Page:Imperialdictiona03eadi Brandeis Vol3a.pdf/431

MEY die Natur," which was performed at the Singing Academy at Berlin in 1811; and, on the strength of its merits, he was appointed composer to the duke of Darmstadt. Another oratorio, or rather a sacred opera, of his composition, called "Jephthah," was produced at Munich in 1812, with small success. Meyerbeer went in 1813 to Vienna, where Hummel was at the summit of his popularity as a pianist, and we have the testimony of Czerny and Moscheles, that he was a successful rival to this eminent artist, winning equal applause, but with a style of playing peculiarly his own. In the same year he brought out there, what he accounted as his first opera, "Alcimeleck, oder die beiden Kalifen," founded on the story of the Sleeper Awakened, which, though indifferently received at Vienna, was reproduced at Stuttgart in 1814. Up to this date Meyerbeer's compositions are said to be (they are unknown in England) of a scholastic, if not of a pedantic character; referring to which, Salieri advised him to visit Italy, where he might gain such experience as would give him more fluency and grace of melody. Upon this counsel, he went to Venice, where Rossini's Tancredi was delighting all hearers, and he was quickly inoculated with the peculiarities of the universally favourite composer. Hearing everywhere the music of Rossini, he soon became an adept in his style, and in this adopted manner he wrote several operas, the first of which, "Romilda e Costanza," was given with great success at Padua, in 1818. It was followed by "Semiramide riconosciuta" at Turin, in 1819, and "Emma di Rosburgo" at Venice, in 1820. He took the opportunity of a visit to his native town, to reproduce this last opera there in 1821; but the influence—whether of the fame of its original success, or of the high consideration of the composer's family—which had induced its performance, could not secure its favorable reception. Meyerbeer was denounced by the journalists as a renegade from the German school in which he had been reared; the public adopted the opinion of the press, and the management of the theatre had such reason to be dissatisfied with the effect of the work, that when, subsequently, "Il Crociato" was spreading Meyerbeer's fame all over Europe, a performance of that opera could not be ventured in Berlin. His old associate and sincere friend, C. M. von Weber, particularly deplored Meyerbeer's defalcation from the path in which they had studied together, and in hopes of bringing him back to this, revived at Dresden his opera of "Alcimeleck," supposing that its favourable reception might rekindle the composer's higher aspirations; but the greater popularity than this work could yield, which he knew awaited him in Italy, hardened Meyerbeer's heart against Weber's good intentions. He wrote an opera for Berlin which, in consequence of the feeling raised against him, we need not wonder, was not produced. He returned to Milan, and brought out there in 1822 "Margherita d'Anjou," which, six or eight years later, was given in London; and in 1823 "L'Esule di Granata." His next composition was an opera for Rome in 1824, the performance of which was prevented by the sudden illness of the prima donna after the final rehearsal. The work that first brought the name of Meyerbeer into France and England, "Il Crociato in Egitto," was produced at Venice in the beginning of 1825, with even more success than any of his previous Italian operas. The chief character in this was written for Velluti, the last of a class of singers now, happily for music and for morals, extinct upon the stage, and his engagements in Paris and London induced the performance in these cities of the opera in which he appeared to special advantage; its reception here was such as has rarely met a work that has introduced a new composer. Meyerbeer disappeared from public life at the moment when he attained his first truly great popularity; and his marriage and the birth and death of his two children occurred in the interval of his seclusion. We may suppose that he looked upon the past as a term of apprenticeship to his art, which being completed, he must now begin the world for himself, and apply all he had acquired of experience in Italy, to the nurture and development of the peculiar views of dramatic music, which, if they have not led to the foundation of a new style, certainly give him marked individuality as a composer. He first went to Paris to attend the rehearsals of "Il Crociato," and he there conceived and matured the design which, with the collaboration of Scribe, the dramatist, was fulfilled in the opera of "Robert le Diable." Meyerbeer entered upon the composition of this work in 1828, bestowed immensely more labour upon it than upon any of his former productions, and completed it in July, 