Chapter XXIII: Part IV (3)

Later on, as the three members of the household sat after supper in the back garden, Carmela, anxious for the peace of her home, endeavoured to persuade Maliella to retire to rest early in the evening, even though the festive sounds of the Carnival were still to be heard without; but neither Maliella nor Gennaro heeded her words, both keeping a sullen silence until Carmela, with a deep sigh, bade them good-night and retired to her own chamber.

No sooner had the elder woman departed than the two young people renewed their dispute; and Maliella, again crying out against the restraints of her life, declared she would endure such an existence no longer, but would run away that night and seek a home elsewhere.

The young blacksmith, half stupefied by this unexpected announcement, begged her to give him a farewell kiss; and when Maliella reluctantly offered him her cheek, he clasped her in his arms and passionately poured forth the tale of his own love and devotion for her. Maliella, utterly unable to regard Gennaro in any other light than that of a brotherly protector, repulsed him with laughing scorn and unbelief; but failing to prevent his further protestations and entreaties for reciprocation, she boldly declared her love for Rafaele, and when Gennaro, with jealousy raging at his heart, turned aside with disdain at the mention of the outlaw Camorrist's name, she passionately announced her preference for one whose love for her was so deep that he was even willing to risk his immortal soul by offering to steal the Jewels of the Madonna for her adornment.

Staggered at such a suggestion of sacrilege, Gennaro renewed his efforts to prevent the departure of Maliella, who now tried to escape from the garden; and after a fierce struggle, the girl was compelled to retreat, and ran up a little outside staircase to her room with a jaunty step and a carelessly defiant laugh.

Darkness had now fallen; and, left to his own devices, Gennaro gave himself up to the gloom and misery engendered by his unrequited love. Then, suddenly, one tempting thought began to seize hold of his imagination until his whole being became obsessed with the taunting suggestion.

Had not she expressed her admiration for one who would even commit sacrilege for her sake? The Camorrist, in spite of his boast, had not yet proved his audacity by committing the deed; then, why should not Gennaro himself steal the Jewels of the Madonna this very night, and by laying them at the feet of his adored one, win her love and admiration away from his rival?

In his present feverish state of mind, Gennaro was utterly unable to resist the temptation of this overwhelming thought; and crushing down his horror at the sacrilege he would thus commit, and thinking only of the joy of winning approbation from his beloved Maliella, the passion-racked youth staggered to his tool-chest, seized some files and other necessary implements, and made his way out from the garden by a seldom-used postern-door, which, however, he carefully locked behind him.

Almost immediately after Gennaro's departure, a band of the Camorrists appeared on the outside of the large, securely-fastened garden gate, headed by the dashing Rafaele, who had brought his companions thither to assist him in serenading his newly-found lady-love; and on hearing sounds of seductive music, Maliella presently appeared on the little staircase that led down from her chamber window. She was now clad in loose white garments, over which she had flung a scarlet shawl; and seeing who the serenaders were, she hastily ran down the stairs and made her way to the gate.

Rafaele greeted Maliella with rapturous delight; and his renewed protestations of love and his eager invitation for her to leave her present dull abode and join him in the haunts of the Camorrists were so enticing that she could no longer restrain the responsive chords in her own heart, and was overwhelmed with joy when her lover embraced her through the bars of the gate. The thought that Gennaro might be lurking near, however, filled her with alarm; and entreating Rafaele to depart at once and promising to visit him in the Camorrist abode on the morrow, she tore herself from his embrace.

As Rafaele withdrew with his companions, she stood for a moment as though in a reverie, still feeling the joyous thrill engendered by her lover's presence; then, hearing the sound of approaching steps, she turned hastily and cried out in alarm at the sight of Gennaro, who now stumbled into the garden through the little postern-door, his face white and haggard, and his whole appearance strangely wild.

On beholding Maliella, Gennaro's sunken eyes lighted up with passionate adoration; and approaching her with trembling, uncertain steps, and sinking upon his knees, he flung a bundle at her feet, murmuring brokenly: "For you! For you I did it!"

But Maliella sprang back, horror-struck; for the silvery moonlight showed her that the bundle contained the glittering Jewels of the Madonna!

Full of awe, she gazed upon the sparkling gems until she became fascinated by their rich colour and beauty; and whilst Gennaro poured forth the story of how he had broken into the church and secured the treasures, explaining that he believed the Madonna had already forgiven his sacrilege in consideration of his overwhelming love, the half-dazed girl mechanically began to array herself in the ornaments, placing the diadem on her head, and hanging the chains and bracelets upon her white neck and arms. The form of the kneeling Gennaro seemed to fade away from her sight altogether, and the glittering jewels conjured up before her mental vision the picture of her beloved Rafaele only; and, as in a trance, she began to murmur words of love, bidding her sweetheart admire her dazzling appearance, as though he were indeed at her side.

Gennaro, in his own over-wrought state of mind, now believed that the tender smiles and gentle love-phrases of the entranced girl were addressed to himself; and, full of joy that, as he imagined, his passion was at last returned, he clasped the jewel-decked form in his arms in a loving embrace.

Maliella, still under the strange spell of the mental vision of Rafaele which her vivid imagination and passionate desire had conjured up, yielded herself unresistingly to the mystical atmosphere of love which enveloped her senses; and as Gennaro, quite unsuspicious of her mistake, and almost mad with the unexpected joy of possession, held her in a close embrace, the half-dreaming girl, lost to her surroundings, uttered a deep sigh of unconscious content and swooned in his arms.

Meanwhile, Rafaele and his companions had returned to the meeting-place of the Camorrists; and here, in a lonely house on the outskirts of the city, a merry throng of outlaws had gathered to pass the remainder of the Festival night in an orgy of feasting, dancing and love-making.

