Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 35.djvu/86

Macfarren Quixote' (begun in 1841), and it was produced on 3 Feb. 1846 under Bunn's management at Drury Lane, with a libretto by the elder Macfarren. Macfarren had already made the acquaintance of Dr. Day, and staunchly championed Day's system of harmony, advocating and teaching it within the walls of the Royal Academy. Macfarren was consequently 'invited to discuss the question' of the system's orthodoxy before a board which consisted of his colleagues at the Academy. After a lively discussion Macfarren resigned his professorship and severed his connection with the Academy rather than abandon a theory which he felt to be sound. He was, however, reinstated in 1851, and permitted to teach any system he pleased.

In 1847, owing to continued failure of his eyesight, Macfarren visited an oculist in New York; but the results of the visit, which extended to some eighteen months, were not satisfactory. During his absence he worked much at composition, and completed an opera, 'Charles the Second,' with a libretto by Desmond Ryan; it was produced at the Princess's Theatre 27 Oct. 1849, E. J. Loder conducting, and immediately met with success, being played throughout the greater part of two seasons. In 1850 (Sunday Review, January 1888) the serenata 'The Sleeper Awakened,' the libretto written by John Oxenford, was performed at Her Majesty's Theatre (national concerts), Sims Reeves taking the part of Abou Hassan. Macfarren's next work of importance was the opera, 'Allan of Aberfeldy ' (libretto again by Oxenford), written for Bunn, manager of Drury Lane Theatre in 1861, but, just as the rehearsals were about to begin, Bunn again became bankrupt, and the opera was never produced. On 26 April 1863 the Harmonic Union gave at Exeter Hall the first performance of a cantata 'Lenora,' the libretto of which was an arrangement by Oxenford of a German ballade by Burger. Julius Benedict conducted, and the work was repeated at the Birmingham Festival under Costa in 1855. The following year witnessed the production of an overture to 'Hamlet' by the New Philharmonic Society, a full analysis of which was given in the programme. For the Bradford Festival of 1857 Macfarren wrote one of his best works, the cantata 'May Day,' Costa conducting. On 9 May 1860 a composition in similar form, entitled 'Christmas,' was produced by the London Musical Society under Alfred Mellon. Five months later one of Macfarren's greatest successes was achieved in the production of the opera 'Robin Hood' at Her Majesty's Theatre. E. T. Smith was the manager, Charles Hall the conductor, and Sims Reeves, Santley, and Madame Lemmens-Sherrington sang the principal parts. In his 'Life and Recollections ' Reeves writes that 'Macfarren composed the principal part in what is now recognised as that master's best opera, for myself.' The 'Musical World' of October 1860 speaks in glowing terms of the success of this work. It was during its composition, and probably owing to the great strain put upon him by it, that Macfarren's eyesight completely failed; henceforth he was compelled to dictate all his compositions and literary works to an amanuensis.

On the occasion of the marriage of the Prince of Wales, Macfarren wrote an allegorical masque, 'Freya's Gift,' to a libretto by Oxenford, for the Royal English Opera at Covent Garden, where it was performed on 10 March 1863, and in October of the same year German Reed commissioned him to compose an opera di camera, the result being 'Jessy Lea,' which was followed in 1864 by a work on similar lines entitled 'The Soldiers Legacy' (libretto by Oxenford). In the former work Madame Edith Wynne made her first public appearance as an opera singer.

The year 1864 was a very busy one, for, in addition to the work just mentioned, Macfarren wrote an opera to a libretto by Edward Fitzball, called 'She Stoops to Conquer,' which was produced at Covent Garden (Royal English Opera), 11 Feb., Alfred Mellon conducting; while another grand opera in four acts, 'Helvellyn' (libretto by Oxenford), was produced at Covent Garden, Mellon once more being the conductor; the orchestra being led by J. T. Carrodus, and Parepa and Lemmens-Sherrington sustaining principal parts. For some time after the production of these works Macfarren remained comparatively idle, the next compositions of importance being a setting of Christina Rossetti's 'Songs in a Cornfield' for female voices, which Leslie's Choir produced in 1868, and a cantata, 'Outward Bound' (libretto by Oxenford), written for the Norwich Festival of 1872.

With the exception of 'Kenilworth,' an opera written about 1880 for Madame Albani, but never produced, Macfarren thenceforth abandoned opera writing, and devoted himself to oratorio. His first work in this form was ' St. John the Baptist,' produced on 23 Oct. 1873 at the first Bristol Festival, the libretto being compiled by Dr. E. G. Monk. This composition was begun in 1870, and was to have been given at the Gloucester Festival in 1871, but, owing to some misunderstanding, Santley retired, and the composer withdrew his work. So pronounced was its success, however, in 1873, that Macfarren immediately received