Daniel FranÇois Esprit Auber was born at Caen, Normandy, 29th January, 1782; died at Paris, 13th May, 1871. He was the son of a Paris print-seller, and was sent in early youth to acquire knowledge of business in London; and whilst in England he devoted himself assiduously to the study of music. On returning to Paris he began to compose operas; and with La BergÈre ChÂtelaine (1820), began a long and brilliant series of triumphs. His best-known operas are:—Fra Diavolo (1830), Les Diamants de la Couronne (1841), HaydÉe (1847), Manon Lescaut (1869), Le Cheval de Bronze (1835), etc.

BALFE

Michael William Balfe was born at Dublin, 15th May, 1808; died at Rowney Abbey, 20th October, 1870. He displayed remarkable musical talent as a boy; and when only sixteen conducted the orchestra at Drury Lane Theatre. Later he studied music in Italy; and in 1845 he was made conductor of the Italian Opera, Covent Garden. He wrote a great many operas, the best known of which are:—The Bohemian Girl (1843), The Rose of Castile (1857), Satanella (1858), The Maid of Honour (1847), Joan of Arc (1837), etc.

BEETHOVEN

Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest of musicians, was born at Bonn, 16th December, 1770; died 26th March, 1827. He was the son of a tenor singer in the service of the Elector of Cologne. His wonderful talent for music was early displayed and cultivated, and even in his eighth year he delighted all who heard him by his truly astonishing execution on the violin. He began to compose sonatas in his thirteenth year, and these promising signs of genius caused the Elector of Cologne to send him, in the character of his Court-Organist, to Vienna, to study composition under the instruction of Haydn, Schenk, and Albrechtsberger. Here, except for some few years spent in the new Court of the King of Westphalia, Beethoven passed the remainder of his life, latterly retiring to the village of Modlingen, near Vienna. Most of his principal works were composed after 1801. He did not hold musical offices, but devoted himself entirely to composition; and though at first he appeared as a pianoforte player, he afterwards withdrew entirely from the world, and lived in a solitude enhanced latterly by almost total deafness. Beethoven was essentially a composer of instrumental music, which received from his work an entirely new and original character, and he developed the symphonic art to a surprising boldness and breadth of form and outline, filling this in with a truly marvellous wealth of grand melody—the landmark of a completely new phase in the history of music. Beethoven only wrote one opera, Fidelio (first entitled Leonore), and one sacred cantata, The Mount of Olives; but, original and beautiful as these are, they still show us that this great musician was at his greatest in his instrumental works, upon which his chief fame rests. Besides his noble symphonies and overtures, his quintettes, quartettes, and trios, for stringed instruments, his numerous sonatas, variations, and other pieces for the pianoforte, all show the great richness, power, and originality of his imagination. Beethoven died in the village of Modlingen on 26th March, 1827.

BELLINI

Vincenzo Bellini was born in Catania, in Sicily, 3rd November, 1802; died at Puteux, near Paris, 24th September, 1835. He studied at the Conservatorium in Naples, and in 1833 went to Paris. He produced a number of operas, his style being chiefly founded on that of the then fashionable Rossini, but with the defects of that composer's florid work somewhat exaggerated. Rossini was, however, a good friend to the young Bellini, and gave him very valuable assistance and encouragement. Bellini's best known and most attractive operas are La Sonnambula (La Scala, 1831), Norma (26th December, 1831), and I Puritani (1835); all of which are full of melodious airs, and have attained great popularity.

BENEDICT

Sir Julius Benedict was born at Stuttgart, 27th November, 1804; died 5th June, 1885. In his early years he studied with J. C. L. Abeille, and was also under Hummel at Weimar, where he was presented to Weber, who then took him entirely under his charge, treating him more as a son than as a pupil. At the age of nineteen years, he was appointed conductor of the Karnthnerthor Theatre in Vienna. From there he went to Italy, and was appointed Chef d'Orchestre at the San Carlos at Naples. Here he produced his first opera, Giacinta ed Ernesto (1829). In 1835, he went to England, which country he made his home for the remainder of his life. Here his finest operas were written and produced, The Brides of Venice being produced in 1843, and The Crusaders, 1846; and in 1836 he was made musical director of the Opera Buffa at the Lyceum Theatre. In 1850, he accompanied Jenny Lind to the United States, as director of her concerts. On his return in 1852, he was appointed conductor of the Harmonic Union. In 1862 he produced his popular opera, The Lily of Killarney, a musical version of Dion Boucicault's play, The Colleen Bawn. In 1871 he was knighted; and he died in England on 5th June, 1885. Besides his operas, Benedict also wrote some very charming cantatas, chief of which are Undine (1860) and Richard Coeur de Lion (1863); also Graziella (1882), afterwards performed as an opera. He also wrote the oratorios, St. Cecilia (1866) and St. Peter (1870); and a number of other smaller musical pieces.

