Act III. Not until after long wanderings through the wilderness,

however, is it that _Parsifal_ once more finds himself on the outskirts of the Grail forest. Clad from head to foot in black armour, his visor closed, the Holy Spear in his hand, he approaches the spot where _Gurnemanz_, now grown very old, still holds watch, while _Kundry_, again in coarse garb, but grown strangely pale and gentle, humbly serves the brotherhood. It is Good Friday morn, and peace rests upon the forest.

_Kundry_ is the first to discern the approach of the black knight. From the tender exaltation of her mien, as she draws _Gurnemanz's_ look toward the silent figure, it is apparent that she divines who it is and why he comes. To _Gurnemanz_, however, he is but an armed intruder on sanctified ground and upon a holy day, and, as the black knight seats himself on a little knoll near a spring and remains silent, the old warder chides him for his offence. Tranquilly the knight rises, thrusts the Spear he bears into the ground before him, lays down his sword and shield before it, opens his helmet, and, removing it from his head, places it with the other arms, and then himself kneels in silent prayer before the Spear. Surprise, recognition of man and weapon, and deep emotion succeed each other on _Gurnemanz's_ face. Gently he raises _Parsifal_ from his kneeling posture, once more seats him on the knoll by the spring, loosens his greaves and corselet, and then places upon him the coat of mail and mantle of the knights of the Grail, while _Kundry_, drawing a golden flask from her bosom anoints his feet and dries them with her loosened hair. Then _Gurnemanz_ takes from her the flask, and, pouring its contents upon _Parsifal's_ head, anoints him king of the knights of the Grail. The new king performs his first office by taking up water from the spring in the hollow of his hand and baptizing _Kundry_, whose eyes, suffused with tears, are raised to him in gentle rapture.

Here is heard the stately =Motive of Baptism=:

[Music]

The "Good Friday Spell," one of Wagner's most beautiful mood paintings in tone color, is the most prominent episode in these scenes.

[Music]

Once more _Gurnemanz_, _Kundry_ now following, leads the way toward the castle of the Grail. _Amfortas's_ aged father, _Titurel_, uncomforted by the vision of the Grail, which _Amfortas_, in his passionate contrition, deems himself too sullied to unveil, has died, and the knights having gathered in the great hall, _Titurel's_ bier is borne in solemn procession and placed upon a catafalque before _Amfortas's_ couch.

"Uncover the shrine!" shout the knights, pressing upon _Amfortas_. For answer, and in a paroxysm of despair, he springs up, tears his garments asunder and shows his open wound. "Slay me!" he cries. "Take up your weapons! Bury your sword-blades deep--deep in me, to the hilts! Kill me, and so kill the pain that tortures me!"

As _Amfortas_ stands there in an ecstasy of pain, _Parsifal_ enters, and, quietly advancing, touches the wound with the point of the Spear.

"One weapon only serves to staunch your wounded side--the one that struck it."

_Amfortas's_ torture changes to highest rapture. The shrine is opened and _Parsifal_, taking the Grail, which again radiates with light, waves it gently to and fro, as _Amfortas_ and all the knights kneel in homage to him, while _Kundry_, gazing up to him in gratitude, sinks gently into the sleep of death and forgiveness for which she has longed.

The music of this entire scene floats upon ethereal _arpeggios_. The Motive of Faith especially is exquisitely accompanied, its spiritual harmonies finally appearing in this form.

[Music]

There are also heard the Motives of Prophecy and of the Sacrament, as the knights on the stage and the youths and boys in the dome chant. The Grail Motive, which is prominent throughout the scene, rises as if in a spirit of gentle religious triumph and brings, with the Sacrament Motive, the work to a close.

Gioachino Antonio Rossini

(1792-1868)

It would be difficult to persuade any one today that Rossini was a reformer of opera. But his instrumentation, excessively simple as it seems to us, was regarded, by his contemporaries, as distracting too much attention from the voices. This was one of the reasons his _Semiramide_ was coolly received at its production in Venice, 1823.

But however simple, not to say primitive, the instrumentation of his Italian operas now strikes us, he made one great innovation in opera for which we readily can grant him recognition as a reformer. He dispensed with _secco_ recitative, the so-called "dry" recitative, which I have mentioned as a drawback to the operatic scores of Mozart. For this Rossini substituted a more dramatic recital of the text leading up to the vocal numbers, and accompanied it with such instruments, or combinations of instruments even to full orchestra, as he considered necessary. We accept a well accompanied recitative in opera as a matter of course. But in its day it was a bold step forward, and Rossini should receive full credit for it. Indeed it will be found that nearly all composers, whose works survive in the repertoire, instead of tamely accepting the routine of workmanship in opera, as inherited from their predecessors, had ideas of their own, which they put into effect, sometimes at the temporary sacrifice of popularity. Gluck and Wagner, especially the latter, were extreme types of the musical reformer. Compared with them Rossini was mild. But his merits should be conceded, and gratefully.