On the entrance of the serenaders, a bevy of bold, pretty maidens surrounded the handsome Rafaele and endeavoured to win kisses and favours from him by their rival attentions; but, to their surprise and disappointment, the Camorrist leader was in no mood for their importunities, and instead of bestowing the eagerly-expected kisses, he chose instead to sing to them a happy love-song, in which he set before them the charms of his beautiful Maliella.

The Camorrist girls, piqued at his preference for a chance stranger, teased him unmercifully because he had not yet succeeded in carrying off his fair lady-love; but Rafaele, caring little for their spiteful taunts, bade them proceed with their revels, and noise and laughter soon reigned supreme.

Just as the hilarity was at its height, there came a sudden interruption; for, hearing a cry for help from without, Rafaele bade one of the revellers open the door. His command was instantly obeyed; and, to the astonishment of all, in rushed Maliella, still in her night attire and adorned with the Jewels of the Madonna.

On awakening from her swoon and finding herself in the arms of Gennaro, she had been filled with dismay on realising that she had, unwittingly, yielded herself to the passion of one suitor when her love was given to another; and, overcome with shame at this discovery, and still horrified at the recollection of the sacrilege which had been committed for her sake, she had struggled free from the detaining embrace of the young blacksmith, and, escaping from the garden, had hastened with all speed to seek protection and comfort from Rafaele.

So exhausted was the girl by her strong emotion and hasty flight, that, on finding herself at last in the presence of her real lover, she had only strength left to announce that she had fled from Gennaro who was even now following her, when she fell fainting to the floor; and as Rafaele bent over her in concern, he commanded a party of his companions to seek for Gennaro and bring him in, alive or dead.

Stung by the curious glances cast upon him by the saucy Camorrist maidens, Rafaele quickly succeeded in rousing Maliella; and upon his stern demand for an explanation of her present distraught condition, the unhappy girl was compelled to confess how she had, unconsciously, yielded herself to the passion of Gennaro whilst under the spell of her thoughts of Rafaele.

On hearing this strange story, derisive laughter arose on every side from the girls whose kisses the Camorrist leader had refused a short time before; and, stung to madness by their sneers and ridicule, and believing that he had been fooled purposely by Maliella, Rafaele spurned the wretched girl, thrusting her from him with such force that she fell to the ground, thus revealing more conspicuously the dazzling jewels she still wore.

At sight of the Madonna Jewels, and realising that an act of sacrilege had been committed, an awed silence fell upon the revellers; but on hearing the distant voice of the now approaching Gennaro as his pursuers chased him, Maliella declared that the Jewels had been stolen by him for her sake from the sacred statue.

Full of horror at such a deed, the women and most of the men fled from the house; and as Gennaro staggered in, closely pursued, Rafaele sprang forward to slay him, but suddenly recoiled again superstitiously from one whom he now believed to be accursed.

Maliella, distracted by the sin which had been committed for her sake, and full of despair because Rafaele now disdained her love, poured forth passionate words of reproach upon the wretched Gennaro; and snatching from her neck and arms the flashing Jewels of the Madonna, she flung them to the ground at his feet and rushed from the house, demented, crying wildly: "To the sea! To the sea!"

Rafaele and all the revellers had by this time left the house, shudderingly, as though it had been visited by the plague, for wild and lawless though they were, their superstitious beliefs still had power to fill them with terror because of the sacrilegious deed that had been committed; and Gennaro was thus left alone for the time being, though some of the bolder spirits amongst the Camorrists intended to return later to deal him his death-blow.

But Gennaro cared not whether he died by the hands of the Camorrists or not; for his whole being was now enveloped in horror for the deed of which he was guilty. Full of repentance and only longing for pardon, he crawled upon his knees towards a fresco figure of the Virgin which appeared upon one of the walls of the room, and prostrating himself before it, prayed earnestly for forgiveness.

A streak of rosy light from the rising sun at that moment pierced the gloomy twilight; and taking this as a miraculous sign sent to him in answer to his prayers as a token of the Madonna's forgiveness, Gennaro uttered a cry of thanksgiving.

Then, still not deeming himself worthy to live after his deed of sacrilege, and overwhelmed by the despairing hopelessness of his unhappy love passion, he seized a knife from a table close at hand and plunged it into his heart.

At this moment, some of the Camorrists, accompanied by an angry mob of the townsfolk who had just discovered the crime that had been committed, burst into the house to wreak their vengeance upon the committer of sacrilege; but one and all stopped suddenly upon the threshold and dropped their weapons in silence as they gazed upon the limp form of the unhappy Gennaro lying dead beside the scattered Jewels of the Madonna.

SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THE COMPOSERS

AUBER

DANIEL FRANÇOIS ESPRIT AUBER was born at Caen, Normandy, 29th January, 1782; died at Paris, 13th May, 1871. He was the son of a Paris print-seller, and was sent in early youth to acquire knowledge of business in London; and whilst in England he devoted himself assiduously to the study of music. On returning to Paris he began to compose operas; and with _La Bergère Châtelaine_ (1820), began a long and brilliant series of triumphs. His best-known operas are:--_Fra Diavolo_ (1830), _Les Diamants de la Couronne_ (1841), _Haydée_ (1847), _Manon Lescaut_ (1869), _Le Cheval de Bronze_ (1835), etc.