BIZET

Alexander CÉsar Leopold Bizet (known as Georges) was born at Paris on 25th October 1838; died 3rd June, 1875. The son of a singing-master, he entered the Conservatoire at the age of nine years; and at the early age of nineteen gained the Grand Prix de Rome, and went to Italy to study. On returning to France, Bizet began to write operas, the first of which PÊcheurs de Perles was produced at the ThÉÂtre Lyrique in 1863. It was but coldly received, as were also La Jolie Fille de Perth (1867), Djamileh (1872) and L'ArlÉsienne, in spite of their unusual merits. In 1875 Carmen was produced at the Opera Comique. This masterpiece quickly gained for Bizet world-wide fame, and placed him in the first rank of French composers. The Parisians, however, received the opera coldly; and it was not until eight years later, when it had been appraised everywhere else that they at last recognised its extraordinary charm and genius. Carmen was the last work of Bizet; for, three months after its first production, just as success was within his grasp, the gifted composer was seized with sudden illness and died.

DONIZETTI

Gaetano Donizetti was born at Bergamo, Italy, 25th September, 1798; died there 8th April, 1848. His musical education was conducted at Bologna and Naples; and at first, at his father's wish, he devoted himself to church music, for which, however, he had no taste, and to evade which he entered the army. Whilst thus away from home, he wrote his first two operas, Enrico di Borgogna and Il Falegname de Livonia, the latter of which was so successful that he left the army and devoted himself entirely to opera-writing. He wrote with great rapidity and ease, and produced no less than sixty operas. His style was founded on that of Rossini, and his flowing melodies have attained great popularity. After 1844, Donizetti's talent seemed to have utterly exhausted itself, and he began to suffer from melancholia, which finally developed into insanity. Donizetti's chief operas were: The Daughter of the Regiment (1840), La Favorita (1840), Don Pasquale (1843), Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), L'Elisir d'Amore (1832), Lucrezia Borgia (1834), Linda de Chamouni (1842), etc.

FLOTOW

Friedrich von Flotow was born at Teutondorf, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 26th April, 1812; died at Darmstadt, 23rd January, 1883. He received his musical education at Paris, where he early began to write operas. His first real success was scored with Stradella, produced at Hamburg in 1844. Martha was produced in 1847, and quickly won the composer world-wide fame. It was produced in England at the Royal Italian Opera in 1858, and instantly obtained popularity with the English public. Flotow wrote several other operas, none of which are well known in England.

GOUNOD

Charles FranÇois Gounod was born at Paris, 17th June, 1818; died there 18th October, 1893. He entered the Conservatoire in 1836, and took the Grand Prix de Rome in 1839. In Rome he was appointed Honorary Maestre di Capella for life. After several years of study, he produced his Messe Solennelle in G, some portions of which were brought out in London in 1851. He held in Paris, from 1852-60, the post of conductor of the OrphÉon. He wrote operas from 1851. Faust was produced at the Theatre Lyrique in 1859, and placed him at once in the first rank of his profession. Amongst his other best known operas are:—RomÉo et Juliette (1867), Sapho (1851), Philemon et Baucis (1860), Cinq-Mars (1877), etc. In 1882 he produced an oratorio, The Redemption, at the Birmingham Musical Festival; and he also wrote much church music.

