist. She had
a beautiful voice and great facility; she was one
of Handel’s best singers in England.
1750. =Antonio Salieri= (Legnano). Wrote
thirty-seven operas and a Singspiel. His works
were modelled upon those of Gluck, and present no
special features of interest.
1752. =J. F. Reichardt= (Königsberg). Wrote some
moderately successful operas, and some important
specimens of Singspiel, mostly for Berlin.
1752. =N. A. Zingarelli= (Naples). Was a prolific
operatic composer, who penned some thirty
operas, besides much sacred music. His style was
recommended by Napoleon to Cherubini, much to the
disgust of the last-named composer.
1754. =Peter Winter= (Mannheim), 1754-1825. Wrote
a very large number of tuneful and melodious
operas. His works have not survived to the present
day, being structurally weak, but they were very
successful during the composer’s life and for a
few years afterwards.
1756. =Vincenzo Righini= (Bologna). Was operatic
singer, composer, and conductor. His twenty operas
were many of them produced at Berlin, where he was
for some years conductor of the Italian Opera.
1756. =Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart= (Salzburg),
1756-91. The long list of Mozart’s operas (many of
them written in youth) includes _Idomeneo_
(1781), _Die Entführung aus dem Serail_
(1782), _Le Nozze di Figaro_ (1786), _Don
Giovanni_ (1787), _Cosi fan tutte_
(1790), _La Clemenza di Tito_ (1791), _Die
Zauberflöte_ (1791).
1760. =Maria Luigi C. Z. S. Cherubini= (Florence),
1760-1842. An accomplished musician in all
departments; wrote fine operas, containing a
wealth of sterling music. His chief operas are
_La Finta Principessa_ (1785), _Giulio
Sabino_ (1786), _Démophon_ (1788),
_Lodoiska_ (1791), _Médée_ (1797),
_Les deux Journées_ (1800), _Anacreon_
(1803), _Faniska_ (1806), _Les
Abencerages_ (1813), _Ali Baba_ (1833).
1760. =Aloysia Weber= (Mannheim). A vocalist
for whom Mozart conceived a great affection,
eventually, however, marrying her sister. The
part of “Constance,” in _Die Entführung aus dem
Serail_, was written for her.
1761. =Katherina Cavalieri= (Währing). Was a
singer for whom both Mozart and Salieri wrote
special parts in their operas. Mozart said of her
that “she was a singer of whom Germany might well
be proud.”
1763. =Stephen Storace= (London). Produced
some early operas in Vienna, where he formed a
friendship with Mozart. On his return to London
he produced _The Haunted Tower_ (1789),
_The Pirates_ (1792), and many other works,
which attained very great success. He is almost
the earliest example of an English composer
introducing the concerted finale.
1763. =Etienne Henri Méhul= (Givet). Had a
wonderful talent for opera, of which he produced a
great quantity of examples, in addition to writing
ballets and operettas. His best known works are
_Uthal_ and _Joseph_. Méhul died in 1822.
1763. =J. F. Lesueur= (Abbeville). Wrote a certain
number of operas for Paris, of which the best is
_Les Bardes_. The march of time has left
Lesueur behind, in company with many another composer
of considerable but not commanding merits.
1766. =F. X. Süssmayer= (Steyer). Is chiefly known
to fame as being a sort of “hack” to Mozart,
writing recitatives and filling in details for the
great and busy composer, whose factotum he was for
some years.
1766. =G. Crescentini= (Urbania). Was a famous
sopranist, one of the last of his class; he won
favour from many, including the Emperor Napoleon,
who showered benefits upon him. He not only sang
magnificently, but composed arias to suit his own
voice and special style.
1766. =Joseph Weigl= (Eisenstadt). Wrote one
famous work, _Schweizer Familie_, and many
others of less import, numbering thirty-one in
all, besides ballets.
1767. =Henri Berton= (Paris). Wrote many operas.
He is interesting, moreover, as an early instance
of a composer penning his own libretti. His music
was often written in conjunction with others, such
as Cherubini, Méhul, and Spontini.
1768. =Elizabeth Billington= (London). Was a prima
donna of exceptional compass. During a long and
varied career she appeared on the boards of many
an operatic stage in Europe; her successes were,
however, largely won in England.
1770. =Ludwig von Beethoven= (Bonn), 1770-1827.
Beethoven’s single opera, _Fidelio_, was
produced at Vienna in 1806.
1771. =Ferdinand Paer= (Parma). Was an Italian
composer of many operas, both serious and comic;
his _Eleanor_ seems to have inspired
Beethoven’s _Fidelio_.
1773. =C. S. Catel= (l’Aigle). Wrote many operatic
works for the Paris Opera. His music was looked
upon by the French public as “academic” because he
held a professorship at the Conservatoire; hence
it stood condemned before trial and had little
chance. Catel was associated with Cherubini in the
composition of one opera.
1774. =G. L. P. Spontini= (Majolate), 1774-1851.
One of the most interesting personalities in the
history of opera. Although he wrote Italian opera
for Naples, his great successes were achieved
in the field of French grand opera, of which he
remains one of the shining ornaments. His chief
operas are _La Vestale_ (1807), _Ferdinand
Cortez_ (1809), _Olympia_ (1821),
_Alcidor_ (1825); none are now performed.
1774. =C. E. F. Weyse= (Altona). Was a composer
of Danish opera, whose works, however, have not
penetrated beyond the country for which they were
written. He seems to have been one of the earliest
to introduce the Scandinavian Volkslied to the
stage.
1775. =F. A. Boieldieu= (Rouen). Is world known
by his opera, _La Dame Blanche_, produced in
Paris in 1825, one of many works, but the only
one at all known to fame. He spent eight years
in Russia writing operas and ballets for that
country, but his greatest achievements belong to
his second Parisian period.
1775. =Nicolo Isouard= (Malta). Is another
composer of works for the Parisian houses, no less
than thirty-four operas standing to his credit.
Isouard and Boieldieu were in keen rivalry, to
their great advantage, since both put forth their
best work.
1780. =Angelica Catalani.= Was the possessor of a
voice of wonderful flexibility, with a speciality
for chromatic scales. For the period at which she
flourished, she probably made more money than
any other artist. Her greatest success seems to
have been as “Susanne” in Mozart’s _Nozze di
Figaro_.
1782. =D. F. E. Auber= (Caen). Was one of the
greatest masters of opera comique; his melodious
style and piquant orchestration are models of
their kind, and have secured a lasting vogue
for his works, the best known of which are
_Masaniello_ (1828), _Fra Diavolo_
(1830), _Le Chevale de Bronze_ (1835), _Le
Domino Noir_ (1837), _Les Diamants de la
Couronne_ (1842).
1782. =Conradin Kreutzer= (Mösskirch). Wrote a
number of successful operas, his powers as a
composer of attractive arias being considerable.
His fairy opera, _Der Verschwender_, may
still occasionally be heard in Germany.
1784. =Louis Spohr= (Brunswick), 1784-1859. Is a
composer mostly known in England by his sacred
music and his violin compositions. His claims as a
writer of operas must not, however, be overlooked,
his _Faust_ being in the van with regard to
Romanticism in opera. His _Jessonda_ also met
with considerable favour, and its overture often
gains a hearing in our concert rooms.
1784. =Francesco Morlacchi= (Perugia). Was
chorus-master of the Italian Opera at Dresden,
for which town he wrote a large number of works,
successful in their day, but now never heard.
He mostly excelled in the composition of light,
sparkling, and superficial music.
1786. =Carl Maria von Weber= (Eutin), 1786-1826.
Besides many early works, which call for no
special mention, Weber’s operatic productions
include _Der Freischütz_, _Euryanthe_
(1823), and _Oberon_ (1826).
1786. =Henry Rowley Bishop= (London). Was a most
prolific writer of operas for the London theatres,
eighty-two of such works standing to his name;
many of these, however, do not merit the term
“opera” as we understand it to-day. Bishop was
most effective in his choruses and his writing for
the voice generally.
1787. =M. E. Carafa= (Naples). Wrote thirty-five
operas, which met with great success in Italy; he
is now a forgotten composer.
1790. =Alberico Curioni= (Naples?). Was a famous
tenor singer who met with great success in London,
notably in the opera _Medea_.
1790. =Nicola Vaccaj= (Tolentino). Wrote many
Italian operas, particularly for Venice. One at
least of his works was also presented in London,
where he lived for a short time.
1791. =Giacomo Meyerbeer= (Berlin), 1791-1864. Is
a very notable figure in the annals of opera, and
his best works still survive in the repertoires
of the leading houses. These are _Robert
le Diable_ (1831), _Les Huguenots_
(1836), _Le Prophète_ (1849), _L’Étoile
du Nord_ (1854), _Dinorah_ (1859), and
_L’Africaine_ (1864).
1791. =L. J. F. Hérold= (Paris). Is best known by
his _Zampa_ and _Le Pré aux Clercs_,
both of which are frequently before the public.
1791. =P. J. Lindpaintner= (Coblenz). Wrote
twenty-eight operas, mostly forgotten now. The
best seems to be _Der Vampyr_.
1792. =G. A. Rossini= (Pesaro), 1792-1868. Is
world known, if only for his _William Tell_
music. From his enormous list of operatic works,
the following may be selected for mention:
_Tancredi_ (1813), _L’Italiani in
Algeri_ (1813), _Il Barbiere di Siviglia_
(1816), _La Cenerentola_ (1817), _La Gazza
Ladra_ (1817), _Semiramide_ (1823),
_Mosé in Egitto_ (1818), _Guillaume
Tell_ (1829).
1794. =Luigi Lablache= (Naples). Was a magnificent
bass singer who delighted Europe. He excelled
in both serious and comic parts, and was a
well-equipped artist.