BALFE

MICHAEL WILLIAM BALFE was born at Dublin, 15th May, 1808; died at Rowney Abbey, 20th October, 1870. He displayed remarkable musical talent as a boy; and when only sixteen conducted the orchestra at Drury Lane Theatre. Later he studied music in Italy; and in 1845 he was made conductor of the Italian Opera, Covent Garden. He wrote a great many operas, the best known of which are:--_The Bohemian Girl_ (1843), _The Rose of Castile_ (1857), _Satanella_ (1858), _The Maid of Honour_ (1847), _Joan of Arc_ (1837), etc.

BEETHOVEN

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN, one of the greatest of musicians, was born at Bonn, 16th December, 1770; died 26th March, 1827. He was the son of a tenor singer in the service of the Elector of Cologne. His wonderful talent for music was early displayed and cultivated, and even in his eighth year he delighted all who heard him by his truly astonishing execution on the violin. He began to compose sonatas in his thirteenth year, and these promising signs of genius caused the Elector of Cologne to send him, in the character of his Court-Organist, to Vienna, to study composition under the instruction of Haydn, Schenk, and Albrechtsberger. Here, except for some few years spent in the new Court of the King of Westphalia, Beethoven passed the remainder of his life, latterly retiring to the village of Modlingen, near Vienna. Most of his principal works were composed after 1801. He did not hold musical offices, but devoted himself entirely to composition; and though at first he appeared as a pianoforte player, he afterwards withdrew entirely from the world, and lived in a solitude enhanced latterly by almost total deafness. Beethoven was essentially a composer of instrumental music, which received from his work an entirely new and original character, and he developed the symphonic art to a surprising boldness and breadth of form and outline, filling this in with a truly marvellous wealth of grand melody--the landmark of a completely new phase in the history of music. Beethoven only wrote one opera, _Fidelio_ (first entitled _Leonore_), and one sacred cantata, _The Mount of Olives_; but, original and beautiful as these are, they still show us that this great musician was at his greatest in his instrumental works, upon which his chief fame rests. Besides his noble symphonies and overtures, his quintettes, quartettes, and trios, for stringed instruments, his numerous sonatas, variations, and other pieces for the pianoforte, all show the great richness, power, and originality of his imagination. Beethoven died in the village of Modlingen on 26th March, 1827.

BELLINI

VINCENZO BELLINI was born in Catania, in Sicily, 3rd November, 1802; died at Puteux, near Paris, 24th September, 1835. He studied at the Conservatorium in Naples, and in 1833 went to Paris. He produced a number of operas, his style being chiefly founded on that of the then fashionable Rossini, but with the defects of that composer's florid work somewhat exaggerated. Rossini was, however, a good friend to the young Bellini, and gave him very valuable assistance and encouragement. Bellini's best known and most attractive operas are _La Sonnambula_ (La Scala, 1831), _Norma_ (26th December, 1831), and _I Puritani_ (1835); all of which are full of melodious airs, and have attained great popularity.

BENEDICT

SIR JULIUS BENEDICT was born at Stuttgart, 27th November, 1804; died 5th June, 1885. In his early years he studied with J. C. L. Abeille, and was also under Hummel at Weimar, where he was presented to Weber, who then took him entirely under his charge, treating him more as a son than as a pupil. At the age of nineteen years, he was appointed conductor of the Karnthnerthor Theatre in Vienna. From there he went to Italy, and was appointed Chef d'Orchestre at the San Carlos at Naples. Here he produced his first opera, _Giacinta ed Ernesto_ (1829). In 1835, he went to England, which country he made his home for the remainder of his life. Here his finest operas were written and produced, _The Brides of Venice_ being produced in 1843, and _The Crusaders_, 1846; and in 1836 he was made musical director of the Opera Buffa at the Lyceum Theatre. In 1850, he accompanied Jenny Lind to the United States, as director of her concerts. On his return in 1852, he was appointed conductor of the Harmonic Union. In 1862 he produced his popular opera, _The Lily of Killarney_, a musical version of Dion Boucicault's play, _The Colleen Bawn_. In 1871 he was knighted; and he died in England on 5th June, 1885. Besides his operas, Benedict also wrote some very charming cantatas, chief of which are _Undine_ (1860) and _Richard Cœur de Lion_ (1863); also _Graziella_ (1882), afterwards performed as an opera. He also wrote the oratorios, _St. Cecilia_ (1866) and _St. Peter_ (1870); and a number of other smaller musical pieces.

BIZET

ALEXANDER CÉSAR LEOPOLD BIZET (known as Georges) was born at Paris on 25th October 1838; died 3rd June, 1875. The son of a singing-master, he entered the Conservatoire at the age of nine years; and at the early age of nineteen gained the Grand Prix de Rome, and went to Italy to study. On returning to France, Bizet began to write operas, the first of which _Pêcheurs de Perles_ was produced at the Théâtre Lyrique in 1863. It was but coldly received, as were also _La Jolie Fille de Perth_ (1867), _Djamileh_ (1872) and _L'Arlésienne_, in spite of their unusual merits. In 1875 _Carmen_ was produced at the Opera Comique. This masterpiece quickly gained for Bizet world-wide fame, and placed him in the first rank of French composers. The Parisians, however, received the opera coldly; and it was not until eight years later, when it had been appraised everywhere else that they at last recognised its extraordinary charm and genius. _Carmen_ was the last work of Bizet; for, three months after its first production, just as success was within his grasp, the gifted composer was seized with sudden illness and died.

