Chapter I: Front Matter (1)

[Transcriber's note: the punctuation in this file is somewhat inconsistent. There are many commas and other punctuation where none appears to be needed, and vice versa. Syntax and grammar are occasionally shaky. Spelling and the use of accented characters are inconsistent. In general, only severe errors have been corrected.]

The

Standard-Operaglass

CONTAINING

THE DETAILED PLOTS

OF

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE CELEBRATED OPERAS

WITH CRITICAL

AND BIOGRAPHICAL REMARKS, DATES &c. &c.

BY

CHARLES ANNESLEY

THIRTY FIRST TO THIRTY THIRD THOUSAND REVISED

AND ENLARGED EDITION

DEDICATED TO THERESE MALTEN

KÖNIGL. SÄCHS. KAMMERSÄNGERIN

(with 2 portraits of Malten and Scheidemantel).

LONDON.
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & CO. LIMITED.
17a PATERN0STER ROW. 100 SOUTHWARK STREET.

DRESDEN. PARIS. NEW YORK.
CARL TITTMANN. BRENTANO'S. LEMCKE & BUECHNER
PRAGERSTRASSE 19. AVENUE DE L'OPÉRA 37. 11 EAST 17th STREET.

MAYENCE. LONDON. MILAN. PARIS.
SAARBACH'S NEWS EXCHANGE.

1911.

COPYRIGHT BY A. TITTMANN.

(Right of translation reserved.)

To

Therese Walten

Königlich Sächsische Kammersängerin

With profound admiration of her Genius

this little work is dedicated

by the Author.

{vii}

INDEX OF THE OPERAS.

Operas. Composers. Fol.

Abu Hassan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weber . . . . . . . 1
Africaine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meyerbeer . . . . . 3
Aïda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verdi . . . . . . . 8
Alessandro Stradella . . . . . . . . . Flotow . . . . . . 10
Armida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gluck . . . . . . . 12
Armorer (Waffenschmied) . . . . . . . Lortzing . . . . . 14
Ballo in Maschera . . . . . . . . . . Auler . . . . . . . 15
Barber of Bagdad . . . . . . . . . . . Cornelius . . . . . 18
Barbiere di Seviglia . . . . . . . . . Rossini . . . . . . 22
Benvenuto Cellini . . . . . . . . . . Berlins . . . . . . 25
By Order of His Highness . . . . . . . Keineckt . . . . . 30
Carlo Broschi (Teufel's Antheil) . . . Auber . . . . . . . 33
Carmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bizet . . . . . . . 36
Cavalleria Rusticana . . . . . . . . . Mascagni . . . . . 39
Cosi fan tutte . . . . . . . . . . . . Mozart . . . . . . 41
Czar and Zimmermann . . . . . . . . . Lortzing . . . . . 43
Dame Blanche . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boieldieu . . . . . 46
Demonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rubinstein . . . . 49
Domino Noir . . . . . . . . . . . . . Auber . . . . . . . 52
Don Carlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verdi . . . . . . . 54
Don Juan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mozart . . . . . . 57
Don Pasquale . . . . . . . . . . . . . Donizetti . . . . . 59
Dragons de Villars . . . . . . . . . . Maillart . . . . . 62
Dusk of the Gods . . . . . . . . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 68
Euryanthe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weber . . . . . . . 72
Falstaff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verdi . . . . . . . 75
Fidelio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beethoven . . . . . 78
Figlia del Reggimento . . . . . . . . Donizetti . . . . . 81

