I 



LETTERS FROM A TRAVELLER AT BERLIN. 143 



thefe performances, procured the beft people, and 

 paid them great wages. He had his own componifts, 

 who were Italians, but caufed a few operas to be fet by 

 Graun, which, with thofe compofed by Haffe, he ef- 

 teemed beyond all others. The decorations were paint- 

 ed by the famous brothers Cagliari, and every thing 

 was in a royal ftyle. But thefe times are long lince 

 over ; the decorations indeed frill continue there, but 

 they are become old and very black ; the dfefles of all 

 the actors except thofe who play the principal perfona- 

 ges, are not allowed to be replaced by new ones, but 

 the old ones mult be made to fuffice ; the king has 

 never once been there for a conliderable number of 

 years, and I have been credibly allured, that the whole 

 together, even including the pay of the lingers, but 

 not the orcheftra, the opera does not ftand him yearly* 

 in above 20,000 dollars. Were it not for Concialini* 

 who mull ftill be reckoned a great linger, there Would 

 icarcely ever be an audience ; but even he is grown old 

 and negligent, and lings no longer with the fame fpirit, 

 as while the Mara was the prima donna. The prefent 

 is called Signora Carara, but is by far not equal to the 

 former ; the reft of the lingers, male and female, me- 

 rit no diftinguiihed notice here. The orcheilra is very 

 good ; this no man can deny : but it is highly defective 

 in an exact accord with the lingers, particularly in tile 

 chorufes, and thereby almofi the whole of the effect is 

 loft. The ballets are entirely modelled on the It aii an > 

 and are given as interludes between the acts ; it muft 

 be confefled, that we do not fee here fuch men and 

 women dancers, as render the parilian and kalian thea- 

 tres fo fame as. This is alio a confequence of the parli- 



mony 



