DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

LIBRETTO LIBRETTO 721
along with tliese have gone those curious reitera-
tions by various persons of the same sentence,
with a corresponding cliange only of the personal
pronoun. Iji tliis and other respects Wagner's
music-dramas must he considered by themselves,
and the strict imitation of their form in ordinary
libretti, written for ordiiiary musicians, would be
simply fatal. At the same time his work has
been of great influence on the structure of the
dramatic poem in modern opera. Musicians
have become more critical in their choice of sub-
jects, and the librettists accordingly more careful
in providing them, especiallj' as the natural
sense of the public also seems to be awakening
from its long slumber. It is indeed a significant
fact that three of the most successful
modern operas, Gounod's 'Faust,' Bizet's 'Carmen,'
and Goetz's 'The Taming of the Shrew,'
are all founded on stories of intense human
interest, more or less cleverly adapted to operatic
purposes. It is true that in France and Germany
the dramatic interest was never at so low an
ebb as in Italy or England. Numerous operas
might be named which owe their permanent suc-
cess to a bright and sparkling libretto, and those
in which the genius of the musician has been
weighed down by the dulness of the operatic
Le Postil-
bard; 'Martha,' ' FraDiavolo,' and '
to the former class
'Cos! fan 'Tutte,' 'La Clemenza di Tito,' and
Ennuyante ' by the
ion de Longjumeau, ' belong
'Euryanthe,' ' nicknamed
despairing 1 composer, to the latter. It is also
a significant fact that by far the finest music
Eossini ever wrote occurs in the ' Barber ' and
in '"William Tell,' and that 'Faust' remains
Gounod's unsurpassed masterpiece, the insjjira-
tion of the composers being in each case distinctly
traceable to the dramatic basis of their music.
Instances of a similar kind from the works even
of the most ' absolute ' musicians might be multiplied
ad liWtum. The lesson thus taught has
indeed been fully recognised by tlie best composers.
Beethoven was unable to fix upon a
second subject after 'Fidelio' ; and Slendelssohn,
in spite of incessant attempts, found only one to
satisfy his demands ; and
that, alas ! too late for
completion. The libretto of his unfinished opera
'Loreley,' by Emanuel Geibel, the well-known
poet, was afterwards set by Jlax Bruch, and
performed with considerable success. The importance
of the libretto for the artistic as well as the
popular success of an opera is therefore beyond
dispute, and modern composers cannot be too
careful in their choice. To assist tliem in that
choice, or to lay down the law with regard to
the construction of a model libretto, the present
writer does not feel qualified. A few distinctive
features may, however, be jiointed out. In
addition to the human interest and the truth of
passion which a libretto must share with every
dramatic poem, there ought to be a strong infusion
of the lyrical element, not to be mistaken
VOL. II
Weber's Life, by hia son, ii. 519.
for the tendency towards ' singing a song ' too
rampant amongst tenors and soprani. The
dramatic and the lyrical motives ought, on the
contrary, to be perfectly blended, and even in
ordinary dialogue a certain elevation of sentiment
sufficient to account for the song instead of
the spoken word should be maintained. This
again implies certain restrictions with regard
to the choice of subject. One need not share
Wagner's absolute preference for mythical subject-matter
to perceive that the scene of an opera
ought to be as far as possible removed from the
platitudes of common life, barring, of course,
the comic opera, in which the contrast between
the idealism of music and the realities of everyday
existence maybe turned to excellent account.
With regard to the observance of musical form
opinions, of course, will difler widely ; but that
the poet ought to some extent to conform to the
musician's demands no reasonable person will
deny. The case of Wagner, as we have already
said, is unique in history, and in ordinary circumstances
music and poetry in the opera coexist
by means of a compromise ; but this compromise
ought to proceed from mutual love, not
from mere toleration. In other words, the poet
should undoubtedly supply opportunities for
musical display, both of a vocal and an orchestral
kind, but no finale, or march, or wedding chorus
ought to interfere with the economy of the drama.
To state such a problem is of course easier than
to solve it, but even the mere statement of the
difficulty may not be entirely without use.
Before concluding this notice, it is desirable
to mention the names of a few of the more celebrated
librettists. The most famous amongst
them is Metastasio (1698-1782), the author of
'La Semiramide riconosciuta,' 'II Re Pastore,
whose musical
and ' II Trionfo di Clelia, ' amongst
collaborators were the most celebrated masters
of the 18th century. [Metastasio.] Calzabigi
deserves mention as the author of ' Orfeo,' and
other works of Gluck's Viennese period, the
French collaborator of the master being Le
Bailli du RoUet. Amongst more modern Italian
librettists it must suffice to name Felice Romano,
the friend and artistic companion of Bellini.
The father of French librettists was the Abb6
Perrin, who broke the supreme rule of the hexameter
by WTiting what he terms 'paroles de
musique ou des vers a chanter,' and who in
conjunction with Cambert produced the first
French opera properly so called ( ' La Pastorale,
first performed in 1659). Quenault was the
poetic assistant of LuUy. In modern France
the name of Scribe towers above his rivals ;
Barbier, Meilhac, and Halevy supplied the
market of the 19th century. Sardou also has
tried his hand at lyrical drama, but without
much success, excepting in certain cases where
his plays have been turned by another hand
into operatic libretti. In Germany, Goethe
and Wieland appear amongst aspirants to
3 a