DONIZETTI

GAETANO DONIZETTI was born at Bergamo, Italy, 25th September, 1798; died there 8th April, 1848. His musical education was conducted at Bologna and Naples; and at first, at his father's wish, he devoted himself to church music, for which, however, he had no taste, and to evade which he entered the army. Whilst thus away from home, he wrote his first two operas, _Enrico di Borgogna_ and _Il Falegname de Livonia_, the latter of which was so successful that he left the army and devoted himself entirely to opera-writing. He wrote with great rapidity and ease, and produced no less than sixty operas. His style was founded on that of Rossini, and his flowing melodies have attained great popularity. After 1844, Donizetti's talent seemed to have utterly exhausted itself, and he began to suffer from melancholia, which finally developed into insanity. Donizetti's chief operas were: _The Daughter of the Regiment_ (1840), _La Favorita_ (1840), _Don Pasquale_ (1843), _Lucia di Lammermoor_ (1835), _L'Elisir d'Amore_ (1832), _Lucrezia Borgia_ (1834), _Linda de Chamouni_ (1842), etc.

FLOTOW

FRIEDRICH VON FLOTOW was born at Teutondorf, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 26th April, 1812; died at Darmstadt, 23rd January, 1883. He received his musical education at Paris, where he early began to write operas. His first real success was scored with _Stradella_, produced at Hamburg in 1844. _Martha_ was produced in 1847, and quickly won the composer world-wide fame. It was produced in England at the Royal Italian Opera in 1858, and instantly obtained popularity with the English public. Flotow wrote several other operas, none of which are well known in England.

GOUNOD

CHARLES FRANÇOIS GOUNOD was born at Paris, 17th June, 1818; died there 18th October, 1893. He entered the Conservatoire in 1836, and took the Grand Prix de Rome in 1839. In Rome he was appointed Honorary Maestre di Capella for life. After several years of study, he produced his _Messe Solennelle in G_, some portions of which were brought out in London in 1851. He held in Paris, from 1852-60, the post of conductor of the _Orphéon_. He wrote operas from 1851. _Faust_ was produced at the Theatre Lyrique in 1859, and placed him at once in the first rank of his profession. Amongst his other best known operas are:--_Roméo et Juliette_ (1867), _Sapho_ (1851), _Philemon et Baucis_ (1860), _Cinq-Mars_ (1877), etc. In 1882 he produced an oratorio, _The Redemption_, at the Birmingham Musical Festival; and he also wrote much church music.

HALÈVY

JACQUES FRANÇOIS FROMENTAL HALÈVY was born in Paris, 27th May, 1799; died at Nice, 1862. Showing great musical ability in his early years, he entered the Conservatoire when only ten years old, and studied under Cavot, Berton, and Lambert, and for five years received lessons in counterpoint from Cherubini. He also studied for two years at Rome, and later became a popular teacher, numbering amongst his most celebrated pupils, Gounod and Bizet. He met with no important success until the year 1835, when he produced two operas:--_La Juive_, presented 23rd February, and _L'Eclair_, presented 16th December. _La Juive_ was an immediate success, and won for its composer a first place amongst French musicians. Fifteen years later, this opera was produced at Covent Garden, where it also met with great appreciation and success. _La Juive_ is the only one of Halèvy's operas that still enjoys European fame, though he wrote many others, the most worthy of mention being _La Reine de Chypre_ (1841), _Les Mousquetaires_ (1846), _Guido et Ginevra_, and _Le Val d'Andorre_.

HUMPERDINCK

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK was born 1st September, 1854, at Siegburg, in the Rhine Provinces. His musical education was received first at the Gymnasium of Paderborn, and afterwards at the Cologne Conservatoire, where he was entered in 1872. In 1876, he won the Mozart Stipendium, and proceeded to Munich. In 1879, he won the Mendelssohn Stiftung of Berlin; after which he visited Italy, where he made the acquaintance of Wagner at Naples, and became so friendly with the great composer that he afterwards helped him with the production of _Parsifal_ at Bayreuth. In 1881, he won the Meyerbeer prize of Berlin; and after having produced a number of compositions for the orchestra, he produced his masterpiece opera, _Hansel und Gretel_, the libretto of which was written by his sister, Adelheid Wette. This beautiful fairy opera was produced first at Weimar in 1894; and the first production of it in London was in 1895. It met with great success, and was followed in 1896 by the charming allegorical opera, _Die Königskinder_, and in 1902 by _Dornröschen_. In 1896, Humperdinck was created Professor by the Kaiser; and in 1905, his opera, _Die Heirath Wider Willen_, was produced at Berlin. He also wrote the incidental music for Maeterlinck's beautiful allegorical play, _The Blue Bird_. Humperdinck's operas are remarkable for the beauty and simplicity of their subjects, and for the exquisite delicacy of their musical treatment.

LEONCAVALLO

RUGGIERO LEONCAVALLO was born at Naples 8th March, 1858. He studied at the Neapolitan Conservatoire, and afterwards gave singing lessons and went through many hard struggles. His first opera, _Medici_, being part of a trilogy, _Crepusculinis_, was not produced until after _Pagliacci_ (produced at the Teatro dal Verme, Milan, 21st May, 1892) had won great success for him. _Medici_ was given in 1893, but proved unsuccessful, and the remaining portions of the trilogy, _Savonarola_ and _Cesare Borgia_, were not produced. The other operas that followed were: _Der Roland_ (1894); _Chatterton_ (1896); _La Bohème_ (1897); _Zaza_ (1900); but none of these have met with great success, his lighter work, such as _Zaza_ and _Pagliacci_, being in his happiest vein. Another opera, _Maia_, was produced at the Royal Opera House, Berlin, on 17th March, 1911.

