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MUSIC, PROGRESS OF. 



"LeVilli," by Puccini (Genoa, January, Trieste, 

 February 5) ; " Otello," by Verdi, libretto by 

 Arrigo Boito, after Shakespeare (Milan, Scala, 

 February 5), the great theatrical event, to which 

 the entire operatic world had looked forward 

 for months past, was attended by the elite of 

 society, the Italian artists and literati of dis- 

 tinction, a great number of foreign musical 

 celebrities, stage directors and managers, jour- 

 nalists, the reporters of all the cosmopolitan 

 papers, and amateurs from every quarter of 

 the globe. The ovations for the venerable mas- 

 ter increased after every act, and culminated 

 in the most enthusiastic applause at the close 

 of the performance, when the composer was 

 called forth countless times, and fairly over- 

 whelmed with floral offerings. Outside, the 

 populace unharnessed his horses, and drew the 

 carriage to his hotel, shouting " Evviva Verdi ! " 

 The music of this work appears strongly im- 

 bued with German, besides specifically Wag- 

 nerian influences. The second and fourth acts 

 are the most effective; in the latter the com- 

 poser evinces the highest inspiration. Desde- 

 mona's Willow Song, and Ave Maria are the 

 gems of the entire score. Much is to be said 

 also in praise of the libretto; "I Doria," by 

 Augusto Machado, libretto by Ghislanzoni, 

 after Schiller's " Fiesco " (Lisbon, Teatro San 

 Carlos, January); "Judith," by Karl GStze 

 (Magdeburg, February 17); "Cid," by Willy 

 Bohme (Dessau, February 18) ; " Quentin 

 Messis," by Karl Gopfarth (Weimar, February 

 24) ; " Merlin," by Philipp Rufer, libretto by 

 Dr. Ludwig Hofmann (Berlin, February 28); 

 "Notte d'Aprile," by Emilio Ferrari (Milan, 

 Teatro dal Verme, February) ; " Le Tintoret," 

 by Adolf Dietrich (Dijon, Grand-Theatre, Feb- 

 ruary); "Re Nala," by Antonio Smareglia 

 (Venice, Teatro alia Fenice, February) ; " Fleur 

 de Lotus," by Georges Fragerolle (Lyons, Ca- 

 sino des Arts, March); "Edelweiss," by Cas- 

 tracane (Verona, Teatro Filarmonico, March) ; 

 " Proserpine," by Saint-SaSns (Paris, Opera- 

 Comique, March 16), was a failure; " Giuditta," 

 by Falchi (Rome, Teatro Apollo, March) ; " La 

 Fiera," by D'Arienzo (Naples, Teatro Nuovo, 

 March) ; " De Bloemenbruid," Flemish opera, 

 by Franz van Herzeele, libretto by Emil van 

 Goethem (Ghent, Theatre Minard, March), met 

 with well-deserved success ; " Harold," by Karl 

 Pfeffer, libretto by Paul Krone (Vienna, April 

 3), was well received, and is a skillful work, 

 though lacking in dramatic effect; "Stenio," 

 by De Rey (Rocten, April); " Bluette," by 

 Louis Mayeur (The Hague, April) ; " Black- 

 eyed Susan," by Meyer-Lutz (Birmingham, 

 April); " Amilda," by Walter Borg (Alexan- 

 dria, Egypt, April) ; " Loreley," Finnish opera, 

 by Friedrich Pacius (Helsingfors, Alexandra 

 Theatre, April), met with enthusiastic recep- 

 tion ; the composer is seventy-six years old ; 

 " Colomba," by Pradeglia (Milan, Teatro dal 

 Verme, May) ; " Edvardo Stuart," by Cipriano 

 Pantoglio (Milan, Teatro Manzoni, May) ; 