HALÈVY

Jacques FranÇois Fromental HalÈvy was born in Paris, 27th May, 1799; died at Nice, 1862. Showing great musical ability in his early years, he entered the Conservatoire when only ten years old, and studied under Cavot, Berton, and Lambert, and for five years received lessons in counterpoint from Cherubini. He also studied for two years at Rome, and later became a popular teacher, numbering amongst his most celebrated pupils, Gounod and Bizet. He met with no important success until the year 1835, when he produced two operas:—La Juive, presented 23rd February, and L'Eclair, presented 16th December. La Juive was an immediate success, and won for its composer a first place amongst French musicians. Fifteen years later, this opera was produced at Covent Garden, where it also met with great appreciation and success. La Juive is the only one of HalÈvy's operas that still enjoys European fame, though he wrote many others, the most worthy of mention being La Reine de Chypre (1841), Les Mousquetaires (1846), Guido et Ginevra, and Le Val d'Andorre.

HUMPERDINCK

Engelbert Humperdinck was born 1st September, 1854, at Siegburg, in the Rhine Provinces. His musical education was received first at the Gymnasium of Paderborn, and afterwards at the Cologne Conservatoire, where he was entered in 1872. In 1876, he won the Mozart Stipendium, and proceeded to Munich. In 1879, he won the Mendelssohn Stiftung of Berlin; after which he visited Italy, where he made the acquaintance of Wagner at Naples, and became so friendly with the great composer that he afterwards helped him with the production of Parsifal at Bayreuth. In 1881, he won the Meyerbeer prize of Berlin; and after having produced a number of compositions for the orchestra, he produced his masterpiece opera, Hansel und Gretel, the libretto of which was written by his sister, Adelheid Wette. This beautiful fairy opera was produced first at Weimar in 1894; and the first production of it in London was in 1895. It met with great success, and was followed in 1896 by the charming allegorical opera, Die KÖnigskinder, and in 1902 by DornrÖschen. In 1896, Humperdinck was created Professor by the Kaiser; and in 1905, his opera, Die Heirath Wider Willen, was produced at Berlin. He also wrote the incidental music for Maeterlinck's beautiful allegorical play, The Blue Bird. Humperdinck's operas are remarkable for the beauty and simplicity of their subjects, and for the exquisite delicacy of their musical treatment.

LEONCAVALLO

Ruggiero Leoncavallo was born at Naples 8th March, 1858. He studied at the Neapolitan Conservatoire, and afterwards gave singing lessons and went through many hard struggles. His first opera, Medici, being part of a trilogy, Crepusculinis, was not produced until after Pagliacci (produced at the Teatro dal Verme, Milan, 21st May, 1892) had won great success for him. Medici was given in 1893, but proved unsuccessful, and the remaining portions of the trilogy, Savonarola and Cesare Borgia, were not produced. The other operas that followed were: Der Roland (1894); Chatterton (1896); La BohÈme (1897); Zaza (1900); but none of these have met with great success, his lighter work, such as Zaza and Pagliacci, being in his happiest vein. Another opera, Maia, was produced at the Royal Opera House, Berlin, on 17th March, 1911.

MASCAGNI

Pietro Mascagni was born at Leghorn, 7th December, 1863. His father intended him for the law, and discouraged his many efforts to learn music. The musical youth, however, entered himself secretly at the Instituto Luigi Cherubini, his chief instructor being Alfredo Soffredini. Later on an uncle adopted him; and he was then permitted to devote himself entirely to music, and was afterwards sent to Milan Conservatoire. Unable to bear the restrictions of the Conservatoire, however, Mascagni joined various travelling operatic companies as conductor, and for a time lived in great obscurity, from whence he emerged by the success of his brilliant one-act opera, Cavalleria Rusticana, which won the first prize in a competition, and was produced at the Costanzi Theatre, Rome, 18th May, 1890. This was received with overwhelming appreciation, and made its composer immediately famous. His next opera was L'Amico Fritz (1891); after which followed:—I Rantzan (1892); Guglielino Ratcliff (1895); Silvano (1895); Zanetto (1896); Iris (1898); Le MaschÈre (1901); Amica (1905); but none of these have fulfilled the brilliant promise of Cavalleria Rusticana, and have met with little success.