Rossini often is spoken of as the "Swan of Pesaro," where he was born. His mother sang _buffa_ rôles in a travelling opera troupe, in the orchestra of which his father was a horn player. After previous musical instruction in Bologna, he was turned over to Angelo Tesei, sang in church and afterwards travelled with his parents both as singer and accompanist, thus gaining at first hand valuable experience in matters operatic. In 1807 he entered the Liceo (conservatory) at Bologna, studying 'cello under Cavedagni and composition with Padre Mattei. By 1810 already he was able to bring out in Venice, and with applause, a one act comedy opera, "La Cambiale di Matrimonio." During 1812 he received commissions for no less than five light operas, scoring, in 1813, with his "Tancredi" his first success in the grand manner. There was scarcely a year now that did not see a work from his pen, sometimes two, until his "Guillaume Tell" was produced in Paris, 1829. This was an entire change of style from his earlier works, possibly, however, foreshadowed by his "Comte Ory," a revision of a previous score, and produced, as was his "Tell," at the Grand Opéra.

"Guillaume Tell" not only is written to a French libretto; it is in the French style of grand opera, in which the vocal melody is less ornate and the instrumental portion of the score more carefully considered than in the Italian.

During the remaining thirty-nine years of his life not another opera did Rossini compose. He appears deliberately to have formed this resolution in 1836, after hearing "Les Huguenots" by Meyerbeer, as if he considered it useless for him to attempt to rival that composer. He resided in Bologna and Florence until 1855, then in Paris, or near there, dying at Ruelle.

He presents the strange spectacle of a successful composer of opera, who lived to be seventy-six, abruptly closing his dramatic career at thirty-seven.

IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE

Opera in two acts, by Rossini; text by Cesare Sterbini, founded on Beaumarchais. Produced, Argentina Theatre, Rome, February 5, 1816; London, King's Theatre, March 10, 1818. Paris, in Italian, 1819; in French, 1824. New York, in English, at the Park Theatre, May 3, 1819, with Thomas Phillipps and Miss Leesugg, as _Almaviva_ and _Rosina_; in Italian, at the Park Theatre, November 29, 1825, with Manuel Garcia, the elder, as _Almaviva_; Manuel Garcia, the younger, _Figaro_; Signorina Garcia (afterwards the famous Malibran), _Rosina_; Signor Rosick, _Dr. Bartolo_; Signor Angrisani, _Don Basilio_; Signor Crivelli, the younger, _Fiorello_, and Signora Garcia, _mère_, _Berta_. (See concluding paragraphs of this article.) Adelina Patti, Melba, Sembrich, Tetrazzini are among the prima donnas who have been familiar to opera lovers in this country as _Rosina_. Galli-Curci appeared in this rôle in Chicago, January 1, 1917.

CHARACTERS

COUNT ALMAVIVA _Tenor_ DOCTOR BARTOLO _Bass_ BASILIO, a Singing Teacher _Bass_ FIGARO, a Barber _Baritone_ FIORELLO, servant to the Count _Bass_ AMBROSIO, servant to the Doctor _Bass_ ROSINA, the Doctor's ward _Soprano_ BERTA (or MARCELLINA), Rosina's Governess _Soprano_

Notary, Constable, Musicians and Soldiers.

_Time_--Seventeenth Century.

_Place_--Seville, Spain.

Upon episodes in Beaumarchais's trilogy of "Figaro" comedies two composers, Mozart and Rossini, based operas that have long maintained their hold upon the repertoire. The three Beaumarchais comedies are "Le Barbier de Séville," "Le Mariage de Figaro," and "La Mère Coupable." Mozart selected the second of these, Rossini the first; so that although in point of composition Mozart's "Figaro" (May, 1786) antedates Rossini's "Barbiere" (February, 1816) by nearly thirty years, "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" precedes "Le Nozze di Figaro" in point of action. In both operas _Figaro_ is a prominent character, and, while the composers were of wholly different nationality and race, their music is genuinely and equally sparkling and witty. To attempt to decide between them by the flip of a coin would be "heads I win, tails you lose."

There is much to say about the first performance of "Il Barbiere di Siviglia"; also about the overture, the origin of _Almaviva's_ graceful solo, "Ecco ridente in cielo," and the music selected by prima donnas to sing in the "lesson scene" in the second act. But these details are better preceded by some information regarding the story and the music.

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