MASCAGNI

PIETRO MASCAGNI was born at Leghorn, 7th December, 1863. His father intended him for the law, and discouraged his many efforts to learn music. The musical youth, however, entered himself secretly at the Instituto Luigi Cherubini, his chief instructor being Alfredo Soffredini. Later on an uncle adopted him; and he was then permitted to devote himself entirely to music, and was afterwards sent to Milan Conservatoire. Unable to bear the restrictions of the Conservatoire, however, Mascagni joined various travelling operatic companies as conductor, and for a time lived in great obscurity, from whence he emerged by the success of his brilliant one-act opera, _Cavalleria Rusticana_, which won the first prize in a competition, and was produced at the Costanzi Theatre, Rome, 18th May, 1890. This was received with overwhelming appreciation, and made its composer immediately famous. His next opera was _L'Amico Fritz_ (1891); after which followed:--_I Rantzan_ (1892); _Guglielino Ratcliff_ (1895); _Silvano_ (1895); _Zanetto_ (1896); _Iris_ (1898); _Le Maschère_ (1901); _Amica_ (1905); but none of these have fulfilled the brilliant promise of _Cavalleria Rusticana_, and have met with little success.

MEYERBEER

GIACOMO MEYERBEER was born at Berlin, 5th September, 1791; died at Paris, 2nd May, 1864. He was a pupil of Lauska, and also had lessons from Clementi. In 1815 he went to Italy to study musical composition, and there he began to write operas. He first took Rossini as his model, the best example of which was _Il Crociata_ (1824). In 1831 he struck out in a new style with _Robert le Diable_, produced at the Grand Opera, Paris. This beautiful and fantastic opera was received with the wildest enthusiasm, and quickly brought fame to the composer. His masterpiece was _Les Huguenots_ (1836) and his other best-known works are:--_Le Prophête_ (1849), _L'Etoile du Nord_ (1854), _Dinorah_ (1859), etc.

MOZART

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART was born at Salzburg, Austria, on 27th January, 1756; died at Vienna, 5th December, 1791. He showed a precocious knowledge of music when but three or four years of age, and composed before he was six. His father, a musician also, guided his efforts, and from 1762-65 took the child to many European cities to exhibit his talents. In 1768 Mozart was made Concert-Meister at Salzburg; and here his first opera, _La Finta Semplice_, was produced, written when about twelve years old. In 1777 he went to Paris and other places, failing to obtain anything but empty applause; and in 1779 he returned to Salzburg as Cathedral organist. From 1781 he lived in Vienna, where he remained until his death. He reaped but little pecuniary benefit from his compositions, in spite of his great genius; and he was seldom free from the anxieties of poverty. In 1791 he received the famous commission from a mysterious stranger to write a _Requiem Mass_; and in enfeebled health he began it, declaring that it was for his own funeral. This was his last great work, and he died ere it was quite finished. There were no ceremonies at his grave, and he was buried in the common ground of St. Marx. Many years later a monument was erected to him by the city of Vienna. As an operatic writer, Mozart is considered by many to have no equal. His chief operas are:--_Le Nozze di Figaro_ (1786), _Don Giovanni_ (1787), _Idomeneo_ (1781), _Die Zauberflöte_ (1791), _La Clemenza di Tito_ (1791), _Così fan tutte_ (1790), etc. Besides the exquisite _Requiem_, he wrote many other Masses, and a great number of symphonies, sonatas, concertos, quartettes, etc. Very little of his music was published in his life-time.

NICOLAI

CARL OTTO EHRENFRIED NICOLAI was born at Königsberg, 9th June, 1810; died at Berlin, 11th May, 1849. He had an unhappy home life, but found a good friend in Justizrath Adler, of Stargard, who sent him to Berlin to study music. In 1833 he went to Rome as Organist to the Prussian Embassy Chapel, where he studied both the old and the modern masters. In 1841 he became Court Kapellmeister at Vienna, where in 1842 he established the Philharmonic Society. In 1844 he became Director of the Domcher and Court Kapellmeister of the Opera in Berlin. His chief operas were: _The Templar_ (1840), _Il Proscritto_ (1841), and _The Merry Wives of Windsor_ (1849). The latter met with a brilliant success, which, however, the composer did not long live to enjoy, as he died two months after its first production.

OFFENBACH

JACQUES OFFENBACH (originally Levy) was born 21st June, 1819, at Offenbach-on-Main, and was the son of the Jewish Cantor of the Synagogue at Cologne. Though of German birth, practically the whole of his life was spent in Paris, and he was a true Parisian at heart. When quite a youth, he was entered at the Conservatoire at Paris, studying in the violoncello class under Professor Vaslin. So quick was his progress, that he entered the orchestra of the Opéra Comique in 1834, where he played the 'cello; and in 1849, he was appointed conductor of the orchestra at the Théatre Français. In 1855, he opened the Bouffes-Parisiens Théatre; and having already written a number of comic light operas, many of these were produced at his own theatre. He became manager of the Théatre de la Gâité in 1872; and in 1877 he came to England, where he made a most successful tour. As a composer of light opera, Offenbach occupied on the Continent very much the same position as Gilbert and Sullivan in England, his works being extremely popular. From the long list of just over one hundred pieces of this kind for the stage may be mentioned the following of the best known in England:--_La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein_ (1867), _Madame Favart_ (1878), _Orphée aux Enfers_ (1858), _La Princesse de Trébizonde_ (1870), _La Belle Hélène_ (1865), etc. So great was the popular demand for light opera, and so eager was Offenbach to meet the same, that, unfortunately, he only left behind him one serious work of art, _The Tales of Hoffmann_--a true work of genius, so full of beauty that one can only regret that it should have been his last. It was fitting, however, that his swan-song should prove his masterpiece. Offenbach himself knew that this was his worthiest work, and longed to see it produced; but, after completing the opera, he became ill, and died at Paris on 5th October, 1880, having failed to realise his great desire. The opera was produced the following year at the Opéra Comique, and proved an immense success. It was produced in England in 1907.