 " Guerra allo Sposo," by Valentino (Naples, 



Teatro Nuovo) ; " Die Jungfrau von Orleans," 

 by Reznicek, libretto by the same, after Schil- 

 ler's drama (Prague, Deutsches Landestheater, 

 June 19); "Loreley" (composed twenty -six 

 years ago, but entirely remodeled), by Max 

 Brucli, libretto by Oscar Walther, after Geibel's 

 poem (Leipsic, Neues Stadttheater, September 

 9); "Alidor," by Janotta, a Neapolitan maestro 

 (San Paulo, Brazil) ; " Sciarolta," by Enrico 

 Mannheimer (Milan, Teatro dal Verme, Sep- 

 tember) ; " II Conte di Gleichen," by Salvatore 

 Anteri-Manzochi (Milan, October); "L'Agente 

 secreto," by Frangini (Florence, Teatro Alfieri, 

 October); "Robert Macaire," by George Fox 

 (Sydenham, Crystal Palace, October) ; " Der 

 Sturm," by Ernst Frank, libretto by J. V. Wid- 

 mann, after Shakespeare's "Tempest" (Han- 

 over, Hoftheater, October 15); " Faust," musi- 

 cal drama in four acts, and a prelude, by Hein- 

 rich Zollner, after Goethe (Munich, October 19), 

 with decided success ; " II Moro di Castiglia," 

 by Masciangelo (Lanciano, in the Abruzzi, 

 October) ; " Sardanapalo," by Libani (Turin, 

 October 20); "Lanzo," by Michael von Ogarev 

 (Lubeck, Stadttheater, October 20); "Lore- 

 ley," by Bartholdy, libretto by the same (Co- 

 penhagen, October 23) ; the opera is in the 

 style of Wagner, and was well received ; 

 " Tscharodeika " (" The Sorceress "), by Tschai- 

 kowski, libretto after the drama of " Schpas- 

 hinski " (St. Petersburg, November 1), con- 

 ducted by the composer, who was called out 

 repeatedly after every act ; " Schon Rotraut," 

 by Edmund Kretschmer, libretto by Johanna 

 Balz, based on the legend of King Ringang's 

 fair daughter (Dresden, November 6), was re- 

 ceived with much applause ; " Otto der Schutz," 

 by W. Rudnik (Landsberg an der Warthe, at a 

 concert, November 11), conducted by the com- 

 poser; " Murillo," by Ferdinand Langer (Mann- 

 heim, November 20), conducted by the com- 

 poser ; " Zaire," by Charles Lefebvre, libretto 

 by Paul Collin, after Voltaire (Lille, Novem- 

 ber); "Der wilde Jager," by A. Schulz, libretto 

 after Julius Wolff's epic poem (Brunswick, 

 November 27); " Stratonice," by Edmond Diet 

 (Paris, Menus- Plaisirs, November) ; " Fer- 

 nanda," by Ferruccio-Ferrari (Lucca, Novem- 

 ber, Pisa, Teatro Rossi, December) ; " Diana de 

 Spaar," by Adolphe David, libretto by Armand 

 Silvestre (Nantes, Grand-Theatre, December 3); 

 " La Loi jaune," by Mad. Pauline Thys (Liege, 

 Theatre des Pavillons-de-Flore, December). 



Comic operas : " Ruddygore, or The Witch's 

 Curse," by Arthur Sullivan (London, Savoy 

 Theatre, January 22) ; " Die Madchen von 

 Schilda," by Alban Fo'rster (Neustrelitz, Feb- 

 ruary 3), conducted by the composer; "La 

 Belle Etoile," by Henri Vaillard (Kennes, Feb- 

 ruary); "Mynheer Jan," by Jakobovski (Lon- 

 don, Comedy Theatre, March); "Le Me'decin 

 malgr6 lui," by Poise (Brussels, February) ; 

 " Le Carillon," by Julien Benard (Geneva, 

 Grand -Theatre, February) ; " Mondeszauber," 

 romantic comic opera, by Georg Riemen- 

 schneider, who also wrote the libretto (Posen, 