{viii}

Flying Dutchman . . . . . . . . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 84
Folkungs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kretschmer . . . . 87
Fra Diavolo . . . . . . . . . . . . . Auber . . . . . . . 90
Frauenlob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Becker . . . . . . 94
Freischütz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weber . . . . . . . 98
Friend Fritz . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mascagni . . . . . 102
Genoveva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Schumann . . . . . 105
Golden Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brüll . . . . . . . 108
Two Grenadiers . . . . . . . . . . . . Lortzing . . . . . 110
Hamlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas . . . . . . 114
Hansel and Gretel . . . . . . . . . . Humperdinck . . . . 116
Hans Heiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marschner . . . . . 121
Henry the Lion . . . . . . . . . . . . Kretschmer . . . . 125
Herrat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draeseke . . . . . 128
Hochzeitsmorgen . . . . . . . . . . . Kaskel . . . . . . 132
Huguenots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meyerbeer . . . . 134
Idle Hans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ritter . . . . . . 138
Idomeneus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mozart. . . . . . . 141
Jean de Paris . . . . . . . . . . . . Boieldieu . . . . . 145
Jessonda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spohr . . . . . . . 148
Ingrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grammann . . . . . 149
Iphigenia in Aulis . . . . . . . . . . Gluck . . . . . . . 157
Iphigenia in Tauris . . . . . . . . . Gluck . . . . . . . 153
Josef in Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . Méhul . . . . . . . 155
Irrlicht (will-o-the Wisp) . . . . . . Grammann . . . . . 158
Juive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Halévy . . . . . . 161
Junker Heinz (Sir Harry) . . . . . . . Perfall . . . . . . 164
King against his will . . . . . . . . Chabrier . . . . . 168
Lohengrin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 172
Lorle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Foerster . . . . . 176
Love's Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . Meyer-Helmund . . . 181
Lucia die Lammermoor . . . . . . . . . Donizetti . . . . . 183
Lucrezia Borgia . . . . . . . . . . . Donizetti . . . . . 185
Maccabees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rubinstein . . . . 188
Magic Flute . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mozart . . . . . . 191
Maidens of Schilda . . . . . . . . . . Foerster . . . . . 195

{ix}

Marga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pittrich . . . . . 199
Marguerite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gounod . . . . . . 201
Martha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flotow . . . . . . 203
Master-Singers of Nüremberg . . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 206
Master-Thief . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindner . . . . . . 211
Mason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Auber . . . . . . . 215
Melusine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grammann . . . . . 217
Merlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Goldmark . . . . . 222
Merry Wives of Windsor . . . . . . . . Nicolai . . . . . . 225
Mignon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas . . . . . . 228
Muette de Portici . . . . . . . . . . Auber . . . . . . . 230
Nachtlager von Granada (Night's Rest) Kreutzer . . . . . 233
Nibelung's Ring: I. Rhinegold . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 287
II. Walkyrie . . . . " . . . . . . 345
III. Siegfried . . . . " . . . . . . 307
IV. Dusk of the Gods " . . . . . . 68
Norma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bellini . . . . . . 234
Nozze di Figaro . . . . . . . . . . . Mozart . . . . . . 237
Nüremberg Doll . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam . . . . . . . 241
Oberon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weber . . . . . . . 244
Orfeo e Eurydice . . . . . . . . . . . Gluck . . . . . . . 248
Othello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verdi . . . . . . . 250
Pagliacci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leoncavallo . . . . 254
Parsifal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 258
Philemon and Baucis . . . . . . . . . Gounod . . . . . . 262
Pintos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weber . . . . . . . 264
Piper of Hameln . . . . . . . . . . . Nessler . . . . . . 268
Poacher (Wildschütz) . . . . . . . . . Lortzing . . . . . 272
Postilion of Longjumeau . . . . . . . Adam . . . . . . . 274
Preciosa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weber . . . . . . . 277
Prophète . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meyerbeer . . . . . 279
Queen of Sheba . . . . . . . . . . . . Goldmark . . . . . 283
Rhinegold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 287
Rienzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 290
Rigoletto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verdi . . . . . . . 292
Robert le Diable . . . . . . . . . . . Meyerbeer . . . . . 295