1795. =G. B. Rubini= (Romano). Was equally
celebrated as a tenor of the first rank. His
greatest successes were attained in Rossini’s and
Bellini’s operas.
1796. =Giovanni Pacini= (Catania). Wrote a
large number of operas, of which the best is
_Saffo_ (Naples, 1840). His works total
eighty specimens of opera alone, but most are
written upon the pattern of Rossini.
1796. =Heinrich Marschner= (Zittau). Was a
powerful composer of romantic opera. _Hans
Heiling_ is especially fine, while mention must
also be made of _Templer und Jüdin_ and of
_Der Vampyr_. His operas are conceived in a
kindred spirit to that of Weber’s.
1797. =Franz Schubert= (Vienna), 1797-1828.
Schubert’s importance as a writer of opera is
small as compared with his achievement in other
fields—such as song and symphony. The chief in degree
are _Fierrabras_ and _Alfonso und Estella_.
1797. =Saverio Mercadante= (Altamura). Wrote a
number of operas on the Italian model, of which
_Il Guiramento_ (Milan, 1837) is the finest.
1797. =Lucy Elizabeth Vestris= (London). Made
a great impression as a singer upon the opera
habitués of her day. She was the original “Fatima”
in the production of _Oberon_.
1797. =Gaetano Donizetti= (Bergamo). Wrote a
very large number of operas, which present such
opportunities to vocalists as to be frequently
produced to-day. The chief ones in the modern
repertoire are _Lucia di Lammermoor_ (1835),
_Lucretia Borgia_ (1833), _L’Elisir
d’Amore_, _La Fille du Régiment_
(1840), _Linda di Chamounix_ (1842), _La
Favorita_ (1840), _Don Pasquale_.
1798. =Giudetta Pasta= (Como). Was an Italian
singer of great charm and ability; in Rossini’s
operas she appears to have been almost unequalled.
1798. =K. G. Reissiger= (Belzig). A prolific
composer, produced many operas of an “academic”
class, which have not survived their day.
1799. =J. F. F. E. Halévy= (Paris). Wrote a vast
number of French operas, the best known of which
is _La Juive_.
1800. =Antonio Tamburini= (Faenza). Was a baritone
singer and a member of the famous “Puritani”
quartet, which delighted both London and Paris for
so many years. He excelled in his interpretation of
the baritone parts of operas of the Rossini school.
1801. =Vincenzo Bellini= (Catania). This
famous opera composer is still known by the
frequent performance of his best works—_La
Somnambula_ (1831), _Norma_ (1831), _I
Puritani_ (1835). More might have come from
this composer, had he not died at the early age of
thirty-four.
1802. =John Barnett= (Bedford). Was an English
composer of a number of operas and of music for
stage pieces. He has the credit of the first real
English opera since Arne’s _Artexerxes_ in
his _Mountain Sylph_, produced in 1835.
This is his best known work, but he wrote other
operas, such as _Fair Rosamund_ (1837) and
_Farinelli_ (1839).
1802. =Louis Niedermeyer= (Nyon). Had the
misfortune to produce several operas which were
mostly failures. He had, however, original ideas
as to orchestration, and is worthy of remembrance
for his gifts of melody.
1803. =Adolphe Charles Adam= (Paris). Wrote grand
opera, ballet music, and opera comique, being only
remembered for the last-named, for which he had
real talent. His best work is _Le Postillon de
Longjumeau_ (1836).
1803. =G. A. Lortzing= (Berlin). Wrote many operas
still popular in Germany; one indeed, _Peter the
Shipwright_, has met with considerable success
in this country. He wrote upon a model which
Sullivan so excellently employed in his light
operas.
1803. =Hector Berlioz= (Grenoble), 1803-69. An
eccentric genius among musicians. Wrote operas
such as _Les Troyens_ and _Benvenuto
Cellini_, which contain fine music, but which
have never pleased the public, and which remain
practically unperformed.
1804. =Julius Benedict= (Stuttgart). Although
a German, is always looked upon as an English
composer, his life having been spent in this
country. He is best known by his often-performed
_Lily of Killarney_, which dates from 1862.
Benedict died in 1885.
1804. =Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient= (Hamburg).
Must always remain a person of interest to
musicians, in that she created the part of Leonora
in Beethoven’s _Fidelio_ upon its revival in
1822, when that work really gained a fair hearing.
She was also an early exponent of Wagnerian parts
(Senta, Venus, etc.).
1804. =Michael I. Glinka= (Novospaskoi). Is the
earliest of Russian opera composers to be known
outside his own country, and he is important,
not only for his compositions of _Life for the
Czar_ and _Russlan_, but also in that
he founded a school of Russian opera which has
brought forth much fruit.
1805. =Luigi Ricci= (Naples). Wrote a large number
of operas, very famous in their day, but now
forgotten.
1805. =Manuel Garcia= (Madrid). The wonderful
centenarian: claims notice as the trainer of those
fine operatic artists, Jenny Lind and Catherine
Hayes.
1806. =Henrietta Sontag= (Coblenz). Was a charming
and gifted soprano of European reputation, who
delighted all hearers, and seems to have combined
a charming personality with great artistic
attainments.
1807. =J. A. Tichatschek= (Weckelsdorf). Was
a Bohemian tenor who made for himself a great
reputation in all the grand operas of the greater
masters. He was also the original “Rienzi” and
“Tannhäuser.”
1808. =A. L. Clapisson= (Naples). Was a graceful
composer of many operas which pleased in their
day, but which have had no continuance of popular
favour.
1808. =Michael William Balfe= (Dublin), 1808-1888.
Is the best known of English opera writers of
his period, and his _Bohemian Girl_ (1843)
is familiar to all. Other of his successes are
_The Siege of Rochelle_ (1835), _The Maid
of Artois_ (1836), _Blanche de Nevers_
(1863), _Il Talismano_ (1874).
1808. =Michael A. A. Costa= (Naples). Was best
known as a conductor, more especially of the
Italian opera in England. He wrote a few forgotten
specimens, but is mainly of importance as a
wielder of the bâton. Costa died in 1884.
1808. =P. L. P. Dietsch= (Dijon). Was also a
conductor. His chief claim to fame seems to have
been that he purchased the libretto of Wagner’s
_Flying Dutchman_, and clothed it with
absolutely forgotten music.
1808. =Albert Gnsar= (Antwerp). Wrote a number of
comic operas for Paris. They seem to have been
works of elegance and grace, without special
distinction.
1808. =Marie Felicita Malibran= (Paris). Performed
in opera at the age of five. She seems to have had
no rivals as a singer, and excelled in all parts
which she undertook. She created an indelible
impression upon all that were fortunate enough to
hear her.
1809. =Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy= (Hamburg),
1809-1847. The claims of Mendelssohn as a writer
of opera are not serious, and are confined to
a few early and incomplete works. The best,
musically, is the fragment of _Lorelei_.
1809. =F. Ricci= (Naples). Like his brother
Luigi, wrote operas which have not survived their
generation.
1809. =J. H. Hatton= (Liverpool). Is better known
as a writer of songs than of operas. He wrote,
however, a good deal of incidental music for the
stage, as well as one real opera.
1810. =Robert Schumann= (Zwickau), 1810-56.
Schumann’s one contribution to the field of opera
is his _Genoveva_, which is seldom heard, in
spite of many unquestionable beauties.
1810. =Otto Nicolai= (Königsberg). Was a capable
composer and conductor. He is chiefly known to
fame by his masterpiece, _The Merry Wives of
Windsor_, which was produced in Berlin in 1849.
1810. =Félicien C. David= (Cadenet). A French
composer of operas; is not to be confused with
Ferdinand David the violinist, and friend of
Mendelssohn. Félicien wrote grand operas for
Paris, and his greatest success seems to have been
_Lalla Rookh_ (1862).
1811. =P. J. A. Varney= (Paris). Is one of the
minor lights of French Opera, his works, which are
of small importance, being in the light style.
1811. =C. Ambroise Thomas= (Metz), 1811-96. Was
one of the greatest representatives of modern
French opera, who possessed real talent for
writing for the stage. He learnt much from both
Gounod and Hérold, and is best known by his operas
_Mignon_ (1866) and _Hamlet_ (1868).
1812. =F. von Flotow= (Bentendorf). Is the
composer of _Martha_, an ever-popular light
opera; the music of this, as of his many other
works, is by no means exalted, but pleases by its
melodious and tuneful attractiveness.
1812. =Giulia Grisi= (Milan). Was one of the most
famous operatic artists of last century, and the
soprano of the “Puritani” quartet (Grisi, Rubini,
Tamburini, and Lablache). Like so many artists of
that period, her great achievements were in the
works of Rossini.
1812. =Cavaliere Mario= (Cagliari). Was an even
greater tenor, who eventually married Grisi. Like
his wife he was the idol of the English and French
capitals for many seasons.
1812. =Fanny Persiani= (Rome). Was yet another
singer of Rossinian opera. She was a fine actress
as well as a vocalist, and commanded universal
admiration.
1813. =Enrico Petrella= (Palermo). Produced an
Italian opera practically every year for many
years. This composer has been dead for nearly
thirty years, and his operas seem to have shared
the same fate.
1813. =Richard Wagner= (Leipsic), 1813-83. The names and
dates of Wagner’s chief operas are:—_Rienzi_ (Dresden)
1842; _The Flying Dutchman_ (Dresden) 1843; _Tannhäuser_
(Dresden) 1845; _Lohengrin_ (Weimar) 1850; The Ring:—(1)
_Rheingold_ (Munich) 1859; (2) _Die Walküre_ (Munich)
1870; (3) _Siegfried_ (Bayreuth) 1876; (4)
_Gotterdämmerung_, (Bayreuth) 1876; _Tristan und Isolde_
(Munich) 1865; _Die Meistersinger_ (Munich) 1868;
_Parsifal_ (Bayreuth), 1882.