PUCCINI

GIACOMO PUCCINI was born at Lucca, 22nd June, 1858, and belongs to a family of well-known musicians. He studied first at Lucca, and afterwards at Milan Conservatoire, his chief teacher being Ponchielli. His first opera, _Le Villi_, was produced at the Teatro dal Verme, Milan, 31st May, 1884, with such success that it was afterwards revised and enlarged, and produced at La Scala, 24th January, 1885. His next opera, _Edgar_, was produced at La Scala, 1889. _Manon Lescaut_, produced at the Teatro Regio, Turin, showed considerable development; and with the production of _La Bohème_ (Teatro Regio, Turin, 1896), he was placed at once in the first rank of modern composers. His next opera, _Tosca_ (1900), met with equal success. _Madame Butterfly_ (La Scala, Milan, 1904) is undoubtedly the finest work Puccini has yet produced; yet when first given, for some unaccountable reason, it was not well received. But on its second appearance at Brescia, it was received with the greatest applause, and has also been enthusiastically welcomed wherever it has been produced, being now, together with _La Bohème_, a universal European favourite. His American opera, _The Girl of the Golden West_, was first produced in New York during 1911, and proved a great success.

ROSSINI

GIOACCHINO ANTONIO ROSSINI was born at Pesaro, in Italy, 29th February, 1792, of very humble parents, his father being the town trumpeter. As a child, he showed such great aptitude for music that, in spite of the troubles and poverty of his parents, an excellent teacher was found for him in Tesei. He was taught to sing the solos in church, and at the age of thirteen years was given an appointment as a singer at the theatre. In 1806 he entered the Conservatoire at Bologna, under Mattei; and here his progress was so rapid that he took a prize for a cantata after his first year. In 1810 he began to write operas, of which he produced no less than fifty within twenty-six years. He went to London in 1823, and sang in a series of concerts. He then went to Paris, where he remained until his death. He wrote nothing further after 1836; and having at that early period of his career gained great fame and wealth, he devoted the remainder of his life to luxurious living. Rossini's florid, but melodious, style of operatic composition remained the standard model for Italian opera for a great number of years. His most celebrated operas were: _Tancredi_ (1813), _The Barber of Seville_ (1815), _Semiramide_ (1823), and _William Tell_ (1829). He also wrote the famous oratorio, _Moses in Egypt_, which has also been performed as an opera; and in 1842 his _Stabat Mater_ was produced. He died 13th November, 1868.

STRAUSS

RICHARD STRAUSS was born 11th June, 1864, at Munich. He showed great musical talent from the earliest years, having composed several pieces before leaving school. In 1882, he studied composition with the Court Kapellmeister, composing almost ceaselessly string quartettes, symphonies and overtures, most of which were performed and received as promising productions. He was at the University during 1882-3, and in 1885 began to conduct, being appointed musical director at Meiningen, proceeding to the Munich Court Theatre in 1886. He was next appointed musical director at Weimar in 1890, and became Court Kapellmeister at the Berlin Opera House in the same year. He travelled in Italy during 1885. His first opera, _Guntran_, was produced at Weimar on 12th May, 1894; and in the same year he became Count Kapellmeister at Munich, again occupying the same position at Berlin in 1899. He undertook a number of tours, and in 1897 visited London, where a "Strauss Festival" was held in St. James's Hall, June, 1903. Strauss continued to produce more and more important works, consisting of symphonies, sonatas, tone-poems, and many songs, choral and orchestral pieces, all of which proved his great gift for musical composition and paved the way for the remarkable operatic works which were to follow. He always had a great admiration for Wagner, whose successor he wished to be regarded as; and in his next opera, _Fuersnot_, produced at Dresden in November, 1901, this was indicated very plainly. His remarkable opera, _Salome_, based on Oscar Wilde's drama, was produced at Dresden, 9th December, 1905, and created a great sensation, placing Strauss at once in the front rank of operatic composers. This was followed by _Elektra_--by many regarded as his finest work--produced at Dresden in 1909, and at Covent Garden, London, in 1910, and _Der Rosenkavalier_, produced at the Royal Opera House, Dresden, 26th January, 1911, and in London, January, 1913--both of which have added to the now world-wide reputation and appreciation of this highly-gifted composer.

His latest work, _Ariadne au Naxos_--a clever "freak" opera written as an incidental musical interlude to Molière's _Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme_--was produced in London at His Majesty's Theatre, on 27th May, 1913, having been heard previously at Stuttgart in October, 1912.

AMBROISE THOMAS

CHARLES AMBROISE THOMAS was born at Metz, 5th August, 1811; died at Paris, 12th February, 1896. Born of musical parents, he entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of seventeen, becoming director of that institute in 1871. In 1832 he won the Grand Prix de Rome; and whilst studying in Italy was very active as a composer. On his return from Rome he began to write operas, the first of which, _La Double Echelle_, produced at the Opéra Comique in 1837, met with considerable success. Others followed; and with _Le Caid_ (1849) and _Le Songe d'une Nuit d'été_ (1850), his name was finally established, and gained him a high place amongst French composers. The operas that followed met with little success; but in _Mignon_, produced at the Opéra Comique in 1866, the musical world recognised a masterpiece, and paid enthusiastic tribute to the genius of its composer. Other operas by Ambroise Thomas are:--_Hamlet_ (1868), _Le Cardinal de Venise_ (1857), _Raymond_ (1851), etc.

