Page:Rolland - A musical tour through the land of the past.djvu/143

Rh obeyed this tradition in his Almira, performed at Hamburg. There is also a rumour of a Singspiel by Keiser, dating back to 1710, entitled Leipzig Fair, and other performances of the same nature were given at that time. But the comic style was not really sanctioned in German music until Telemann's works were written; the only opera bouffe of Keiser's which has come down to us—Jodelet (1726), is subsequent to Telemann's works and is certainly inspired by them. Telemann had the comic spirit. He began by writing, in accordance with the taste of the time, little comic Lieder for the clown in opera. But this was not enough for him. He had a waggish tendency, as Herr Ottzenn has noted, to show the comic side of a figure or a situation in which the librettist had seen nothing that was not serious. And he was extremely skilful in delineating comic characters. His first opera, performed in Hamburg: The Patient Socrates (Der geduldige Sokrates) contains some capital scenes. The subject is the story of Socrates' domestic misfortunes. Considering that one bad wife was not enough, the librettist has generously allowed him two, who quarrel on the stage, while Socrates has to appease them. The duet of the scolds in the second act is amusing, and would still please an audience to-day.

The comic movement took definite shape more especially after 1724, as far as Hamburg is concerned. The opera was beginning to grow tedious; and attempts were made to import from Italy the comic