1830. The political disturbances of the time delayed its performance until November, 1831, when it was given at the Académie Royale. The period since the commencement of the opera had been employed to stimulate general curiosity with regard to it; the riches of Meyerbeer enabled him to command such magnificence of stage appointments as had never been seen, even in Paris; the singularity of the subject had its due effect in enforcing public attention; and the production of "Robert" was consequently a cause of such excitement in all musical and dramatic circles throughout the world, as was wholly unprecedented. The success of the opera was commensurate with the expectation that had been raised about it. "Robert" has been translated into every European language, and it continues to be a standard work in every permanent lyric theatre. The rare attractions of this opera induced the French manager to make arrangements with Meyerbeer for another, who set to work accordingly upon "Les Huguenots," pledging himself, under a penalty of 30,000 francs, to have it ready for performance at an appointed date. When this stated time was drawing near, his wife was taken ill, and was ordered into Italy for the restoration of her health: he besought a postponement of the period to which his contract bound him, in order that he might accompany the invalid; but this indulgence was refused, and he paid the forfeit. The disappointment in Paris was so great, however, and the interests of the theatre were so prejudiced thereby, that the management was obliged to return Meyerbeer the amount of his fine, and to beg him for the opera on his own terms and at his own time. It appeared at length in March, 1836, but did not at first realize the hopes that had been built upon it; how popular it has become need not be related. "Les Huguenots" was not played in London until 1842, when it was unsuccessfully given by a German company; and it did not take its stand here in general esteem until its production at the Royal Italian opera, by royal command, in 1848. "Robert," on the contrary, was given in a piratical form at each of the two principal English theatres within a few weeks of its original performance; and it was brought out at the King's theatre, in the following season, with the original singers, when Meyerbeer came to supervise its preparation. At the time when Mendelssohn received his appointment from the king of Prussia, in 1841, that famous patron of genius, proud also of another of his subjects who had won distinction in the same department of art, created, and conferred on Meyerbeer, the office of general director of music, which he held till his death. Meyerbeer's next important production was a cantata with scenic illustrations, called "La Festa alia Corte di Ferrara," which was written for a fête given by the king of Prussia in 1843. The opera of "Ein Feldlager in Schlesien" was written for the inauguration of the new opera house in Berlin, in 1844. It was reproduced at Vienna, with considerable modification, under the title of "Vielka," in 1847; and the chief portion of it was subsequently incorporated in the French opera of "L'Etoile du Nord." In 1846 Meyerbeer wrote music for "Struensee," a posthumous tragedy of his brother, Michael Beer, of which the overture has been played at the concerts of our Philharmonic Society. The latest of his grand French operas, "Le Prophéte," was produced at the Académie in April, 1849; it had been long written, and so also had "L'Africaine," which the composer still reserved, as he had till then withheld "Le Prophéte" for the want of a singer competent to the requirements of the principal character. The Italian version of this work was brought out in London in the July of the same year, when it was proposed that Meyerbeer should be present; but gossip says, in consequence of some jealousies in the theatre, he did not come. In the same year he produced at Berlin the "Bayerscher Schützen Marsch," a cantata for chorus and brass instruments, set to a poem of the reigning king, Louis of Bavaria; and in 1851 the music for the inauguration of the statue of Frederick the Great, and also some compositions to celebrate the silver wedding (the twenty-fifth wedding-day) of Frederick William IV. "L'Etoile du Nord" was given at the Opéra Comique in Paris, in February, 1854. The success in England of Meyerbeer's two last operas had been so great as to induce the management of the Italian theatre here, to engage the composer's assistance for the immediate reproduction of this work, as had been done in the case of "Le Prophéte." In this case the composer had to write recitatives for the Italian version, the opera having been originally represented with spoken dialogue, according to the constitution of the Opera Comique, and he came to superintend the rehearsals. Its