1813. =Giuseppe Verdi= (Roncole) 1813-1901. Verdi’s operas
are very numerous: these may perhaps be specially
mentioned:—_I Lombardi_, 1843; _Ernani_, 1844;
_Rigoletto_, 1851; _Il Trovatore_, 1853; _La Traviata_,
1853; _Un Ballo in Maschera_, 1857; _Aïda_, 1871;
_Otello_, 1887; _Falstaff_, 1893.
1813. =A. S. Dargomizhsky= (Toula). Is of considerable
importance in the development of national Russian opera;
of his works we may mention _The Roussalka_ (1856)
and _The Stone Guest_, only performed three years
after his death, in 1872.
1813. =G. A. Macfarren= (London). So well known
as a theorist; essayed many operas, of which
_Robin Hood_ was the most successful. Other
of his works are _The Devil’s Opera_ and
_Helvellyn_.
1813. =E. J. Loder= (Bath). Was an English writer
of operas, the best of which is the _Night
Dancers_ (1846).
1814. =Emma Albertazzi= (London). An English
prima donna who married an Italian. She sang in
all the chief houses of opera, but was a poor and
indifferent actress.
1814. =W. V. Wallace= (Waterford). Is known to all
by his tuneful, if ordinary, _Maritana_. He
wrote better works, and his _Lurline_ may be
mentioned.
1815. =G. Hippolyte Roger= (Saint-Denis). Was a
great French tenor, for whom Ambroise Thomas,
Auber, Clapesson and others wrote operas. He
unfortunately lost an arm, and had to give up the
stage.
1817. =Carlo Pedrotti= (Verona). Wrote Italian
operas, of which mention may be made of _Tutti
in Maschera_ and _Il Favorito_.
1817. =Aimé Maillart= (Montpellier). Won the Grand
Prix de Rome, and wrote operas which had some
measure of success.
1817. =Francesco Lamperti= (Savona). A great
teacher of singing, whose pupils include Albani,
Mariani, and Shakespeare.
1818. =C. F. Gounod= (Paris), 1818-93. Besides the
evergreen _Faust_ (1859), Gounod’s other
successes include _The Mock Doctor_,
_Philémon and Baucis_, _Mireille_, and
_Romeo and Juliet_, all of which are often heard.
1818. =J. Sims Reeves= (Woolwich). In his palmy
days was often heard in opera, the tenor parts
of many melodious operas in favour at the time
exactly suiting his methods and style.
1818. =A. N. Serov= (Petersburg). Serov was a
Russian composer who admired and followed Wagner;
his works have their place in the annals of opera
in his country.
1819. =Jacques Offenbach= (Cologne). A prolific
composer of some seventy specimens of opera bouffe
and operetta; in light works such as these he
achieved almost unexampled success, and enjoyed
immense popularity.
1820. =Jenny Lind= (Stockholm). This name is
fresh in the memory of all, although its gifted
possessor went the way of all flesh some thirty
years ago. As a singer she commanded universal
admiration, while as a woman she was looked up to
and respected by all. Her triumphs in operatic
soprano parts were such as to be seldom equalled.
1820. =Franz von Suppé= (Spalato). Was the German
equivalent of Offenbach—a prolific writer of
comic opera.
1821. =C. A. F. Echert= (Potsdam). Wrote an opera
at the age of ten, and others at a later date. He
won more fame, however, as a conductor, holding
important posts in this capacity at Paris, Vienna,
and Berlin.
1821. =M. F. P. Viardot-Garcia= (Paris). A
young sister of Malibran, attained considerable
celebrity as a singer and actress; she appeared
not only in works of the Rossini school, but in
the operas of Meyerbeer, Gluck, and others.
1821. =Italo Gardoni= (Parma). Was a tenor singer
of repute, who to a considerable extent took the
place of Mario; he sang frequently in London.
1822. =Apolloni.= Was an Italian composer who
wrote operas upon the early Verdi model, achieving
one great success in _L’Ebreo_.
1822. =Luigi Arditi= (Crescentino). Although he
composed a few operas, is more widely remembered
as a conductor, he having wielded the bâton during
many operatic seasons both in England and abroad.
1822. =César Franck= (Liége). His merits seem only
now beginning to be recognized as a composer;
wrote a small number of operas, of which the music
appears to have been heard only in the concert
room.
1822. =F. M. V. Massé= (Lorient). Wrote some
operas in the style of Auber with very great
success. A number of later works, some of which
have been produced at Covent Garden, have been
less favourably received.
1823. =Edouard Lalo= (Lille). The writer of some
excellent violin music; includes among his
writings one work, _Le Roi d’ Ys_, which is
often to be heard.
1823. =L. E. E. Reyer= (Marseilles). Is yet another
French composer of opera, chiefly known by his
_Sigurd_, produced in 1884.
1823. =Marietta Alboni= (Cesena). Was a
world-renowned contralto, who created a furore
in London. She was set up as a sort of rival
attraction to Jenny Lind, who was performing at
another theatre, and was powerful enough to hold
her own.
1824. =Peter Cornelius= (Mainz). Wrote a number
of operas, of which _The Barber of Bagdad_
seems to have been a kind of forerunner of _Die
Meistersinger_, and is enormously in favour in
Germany.
1824. =Friedrich Smetana= (Leitomischl). Is the
father of Bohemian opera, and his work, _The
Bartered Bride_, paved the way for a series
of national operas which are dear indeed to the
hearts of the Bohemians. He is important, also, as
the model upon which Dvŏràk framed much of his work.
1825. =F. R. Hervé= (Houdain). Wrote a very large
number of French operettas of a very light trend,
which are hardly likely to go down to posterity.
1826. =Mathilde Marchesi= (Frankfort). An eminent
soprano vocalist, whose influence has been
widely felt in the operatic world, not only by
her performances, but also by her teaching. Her
_Ecole de Chant_ and vocal exercises are
world known.
1826. =Ivar Hallström= (Stockholm). A Swedish
composer of operas; has produced works of a
distinctly national impress.
1827. =Marie Carvalho= (Marseilles). A French
vocalist; was at one time in the first rank of
artists of the grand opera and the opera comique.
She specially excelled in her interpretations of
the soprano characters of the Gounod operas.
1828. =Antonio Cagnoni= (Godiasco). Wrote a
number of Italian operas of moderate quality; his
attentions were mostly confined to opera buffa.
1828. =Ferdinand Poise= (Nîmes). Wrote a number of
charming light works, somewhat in the style of his
master Adam. Paris was the scene of his labours.
1829. =Anton Rubinstein= (Wechwotynecz). Bears a
name well known in many musical fields: in opera
he was hardly great, his music being non-dramatic
in character. He wrote _The Demon_ and a few
“sacred operas.”
1829. =Ciro Pinsuti= (Siena). Is indeed popular as
a writer of songs; it is not so well known that he
includes amongst his larger works operas that have
been produced at La Scala, Milan, and elsewhere.
1830. =Karl Goldmark= (Keszthely). The most
famous opera by this composer is _The Queen
of Sheba_, produced at Vienna in 1875;
subsequent and less successful productions include
_Merlin_ (1886) and _The Cricket on the
Hearth_ (1896).
1830. =Edouard Lassen= (Copenhagen). Another
writer of melodious songs; produced three
successful operas. He also succeeded Liszt as
conductor at Weimar.
1830. =Edmund Kretschmer= (Ostritz). Had at one
period a reputation as a composer of opera, which
recent years have failed to maintain.
1831. =T. C. J. Tietjens= (Hamburg). One of the
most brilliant and successful _prime donne_
of the nineteenth century; she excelled alike in
light opera and grand opera, in secular music and
in sacred. Her early death in 1877 was lamented
by all who had heard her beautiful and artistic
interpretations of the masterpieces of opera and
of oratorio.
1832. =A. C. Lecocq= (Paris). A prolific composer
of light French pieces in the manner of Offenbach.
Not to be reckoned with as serious music, his
compositions are notable for their sprightliness,
vivacity, and verve.
1834. =Pierre L. L. Benoit= (Harlebeke). Is a
Flemish composer and an apostle of a Flemish
school of composition which he endeavours to form.
Among his many works are operas and dramatic
pieces.
1834. =A. P. V. Borodine= (S. Petersburg). Is
well known as a chemist and an opera writer. His
music, national in character, is best study from
an operatic point of view in _Prince Igor_.
Borodine’s music is also well known in the concert
hall. He died in 1887.
1834. =A. Ponchielli= (Paderno). Although he died
as long ago as 1886, must be classed as a composer
of the young Italian school. His chef d’œuvre,
_La Gioconda_, often obtains a hearing.
1834. =Charles Santley= (Liverpool). Famous alike
on the stage and in the concert hall; while
his attentions have been latterly confined to
oratorio. His was a familiar figure on the Covent
Garden stage some forty years ago.
1835. =Filippo Marchetti= (Bologna). A member
of the Italian school of composers. Wrote many
operas, _Ruy Blas_ achieving great success.
1835. =César A. Cui= (Vilna). Has built up a
reputation for himself amongst Russian composers
for his works of every description, and he has an
important place amongst those who have developed
opera in Russia. _William Ratcliff_ and _Le
Flibustier_ deserve special mention.
1835. =C. C. Saint-Saëns= (Paris). One of the most
versatile and gifted of modern French composers;
has enriched the world by a few operas and by
the sacred drama _Samson et Dalila_, which
is often heard in English concert rooms. More
recent efforts include _Henry VIII._ and
_Phryne_.
1836. =Emil Hartmann= (Copenhagen). Is one of the
few operatic composers of Denmark. His music is
not heard in England.