MEYERBEER

Giacomo Meyerbeer was born at Berlin, 5th September, 1791; died at Paris, 2nd May, 1864. He was a pupil of Lauska, and also had lessons from Clementi. In 1815 he went to Italy to study musical composition, and there he began to write operas. He first took Rossini as his model, the best example of which was Il Crociata (1824). In 1831 he struck out in a new style with Robert le Diable, produced at the Grand Opera, Paris. This beautiful and fantastic opera was received with the wildest enthusiasm, and quickly brought fame to the composer. His masterpiece was Les Huguenots (1836) and his other best-known works are:—Le ProphÊte (1849), L'Etoile du Nord (1854), Dinorah (1859), etc.

MOZART

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born at Salzburg, Austria, on 27th January, 1756; died at Vienna, 5th December, 1791. He showed a precocious knowledge of music when but three or four years of age, and composed before he was six. His father, a musician also, guided his efforts, and from 1762-65 took the child to many European cities to exhibit his talents. In 1768 Mozart was made Concert-Meister at Salzburg; and here his first opera, La Finta Semplice, was produced, written when about twelve years old. In 1777 he went to Paris and other places, failing to obtain anything but empty applause; and in 1779 he returned to Salzburg as Cathedral organist. From 1781 he lived in Vienna, where he remained until his death. He reaped but little pecuniary benefit from his compositions, in spite of his great genius; and he was seldom free from the anxieties of poverty. In 1791 he received the famous commission from a mysterious stranger to write a Requiem Mass; and in enfeebled health he began it, declaring that it was for his own funeral. This was his last great work, and he died ere it was quite finished. There were no ceremonies at his grave, and he was buried in the common ground of St. Marx. Many years later a monument was erected to him by the city of Vienna. As an operatic writer, Mozart is considered by many to have no equal. His chief operas are:—Le Nozze di Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), Idomeneo (1781), Die ZauberflÖte (1791), La Clemenza di Tito (1791), CosÌ fan tutte (1790), etc. Besides the exquisite Requiem, he wrote many other Masses, and a great number of symphonies, sonatas, concertos, quartettes, etc. Very little of his music was published in his life-time.

NICOLAI

Carl Otto Ehrenfried Nicolai was born at KÖnigsberg, 9th June, 1810; died at Berlin, 11th May, 1849. He had an unhappy home life, but found a good friend in Justizrath Adler, of Stargard, who sent him to Berlin to study music. In 1833 he went to Rome as Organist to the Prussian Embassy Chapel, where he studied both the old and the modern masters. In 1841 he became Court Kapellmeister at Vienna, where in 1842 he established the Philharmonic Society. In 1844 he became Director of the Domcher and Court Kapellmeister of the Opera in Berlin. His chief operas were: The Templar (1840), Il Proscritto (1841), and The Merry Wives of Windsor (1849). The latter met with a brilliant success, which, however, the composer did not long live to enjoy, as he died two months after its first production.

OFFENBACH

Jacques Offenbach (originally Levy) was born 21st June, 1819, at Offenbach-on-Main, and was the son of the Jewish Cantor of the Synagogue at Cologne. Though of German birth, practically the whole of his life was spent in Paris, and he was a true Parisian at heart. When quite a youth, he was entered at the Conservatoire at Paris, studying in the violoncello class under Professor Vaslin. So quick was his progress, that he entered the orchestra of the OpÉra Comique in 1834, where he played the 'cello; and in 1849, he was appointed conductor of the orchestra at the ThÉatre FranÇais. In 1855, he opened the Bouffes-Parisiens ThÉatre; and having already written a number of comic light operas, many of these were produced at his own theatre. He became manager of the ThÉatre de la GÂitÉ in 1872; and in 1877 he came to England, where he made a most successful tour. As a composer of light opera, Offenbach occupied on the Continent very much the same position as Gilbert and Sullivan in England, his works being extremely popular. From the long list of just over one hundred pieces of this kind for the stage may be mentioned the following of the best known in England:—La Grande Duchesse de GÉrolstein (1867), Madame Favart (1878), OrphÉe aux Enfers (1858), La Princesse de TrÉbizonde (1870), La Belle HÉlÈne (1865), etc. So great was the popular demand for light opera, and so eager was Offenbach to meet the same, that, unfortunately, he only left behind him one serious work of art, The Tales of Hoffmann—a true work of genius, so full of beauty that one can only regret that it should have been his last. It was fitting, however, that his swan-song should prove his masterpiece. Offenbach himself knew that this was his worthiest work, and longed to see it produced; but, after completing the opera, he became ill, and died at Paris on 5th October, 1880, having failed to realise his great desire. The opera was produced the following year at the OpÉra Comique, and proved an immense success. It was produced in England in 1907.