TSCHAIKOVSKY

PETER ILJTSCH TSCHAIKOVSKY was born in Wotkinsk, 7th May, 1840; died at St. Petersburg, 5th November, 1905. He early showed his bent for music, and though trained for the law, abandoned that profession, and, determining to study music alone, entered the Conservatoire at St. Petersburg, where he studied with Anton Rubinstein and Saremba. After studying three years in St. Petersburg, Tschaikovsky was appointed a teacher at the new Moscow Conservetorium, established by Nicholas Rubinstein, where he produced a number of orchestral works and three operas. His first opera, _The Voïevoda_, produced in Moscow in 1869, was a failure; and of the list of eleven operas which he produced, but a few retained lasting popularity, with the exception of _Vakoula the Blacksmith_, and _Eugene Onegin_. The latter is the most famous of all his works, and is still extremely popular in Russia, being full of delightful melodies. _Eugene Onegin_ was first produced in Moscow in 1879. Amongst his other operas are _The Enchantress_, _The Queen of Spades_; _Joan of Arc_, _Mazeppa_, _Iolanthe_, _Undine_, _The Oprichinki_. Besides these, Tschaikovsky wrote a great number of brilliant orchestral works, deservedly popular throughout Europe, being noted for their fine tone-colouring, spirit, and beauty of melody: amongst the most celebrated of these being the rich _Overture_ "1812," composed in memory of Nicholas Rubinstein, the _Fifth Symphony_ and the _Sixth Symphony_, _The Pathètique_.

VERDI

GIUSEPPE VERDI was born at Rancola, in the Duchy of Parma, Italy, 10th October, 1813; died at Busseto, in January, 1901. He received his musical education at Busseto and Milan. He was appointed organist at Rancola at the age of ten years; and when but twenty years old he became Director of the Philharmonic Society at Busseto. He settled in Milan in 1838, and there his first opera, _Oberto di San Bonifazio_, was produced at La Scala in 1839. The opera that first brought him European fame was _Ernani_ (1844). _Rigoletto_ was produced in 1851, and _Il Trovatore_ in 1853; and these two operas, through all changes of taste and style, still continue to hold their own in popular favour. He wrote many other operas, the best known of which are: _La Traviata_ (1853), _Aïda_ (1871), _Othello_ (1877), _Macbeth_ (1847), _Falstaff_ (1893), _I Lombardi_ (1843), _Un Ballo in Maschera_ (1859), _Simon Boccanegra_ (1857), _Les Vespres Siciliennes_ (1855), etc. His other works include a _Requiem Mass_ (1847), and other sacred compositions, etc.

WAGNER

RICHARD WAGNER was born at Leipzig on 22nd May, 1813; died at Venice, 13th February, 1883. He was educated at Dresden and Leipzig, where he also studied music. Poetry was a passion with him as a boy; and verse and play-writing occupied his mind until a great enthusiasm for Beethoven turned it into a musical direction. He was Musical Director at the Magdeburg Theatre from 1834-36, Conductor at Königsberg in 1836, Music Director at Riga in 1837-39, and lived in Paris in 1839-42, where he struggled in vain to obtain a footing. His opera _Rienzi_ was produced at Dresden in 1842 with a success which obtained for him the post of Kapellmeister at the opera-house there. _The Flying Dutchman_ was produced the following year at Dresden, and marked a new epoch in his artistic history. _Tannhäuser_, the first of his creations from the German myth-world, was also produced at Dresden in 1845. After this he got into pecuniary difficulties; and his sympathies also being with the revolutionary movement of 1849, he was proscribed, and escaped to Paris. By the efforts of Liszt, _Lohengrin_ was produced in 1850 at Weimar. After ten years of exile, Wagner was pardoned, and took up his residence at Munich, where King Ludwig of Bavaria became his enthusiastic and generous patron. _Tristan and Isolda_ was produced at Munich in 1865; and this genuine music-drama marked a new epoch in operatic art. _Die Meistersinger_ followed in 1868. Wagner was now world-famous, and his colossal genius began to receive the support it deserved. In 1872 his own great theatre at Bayreuth was founded; and upon its completion in 1876, his noble tetralogy, _Der Ring des Nibelungen_ was produced there. His last dramatic effort and crowning achievement, _Parsifal_, was produced at Bayreuth in 1882. Wagner's early years were full of struggle, opposition, and strife; but through all his disappointments he clung firmly to the new and great ideals of art he had formed, and in the end he conquered, his latter years being crowned with success and enthusiastic appreciation.

WALLACE

WILLIAM VINCENT WALLACE was born at Waterford, Ireland, 1st July, 1814; died at the château of Bayen, in the Haute-Garonne, France, 12th October, 1865. His father, a bandmaster, gave him his first instructions; and at an early age he could play most military instruments, besides being very proficient on the violin. At the age of fifteen he became Director of the Philharmonic Society in Dublin. In 1835 he set forth on a professional tour through Australia, New Zealand, India, South America, and the United States, meeting with enormous success as composer and performer. He was Director of Music at the Italian Theatre, Mexico, 1841-42. In 1845 _Maritana_ was produced in London, and shares with Balfe's _Bohemian Girl_ the highest popularity of any lyrical drama. Other well-known operas of Wallace's are: _Lurline_ (1860), _The Amber Witch_ (1861), _Matilda of Hungary_ (1847), _The Desert Flower_ (1863), etc.