1837. =Ernest Guiraud= (New Orleans). A
contemporary and co-worker of Délibes; wrote
_Piccolino_ and other pieces.
1837. =F. C. T. Dubois= (Rosney). The famous
French organist; has also achieved certain success
with his operas and ballets.
1837. =Joseph Huber= (Sigmaringen). A disciple of
the German school. Wrote two operas, popular in
their day.
1838. =Georges Bizet= (Paris). Is never likely to
be forgotten so long as _Carmen_ attains to a
tithe of its present popularity. This bright and
sparkling work is deservedly in the front rank of
favourite operas. Bizet wrote several unimportant
operas before _Carmen_, but his early death
prevented his giving to the world any successor to
that famous opera.
1838. =Zelia Trebelli= (Paris). A
_prima donna_ of high rank. She made her
début at Madrid, and was successful in Germany and
in London, where her appearances in Italian opera
were very frequent.
1838. =Frederic Clay= (Paris). The composer of the
popular “I’ll sing thee songs of Araby.” Wrote
several light operas for Covent Garden and other
English houses.
1839. =C. P. L. Délibes= (St. Germain du Val).
Wrote bright and sparkling music, and was most
successful in the ballet. Everyone is familiar
with his _Sylvia_, and among his operas are
_Lakmé_ and _Le Roi l’a dit_.
1839. =Carlos Gomez= (Compinos). Was a Brazilian
composer, whose opera _Il Guarany_ was
performed at Covent Garden.
1839. =V. de Goncieres= (Paris). Has produced
several grand operas, none of which have met with
continued success.
1839. =Edward Napravnik= (Königgratz). Was for a
time the conductor of opera in Petersburg, and
also wrote many national operas and songs.
1839. =Joseph Rheinberger= (Vaduz). Famous as a
writer of organ music, and of achievements in
almost all branches of composition; ventured also
into the operatic field with his work _Die
Sieben Raben_.
1840. =Hermann Goetz= (Königsberg). Was a
short-lived composer, whose opera, _The Taming
of the Shrew_, showed the possession of
extraordinary gifts.
1840. =P. Tchaïkovsky= (Votinsk). This gifted
and versatile composer is known in England only
by his _Eugene Oniegin_, so far as opera is
concerned.
1841. =Antonin Dvŏrák= (Kralup). The Bohemian
composer’s operas are hardly as successful as his
chamber music and his symphonies.
1841. =Victor Nessler= (Baldenheim). Wrote popular
operas for Germany. Their music is not of high rank,
but such works as _Der Trumpeter von Säkkingen_
enjoy great popularity.
1841. =Franco Faccio= (Verona). Is an obscure
composer of Italian opera, whose compositions
display no particular originality.
1841. =Pauline Lucca= (Vienna). A soprano vocalist
who appeared in operas of Meyerbeer and others.
Alike in Germany, Russia, and England, she
seems to have aroused the keenest interest and
excitement. Her voice was one of extended compass
and of a sympathetic quality.
1841. =Emmanuel Chabrier= (Ambert). Wrote some
operas, the best of which was _Le Roi malgré
lui_.
1842. =Carl Millōcker= (Vienna). Composer of
Singspiel.
1842. =Heinrich Hofmann= (Berlin). Wrote music
dramas and operas, and sought to compose light
works on the grand opera plan, omitting all
dialogue.
1842. =Jules F. E. Massenet= (Montand). Is one of
the most famous living composers of French opera,
many of whose works may be heard in this country.
_Hérodiade_, _Manon_, _Le Cid_,
_Esclamonde_, _Werther_, and other works
testify to his ability and industry, and he is a
factor to be reckoned with in the development of
opera in France.
1842. =Arrigo Boito= (Padua). Is the composer of
_Mefistofele_ and of the unheard _Nero_.
1842. =Edmund Audran= (Lyons). Was a famous
composer of comic opera, producing many light
works in Paris and in London.
1842. =A. S. Sullivan= (London). Composed the
opera _Ivanhoe_. He was also practically the
originator of a charming form of comedy opera. He
died in 1900.
1843. =Christine Nilsson= (Wexio). A Swedish
soprano, and yet another of that brilliant band of
gifted singers who delighted the habitués of the
opera a few decades back.
1843. =Adelina Patti= (Madrid). First appeared in
England in opera in 1861. Her successes were all
made in Italian opera, with music of the florid
type. Her appearances before the public are still
frequent.
1843. =Hans Richter= (Raab). Is one of the
greatest of conductors, and the greatest living
authority upon Wagner, whose pupil and friend he
was. Dr. Richter conducts the German performances
at Covent Garden, and was responsible for the
first production of the _Ring_ at Bayreuth in
1876.
1844. =F. Cellier= (London). Wrote light operas
after the style of Sullivan, whose manner he
successfully caught.
1844. =Rimsky-Korsakoff= (Tichwin). In the van of
modern Russian musicians. In opera he created some
successes, notably in _The May Night_. His
last opera (the 15th) is entitled _The Golden
Cock_.
1844. =Emile Paladilhe= (Montpellier). A member of
the younger French school; chiefly known by his
_Patrie_.
1846. =H. C. A. G. Serpette= (Nantes). Has also
written French operas, but of a lighter style,
pertaining to the Buffo character.
1846. =Ignaz Brüll= (Prossnitz). Has written a
very large number of operas, the best known of
which, _The Golden Cross_, has been produced
in England by the Carl Rosa Company. His operas
are of the German school.
1847. =Augusta Holmes= (Paris). Is one of the few
women writers of opera.
1847. =Alexander Mackenzie= (Edinburgh). Has
produced operas with the Carl Rosa Company, and
has also unheard works in his desk awaiting a
favourable opportunity for production.
1847. =Amalie Materna= (St. Georgen). A famous
soprano of German opera, and a great Wagnerian
singer, her impersonations of Brünnhilde being
specially fine.
1847. =Joseph Maas= (Dartford). Was a good tenor
vocalist, and an indifferent actor. Although often
heard upon the stage, he was more appreciated in
concert work.
1848. =Luigi Mancinelli= (Orvieto). Is the popular
conductor of Italian opera at Covent Garden. As a
composer he is also known, both of opera and of
oratorio.
1849. =B. L. P. Godard= (Paris). Wrote much music
in many styles. His operas did not attain to the
popularity of his chamber music or pianoforte
pieces.
1850. =Albani= (Chambly). Whose real name is Marie
Lajeunesse, is familiar to all concert goers of
the present day. Her operatic successes during the
two last decades of the nineteenth century were
many, and she sang well such parts as “Isolde” and
“Elsa.”
1850. =Zdenko Fibich= (Bohemian). Has written
operas of the type popularized in his country by
Smetana.
1850. =Robert Planquette= (Paris). Composed the
evergreen _Cloches de Corneville_, so dear
to the heart of the Frenchman. His operettas are
bright and sparkling.
1850. =Anton Siedl= (Pesth). A Wagnerian conductor
of power. He has conducted on the Continent, in
England, and in America.
1851. =A. Goring Thomas= (Ratton). This composer
of so many favourite songs, wrote the operas
_Esmeralda_ and _Nadeshda_, from which
excerpts are frequently heard.
1851. =Vincent d’Indy= (Paris). Is a prominent
modern French composer; his _Fervaal_ is a
fine dramatic work.
1851. =Tamagno= (Turin). A celebrated operatic
tenor, whose fees of £400 per night in America are
said to have created a record for male vocalists.
Tamagno died in 1905.
1851. =Jan Blockx= (Belgian composer). Is the
director of the Flemish School of Music in
Antwerp; he has written several operas, of which
mention may be made of _Princesse d’Auberge_.
1852. =Frederick Cowen= (Jamaica). The well-known
song-writer and conductor has made several essays
on opera with more or less success.
1852. =C. V. Stanford= (Dublin). Is one of the
strongest hopes of the English school of opera
composition; his various efforts, although hardly
crowned with unqualified success, are almost all
noteworthy and distinctly great in achievement.
1852. =Frederick Corder= (London). Composed
_Nordisa_ for the Carl Rosa Company.
1852. =Jean de Reszke= (Warsaw). One of the
greatest of operatic tenors, whose interpretations
of the Wagner rôles has seldom been equalled.
1852. =Barton McGuckin= (Dublin). Tenor vocalist
of repute.
1854. =Engelbert Hamperdinck= (Siegburg). The
composer of the popular _Hansel and Gretel_.
1855. =E. de Reszke= (Warsaw). Brother of the
famous tenor, and an almost equally great
baritone; excels in such parts as “Sachs”
(_Meistersinger_), etc.
1857. =Alfred Bruneau= (Paris). An extremely
modern French composer, whose striking works
create much discussion.
1858. =Giacomo Puccini= (Lucca). Is an Italian
composer whose works are now enjoying very
great popularity, quite a number of them being
constantly before the public.
1858. =R. Leoncavallo= (Naples). Is another
member of the Italian school, and the composer of
_Pagliacci_.
1859. =T. J. Paderewski= (Podolia). The
world-renowned pianist; has also composed a fairly
successful opera.
1860. =Gustave Charpentier= (French school). Has
written _Louise_, a familiar and popular work
across the Channel.
1864. =Richard Strauss= (Munich). The modern
writer of symphonic poems; has produced operas. He
is a conductor of the Royal Berlin Opera House.
1864. =Pietro Mascagni= (Leghorn). Is the composer
of the tuneful _Cavalleria Rusticana_ and
other works.