{x}

Roi l'a dit . . . . . . . . . . . . . Délibes . . . . . . 299
Romeo e Giulietta . . . . . . . . . . Gounod . . . . . . 303
Seraglio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mozart . . . . . . 305
Siegfried . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 307
Silvana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weber . . . . . . . 310
Somnambula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bellini . . . . . . 313
Taming of the Shrew . . . . . . . . . Goetz . . . . . . . 315
Tannhäuser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 316
Tell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rossini . . . . . . 321
Templar and the Jewess . . . . . . . . Marschner . . . . . 323
Traviata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verdi . . . . . . . 325
Tristan and Isolda . . . . . . . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 327
Trovatore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verdi . . . . . . . 330
Trumpeter of Saekkingen . . . . . . . Nessler . . . . . . 332
Undine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lortzing . . . . . 335
Urvasi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kiensl . . . . . . 338
Vampire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marschner . . . . . 341
Walkyrie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wagner . . . . . . 345
Zampa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Herold . . . . . . 348

Newly added.

Operas. Composers. Fol.

Apothecary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Haydn . . . . . . . 350
Djamileh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bizet . . . . . . . 354
Donna Diana . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reznicek . . . . . 357
Sold Bride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smetana . . . . . . 363

1897/98:

Ballo in Maschera . . . . . . . . . . Verdi . . . . . . . 368
The Cricket on the Hearth . . . . . . Goldmark . . . . . 372
The Evangelimann . . . . . . . . . . . Kiensl . . . . . . 376
Odysseus' Return . . . . . . . . . . . Bungert . . . . . . 380

1899:

Bearskin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Siegfr. Wagner . . 389
Cid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Cornelius . . 398
Kirke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bungert . . . . . . 403

{xi}

Added in 1900.

Delila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Camille Saint-Saëns 420
Departure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eugène d'Albert 417
Ernani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Giuseppe Verdi 410
Werther . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. E. F. Massenet 413

1901/2.

Nausikaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . August Bungert 423
Manru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. Paderewski 430
Feuersnot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Strauss 433
Hoffmann's Tales . . . . . . . . . . . Jacques Offenbach 437

1903/4.

Alpine King and the Misanthrope . . . Leo Blech 442
Manon Lescaut . . . . . . . . . . . . J. E. F. Massenet 449
Odysseus' Death . . . . . . . . . . . August Bungert 456
Tosca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Giacomo Puccini 462

1905/6.

Barfüssele . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Heuberger 469
Bohème . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Giacomo Puccini 475
Fledermaus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johann Strauss 479

1906.

Flauto Solo . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eugène d'Albert 484
Moloch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Max Schillings 490
Salome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Strauss 496

1907.

Die Schönen von Fogaras . . . . . . . Alfred Grünfeld 500
Tiefland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eugène d'Albert 506
Madame Butterfly . . . . . . . . . . . Giacomo Puccini 513

1908.

Acté . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joan Manén 518

1909.

Eugene Onegin . . . . . . . . . . . . P. J. Tschaikowsky 524
Elektra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Strauss 528
Versiegelt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leo Blech 533

{xii}

INDEX OF THE COMPOSERS.

Fol.

Adam (Adolphe) b. July 24th 1803 Paris, d. May 3rd 1856
Paris

1. Nuremberg Doll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
2. Postilion of Lonjumeau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Auber (Daniel François Esprit) b. Jan. 29th 1784 Caën
(Normandy), d. May 13th 1871 Paris

1. Ballo in Maschera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2. Carlo Broschi (Teufels Antheil) . . . . . . . . . . 33
3. Domino Noir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4. Fra Diavolo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
5. Mason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
6. Muette de Portici . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Becker (Reinhold) b. 1842 Adorf i. V. (Saxony)

Frauenlob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Bellini (Vincenzo) b. Nov. 3rd 1802 Catanea, d. Sept. 4th 1835
Puteaux n. Paris

1. Norma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
2. Somnambula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Beethoven (Ludwig van) b. Dec. 17th 1770 Bonn, d. March
26th 1827 Vienna

Fidelio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Berlioz (Hector) b. Dec. 11th 1803 Cote St. André (Dep. Isère),
d. March 9th 1869 Paris

Benvenuto Cellini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Bizet (Georges) b. Oct. 25th 1838 Paris, d. June 3rd 1875 Paris

1. Carmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2. Djamileh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354

{xiii}

Boieldieu (François Adrien) b. Dec. 15th 1775 Rouen, d.
Oct. 8th 1834 Paris

1. Dame Blanche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
2. Jean de Paris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Brüll (Ignaz) b. Nor. 7th 1846 Prossnitz (Moravia)

Golden Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Chabrier (Emanuel) b. Jan. 18th 1841 Ambert (Puy de Dôme)

A King against his will . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Cornelius (Peter) b. Dec. 24th 1824 Mayence, d. Oct. 28th
1874 (Munich)

Barber of Bagdad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Délibes (Leo) b. 1836 St. German du Val (Sarthe)

Le Roi l'a dit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Donizetti (Gaetano) b. Sept. 25th 1797 Bergamo, d. April 8th
1848 Bergamo

1. Don Pasquale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
2. Figlia del Reggimento . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
3. Lucia di Lammermoor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
4. Lucrezia Borgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Draeseke (Felix) b. October 7th 1835 Coburg

Herrat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Flotow (Friedrich von) b. April 27th 1812 Teutendorf (Mecklenburg)

1. Alessandro Stradella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2. Martha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Foerster (Alban) b. Oct. 23rd 1849 Reichenbach (Saxony)

1. Lorle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
2. Maidens of Schilda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Gluck (Christoph Willibald) b. July 4th 1714 Weidenwang
(Palatine) d. Nov. 25th 1787 Vienna

1. Armida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2. Iphigenia in Aulis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
3. Iphigenia in Tauris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
4. Orfeo e Eurydice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

{xiv}

Goetz (Hermann) b. Dec. 17th 1840 Konigsberg in Prussia,
d. Dec. 3rd 1876 Zurich

Taming of the Shrew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Goldmark (Karl) b. May 18th 1832 Keszthely (Hungaria)

1. Merlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
2. Queen of Sheba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Gounod (Charles François) b. June 17th 1818 Paris

1. Marguerite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
2. Philémon and Baucis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
3. Romeo e Giulietta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 803

Grammann (Karl) b. June 3rd 1844 Lübeck

1. Ingrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
2. Irrlicht . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
3. Melusine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Halévy (Jacques François Fromental) b. May 27th 1799 Paris,
d. March 17th 1862 Paris

Juive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Haydn (Josef) b. March 31st 1732 Rohrau d. May 31st 1809 Vienna

Apothecary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350

Herold (Louis Josef Ferdinand) b. Jan. 28th 1791 Paris,
d. Jan. 19th 1833 Paris

Zampa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

Humperdinck (Engelbert) b. Sept. 1st 1854 Siegburg on the Ahme

Hansel and Gretel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Kaskel (Karl) b. Oct. 10th 1866 Dresden

Hochzeitsmorgen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Kienzl (Wilhelm) b. Jan. 17th 1857 Weitzenkirchen (Austria)

Urvasi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338

Kretschmer (Edmund) b. Aug. 31st 1830 Ostritz (Saxony)

1. Folkungs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
2. Henry the Lion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Kreutzer (Conradin) b. Nov. 16th 1782 Moskirch (Baden),
d. Jan. 6th 1849 Riga

Nachtlager von Granada (Night's rest) . . . . . . . . . 233

{xv}

Leoncavallo (R.) b. 1859 Bologna

Pagliacci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Lindner (Eugen) b. Dec. 11th 1858 Leipzig, lives in Weimar

Master-Tief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Lortzing (Albert) b. Oct. 23rd 1803 Berlin, d. Jan. 20th 1851
Berlin

1. Armorer (Waffenschmied) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2. Czar and Zimmermann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
3. Two Grenadiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
4. Poacher (Wildschütz) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
5. Undine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

Maillart (Louis Aimé) b. March 24th 1817 Montpellier, d.
May 26th 1871 Moulins

Les Dragons de Villars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Marschner (Heinrich) b. Aug. 16th 1795 Zittau, d. Dec. 16th
1861 Hannover

