MUSIC, PROGRESS OF, IN 1888. 



583 



earthly happiness in the union with Arnoldo. 

 "Der'Stock im Eisen," in throe acts, by Pas- 

 quale Borri, after an old Vienna legend, music 

 by Franz Doppler (Vienna. Opera House, in 

 October); the extremely popular subject of the 

 old mysterious Vienna landmark secured at 

 the outset a favorable reception for this choreo- 

 graphic product, successfully accompanied by 

 the composer's music, which reaches its climax 

 in a waltz in the first act, and in the spirited 

 march of the finale. " La Korrigane, 7 ' a fantas- 

 tic ballet in two acts, by Francois Coppee, 

 music by Charles Wid<r (Paris. Opera, Decem- 

 ber l);"the libretto is based upon a popular 

 legend of Brittany, where Korrigane is the 

 name of some fairies who compel the belated 

 wanderer to dance with them in the moon- 

 light, and otherwise exert great magic power. 

 The mise-cn-*cene by Louis Merante. deserves 

 much credit, but the great success is mainly 

 due to the composer's poetic score, which rises 

 far above the level of ordinary ballet music. 



1881: Excelsior," a fantastic-allegorical 

 ballet, in six acts (eleven tableaux), by Man- 

 zotti (Milan, S.cala, in January), was greeted 

 with enthusiastic applause by the Milanese 

 public and critics: the fundamental idea of the 

 contest between the spirit of light and that of 

 darkness runs through the six acts of this spec- 

 tacular curiosity, in which several modern in- 

 ventions and discoveries play a part, carrying 

 the spectator into various countries, and end- 

 ing in a most brilliant apotheosis, intended to 

 represent the union of all nations through 

 modern science. ' In Versailles." a lyric- 

 choreographic tableau in one act, by Louis 

 Frappart, music by Franz Doppler (Vienna, 

 Opera House, March 9) ; the scene of this 

 charming conception being the court of Louis 

 XIV. ample opportunity was offered for the 

 display of gorgeous costumes, which, added 

 to the pretty dances and the graceful music, 

 secured for the novelty, a most favorable re- 

 ception. " Der Spielmann," by Telle. after a 

 sketch of Gauthier, music by J. Forster (Vi- 

 enna, Opera House, in June): the subject is 

 modeled partially after the well-known legend 

 of the rat-catcher, the music, especially of the 

 first part, has a good deal of merit, and was 

 much applauded. " Pygmalion," in three acts. 

 libretto and music by Prince J. Trubetzkoi 

 (Vienna, Opera House, November 22); the 

 end of the pretty fable in Ovid's narrative is 

 the starting-point in the ballet. The sculptor 

 is given a palm-branch, whose touch imparts 

 life to his creation, but which, when broken, 

 changes the living again into a statue : an 

 Egyptian king, who is present at the miracle 

 falls in love with the maiden, and carries her 

 off to make her his queen, but Pygmalion ap- 

 pears with the palm-branch, breaks it, and life 

 vanishes from the blooming form. She is re- 

 vived by the goddess, who, rejecting the cruel 

 artist, ascends heavenward with the beauty ; 

 the music, though pleasing, can hardly be called 

 original. 



1882: "Namonna," by Nuitter and Petipa, 

 music by Edouard Lalo (Paris, Opera, Marcli 

 6) ; the subject is borrowed from the charming 

 poem of Alfred de Mussel, in which the beau- 

 tiful slave Namouna appears repeatedly as the 

 guardian angel of her benefactor Ottavio, who 

 had given her her freedom ; neither libretto 

 nor music did justice to the poet's conception. 

 ' Melusine." by Carl Telle. after Moritz von 

 Schwind's well-known pictorial cycle, set to 

 music by Franz Doppler (Vienna, Opera House, 

 October 4), met with immediate and great suc- 

 The music of this composition is very at- 

 tractive and melodious, including many spirited 

 dances, and describing the situations very char- 

 acteristically. 



il 1883 : Les Poupees Electriques," music by 

 Frederic Barbier (Paris. Palace Theatre, mid- 

 dle of March). " La Vague." by Justament, 

 music by Victor Roger (Paris. Palace Theatre, 

 April 9). " Endymion," by Louis Gallet, mn- 

 sic by Albert Cohen (Paris, Cirque d'Hiver). 

 '* Die Assassinen." by Archduke Johann, music 

 by J. Forster (Vienna, Opera House, November 

 19) ; the scene is laid in the time of Frederick 

 II of Hohenstaufen, and the whole work, for 

 which the royal author had even made the 

 drawings for all the decorations, was greeted 

 with unanimous applause. " La Farandole," 

 music by Theodore Dubois (Paris, Opera, early 

 in December), obtained full and well-deserved 

 success; the action is simple and easily com- 

 prehensible, at the same time having its poetic 

 charm, and the music contains much that is 

 fine and ingenious. 



1884: " Nurjahd." in two acts, by Ch. Guil- 

 lemin, music by Eichelberg (Berlin, Ro>al Ope- 

 ra House, end of February ). " Der Vater der 

 Debutantin." anonymous, after the farce with 

 the same title, music by A. M. Willmer (Vienna, 

 Opera House, March 26). ' Ilarlekin als Elek- 

 triker,'' by Julius Price, music by Josef Hell- 

 mesberger, Jr., (ibid). "Die Rheinnixe." by 

 Annetta Balbo, music by Josef Miroslav Weber 

 (Wiesbaden). " Un'Avventura di Carnevale," 

 by Borri, music by Giorza (Milan, Teatro dal 

 Verme). ' Sakuntala," by Friedrich Uhl, aft- 

 er Kalidasa's drama, music by S. Bachrich 

 (Vienna. Opera House, in October), met with 

 tolerable success ; the music, abounding in 

 reminiscences, offers here and there an inde- 

 pendent trait, moving in piquant rhythms. In 

 the waltz and csardas the composer is at his 

 best, and it was altogether a happy thought to 

 associate the gypsy music, on this occasion, 

 with its Indian home. 



1885 : 4i Wiener Walzer," in three tableaux, 

 by Louis Frappart and Franz Gaul, the mu- 

 sic adapted by Josef Bayer (Vienna. Opera 

 House. January 10X was a successful attempt 

 to give in these tableaux a sketch of the his- 

 tory of the Vienna waltz ; the intermediate 

 music consisted of waltzes by Schubert, Josef 

 Lanner, and Johann Strauss (lather and son), 

 and the public greeted its old favorites with 

 enthusiastic applause. " Messalina," by Luigi 



