Peter Cornelius Author(s): Constance Bache Source: The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular, Vol. 33, No. 587 (Jan. 1, 1892), p. 47 Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3365302 . Accessed: 05/12/2014 11:20

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This content downloaded from 128.235.251.160 on Fri, 5 Dec 2014 11:20:39 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES. JANUARYI, I892. 47 It is announced in Italian journals that Baron Franchetti, thirty-threeyears ago at ,was " a completeficlsco " the wealthy Italian amateur and composer of the successful and that it " only surviveda single performance"; but the opera " Asrael," has taken the Brunetti Theatre, in facts are so interestingthat they deserverecording here. Bologna, for the purpose of giving there operatic per- Accordingto a Dresdenpaper (of this year) " The Cid," formances on a grand scale. Cornelius'ssecond opers, is a kindof protestagainst the "I1 Diavolo zoppo," a new operetta by the Maestro ill-luckwhich the " Barberof Bagdad" experiencedthirty Buongiorno, met with great success on its first production years ago. The article continues: " At the head of the last month, at the Teatro Fenice, of Naples. Another musicalcircle of Weimar,at this tzemiereof the ' Barber,' novelty by the same prolific composer, the operetta " I1 stood Liszt; the first-rate Hof-Capelle played, the best Talismano di Granata," was well received at the Metastasio possible singerssang; a full house, in which the Grand Theatre, of Rome. Duke CarlAlexander was prominentin his box, applauded According to II Secolo XIX., there are just now no less rapturously.... but Dingelstedt, who hated Liszt's than eight Genovese composers, each having a complete influence,had got a good supplyof szffleursarranged in the new opera waiting to be accepted for performance at the stalls, pit, and boxes, so that the operawas hissed down- Carlo Felice Theatre. They are the Maestri Brignami, Elia, an unheard-ofthing at the Hof-Theater,and Liszt, deeply Grimaldi, Massa, Perosio, Ronco, Samengo, and Zambelli. offended,left Weimarand went to Rome. Corneliuswent The coming season of opera at the La Scala of Milan to , and, poor as he was, but unbrokenin spirit comprises the production of the following works-viz. composedthere, and in and , the opera " Tannhauser," " I1 figliuol prodigso," " Vally," " La ' The Cid.' He wishedto provethat he was not quenched. Basoche," " Les Huguenots," and " Norma." The GrandDuke immediatelycommanded a performance A new opera, entitled " Barbarine," the libretto of which of ' The Cid' in Weimar. In Munich,the veritablecradle is founded upon a poem by Alfred de Musset, and the of 'The Cid,' the opera was not thought of, although music composed by M. de Saint-Quentin, was performed for Corneliusbecame later one of the Professorsat the Music the first time on the Ioth ult., at the Theatre de la Monnaie Conservatoirethere, under Herr von Perfall. This was at of Brussels, where the work had been most carefully the time when Ludwig II. called Wagner to Munich. prepared for weeks past. The music is said to be graceful Herr von Perfall himself related, as an instance of the and refined, but lacking in dramatic qualities. The work incrediblemodesty of Cornelius,that the latter had never obtained little more than a s?cces d'estime. so much as breatheda syllable about his dramaticwork. The opening Concert of the season of the Stefano Only RichardWagner, his most intimate friend now that Tempia Choral Society, of Turin, which took place on the Liszt was gone to Rome,knew about ' The Cid,' and was I3th ult., was devoted in part to the memory of both the perfectly enrapturedwith the poem as well ais with the founder of this excellent institution and his immediate delicacyand nobilityof the music; and Wagner,who was successor, the programme including an "Ave Virgo," by not exactly the man to go in for other people's work, Tempia, the " Kyrie," from Giulio Roberti's " Mass of St. profferedhis servicesto bringout andto conduct" The Cid" Lawrence," and a portion of the Funeral Mass dedicated in EVeimar.The replyof the Weimartheatre-management to the last-named much lamented