1. Hans Heiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
2. Templar and Jewess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
3. The Vampire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Mascagni (Pietro) b. Dec. 7th 1863 Livorno

1. Cavalleria Rusticana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2. Friend Fritz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Méhul (Etienne Henri) b. June 22nd 1763 Givet, d. Oct. 18th
1817 (Paris)

Joseph in Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Meyerbeer (Jacob) b. Sept. 15th 1791 Berlin, d. May 1st 1864 Paris

1. Africaine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Huguenots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
3. Prophète . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
4. Robert le Diable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Meyer-Helmund (Erik) b. April 25th 1865 St. Petersburg

Love's Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Mozart (Wolfgang Amadeus) b. Jan. 27th 1756 Salzburg,
d. Dec. 5th 1791 Vienna

1. Cosi fan tutte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2. Don Juan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

{xvi}

3. Idomeneus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
4. Magic Flute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
5. Nozze di Figaro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
6. Seraglio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

Nessler (Victor) b. Jan. 28th 1841 Baldenheim (Alsace), d.
May 28th 1890 Strassburg

1. Piper of Hameln . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
2. Trumpeter of Saekkingen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

Nicolai (Otto) b. June 9th 1810 Königsberg, d. 1849 Berlin

Merry Wives of Windsor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Pitrich (Georg) b. Febr. 22nd 1870 Dresden

Marga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Perfall (Karl Freiherr von) b. Jan. 29th 1824 Munich

Junker Heinz (Sir Harry) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Reinecke (Carl) b. June 23rd 1824 Altona, since 1860 in Leipzig

By Order of His Highness (Auf hohen Befehl) . . . . . . 30

Reznicek (E. N. Freiherr von) b. May 4th 1861 Vienna

Donna Diana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 857

Ritter (Alexander) b. June 27th 1833 Narva (Russia)

Idle Hans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Rossini (Gioacchino Antonio) b. Feb. 29th 1792 Pesaro, d.
Nov. 13th 1868 Paris

1. Barbiere di Seviglia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2. Tell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Rubinstein (Anton) b. Nov. 30th 1830 Wechwotynetz (Moscou)
d. Nov. 25th 1894 Petersburgh

1. Demonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
2. Maccabees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Schumann (Robert) b. June 8th 1810 Zwickau, d. July 29th
1856 Endenich near Bonn

Genoveva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Smetana (Fredr.) b. March 2nd 1824 Leitomischl, d. May 12th
1884 Prague

Sold Bride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Spohr (Ludwig) b. April 5th 1784 Seesen, d. Nov. 22nd 1859 Kassel

Jessonda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

{xvii}

Thomas (Charles Louis Ambroise) b. August 5th 1811 Metz

1. Hamlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
2. Mignon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Verdi (Giuseppe) b. Oct. 9th 1814 Roncole (Lombardy)

1. Aïda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2. Don Carlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
3. Falstaff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4. Othello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
5. Rigoletto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
6. Traviata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
7. Trovatore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

Wagner (Richard) b. May 22nd 1813 Leipzig, d. Febr. 13th
1883 Venice

1. Dusk of the Gods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
2. Flying Dutchman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
3. Lohengrin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
4. Master-Singers of Nuremberg . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
5. Parsifal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
6. Rhinegold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
7. Rienzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
8. Siegfried . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
9. Tannhäuser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
10. Tristan and Isolda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
11. Walkyrie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

Weber (Carl Maria von) b. Dec. 18th 1786 Eutin, d. July 5th
1826 London

1. Abu Hassan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. Euryanthe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
3. Freischütz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
4. Oberon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
5. Three Pintos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
6. Preciosa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
7. Silvana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Bungert (August) b. March 14th 1846 Mühlheim (Ruhr)

Odysseus Return . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Kirke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408

{xviii}

Wagner (Siegfried) b. 1871 Bayreuth

Bearskin (Bärenhäuter) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

D'Albert (Eugène) b. April 10th 1864 Glasgow

The Departure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417

Massenet (Jules Emile Frédéric) b. May 12th 1842
Saint-Etienne (Dep. Loire)