Among other contemporary composers and singers of opera may be
mentioned:—
_Composers._
Eugene d’Albert
H. Bunning
Cilea
Coronaro
Hamish McCunn
A. Catalani
Delius
G. Dupont
C. Debussy
Dupais
Enna
F. d’Erlanger
Filasi
Ernest Ford
Franchetti
Glazounow
Gilson
Giordano
Galli
Edward German
J. Holbrooke
Kienzl
F. Leoi
I. de Lara
Laparra
Leroux
A. Messager
McAlpin
McLean
Edward Naylor
Orefice
Reznicika
E. Solomon
Max Schillings
Miss E. Smyth
Somerville
W. Stenhammer
Spinelli
Tasca
Tinel
Siegfried Wagner
Amherst Webber
F. Weingartner
_Conductors._
Signor Campanini
Herr Lohse
Mottl
Mahler
Frigara
Eckhold
Signor Mugnone
A. Messager
E. Goosens
W. van Norden
Nikisch
Panizza
Percy Pitt
T. Beecham
_Singers._
M. Alvarez
M. Ancona
Suzanne Adams
Signor Anselmi
Fraulein Alten
L. Arens
Signor Ballisini
Marie Brema
A. Black
Mdlle. Bauermeister
Madame Eames
Olive Fremstad
Madame Frease Green
M. Gilibert
Madame Giachetti
McHinckley
M. Hérold
Walter Hyde
M. Journet
Alice Nielsen
Agnes Nicholls
Madame Nordica
Mdlle. Olitzka
Plancon
Van Rooy
Reinl
Herr Reiss
Russ
Madame Sembrich
Herr Burrian
David Bispham
Signor Caruso
Madame Calvé
John Coates
M. Cotreuil
Herr Cornelius
Madamede Cisneros
Fraulein Destinn
Van Dyck
Dani
Mdlle. Donalda
Fraulein Delsarta
M. Dufriche
Signor Dalmorés
Knupfer-Egli
Selma Kurz
Kirkby Lunn
Zelie de Lussan
M. Lafitte
M. Maurel
Marian McKenzie
John McCormack
Madame Melba
Charles Manners
Fanny Moody
Joseph O’Mara
Blanche Marchesi
Thomas Meux
Madame Norelli
Signor Sammarco
Salignac
Scotti
M. Saleza
Madame Sobrino
M. Seveilhac
Madame Saltzmann-Stevens
M. Slezak
Fraulein Ternina
Edna Thornton
Madame Tettrazini
Vignas
Madame Wittich
C. Whitehill
Gleeson White
Appendix B.
Financial Aid Granted to Operatic Schemes from State or Municipal Funds.
(Drawn from the Government return made in pursuance of the Address of
the House of Commons of March 2nd, 1903.)
-----------+------------+--------------------+----------------------
COUNTRY. | TOWN. | AMOUNT. | COMMENTS.
-----------+------------+--------------------+----------------------
Argentine |Buenos Ayres| Nil. |Municipal taxation
Republic | | | exempted to
| | | performing Companies
| | | at the Opera.
Austria and| Vienna | Free Theatre given:|Opera House cost
Hungary | | deficit made good | £509,795 to build.
| | from the Emperor’s|
| | Civil list. |
| Buda-Pesth | £24,208 and £250 |An additional grant
| | for salaries. | from the Sovereign
| | | of £13,334.
| Prague | £3,750. |(For the Czech Theatre
| | | for 1903).
Bavaria | Munich | Municipality keeps | A sum of £12,500 goes
| | up the Court | to the general
| | Theatre. | upkeep of the
| | Prince Regent | Court Theatre and
| | Theatre (New Opera| Residency Theatre
| | House) free | in Munich from the
| | electric lighting| Royal Civil list.
| | up to £1,125. |
| Würtemberg | Deficit, averaging | House used for
| | £15,000, made | dramatic as well as
| | good by the King | operatic purposes.
| | of Würtemberg. |
| | |
Belgium | | | Subsidies granted to
| | | composers of from
| | | 500 to 1,500 francs
| | | per act on approved
| | | operas; also of
| | | from 60 to 250
| | | francs per
| | | performance.
| Brussels | Théâtre Royale de | Rent free, but many
| | la Monnaie, | conditions imposed.
| | £5,600. |
| Antwerp | Subsidy varied |
| | according to |
| | requirements. |
| | |
Bulgaria | | Nil. |
| |
Central | San José | 1897, French Opera, £4,000.
America-- | | 1898, Italian Opera, £1,200.
Costa Rica | | 1899, Nil.
| | 1900, Italian Opera, £920.
| | 1901-2, Nil.
| | 1903, Italian Opera, £480.
| | |
Guatemala | Guatemala | A varying amount. |
| | |
Salvador | San | Amounts varying | Free use of the
| Salvador | from £277 to | National Theatre.
| | £6,068 for various|
| | kinds of opera |
| | during the last |
| | 12 years. |
| | |
Chili | Santiago | An amount, about | Rent free: the same
| | £5,000, “if the | company apparently
| | municipality is | visits Chili
| | satisfied with | annually from
| | the performances.”| Europe.
| | |
Denmark | Copenhagen | Deficit on Royal |
| | paid from State |
| | Theatre accounts.|
| | |
Egypt | Cairo and | £E5,000 for 36 |
| Alexandria| operas and 24 |
| | comedies. |
| | £E4,000 for the |
| | Cairo Opera House|
| | and another |
| | theatre for |
| | upkeep. |
| | |
France | Paris | Opera, £32,000. | Rent free.
| | Opera Comique, |
| | £12,000. |
| | |
Germany | Berlin | £54,000 from the | State contributes to
| | Crown for the | the upkeep and
| | Opera House and | repairs.
| | the Play House. |
| | |
Great | | Nil. |
Britain | | |
| | |
Greece | | Nil. | Small amounts
| | | occasionally granted
| | | from Municipal Funds
| | | in various towns.
| | |
| | |
Italy | Rome | Nil. | £2,400, withdrawn
| | | in 1898.
| | |
| Milan | La Scala receives |
| | £3,900 for 50 |
| | performances. |
| | |
| Turin | Municipal Orchestra| Previous subsidy
| | lent for operatic| withdrawn.
| | purposes. |
| | |
| Naples | £3,200 for the |
| | San Carlo House. |
| | |
| Venice | Varying amounts on |
| | special occasions.|
| | |
Norway | Christiania| About £1,100 granted per
| | annum to the National
| | Theatre (not exclusively
| | for opera).
| |
Peru | Lima | Occasional grants to
| | travelling companies
| | for opera.
| |
Portugal | Lisbon | San Carlos Opera House
| | rent free.
| |
Russia | Petersburg | Details unavailable.
| and | In 1902 the sum of about
| Moscow | £300,000 was granted by
| | the Emperor to the three
| | Imperial Theatres in
| | these cities.
| |
| Warsaw | Nil. | Former subsidy
| | | withdrawn.
| | |
| Riga | Nil. | Managed by a “Guild.”
| | |
| Odessa | Opera House maintained
| | by Municipality.
| | |
| | |
Saxony | Coburg and | £3,778 to the Ducal| Rent free.
| Gotha | Court Theatre. |
| | |
| Dresden | £31,000 paid by the King,
| | and any deficit made
| | good (£15,000 in 1903).
| | |
| | Many other towns grant
| | free use of the theatre,
| | and sometimes of the
| | Municipal orchestra, the
| | scenery, dresses, etc.
| | |
Servia | Belgrade | Royal National | Used for opera
| | Theatre receives | and drama.
| | £1,720 per annum.|
| | |
Spain | | Nil: various “schools of
| | music” and orchestras
| | receive Municipal aid.
| | |
Sweden | Stockholm | Royal Theatre (mainly
| | opera) receives £3,330
| | from the Crown, and
| | £3,330 from the State;
| | also various other amounts.
| | |
Switzerland| Berne | £280 to the theatre orchestra.
| | |
| Basle | £1,000 for musical institutions
| | and the theatre orchestra.
| | |
| Geneva | £6,480 for the theatre and
| | classical concerts.
| |
| |
United | | Nil.
States | |
| |
Uruquay | Montevideo | A subsidy given to an annual
| | performance of Italian Opera.
| |
| |
Venezuela | | Nil.
| |
-----------+------------+-----------------------------------------
NOTE.—As a grant, when made, is often given
both for the drama and for operatic purposes, and sometimes
for the support of musical functions generally, such as
concerts and band performances, it is difficult to arrive
at the actual figures for opera alone. But the above
quotations will afford a general idea as to the conditions
obtaining with regard to subsidies in the various countries
to which reference is made.
Appendix C.
Glossary of Terms mainly used in Opera.
=Act.= The larger sub-divisions into which operas
are divided. Older operas were usually in five acts,
modern ones more often in three; some, as Wagner’s
_Rheingold_, in one only.
=Act Tune= or =Curtain Tune=. An old form of
instrumental intermezzo, composed for performance
between the acts. They were written for operas from
about 1650 to 1750, by such composers as Locke and
Purcell.
=Air= or =Aria=. An operatic scene for a single
voice; they were of many kinds, with titles defining the
class to which they belonged in the operas of Handel’s
day. Among these titles may be mentioned the “Aria all
Unisono,” “Aria Cantabile,” “Aria Concertante,” “Aria da
Capo,” “Aria di Bravura,” “Aria d’Imitazione,” “Aria di
Mezzo Carattere,” “Aria di Portamento,” “Aria Grande,”
“Aria Parlante.”
=Arietta.= A short aria, of less pretension than any
of the foregoing.
=Ballad Opera.= A form of English opera in which old
and well-known songs were used instead of new music;
there was little concerted music. The best example is
the _Beggar’s Opera_.
=Ballet.= An entertainment of dancing, always
a constituent feature of operas of a certain period.
=Bolero.= A Spanish dance, often introduced into the
ballet.
=Cadenza.= Vocal flourishes very common in the operas
of the Bellini, Rossini, and early Verdi school.