musician. was cutting and impudent,not to say foolish. It has only Mascagni's new comic opera, " L'Amico Fritz," was come to light lately among Cornelius'spapers: ' The brought out on November 28 at the Pergola Theatre of Weimar Hof-Theater(Dingelstedt !) expressesits surprise Florence, and was extremely well received, many numbers that HerrWagner should offer himself as the conductorof having to be repeated. " The Cid,"Weimar possessing twoc onductorsof its own, " Cavalleria rustico-2mana " is the title of a parody upon and needing,therefore, no extraneoushelp ! ' Is not this Pietro Mascagni's successful opera, which is about to be incrediblycutting refusal-to refuse with such motives a brought out at the Teatro Rossini, of Rome. The composer Richard wagneY-really splendid? And is it not a of the music is Signor Angelo Piarangeli. mournfulillustration of the fate of genius? " The new opera ' Raquel,' by the young Spanish com- If any notorietyis better than none at all, Dingelstedt poser, Senor Santamaria, appears to have met with a most has, at least, earned for himself the renown of the young brilliant reception upon its first performance on November man who burntthe temple at Ephesus,and his name may 29, at the Royal Theatre of Madrid. The libretto is founded be regardedas synonymouswith " Dingskirchen" ! upon a drama by Vicente Garcia de la Huerta, the subject To say that Corneliuswas a pupil of Liszt is a slight of which has already been utilised by Grillparzer in his mistake. He was his colleagueand friend,as also of Wag- drama, " Die Judin von Toledo." ner, as the lettersthat passedbetween them show. A daily Senor Melesio Morales, a Professor at the Conservatorio papersays " it is unfortunatethat Corneliusaccepted for a of Mexico, has written an operatic work, entitled "Cleopatra," typicalwork of this charactera plottaken from the ' Barber's which has recently been performed in that town with Story' in the 'ArabianNights,' a sketch which might be conspicuous success. satisfactoryas a drawing-roomcharade, but is hopelessly insufficientfor a whole programmeopera.'; The pro- , grammeof the firstperformance in Munich,which I quoted above,1S sufficient reply to this, whereit will be seen that CORRESPONDENCE, the "Barber" was the Fi7caleof the evening, after the performanceof an equally short (and also comic) piece PETER CORNELIUS. entitled" Der faule Hans." A word about the translation, of which it would be TO THE EDITOROF " THE MUSICALTIMES." difficultto speaktoo highly. To renderthe spiritand fun SIR, While the " Barber of Bagdad" is occupying the of one languageso closely, so idiomatically,into anotheris foremost place in the attention of the London musical world indeedno easy task; but it is one that the Rev. Marmaduke it may not be amiss to amplify, somewhat, the abie remarks Brownehas dischargednot only most ably, but corzclmore - of our contemporary critics. and he is modest,indeed, in calling his work a paraphrase A daily paper remarks that it was not until I887, at since he has transcribedmost faithfully, and almost Coburg, that the " Barber of Bagdad " was reproduced. I literally,the originaltext, being especiallysuccessful in the have, however, before me the playbill and criticisms of its " patter" songs of the barber,so difficultto render into reproduction at Munich, on October I5, I885, when it was anotherlanguage.Yours faithfully, played for the first time there in conjunction with Alexander CONSTANCEBACHE Ritter's " Der faule Hans" (then given also for the first (Pupilof Peter Corneliu6). time), under the able conductorship of Hof-Capellmeister Levi, who was mainly instrumental in bringing Cornelius's work to a hearing. Since that time the " Barber" has simply created a furore throughout Germany, where no "THE VICAR OF BRAY." operatic repertoire would now be considered complete TOTHE EDITOR OF " THEMUSICAL TIMES." without it. StR,-On seeing my letter to you on this subjectin the The limits of a daily paper perhaps account for the very December numberof THE MUSICALTIMES, Mr. W. J curt explanation that the opera, when it first saw the light BiSen, of Tenterden,Ashford, Kent, most courteouslyfor

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