Werther . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Saint-Saëns (Camille) b. October 9th 1835 Paris

Delila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420

Verdi (Giuseppe) b. Oct. 9th 1814 Roncole (Lombardy)

Ernani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410

Bungert (August) b. March 14th 1846 Mülheim (Ruhr)

Nausikaa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

Paderewski (Ignaz, Johann) b. November 6th 1859 Podolien (Poland)

Manru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430

Strauss (Richard) b. June 11th 1864 Munich

Feuersnot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433

Offenbach (Jacques) b. June 21st 1819 Cologne, d. October
5th 1880 Paris

Hoffmann's Tales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437

Blech (Leo) b. 1871 Aix la Chapelle

Alpine King and the Misanthrope . . . . . . . . . . . . 442

Bungert (August) b. March 14th 1846 Mülheim (Ruhr)

Odysseus' Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456

Massenet (Jules Emile Frédéric) b. May 12th 1842
Saint-Etienne (Dep. Loire)

Manon Lescaut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Puccini (Giacomo) b. December 22nd 1858 Lucca

Tosca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462

Heuberger (Richard) b. June 18th 1850 Graz (Styria)

Barfüssele . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469

Puccini (Giacomo) b. December 22nd 1858 Lucca

La Boheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475

Strauss (Johann, Son) b. October 25th 1825 Vienna,
d. June 3rd 1899

Fledermaus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479

{xix}

D'Albert (Eugène) b. April 10th 1864 Glasgow

Flauto Solo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484

Schillings (Max, Professor) b. April 19th 1868 Düren o. Rh.

Moloch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490

Strauss (Richard) b. June 11th 1864 Munich

Salome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

Grünfeld (Alfred) b. July 4th 1852 Prague

Die Schönen von Fogaras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500

D'Albert (Eugène) b. April 10th 1864 Glasgow

Tiefland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506

Puccini (Giacomo) b. December 22nd 1858 Lucca

Madame Butterfly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513

Manén (Joan) b. March 14th 1883, Barcelona

Acté . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518

Tschaikowsky (Peter Iljitsch) b. May 7th 1840 Wotkinsk
(Russia), d. November 6th 1893 Petersburg

Eugene Onegin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624

Strauss (Richard) b. June 11th 1864 Munich

Elektra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528

Blech (Leo) b. April 21st 1871 Aix la Chapelle

Versiegelt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533

{1}

ABU HASSAN.

Comic Opera in one act by WEBER.

Text by HIEMER.

This little opera, composed by Weber in his early youth and first represented at Dresden under the composer's own direction, for a time fell into utter oblivion, but has lately been reproduced.

Though short and unpretending it really deserves to be heard, the music is so full of sweetness, so fresh and pretty.

The text is taken from a tale of the Arabian Thousand and One Nights, and though full of nonsense, it amuses by its lightheartedness and gaiety of spirit.

Abu Hassan, favorite of the Calif of Bagdad, has lived above his means, and is now regaled with bread and water by his wife Fatima, whose only fault is, that she sings better than she cooks. In order to better his fortunes Abu Hassan hits upon a strange plan. He sends his wife to the Calif's wife, Zobeïde, to announce his (Hassan's) death, for which she will obtain 50 gold pieces and a piece of brocade. Fatima departs and in the meantime enter Abu Hassan's creditors with the appeal for money. Unable to satisfy them the debtor {2} approaches the eldest and richest among them, and so pacifies him with sweet words which he is given to understand Fatima has sent him, that old Omar consents to pay all the creditors.