=Castrati.= Male sopranos, the breaking of whose voices
was prevented by artificial means.
=Cavatina.= A melodious air. Faust’s solo, “Salve
dimora,” is so named.
=Chitarrone.= A long-stringed, double-necked lute, used
by Monteverde in _Orfeo_.
=Choragos.= The leader of the chorus in Greek drama.
=Chorale.= A German hymn-tune. Effective use is made
of chorales in Meyerbeer’s _Huguenots_.
=Coloratura.= Highly ornamented vocal music, used in
such places as the “Aria Concertante.”
=Comic Opera.= Opera of a light nature, with a humorous
story. Not to be confounded with Opera Comique.
=Concerted Numbers.= The Finales and other parts of
operas of the older school. When several characters are
upon the stage, and the music describes a series of
events or some development of the story.
=Curtain Tune.= See Act Tune.
=Da Capo.= A form of Aria much used by Scarlatti,
in which the second part of the air was followed by
a repetition of the first.
=Divertissement.= A short ballet, or an instrumental
intermezzo.
=Ensemble.= A collection of most or all of the
principal characters in an opera upon the stage at
the same time.
=Entree.= See Overture.
=Entr’acte.= Music composed for performance between
the acts.
=Entrepreneur= (Fr.). The organizer or director of
a series of performances.
=Falsetto.= A false, artificial use of the voice,
employed by men mostly for singing alto parts.
=Fanfare.= A flourish of trumpets used in many operas
(_Fidelio_, _Tannhäuser_, etc.).
=Finale.= The conclusion of an opera, or of an act
thereof; in early operas often a duet or trio, but later
on a concerted number, often of very great dignity. It
was first largely used by Logroscino, and has since
become an important feature of many operas.
=Glockenspiel.= A small set of bells played from a
keyboard; used by Mozart in _Zauberflöte_ and by
Wagner in the _Walküre_.
=Gong=, or =Tam-Tam=. A bronze plate struck with
a stick; used by Meyerbeer.
=Grand Opera.= Opera on serious or tragic subjects,
with no spoken dialogue, and with everything conceived
upon a large and dignified scale. Generally used to
denote French Opera.
=Harpsichord.= One of the forerunners of the
pianoforte, and the accompanying instrument used in
the earliest operas.
=Imbroglio.= A confused passage, where conflicting
things are going on at the same time, as in the street
scene of _Die Meistersingers_.
=Impresario= (Italian). Has the same meaning as
Entrepreneur.
=Intermezzo.= A short, light musical play, originally
introduced between the acts of Grand Opera. The term
is now usually applied to an instrumental interlude.
=Leit-motif=, or guiding-theme. The distinctive piece
of melody, harmony, or scoring associated with one
character upon the stage, or with a definite idea. Its
use was perfected by Wagner.
=Libretto.= The “book,” or words of an opera.
=Lied.= German for air.
=Liederspiel.= Play of songs. This corresponds with the
English ballad opera.
=Masque.= An early form of opera which made much of
dancing and of scenic effects.
=Opera Buffa= (French, Opera Bouffe). A light opera of
very little dignity, but full of humour and comicality. It
corresponds somewhat with the English term, “Comic opera.”
=Opera Comique.= A stage play, often of serious
character, mainly set to music, but in which there is
spoken dialogue. Beethoven’s _Fidelio_ and Weber’s
_Der Frischütz_ are in this class.
=Operetta.= A short opera, generally of a light character.
=Overture.= The preliminary orchestral introduction
to an opera. It varies much in character, length, and
importance; according to its character and construction
it is not only called overture, but introduction
(intrada), entrée, Vorspiel, prelude.
=Pasticcio= (a pie). A collection of songs, duets,
etc., from various sources, woven together to form
a pleasing entertainment.
=Potp-ourri.= A collection of the favourite airs
of an opera worked up into a piece for a solo
instrument—generally the pianoforte.
=Recitative.= The less melodious and less definitely
rhythmic vocal portions of an opera. A kind of musical
declamation.
=Recitativo Secco.= Simple recitation supported only
by slight chords. (Much used by Mozart.)
=Recitativo Stromentato.= Accompanied recitative, the
orchestral part having individual interest and importance.
=Ritornello.= An instrumental interlude between scenes,
or during the course of a scene.
=Romantic Opera.= A class of opera dealing with legendary
or supernatural subjects rather than classic themes. Its
application is chiefly to operas of the Weber-Marschner school.
=Scena.= A long and important operatic solo, often in
several movements, for a solo voice. It may consist of
recitative or of aria portions, or both, but should be
dramatic in its construction.
=Scenario.= A synopsis of the plot and scenes of the
libretto of an opera.
=Secco.= (_See_ Recitative.)
=Singspiel.= The German form of opera comique, with
both music and spoken dialogue.
=Tessitura.= The _range_ of a vocal
composition—_i.e._, as to whether it lies high
or low in the compass of the voice.
=Transcription.= The more modern name for Pot-pourri.
=Tremolo.= A rapid reiteration of the same note; much
used on the stringed instruments for dramatic purposes.
=Vaudeville.= A short operetta (French), usually of
a frivolous nature.
=Vorspiel= (German). _See_ Overture.
=Zwickenspiel= (German). An intermezzo or interlude.
Appendix D.
List of Instruments used in the Orchestras of Composers
of different periods of Opera.
1. The first real Italian opera, _Euridice_, by Peri (1600)—
1 Chitarone
1 Lira Grande
1 Viol di Gamba
1 Theorbo
3 Flutes
2. Monteverde’s _Orfeo_ (1608)—
2 Gravicembali (Clavicembali)
2 Contrabassi da Viola
10 Viole di Brazzo
1 Arpa Doppia
2 Violini Piccioli alla Francese
2 Chitarroni
2 Organo di Legno
1 Regal
3 Bassi da Gamba
4 Tromboni
2 Cornetti
1 Flautino (Flageolet)
1 Clarino (Soprano Trumpet)
3 Trombe Sordini (Muted Trumpets)
Except for the smaller number of strings this orchestra is pretty well
as large as a modern full operatic orchestra, but its constitution
and effect are absolutely different, and of course in the present
day hardly producible. The gambas were used to accompany Orpheus,
the violas Euridice, the guitars Charon, the organs Apollo, and the
trombones Plato.
3. Gluck’s _Alceste_ (1767)—
2 Flauti Traversi
2 Oboe
2 Corni
3 Tromboni
2 Fagotti
2 Trombe
Strings
This, of course, is an approximation to the modern orchestra, but we
must notice the absence of clarionets and percussion instruments.
4. Mozart’s _Figaro_ (1786)—
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarionets
2 Bassoons
2 Horns
2 Trumpets
Tympani
Strings
This is the ordinary orchestra of the “classical period” of music.
5. Weber’s _Oberon_ (1826)—
The same orchestra as Mozart’s, with the addition
of anotherp air of horns and of three trombones.
6. Rossini’s _William Tell_ (Overture), 1829—
1 Piccolo
2 Flutes
2 Oboes (Cor Anglais)
2 Clarionets
4 Horns
2 Bassoons
2 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Timpani
Cymbals
Triangle
Big Drum
Strings (with 5 solo Celli)
7. Meyerbeer, _Les Huguenots_ (1836)—
2 Flutes (Piccolos)
2 Oboes
Cor Anglais
2 Clarionets
2 Bassoons
4 Horns
3 Trombones
Ophicleide
2 Cornets
2 Trumpets
Drums
Bell
Harp
Bass Drum and Cymbals
Strings
8. Wagner, _Tannhäuser_ (1845)—
3 Flutes (one changing to Piccolo)
2 Oboes
2 Clarionets
1 Bass Clarionet
2 Bassoons
2 Ventil Horns
2 Hand Horns
3 Trumpets
3 Trombones
1 Tuba
1 Pair Tympani
Triangle
Cymbals
Tambourine
Grosse Trommel
Harp
Strings
And in addition, upon the stage—
1 Cor Anglais
2 Piccolos
4 Flutes
4 Oboes
6 Clarionets
6 Bassoons
12 Horns
12 Trumpets
4 Trombones
Triangle
Cymbals
Tambourine
9. Wagner, _Walküre_ (1856), performed 1870—
16 First Violins
16 Second Violins
12 Violas
12 Violoncellos
8 Double Basses
3 Flutes
1 Piccolo
3 Oboes
1 Cor Anglais
3 Clarionets
1 Bass Clarionet
3 Bassoons
8 Horns
2 Tenor Tubas
2 Bass Tubas
1 Contra Bass Tuba
3 Trumpets
1 Bass Trumpet
3 Trombones
1 Contra Bass Trombone
2 Pairs Drums
1 Triangle
1 Pair Cymbals
1 Rührtrommel
1 Glockenspiel
6 Harps
10. Wagner, _Parsifal_ (Prelude), 1882—
3 Flutes
3 Oboes
Cor Anglais
3 Clarionets
1 Bass Clarionet
3 Bassoons
1 Double Bassoon
4 Horns
3 Trumpets
3 Trombones
1 Bass Tuba
Drums
Strings
Appendix E.
Bibliography of Opera.
The following are the chief works upon opera in the English language:—
=Edwards, H. S.=—The Lyrical Drama.
=Matthew, J. E.=—Popular History of Opera.
=Chesney.=—Stories of the Operas.
=Edwards.=—The Prima Donna.
=Louis, Alexander.=—The Opera Glass, or a view of 100 Operas.
=Upton.=—Standard Operas.
=Barker.=—The Opera Guide.
=Spier.=—Stories of the Operas.
=Guerber.=—Stories of Famous Operas.
=Annesley.=—The Standard Opera Glass.
=Sachs and Woodrow.=—Modern Opera houses and Theatres.
=Mapleson.=—Mapleson Memoirs.
