Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

ROME ROMEO AND JULIET 133
tenance of the Liceo, were represented, while
its Director was nominated by the Aocademia
itself. The fii-st to occupy the newly created
post was Comm. Filippo Marchetti, who vacated
the presidential chair of the Accademia to undertake
it.
In 1907 the Liceo had 225 students and
a professorial staff of about forty. In the first
twenty -five years of its existence instruction
was given to 1387 pupils, of whom 415 received
diplomas. