MUSIC, RECENT PROGRESS OF. 



599 



character of the single situations with admi- 

 rable truthfulness; suggested by the subject, 

 the chorus in this opera assumes great promi- 

 nence. u Enzio von Hohenstaufen," by Josef 

 Abert (Stuttgart). "Melusine," by Karl Gram- 

 mann (Wiesbaden). " Golo," a romantic opera 

 in a prelude and three acts, by Bernhard Scbolz 

 (Weimar, May 9 ; Frankfort, Nuremberg, Cas- 

 sel, Co burg, October 3 ; Dresden, December) ; 

 libretto, after Ludwig Tieck's tragedy of "Ge- 

 noveva," by the composer, who in this work 

 happily combines the musical forms of the 

 older opera with the best features of Wag- 

 ner's style. " Die schone Melusine," a romantic 

 opera in three acts and a prelude, by Theodor 

 Hentschel (Bremen, November 17). " La Perle 

 du Bresil," by F61icien David (Brussels). "La 

 Halte du Roi," by Adrien Boieldieu (Rouen, 

 December 16, on the centennial celebration of 

 his father's birth). " Sardanapalus," by Fa- 

 minzin (St. Petersburg, December 5); "De 

 Keizer bij de Boeren," by Charles Myry (Brus- 

 sels, Flemish Theatre, December 27). There 

 was an abundance of new Italian operas (50), 

 but only in rare instances did a work obtain 

 more than local success. 



Of comic operas we may notice: "A-Ing- 

 Fo-Hi," by Wtierst (Berlin and Mannheim); 

 "Das Goldene Kreuz," in two acts, by Ig- 

 natz Briill (Berlin, December 22), libretto 

 from the French of Melville, by Mosenthal ; 

 " Angela oder das Traumbild," romantic- 

 comic opera in four acts, by Th. Stauffer 

 (Zurich, December 8); "Carmen," in four 

 acts, by Georges Bizet (Paris, March 3 ; Vien- 

 na, October 23), libretto by Meilhac and 

 Hal6vy, after M6rimee's novel. The music, 

 frequently aspiring to grand opera, reveals a 

 good deal of melodious freshness and energy 

 of expression; many peculiar turns in har- 

 mony and rhythm keep up the interest and 

 lend a charm even to the weaker passages. 

 Especially effective are the choral and dancing 

 numbers and the songs adapted from original 

 Spanish melodies, although a superfluity of 

 this local coloring, with its quaint intervals 

 and transitions, is apt to tire the listener, seem- 

 ing at the same time forced and far-fetched. 



The light-hearted tribe of operettas was 

 scantily represented ; the most successful were 

 " Cagliostro," "Indigo," and "Die Fleder- 

 mau," by Strauss, which, first produced in 

 Vienna, found their way north, across the 

 Rhine, and over the Alps, to Berlin, Paris, and 

 Naples. 



1876. The representation of the musical 

 drama at Baireuth made this year one of great 

 significance to all lovers of music. (See " An- 

 nual Cyclopaedia " for that year.) Other new 

 operas performed were: "Die Hochlander," a 

 historic-romantic opera in four acts, by Franz 

 von Holstein (Mannheim, January), libretto 

 by the composer; the subject of the opera, 

 which was favorably received, is the last at- 

 tempt of the Stuart faction to raise the pre- 

 tender Charles Edward in 1745-'46 ; " Irmin- 



gard," by Victor Nessler (Leipsic, April) ; 

 " Wanda," by Dvorak (Prague, April) ; " Lied- 

 erik," by Jozef Mertens (Amsterdam); "An- 

 gelo," by Cesar Cuy (February), libretto after 

 drama by Victor Hugo ; " Wakula, the Smith," 

 in three acts and eight tableaux, by Tschaikow- 

 sky (December 6, both in St. Petersburg). The 

 number of operas produced in Italy was legion ; 

 we will mention only : " La Fleur de Harlem," 

 by Flptow (Turin) ; " Sara," by Gibelli (Milan, 

 with indifferent success, while at Alessandria 

 the composer was called out twenty-two times). 



Comic operas : " Piccolino," by Guiraud ; 

 "Le Roi d'Yvetot," by Le Vasseur; "Kosiki," 

 by Lecocq (all in Paris) ; " Maria de Burgondi," 

 by Charles Miry (Brussels); "Princess Toto," 

 by Frederic Clay (London); "Faublas," by 

 Wuerst (Breslau, Konigsberg); "Der Seeca- 

 det," by Genee (Vienna). 



Operettas : " Fatinitza," by Franz von Suppe 

 (Vienna, Pesth, Trieste, Graz, Cologne, Berlin, 

 Hamburg), was the most successful. As a cu- 

 riosity, we must mention the performance of a 

 Turkish operetta, "Leblebidji Horhor Agha," 

 by the Impresario of the Tschohadji'an troupe 

 at Constantinople. The music, although built, 

 in part, upon Turkish motives, is shaped en- 

 tirely after Italian models, the scene being laid 

 in the time of the Janizaries ; a luxurious dis- 

 play of costumes was calculated to attract a 

 public more fond of pageantry than fastidious 

 in its musical taste. 



18T7. Operas: "Le Timbre d' Argent," by 

 Saint-Saens (Paris, Theatre-Lyrique, February 

 23), libretto by Barbier and Carre ; the work 

 was composed ten years ago, and has no de- 

 cided style, still it was performed with all the 

 signs of success; "Cinq-Mars," in four acts, 

 by Gounod (Paris, Op6ra-Comique, April 5), 

 libretto by Poirson and Gallet, after the novel 

 of Alfred de Vigny ; favorably received and 

 several times repeated ; " Le Roi de Lahore," 

 in five acts, by Massenet (Paris, Grand Opera, 

 April 27), libretto by Gallet ; the opera, with 

 a mise en scene in Oriental splendor surpassing 

 anything ever before witnessed in Paris, met 

 with a decided success; "Der Trompeter von 

 Sackingen," by Bernhard Scholz (Wiesbaden) ; 

 "Francesca da Rimini," in three acts, by Her- 

 mann Gotz (Mannheim, September 10), libretto 

 by the composer ; the music is full of dramat- 

 ic effect, and was warmly applauded; "Der 

 Landfriede," in three acts, by Brull (Vienna, 

 October 4, Berlin and Munich, October 18 and 

 19), libretto by Mosenthal, after Bauernfeld's 

 comedy; " Armin," heroic opera in five acts, 

 by Heinrich Hofmann (Dresden, October 14, 

 and Hamburg), very effective, and was warmly 

 received ; " Siinson et Dalila," in three acts, 

 by Saint-Saens (Weimar, December 2), libretto 

 by Ferdinand Lemaire ; " Heinrich der Lowe," 

 in four acts, by Edmund Kretschmer (Leipsic, 

 December 8), libretto by the composer; met 

 with an enthusiastic reception. 



Comic operas: "Nanon," by RichaYd Gene"e 

 (Vienna) ; " La Surprise de 1'Amour," by Fer- 