=Arditi.=—My Reminiscences.
=Fitzgerald.=—The Savoy Opera.
=Apthorp.=—The Opera, Past and Present.
=Elson.=—Critical History of Opera.
=Lahee.=—Grand Opera in America.
=Galloway.=—The Operatic Problem.
=Lawrence Gilman.=—Aspects of Modern Opera.
=Streatfield.=—The Opera.
=Nights at the Opera.=—(Delamore Press.)
=Opera.=—(Grove’s Dictionary.)
There is also a perfect mass of Wagner literature, including
biographies (such as Mr. Ashton Ellis’ colossal work), essays,
articles, books on the _Ring_ and other operas, books explanatory of
the music, etc., etc.
Index.
Adam, 85, 189, 207
Ambroise Thomas’s _Hamlet_, _Mignon_, 90
Arensky, 124
Aria from Gluck’s _Orfeo_, 50-51
—— Verdi’s _Aïda_, 73-74
Ariosti, 190
Arne, 93-94
Arne’s _Artaxerxes_, 93
Arrieta, 129
Arsani, 208
Auber, 87-88, 175, 207
Auber’s _Masaniello_, 87;
_Fra Diavolo_, 88
Bach, 61
Balfe, 94-95
Balfe’s _The Siege of Rochelle_, 95;
_Bohemian Girl_, 95, 187
Ballad Opera, 15, 94, 186
Ballet, 188-189
Bardi, Count, 33
Barnett’s _The Mountain Sylph_, 94
Bayreuth, 179, 180-183
—— Wagner’s theatre at, 103
Beethoven, 13, 14, 24, 27, 44, 55, 61, 76, 77, 99
Beethoven’s _Fidelio_, 55, 70, 84, 170, 177, 185
_Beggar’s Opera_, 91-93, 186
Bellini, 15, 72, 173
Bellini’s _La Sonnambula_, _Norma_, 72
Benda, 51
Benedict, 96
Benedict’s _The Lily of Killarney_, 96
Berlin, 178
Berlioz, 87, 175, 209
Bishop, Henry, 94, 157
Bizet, 89
Bizet’s _Carmen_, 89
Boieldieu, 85, 207
Boieldieu’s _La Dame Blanche_, 85
Boito, 130-132, 141
Boito’s _Nero and Orestiade_, 131;
_Mefistofele_, 131, 173, 195
Borodin, 124, 125
Borodin’s _Prince Igor_, 125
Bruneau, 141, 143
Bruneau’s _L’Attaque du Moulin_, _L’Outragan_,
_La Rêve_, _Messidor_, 143
Budapest, 178
Bunning, Herbert, 148
Bunning’s _Princess Osra_, 145, 148
Buononcini, 42, 45-46, 64, 154, 190
Caccini, 37, 39
Caldara, 41, 42, 207
Cambert, Robert, 42
Campion, 187
“Canzone” by Mozart, 52
Carl Rosa Opera Company, 159
Caruso, 204
Catalani, 204
Cavalli, 10, 40
Cavos, 123
César-Cui, 124, 125
César-Cui’s _Angelo_, _Ratcliff_, _The Flibustier_, 125
Cesti, 41
Charpentier, 144
Cherubini, 14, 63, 66, 84, 168, 175, 199
Cherubini’s _Ali Baba_, _Les Abencerages_,
_Les deux Journées_, 84;
_Water Carrier_, 159, 200
Chorale from Meyerbeer’s _Les Huguenots_, 86
Cilea, 134
Cilea’s _Adriana Lecouvreur_, 134, 188
Cimarosa, 51, 65, 207
Cimarosa’s _The Secret Marriage_, 65
Companies, opera, 154;
travelling, 158
Composers, stories of, 209-211
Concerted Finale, Invention of, 12, 64
Contest, a notable, 65
Coperario, 187
Corder, 147
Corder’s Nordisa, 147
Cornelius, 79
Cornelius’ _The Barber of Bagdad_, 80
Covent Garden opera, 154, 157
Cowen, 147
Cowen’s _Harold_, _Signa_, _The Lady of Lyons_, 147;
_Thorgrim_, 147, 159;
_Pauline_, 159
Curiosities of opera, 189-198
_Da Capo_ Aria, Birth of, 11;
weakness of, 21;
reform of, 22
Dargomijsky, 124
Dargomijsky’s _The Stone Guest_, _The Water-Sprite_, 124
Debussy, 144
Debussy’s _Pelleas et Melisande_, 144
De Lara, 148
De Lara’s _Amy Robsart_, _Messaline_, _The Light of Asia_, 148
Délibes, Léo, 90
Délibes’ _Coppélia_, _Lakmé_, _Le Roi l’a dit_, 90
D’Indy, Vincent, 144
Donizetti, 15, 72, 173, 207
Donizetti’s _La Favorita_, _La Fille du Régiment_,
_L’Elisir d’Amore_, 72;
_Lucretia Borgia_, 72, 173;
_Lucia di Lammermoor_, 174
Dresden, 179
Dubois, 144
Dvŏrák, 126, 128, 178
Dvŏrák’s _Demetrius_, _Der Bauer ein Schelm_, _King and Collier_,
_Rusalka_, _Wanda_, 128;
_Armida_, 128, 178
Early Russian composers, 123
Elgar’s _Apostles_, 117
Empiricism, Musical, 12
English Opera, 44-47, 91
Enterprise, Operatic, in England, 150
Farinelli, 203, 204
Fibich, 127, 178
Flotow, 79
Flotow’s _Martha_, 79
Franchetti, 134
French Opera, 42-43
French School, the, 81-90
Gade, 129
Galuppi, 64
German, Edward, 148
German Opera, 43-44
German School, the, 76-80
Giordano, 134
Giordano’s _Andrea Chenier_, 134
Glinka, 123, 127
Glinka’s _A Life for the Czar_, _Russia and Ludmilla_, 123
Gluck, 13-15, 20, 22-24, 31, 42, 48-51, 61, 63,
64-65, 71, 76, 83, 87, 98, 143, 175, 190, 207
Gluck’s _Armida_, _Iphigenia in Aulide_, _Paris and Helen_, 49;
_Alceste_, 23, 49;
_Orfeo_, 49, 177;
_Iphigenia in Tauride_, 49, 65
Goetz, 80
Goetz’s _The Taming of the Shrew_, 80
Goldmark, 137
Goldmark’s _Cricket on the Hearth_, _The Queen of Sheba_, 137
Goring Thomas’s _Esmeralda_, _Nadeshda_, 97
Gounod, 88, 141
Gounod’s _Mireille_, _Romeo and Juliet_, _The Mock Doctor_, 88;
_Philémon and Baucis_, 88, 196;
_Faust_, 88, 95, 141, 170
Grand Opera, definition of, 70;
in England, 156-162
—— French, 43, 63, 176
Graun, 77, 207
Grétry, 51, 82
Grieg, 129
Grisi, 208
Halèvy, 85, 207
Handel, 11, 43, 44-47, 64, 76, 154, 190, 191, 195, 202, 203, 207
Handel’s _Deidamia_, 45;
_Rinaldo_, 45, 202
Harris, Sir Augustus, 157
Hasse, 43, 77, 207
Haydn, 61, 207
Hérold, 85, 175, 207
Hérold’s _Zampa_, 85
Hiller, 77, 78
Hiller’s _Der Dorfbarbier_, _Die Jagel_, 77
Humperdinck, 137
Humperdinck’s _Die Heirat wider Willen_, 139;
_Hansel and Gretel_, 137, 138, 141
Innovations, musical, 20
Isouard, 85, 206
Italian Opera, 15, 39-42
Italian School, the, 63-75
Jenny Lind, 203
Jomelli, 64, 207
Jomelli’s _Armida_, 209
Keiser, 43, 76
Kelly, 94
Kreutzer, 79
Lablache, 204, 208
Lago, Señor, 157
Lalo, 90
Lalo’s _Le Roi d’Ys_, 90
Legrenzi, 41
Leipzig, 179
_Leit-motif_, the, 27, 28, 105, 107, 116, 135
Leoi, Franco, 148
Leoncavallo, 130, 133
Leoncavallo’s _I Pagliacci_, 133, 195;
_Roland of Berlin_, 133
Librettists, 206
Lindpaintner, 78, 79
Liszt, 102, 103
Lock, 187
Logroscino, 12, 64
Lortzing, 78, 79
Lortzing’s _Peter the Shipwright_, 79
Lotti, 42
Ludvig II., King of Bavaria, 102, 103
Lully, 11, 42-43, 81, 98, 175, 176, 188, 199
MacCunn, Hamish, 147
MacCunn’s _Diarmid_, 148;
_Jeanie Deans_, 148, 159
Macfarren, 96
Mackenzie, 145, 147
Mackenzie’s _The Cricket on the Hearth_, _The Troubadour_, 147
Malibran, 204
Manners, Charles, 160, 161
Marschner, 14, 60, 78, 79
Marschner’s _Der Vampyr_, _Hans Heiling_,
_The Templar and the Jewess_, 79
Mascagni, 130, 131-132
Mascagni’s _Cavalleria Rusticana_, 132, 170, 206;
_L’Amico Fritz_, _I Rantzau_, _Iris_,
_William Ratcliff_, 133
Masque, the, 187
Massé, Victor, 90
Massé’s _Paul et Virginie_, 90
Massenet, 141, 142
Massenet’s _Esclarmonde_, _Hérodiade_, _Le Cid_,
_La Jongleur de Notre Dame_, _La Navarraise_,
_Le Roi de Lahore_, _Manon_, _Thaïs_,
_Werther_, 142
McLean, Alick, 148
Méhul, 83
Méhul’s _Joseph_, _Uthal_, 83
Melody, Adoption of, 10
Melos, 16, 26, 30, 116;
Modern, 117
Mendelssohn, 59, 60, 61
Mendelssohn’s _Lorelei_, _The Wedding of Camacho_, 60
Mercadante, 72
Merimée, 210
Messager André, 144