VON WALTERSHAUSEN

HERMANN WOLFGANG VON WALTERSHAUSEN was born in Göttingen in 1882, and was the son of a Strasburg Professor of National Economics, A. Sartorius von Waltershausen, being descended from a well-known Göttingen family of scientists. He was the pupil of I. Erb, in Strasburg, Elsass, and Ludwig Thuille, afterwards passing to the University of Munich, where he studied in particular the History of Art and also made a special study of the characteristics of the German peoples. His first musical work was the unpublished music-drama, _Pelegrino_, and his second effort was _Else Klapperzehen_, a musical comedy dealing with a farcical subject taken from the German Middle Ages, and which was produced in May, 1909, by Ernst von Schuch at the Court Theatre, Munich, with success. His third work, the musical tragedy, _Oberst Chabert_, was given under the conductorship of Hans Schilling-Ziemssens Leitung, 18th January, 1912, and, being immediately successful, found its way very quickly into all the more important theatres. In addition to these works, Herr von Waltershausen has also written purely literary works, amongst others the Festival Play, _Die Abschiedssyphonie_, produced in Munich in 1908, the comedy in verse, _Heidhart Fuchs von Reuenthal_, as well as portions of a translation of Horace in very modern form. Herr von Waltershausen resides in Munich.

WOLF-FERRARI

ERMANNI WOLF-FERRARI was born 12th January, 1876, at Venice. He studied under Rheinberge at Munich from 1893 to 1895; and in 1902 he was appointed Director of the Liceo Benedetto Marcello in Venice, from which position he resigned in 1909, as he desired to live in Germany. He produced his first opera, _La Sulamita_, at Venice in 1889 before he went to Munich, this work being the result of his own self-teaching. Other operas followed: _Cenerentola_, produced at Venice in 1902; _Le Donne Curiose_, in 1903, this latter opera having been recently produced with success in America. His fine cantata, _La Vita Nuova_, dealing with the subject of Dante and Beatrice, was brought out in 1903. A light opera, _The Secret of Susanna_, followed this, and was produced in England in 1911; and his dramatic opera, _The Jewels of the Madonna_, was given in England during the summer of 1912.

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF OPERAS

OPERA COMPOSER PAGE

Aïda Verdi 377

Barber of Seville, The
(_Il Barbiere di Seviglia_) Rossini 282

Bohème, La Puccini 255

Bohemian Girl, The Balfe 14

Carmen Bizet 62

Cavalleria Rusticana
(_Rustic Chivalry_) Mascagni 165

Chabert, Colonel
(_Oberst Chabert_) Waltershausen 513

Daughter of the Regiment, The
(_La Figlia del Reggimento_) Donizetti 87

Don Juan (_Don Giovanni_) Mozart 217

Elektra Strauss 301

Ernani Verdi 328

Eugene Onegin Tschaikovsky 318

Faust Gounod 105

Fidelio Beethoven 28

Figaro, The Marriage of
(_Le Nozze di Figaro_) Mozart 206

Flying Dutchman, The
(_Der Fliegende Holländer_) Wagner 397

Fra Diavolo Auber 1

Huguenots, The
(_Les Huguenots_) Meyerbeer 180

Jewels of the Madonna, The
(_I Gioielli della Madonna_) Wolf-Ferrari 524

Jewess, The (_La Juive_) Halèvy 135

Königskinder, Die
(_The Kingly Children_) Humperdinck 143

Lily of Killarney, The Benedict 52

Lohengrin Wagner 418

Lucia di Lammermoor Donizetti 80

Lucrezia Borgia Donizetti 73

Lurline Wallace 508

Madam Butterfly Puccini 270

Manon Lescaut Puccini 247

Maritana Wallace 495

Martha Flotow 95

Masked Ball, The
(_Un Ballo in Maschera_) Verdi 370

Mastersingers of Nuremberg, The
(_Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg_) Wagner 438

Merry Wives of Windsor, The Nicolai 229

Mignon Thomas 307

Othello Verdi 390

Pagliacci, (_The Mountebanks_) Leoncavallo 158

Parsifal Wagner 480

Philemon and Baucis Gounod 115

Puritani, I Bellini 46

Robert the Devil
(_Robert le Diable_) Meyerbeer 171

Romeo and Juliet Gounod 125

Rosenkavalier, Der
(_The Rose-Bearer_) Strauss 289

Rhinegold, The (_Das Rheingold_)--Part I.
of "The Nibelungs' Ring"
(_Der Ring der Nibelungen_) Wagner 449

Rigoletto Verdi 337

Siegfried--Part III. of "The Nibelungs' Ring"
(_Der Ring der Nibelungen_) Wagner 464

Sonnambula, La Bellini 38

Star of the North, The
(_L'Etoile du Nord_) Meyerbeer 192

Tales of Hoffmann, The
(_Les Contes d'Hoffmann_) Offenbach 238

Tannhäuser Wagner 406

Traviata, La Verdi 361

Tristan and Isolda Wagner 429

Trovatore, Il, or, The Gipsy's Vengeance
(_The Troubadour_) Verdi 348

Twilight of the Gods, The
(_Die Götterdämmerung_)--Part IV. of
"The Nibelungs' Ring"
(_Der Ring der Nibelungen_) Wagner 472

Valkyrie, The (_Die Walküre_)--Part II. of
"The Nibelungs' Ring"
(_Der Ring der Nibelungen_) Wagner 455

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY
THE NORTHUMBERLAND PRESS LIMITED, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE

* * * * *

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:

Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

A number of words in this book have both hyphenated and non-hyphenated variants. For the words with both variants present the one more used has been kept.

Obvious punctuation and other printing errors have been corrected.

The Italian title of Verdi's opera "The Masked Ball" has been changed to "Un Ballo in Maschera", which is the correct Italian title of the opera.

The correct name of one of the characters of Donizetti's opera "Lucrezia Borgia" is Gennaro and not Genarro as was printed in the book. It has been changed. The modification makes the spelling consistent with the one from the opera "The Jewels of the Madonna," which is also described in the book.

The book cover was modified by the Transcriber and has been added to the public domain.