Rubinstein (1829-1895) wrote many works for the stage, and during the last years of his life founded something like a new form of art in his sacred operas, ‘Moses’ and ‘Christus,’ the latter of which was produced after his death at Bremen.  Critics differ very much as to Rubinstein’s merits as a composer, but as to the quality of his work for the stage there can hardly be two opinions.  His music is essentially undramatic.  None of his works, at any rate outside Russia, has achieved more than a passing success.  ‘The Demon,’ a strange story of the love of a demon for a Russian princess, has some fine music in it, but the story is almost totally devoid of incident, and the opera as a whole is intolerably wearisome.

Of the younger school of Russian operatic composers it is almost impossible to speak with any authority, since their works are rarely performed in Western Europe.  Tchaikovsky’s ‘Eugene Onegin’ is occasionally given in London, but has won little success.  Much of the music is interesting, but the disconnected character of the libretto and the lack of incident fully account for the scanty favour with which it is received.  ‘Le Flibustier,’ an opera by Cesar Cui, was performed in Paris a few years ago with even less success.  Borodin’s ‘Prince Igor,’ and ‘Die Mainacht’ by Rimsky-Korsakov, are thought highly of by the fellow-countrymen of the composers, but neither work has succeeded in crossing the frontier of Russia.

Poland has not hitherto taken a prominent place in the history of opera, and the successful production of ‘Manru’ (1901), an opera by Ignaz Paderewski, the world-famous pianist, is hardly to be taken as the foundation of a new school.  The story deals with the fortunes of a gipsy, Manru, who marries Ulana, a peasant girl, but is won back to gipsy life by the fascinations of Asa, the princess of his tribe.  He rejoins his own people in spite of Ulana’s entreaties and a love-potion which she administers, but is killed by a gipsy rival, while Ulana in despair throws herself into a lake.  Paderewski’s music is thoroughly German in style, but he makes clever use of gipsy tunes and rhythms, which give a welcome variety to the score.

The genius of Scandinavian musicians seems to have little in common with the stage.  The works of Hartmann and Weyse are not known beyond the boundaries of Denmark.  Of late years, however, works by August Enna, a young Danish composer, have been performed in various German towns.  ’Die Hexe’ and ‘Cleopatra’ won a good deal of success, but the composer’s more recent operas, ‘Aucassin und Nicolette’ and ‘Das Streichholzmaedel,’ have met with little favour.

CHAPTER XIV

ENGLISH OPERA

BALFE—­WALLACE—­BENEDICT—­GORING THOMAS—­MACKENZIE
STANFORD—­SULLIVAN—­SMYTH