Metastasio, 207
Meyerbeer, 60, 85-87, 98, 101, 169, 173, 175, 176, 194, 207
Meyerbeer’s _Dinorah_, _L’Africaine_, _Le Huguenots_,
_Le Prophète_, 87
Michael’s _Utal_, 195
Mixed language singing, 190
Monodic style, 38
Monsigny, 82
Monteverde, 9, 19, 20, 31, 39, 48, 71
Moody, Madame Fanny, 160
Moody-Manners Company, 158, 160
“Moresca” from Monteverde’s _Orfeo_, 39-40
Moussorgsky’s _Judith_, 125
Mozart, 13, 14, 24, 27, 44, 51-55, 61, 62, 63,
65, 66, 70, 76, 77, 78, 168, 205, 207
Mozart’s _Die Entfurhrung aus dem Serail_, _Idomeneo_, 54;
_Don Juan_, 54, 205;
_Magic Flute_, 54, 195;
_The Marriage of Figaro_, 54, 177;
_Cosi fan Tutte_, 177;
_Zauberflöte_, 177, 196;
_Don Giovanni_, 124, 170, 178, 195
Munich, 179
Musical comedy, 186
Musical empiricism, 12
Music, Emotional effect of, 34;
an accessory, 5;
polyphonic, 33
_Muzio Scevola_, 190
Napoleon I., 199, 200
Naumann, 84
Naylor, Dr. Edward, 161
Neapolitan school, the, 64
Nepravnik, 127
Nessler, 140
Nessler’s _The Trumpeter of Sákkingen_, 140
Nicolai, 78, 79
Nicolai’s _Merry Wives of Windsor_, 79
Offenbach, 89
Offenbach’s _Orphée aux enfers_, 89;
_Les Contes d’Hoffmann_, 90
Opera and politics, 199
“Opera Buffa,” 12, 64
“Opera Comique,” 15, 82, 83, 185
Opera House, Attempts to provide London with, 158;
Covent Garden, 172;
“La Scala,” Milan, 173;
“San Carlo,” Naples, 173;
“Académie Nationale de Musique,” Paris, 175;
Vienna, 177;
Hungarian, Budapest, 178;
National Theatre, Prague, 178;
Berlin, 178;
Dresden, 179;
Court Theatre, Munich, 179;
Bayreuth, 180
Opera houses, the chief, 172-184
“Opera in Musica,” 1, 5
“Opero Seria,” 12
Operetta, 185
Opera, What is it? 1;
derivation of term, 1;
an artificial product, 2-3;
hybrid, 4;
defined, 5;
growth of, 8;
reformers of, 18;
beginnings of, 42;
logical commencement of, 37;
early Italian, 39-42;
early French, 42-43;
early German, 43-44;
early English, 44-47;
small influence of great composers on, 61;
Italian school of, 63-75;
German school, 76-80;
French school, 81-90;
English, of eighteenth and part of nineteenth centuries, 91-97;
chief modern composers of, 120;
subsidized, 150;
an educative
quantity, 151;
objections to subsidized, 151;
English, 152;
Covent Garden, 154;
how to listen to and enjoy it, 163-171;
in Russia, 183;
in other European countries, 183;
in Egypt and America, 184
Orchestra, use of, 10;
definite shaping of, 14
Pacini, 72, 202
Paderewski, 127
Paisiello, 64
Paladihle, 144
Palazzo Bardi enthusiasts, 19, 33, 34
Paris, 175
Parry, Sir H., 145
“Pasticcio,” 190
Patti, Madame, 204
Pepusch, Dr., 92
Pergolesi, 12, 64
Pergolesi’s _La Serva Padrona_, 64
Peri, 34, 37, 39
Peri’s _Daphne_, 34;
_Euridice_, 34, 35, 36, 42
Philidor, 82
Philip V. of Spain, 203
Piccini, 51, 64-65
Polish opera, 127
Ponchielli’s _La Gioconda_, 173
Porpora, 207
Prague, 178
Prima Donna, the, 207-208
_Prime donne_, 15, 72, 207
Puccini, 130, 135
Puccini’s _La Bohème_, _La Tosca_, _Manon Lescaut_, 135;
_Madama Butterfly_, 135, 157
Purcell, 11, 44, 91
Purcell’s _Dido and Æneas_, _King Arthur_, 44
Rameau, 81-82, 175
Recitative, 69-71
_Recitativo Stromentato_, 71
Richter (Wagnerian conductor), 157
Ricordi, Messrs., 161
Rimsky-Korsakoff, 124, 125
Rimsky-Korsakoff’s _Pskowitjanka_, _The May Night_, 125
Romantic opera, 24, 56
Rome, 174
“Rose Softly Blooming” (song), 79
Rossi, 42
Rossini, 15, 25, 66-69, 71, 80, 173, 202, 206
Rossini’s _La Cenerentola_, _William Tell_, 71;
_La Gazza Ladra_, 71, 173;
_Otello_, 69, 71;
_Tancredi_, 66, 174;
_Semiramide_, _Mosè in Egitto_, _Zelmira_, 174;
_The Barber of Seville_, 66, 174, 202, 211
“Rossinian Crescendo,” example of, 67-69
Rousseau, Jean Jaques, 82
Rousseau’s _Le Devin du Village_, 82, 209
Royal Opera Syndicate, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 161
Royalties, 206
Rubini, 208
Rubinstein, 123
Sacchini, 51, 64
Saint-Saëns, 141-142
Saint-Saëns’ _Ascanio_, _Henry VIII._, _L’Ancètre_,
_Les Barbares_, _Proserpine_, and _Phryne_, 142
Scarlatti, Alessandro, 10, 12, 21, 27, 41, 43, 70, 118
Schillings, Max, 140
Schubert, 13, 59, 60, 61
Schubert’s _Alfonso and Estella_, _Fierabras_, 60
Schumann, 59, 60, 61
Schumann’s _Genoveva_, 60
Scribe, 207
Senesino, 202
Serov, 124
Shield, 94
Sinding, 129
Singers, Abuses by, 15;
stories of, 207-208
Singspiel, 4, 5, 70, 77, 83, 97, 185
Slavonic opera, 122-128
Smetana, 127, 178
Smetana’s _Dalibor_, _Der Kuss_, _Libusa_, 128;
_Bartered Bride_, 128, 178
Smith, Miss Emily, 148
Smith’s (Miss Emily) _Der Wald_, _The Wreckers_, 148
Somerville, 148
Spinelli, 134
Spinelli’s _A Basso Porto_, 134
Spohr, 14, 24, 78
Spohr’s _Faust_, 78;
_Der Alchymist_, _Der Berggeist_, _Jessonda_, 79
Spontini, 14, 60, 63, 66, 84, 98, 169, 175,
176, 194, 196, 200, 205, 210
Spontini’s _Fernand Cortez_, _Olympia_, 85;
_La Petite Maison_, 210;
_La Vestale_, 85, 200, 210
Stage pieces, Progress in mounting of, 7
Stanford, 145, 146, 153
Stanford’s _Canterbury Pilgrims_, _Savonarola_,
_Shamus O’Brien_, _The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan_, 146;
_Much Ado about Nothing_, 147
Stereotyped casts, 191
Storace, 94
Strauss, 139, 179
Strauss’s _Feursnot_, _Guntram_, 139;
_Elektra_, _Salome_, 139, 179
Sullivan, 97, 119, 158, 189
Sullivan’s _The Mikado_, 97;
_Ivanhoe_, 97, 158
Sussmäyr, 70
Tamburini, 208
Tchaïkovsky, 124, 126, 189, 195
Tchaïkovsky’s _Eugene Oniegin_, _Joan of Arc_,
_Mazeppa_, _The Enchantress_,
_The Oprichnik_, 126
Thomas, Ambroise, 90, 119, 141
Thomas, Goring, 96
Titov, 123
Tomaschek, 127
Tonality, 9
Venice, 174
Verdi, 72-75, 80, 98, 119, 173, 207
Verdi’s _Ernani_, _Rigoletto_, _Il Trovatore_,
_La Traviata_, 72;
_Un Ballo in Maschera_, _Aïda_, 73;
_Otello_, _Falstaff_, 74;
_I Lombardi_, 173
Vienna, 177
Vivaldi, 41
Volkov, 123
Wagner, 15, 26, 73, 79, 85, 89, 98-115, 143,
157, 176, 179, 180, 189, 192;
Influence of, 116-120;
use of orchestra, 118;
his harmony, 118;
supernatural requirements, 194
Wagner’s _The Fairies_, 100;
_Das Liebesverbot_, 100, 101;
_Rienzi_, 101, 105;
_Flying Dutchman_, 79, 102, 105, 159;
_Parsifal_, 104, 113-115;
_Tannhäuser_, 102, 106-107, 189, 209;
_Lohengrin_, 102, 107-108, 159, 170, 200, 209;
_The Ring_, 102, 103, 112-113, 157, 170, 202;
_Die Meistersinger_, 102, 110-112, 157, 170, 202;
_Tristan and Isolde_, 189, 170
Wagner, Siegfried, 140
Wallace, 96
Wallace’s _Maritana_, 96, 187
Weber, 13, 14, 24, 44, 56-59, 61, 66, 77,
78, 84, 89, 99, 157, 168, 179, 205
Weber’s _Der Freischütz_, 56, 70, 78, 84, 178, 185, 205;
fragment from, 57-59;
_Oberon_, 59, 157;
_Euryanthe_, 59, 195
Weingartner, 140
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