The opera of "Preciosa," also a masterpiece, was given shortly after
with great _eclat_, though it failed to inspire the deep enthusiasm
which greeted "Der Freischütz." In 1823, "Euryanthe" was produced in
Berlin--a work on which Weber exhausted all the treasures of his musical
genius. Without the elements of popular success which made his first
great opera such an immediate favorite, it shows the most finished and
scholarly work which Weber ever attained. Its symmetry and completeness,
the elaboration of all the forms, the richness and variety of the
orchestration, bear witness to the long and thoughtful labor expended
on it. It gradually won its way to popular recognition, and has always
remained one of the favorite works of the German stage.
The opera of "Oberon" was Weber's last great production. The celebrated
poet Wieland composed the poem underlying the libretto, from the
mediæval romance of Huon of Bordeaux. The scenes are laid in fairy-land,
and it may be almost called a German "Midsummer-Night's Dream,"
though the story differs widely from the charming phantasy of our own
Shakespeare. The opera of "Oberon" was written for Kemble, of the Covent
Garden theatre, in London, and was produced by Weber under circumstances
of failing health and great mental depression. The composer pressed
every energy to the utmost to meet his engagement, and it was feared by
his friends that he would not live to see it put on the stage. It did,
indeed, prove the song of the dying swan, for he only lived four months
after reaching London. "Oberon" was performed with immense success under
the direction of Sir George Smart, and the fading days of the author
were cheered by the acclamations of the English public; but the work
cost him his life. He died in London, June 5,1826. His last words were:
"God reward you for all your kindness to me.--Now let me sleep."
Apart from his dramatic compositions, Weber is known for his many
beautiful overtures and symphonies for the orchestra, and his various
works for the piano, from sonatas to waltzes and minuets. Among his most
pleasing piano-works are the "Invitation to the Waltz," the "Perpetual
Rondo," and the "Polonaise in E major." Many of his songs rank among the
finest German lyrics. He would have been recognized as an able composer
had he not produced great operas; but the superior excellence of these
cast all his other compositions in the shade.
Weber was fortunate in having gifted poets to write his dramas. As rich
as he was in melodic affluence, his creative faculty seems to have had
its tap-root in deep personal feelings and enthusiasms. One of the
most poetic and picturesque of composers, he needed a powerful exterior
suggestion to give his genius wings and fire. The Germany of his time
was alive with patriotic ardor, and the existence of the nation gathered
from its emergencies new strength and force. The heart of Weber beat
strong with the popular life. Romantic and serious in his taste, his
imagination fed on old German tradition and song, and drew from them its
richest food. The whole life of the Fatherland, with its glow of
love for home, its keen sympathies with the influences of Nature, its
fantastic play of thought, its tendency to embody the primitive forces
in weird myths, found in Weber an eloquent exponent; and we perceive in
his music all the color and vividness of these influences.
Weber's love of Nature was singularly keen. The woods, the mountains,
the lakes, and the streams, spoke to his soul with voices full of
meaning. He excelled in making these voices speak and sing; and he may,
therefore, be entitled the father of the romantic and descriptive school
in German operatic music. With more breadth and robustness, he expressed
the national feelings of his people, even as Chopin did those of dying
Poland. Weber's motives are generally caught from the immemorial airs
which resound in every village and hamlet, and the fresh beat of the
German heart sends its thrill through almost every bar of his music.
Here is found the ultimate significance of his art-work, apart from the
mere musical beauty of his compositions.