When they are gone, Fatima returns with Zobeïde's presents, and Abu Hassan prepares to go in his turn to the Calif, in order to repeat a similar death-story about his wife and get a like sum. While he is away Omar reappears. He has bought all Hassan's accounts from his numerous creditors and offers them to Fatima for a kiss. At this moment the husband returns. Omar is shut into the adjoining cabinet, and the wife secretly points out the caged bird to her spouse who begins to storm at finding the door of the next room closed, greatly to the anguish of the old sinner Omar,--anguish, which is enjoyed by his tormentors to the full. In the midst of this scene Mesrur, messenger of the Calif, appears, to find out whether Fatima is really dead. The Calif and his wife having each received news of the death of the other's favorite, want to know, who it was, that died, and--if both are dead--who died first. The Calif affirms, that it is Fatima--his wife, that it is Abu Hassan. They have made a bet, and Mesrur, seeing Fatima lying motionless on the divan, covered with the brocade, and her husband in evident distress beside her, runs away to convey the tidings to the Calif. He is hardly gone, when Zobeïde's nurse, Zemrud comes on a similar errand from her mistress. Fatima, who has just covered her husband with {3} the brocade, receives her with tears and laments, and the nurse departs triumphantly.

Hassan presently comes to life again but he and Fatima are not long permitted to congratulate one another on the success of their scheme, for the arrival of the Calif with his wife is pompously announced. Both throw themselves on the divans, covering themselves, and so the august couple finds them dead. The Calif, much afflicted by the sight, offers 1000 gold pieces to anyone, who can tell him, which of the two died first. No sooner does Hassan hear this than tearing aside his cover, he throws himself at the Calif's feet, crying out: "It was I, who died first!" at the same time craving the Calif's pardon together with the gold pieces. Fatima is also speedily resuscitated and the Calif pardons his favorites, Hassan meanwhile asserting, that he only died badly, in order to live better. Omar, who has paid their bills in the hope of winning Fatima's love, is driven away in disgrace.

L'AFRICAINE.

Opera in five acts by MEYERBEER.

Text by E. SCRIBE, translated by GUMPERT.

L'Africaine, one of the Maëstro's last operas (1865), unites in itself all the strength and at the same time all the weakness of Meyerbeer's composition.

The music is easy flowing and enthralls us with its delicious melodies; but it only appeals to our senses, and nobler thoughts are altogether {4} wanting. Nevertheless the opera finds favor by reason of these advantages, which are supplemented by an interesting, though rather improbable libretto.

The famous Portuguese navigator Vasco de Gama (born in 1469) is the hero, though he does not appear in the best possible light, and is by no means strictly historical.

The first scene is laid in Lisbon. Donna Ines, Admiral Diego's daughter is to give her hand to Don Pedro, a counsellor of King Emmanuel of Portugal. But she has pledged her faith to Vasco de Gama, who has been sent with Diaz, the navigator, to double the Cape, in order to seek for a new land, containing treasures, similar to those discovered by Columbus. Reports have reached Lisbon, that the whole fleet has been destroyed, when suddenly Vasco de Gama appears before the assembled council of state.

He eloquently describes the dangers of the unknown seas near the Cape and gives an account of the shipwreck, from which he alone has escaped. He then places his maps before the council, endeavouring to prove, that beyond Africa there is another country, yet to be explored and conquered.

Vasco has on his way home picked up a man and a woman of an unknown race. Those slaves however stubbornly refuse to betray the name of their country, and a lively debate ensues between the Grand Inquisitor and the younger more enlightened members of the council, as to the course, which should be adopted with Vasco. At last, owing to {5} the irritation caused by his violent reproaches, fanaticism is victorious, and instead of being furnished with a ship to explore those unknown lands, he is thrown into prison, on the plea of his being a heretic, for having maintained the existence of countries which were not mentioned in the Holy Scriptures.

The second act takes place in a cell of the Inquisition, in which Vasco has been languishing for a month past, in the company of the strange slaves Nelusco and Selica. The latter has lost her heart to the proud Portuguese, who saved her and her companion from a slave-ship. But Vasco is only thinking of Ines, and Nelusco, who honors in Selica not only his Queen, but the woman of his love, tries to stab Vasco--the Christian, whom he hates with a deadly hatred. Selica hinders him and rouses the sleeping Vasco, who has been dreaming of and planning his voyage to the unknown country.