PUCCINI

Giacomo Puccini was born at Lucca, 22nd June, 1858, and belongs to a family of well-known musicians. He studied first at Lucca, and afterwards at Milan Conservatoire, his chief teacher being Ponchielli. His first opera, Le Villi, was produced at the Teatro dal Verme, Milan, 31st May, 1884, with such success that it was afterwards revised and enlarged, and produced at La Scala, 24th January, 1885. His next opera, Edgar, was produced at La Scala, 1889. Manon Lescaut, produced at the Teatro Regio, Turin, showed considerable development; and with the production of La BohÈme (Teatro Regio, Turin, 1896), he was placed at once in the first rank of modern composers. His next opera, Tosca (1900), met with equal success. Madame Butterfly (La Scala, Milan, 1904) is undoubtedly the finest work Puccini has yet produced; yet when first given, for some unaccountable reason, it was not well received. But on its second appearance at Brescia, it was received with the greatest applause, and has also been enthusiastically welcomed wherever it has been produced, being now, together with La BohÈme, a universal European favourite. His American opera, The Girl of the Golden West, was first produced in New York during 1911, and proved a great success.

ROSSINI

Gioacchino Antonio Rossini was born at Pesaro, in Italy, 29th February, 1792, of very humble parents, his father being the town trumpeter. As a child, he showed such great aptitude for music that, in spite of the troubles and poverty of his parents, an excellent teacher was found for him in Tesei. He was taught to sing the solos in church, and at the age of thirteen years was given an appointment as a singer at the theatre. In 1806 he entered the Conservatoire at Bologna, under Mattei; and here his progress was so rapid that he took a prize for a cantata after his first year. In 1810 he began to write operas, of which he produced no less than fifty within twenty-six years. He went to London in 1823, and sang in a series of concerts. He then went to Paris, where he remained until his death. He wrote nothing further after 1836; and having at that early period of his career gained great fame and wealth, he devoted the remainder of his life to luxurious living. Rossini's florid, but melodious, style of operatic composition remained the standard model for Italian opera for a great number of years. His most celebrated operas were: Tancredi (1813), The Barber of Seville (1815), Semiramide (1823), and William Tell (1829). He also wrote the famous oratorio, Moses in Egypt, which has also been performed as an opera; and in 1842 his Stabat Mater was produced. He died 13th November, 1868.

STRAUSS

Richard Strauss was born 11th June, 1864, at Munich. He showed great musical talent from the earliest years, having composed several pieces before leaving school. In 1882, he studied composition with the Court Kapellmeister, composing almost ceaselessly string quartettes, symphonies and overtures, most of which were performed and received as promising productions. He was at the University during 1882-3, and in 1885 began to conduct, being appointed musical director at Meiningen, proceeding to the Munich Court Theatre in 1886. He was next appointed musical director at Weimar in 1890, and became Court Kapellmeister at the Berlin Opera House in the same year. He travelled in Italy during 1885. His first opera, Guntran, was produced at Weimar on 12th May, 1894; and in the same year he became Count Kapellmeister at Munich, again occupying the same position at Berlin in 1899. He undertook a number of tours, and in 1897 visited London, where a "Strauss Festival" was held in St. James's Hall, June, 1903. Strauss continued to produce more and more important works, consisting of symphonies, sonatas, tone-poems, and many songs, choral and orchestral pieces, all of which proved his great gift for musical composition and paved the way for the remarkable operatic works which were to follow. He always had a great admiration for Wagner, whose successor he wished to be regarded as; and in his next opera, Fuersnot, produced at Dresden in November, 1901, this was indicated very plainly. His remarkable opera, Salome, based on Oscar Wilde's drama, was produced at Dresden, 9th December, 1905, and created a great sensation, placing Strauss at once in the front rank of operatic composers. This was followed by Elektra—by many regarded as his finest work—produced at Dresden in 1909, and at Covent Garden, London, in 1910, and Der Rosenkavalier, produced at the Royal Opera House, Dresden, 26th January, 1911, and in London, January, 1913—both of which have added to the now world-wide reputation and appreciation of this highly-gifted composer.

