Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/216

* MUSIC. 180 MUSIC. their attontion to the opera — not the foreign Ituliuii product, hut the national English opera. They even siieteeded in establishing a style of their own dilVerent from the tJerinan sini/spicl or the French ojicra comique. The spoken dia- logue occupied altogether too much space, and, although the musical numbers were not lacking in a certain freshness and melodious charm, they were utterly devoid of all dramatic expression. Hence this national opera died with its authors. The most prominent composers are: Arnc, Ar- nold. Dihdin. Storaee, Hook, Shield. XXI. Thr Fniuh Grand Opera (1774-1864).— A peculiarity of the l'"rench opera is the fact that several of the masters who have contributed most materially to its advancement were foreign born. After the death of Itameau. Frencli na- tional opera was at a standstill, during which time the Italian opera gained ground. Then a German. Gluck. appeared with his reforms. The success of his Iphigenie en Aulide in 1774 marks the beginning of a new era of French opera. The new style was taken up by two Italians, Cherubini and Spontini. who finally established the grand opera. Then native French composers began to take part. The characteristics of (his school are; the prevalence of tragic subjects; the absence of spoken dialogue; the great atten- tion paid to declamation, which very often degenerates into empty rhetoric and hollow bathos ; a heay orchestration, whose aim is for striking effects; arid elaborate ensembles and finales. The introduction of a ballet after the second act is indispensable. In the choice of subjects those taken from history are specially favored. This school may be divided into two periods, roughly separateil by the year 1830. The characteristics just mentioned ajiply more strictly to the second period (Meyerbeer) ; while the works of the first period, as a rule, are marked by a greater earnestness of jjurpose as far as the purely nuisical setting is concerned. The principal composers are: Gluck, Berton, Oossec, Cherubini, Lesueur, Spontini, Aubcr, Rossini (Tell). Meyerbeer, Hal^'y. See Oper.. XXII. The Freneh Opera Comique (c.l7tiO- 1870). — This school presents three sharjily marked i)eriods. The productions of the first period somewnat resemble the German sinfixpiel. The subjects are taken from everyday life or fairy tales. The secco-recitative of the Italian opera buffa gives place to the spoken dia- logue; for the aria is substituted the Freneh chnnxon. Tlie works of the second period (c.lSOO- .SO) show the inllucnce of German romanticism. The purely comic subjects are replaced by a mixture of comedy and romanticism. The music assumes a more serious character and better musical characterization is attained; the orches- tra becomes an important factor, and the en- semble is strongly influenced by that of the grand opi'ra. In fact, some of the masters of the grand opera belong equally to the opera romir/ur (Cherubini. .Auber, Hali'vy). In the works of the third period we find very often that the only comical thing about them is their designation as opera enmiqiie. Composers do not hesitate to choose tragic subjects. .And yet such works are called opera eomiqiie, because they differ from grand opera by the fact that there is spoken dialogue, Xothing can very well be more tracic than Bizet's Carmfn. But it contains spoken dialogue ; hence it Is op6ra comique. In op(ra comique there is generally a healthier musical atmosphere, less striving for mere efi'ect, more truthful dramatic expression, less artifi- ciality. The great masters of this school are: Philidor, Monsigny, Gretry, Cherubini, Mehul, Isouurd, Auljer, Boieldieu, Herold, Halfivy, A. Thomas, Bizet, Delibes. XXIII. The School of Bel Canto (181308).— We have seen that the opera in Italy declined rapidly after the middle of the eighteenth cen- tury. With the appearance of Rossini a new school may be said to begin. Even before him singing was the chief attraction; but his pred- ecessors relied upon the technical skill of the singers to please the audience. Rossini surpassed all Italian operatic composers before him in the ]iow('r of melcidic invention. It is this sensuous ch;irm of melody that distinguishes the school of the Bel Canto from the school of Decadence. Be- sides Rossini, the principal exponents of this style are Donizetti and Bellini. Of only second- ary importance are Gencrali. ilercadante, and Pacini. XXIV. The German Romcmtic School (1818- 80). — The German romantic opera was developed from the singspiel. Abuul the middle of the eight- eenth century witches, gnomes, ghosts, and all kinds of spirits were introduced into the singspiel, which thus gradually gave rise to a new kind, the Zauberoper (magic opera). Although the texts of the.se productions were silly, and the at- tention was distracted from the purely musical element to the .scenic decorations, yet this Zauber- op<r led opera into the realm of the tnysterious, l)hantastic. and wonderful, where it has scored its greatest triumphs. The real beginning of the Romantic School is marked bv the ajipearancc of Weber's Freisehiilz (1818)'. With the ap- pearance of romanticisni music becomes more and more the individual, subjective expression of each composer, so that it is exceedingly dilTieult to arrange composers into schools. One char- acteristic of the Romantic School in general is the great advance in orchestral tone-coloring over the classic masters, and a decided preference for dissonances. Not only (he different instruments become so many separate voices, but a distinc- tion is made even between (he various registers of (he sanu^ instrument. Harmony becomes great- ly cnriclied and is (he principal means of emo- tion.al expression, while rhythm assumes greater diversity and complexity. Music in general be- comes more intense ami passionate. The instru- mental composers at first fill the classical forms with romantic contents, and then originate new forms. In the field of dramatic music (he prin- cipal composers are; 'eber. S[)ohr, ^larscbner, T.ort/ing. Holstein. Kretschmer. Goldniark, G.'itz, Xessler, Briill, Those who devo(ed their energies to instrumen(al and choral works are; Spolir, Schumann, Mendelssohn. Tlie Iat(er master has much in common wi(h the classicists, and became the head of a school whose principal representa- tives are: Ililler. Reinecke, .ladassohn. The in- fluence of Sdunnatm is perceptible in another group of masters, of whom the most prominent are; Franz. 'olkmann. .Tensen, Huber. Midway between these (wo schools, and preservini.' cbar- ac(eristics of their own, are Raff and Rhein- lierL'er, XXV. Wagner — Linst — Iirahms (1S4307). — .Xmons the great German masters of (he nine- teenth century three stand forth .so prominently 1