His latest work, Ariadne au Naxos—a clever "freak" opera written as an incidental musical interlude to MoliÈre's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme—was produced in London at His Majesty's Theatre, on 27th May, 1913, having been heard previously at Stuttgart in October, 1912.

AMBROISE THOMAS

Charles Ambroise Thomas was born at Metz, 5th August, 1811; died at Paris, 12th February, 1896. Born of musical parents, he entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of seventeen, becoming director of that institute in 1871. In 1832 he won the Grand Prix de Rome; and whilst studying in Italy was very active as a composer. On his return from Rome he began to write operas, the first of which, La Double Echelle, produced at the OpÉra Comique in 1837, met with considerable success. Others followed; and with Le Caid (1849) and Le Songe d'une Nuit d'ÉtÉ (1850), his name was finally established, and gained him a high place amongst French composers. The operas that followed met with little success; but in Mignon, produced at the OpÉra Comique in 1866, the musical world recognised a masterpiece, and paid enthusiastic tribute to the genius of its composer. Other operas by Ambroise Thomas are:—Hamlet (1868), Le Cardinal de Venise (1857), Raymond (1851), etc.

TSCHAIKOVSKY

Peter Iljtsch Tschaikovsky was born in Wotkinsk, 7th May, 1840; died at St. Petersburg, 5th November, 1905. He early showed his bent for music, and though trained for the law, abandoned that profession, and, determining to study music alone, entered the Conservatoire at St. Petersburg, where he studied with Anton Rubinstein and Saremba. After studying three years in St. Petersburg, Tschaikovsky was appointed a teacher at the new Moscow Conservetorium, established by Nicholas Rubinstein, where he produced a number of orchestral works and three operas. His first opera, The VoÏevoda, produced in Moscow in 1869, was a failure; and of the list of eleven operas which he produced, but a few retained lasting popularity, with the exception of Vakoula the Blacksmith, and Eugene Onegin. The latter is the most famous of all his works, and is still extremely popular in Russia, being full of delightful melodies. Eugene Onegin was first produced in Moscow in 1879. Amongst his other operas are The Enchantress, The Queen of Spades; Joan of Arc, Mazeppa, Iolanthe, Undine, The Oprichinki. Besides these, Tschaikovsky wrote a great number of brilliant orchestral works, deservedly popular throughout Europe, being noted for their fine tone-colouring, spirit, and beauty of melody: amongst the most celebrated of these being the rich Overture "1812," composed in memory of Nicholas Rubinstein, the Fifth Symphony and the Sixth Symphony, The PathÈtique.

VERDI

Giuseppe Verdi was born at Rancola, in the Duchy of Parma, Italy, 10th October, 1813; died at Busseto, in January, 1901. He received his musical education at Busseto and Milan. He was appointed organist at Rancola at the age of ten years; and when but twenty years old he became Director of the Philharmonic Society at Busseto. He settled in Milan in 1838, and there his first opera, Oberto di San Bonifazio, was produced at La Scala in 1839. The opera that first brought him European fame was Ernani (1844). Rigoletto was produced in 1851, and Il Trovatore in 1853; and these two operas, through all changes of taste and style, still continue to hold their own in popular favour. He wrote many other operas, the best known of which are: La Traviata (1853), AÏda (1871), Othello (1877), Macbeth (1847), Falstaff (1893), I Lombardi (1843), Un Ballo in Maschera (1859), Simon Boccanegra (1857), Les Vespres Siciliennes (1855), etc. His other works include a Requiem Mass (1847), and other sacred compositions, etc.

WAGNER

Richard Wagner was born at Leipzig on 22nd May, 1813; died at Venice, 13th February, 1883. He was educated at Dresden and Leipzig, where he also studied music. Poetry was a passion with him as a boy; and verse and play-writing occupied his mind until a great enthusiasm for Beethoven turned it into a musical direction. He was Musical Director at the Magdeburg Theatre from 1834-36, Conductor at KÖnigsberg in 1836, Music Director at Riga in 1837-39, and lived in Paris in 1839-42, where he struggled in vain to obtain a footing. His opera Rienzi was produced at Dresden in 1842 with a success which obtained for him the post of Kapellmeister at the opera-house there. The Flying Dutchman was produced the following year at Dresden, and marked a new epoch in his artistic history. TannhÄuser, the first of his creations from the German myth-world, was also produced at Dresden in 1845. After this he got into pecuniary difficulties; and his sympathies also being with the revolutionary movement of 1849, he was proscribed, and escaped to Paris. By the efforts of Liszt, Lohengrin was produced in 1850 at Weimar. After ten years of exile, Wagner was pardoned, and took up his residence at Munich, where King Ludwig of Bavaria became his enthusiastic and generous patron. Tristan and Isolda was produced at Munich in 1865; and this genuine music-drama marked a new epoch in operatic art. Die Meistersinger followed in 1868. Wagner was now world-famous, and his colossal genius began to receive the support it deserved. In 1872 his own great theatre at Bayreuth was founded; and upon its completion in 1876, his noble tetralogy, Der Ring des Nibelungen was produced there. His last dramatic effort and crowning achievement, Parsifal, was produced at Bayreuth in 1882. Wagner's early years were full of struggle, opposition, and strife; but through all his disappointments he clung firmly to the new and great ideals of art he had formed, and in the end he conquered, his latter years being crowned with success and enthusiastic appreciation.

WALLACE

William Vincent Wallace was born at Waterford, Ireland, 1st July, 1814; died at the chÂteau of Bayen, in the Haute-Garonne, France, 12th October, 1865. His father, a bandmaster, gave him his first instructions; and at an early age he could play most military instruments, besides being very proficient on the violin. At the age of fifteen he became Director of the Philharmonic Society in Dublin. In 1835 he set forth on a professional tour through Australia, New Zealand, India, South America, and the United States, meeting with enormous success as composer and performer. He was Director of Music at the Italian Theatre, Mexico, 1841-42. In 1845 Maritana was produced in London, and shares with Balfe's Bohemian Girl the highest popularity of any lyrical drama. Other well-known operas of Wallace's are: Lurline (1860), The Amber Witch (1861), Matilda of Hungary (1847), The Desert Flower (1863), etc.

VON WALTERSHAUSEN

Hermann Wolfgang von Waltershausen was born in GÖttingen in 1882, and was the son of a Strasburg Professor of National Economics, A. Sartorius von Waltershausen, being descended from a well-known GÖttingen family of scientists. He was the pupil of I. Erb, in Strasburg, Elsass, and Ludwig Thuille, afterwards passing to the University of Munich, where he studied in particular the History of Art and also made a special study of the characteristics of the German peoples. His first musical work was the unpublished music-drama, Pelegrino, and his second effort was Else Klapperzehen, a musical comedy dealing with a farcical subject taken from the German Middle Ages, and which was produced in May, 1909, by Ernst von Schuch at the Court Theatre, Munich, with success. His third work, the musical tragedy, Oberst Chabert, was given under the conductorship of Hans Schilling-Ziemssens Leitung, 18th January, 1912, and, being immediately successful, found its way very quickly into all the more important theatres. In addition to these works, Herr von Waltershausen has also written purely literary works, amongst others the Festival Play, Die Abschiedssyphonie, produced in Munich in 1908, the comedy in verse, Heidhart Fuchs von Reuenthal, as well as portions of a translation of Horace in very modern form. Herr von Waltershausen resides in Munich.

WOLF-FERRARI

Ermanni Wolf-Ferrari was born 12th January, 1876, at Venice. He studied under Rheinberge at Munich from 1893 to 1895; and in 1902 he was appointed Director of the Liceo Benedetto Marcello in Venice, from which position he resigned in 1909, as he desired to live in Germany. He produced his first opera, La Sulamita, at Venice in 1889 before he went to Munich, this work being the result of his own self-teaching. Other operas followed: Cenerentola, produced at Venice in 1902; Le Donne Curiose, in 1903, this latter opera having been recently produced with success in America. His fine cantata, La Vita Nuova, dealing with the subject of Dante and Beatrice, was brought out in 1903. A light opera, The Secret of Susanna, followed this, and was produced in England in 1911; and his dramatic opera, The Jewels of the Madonna, was given in England during the summer of 1912.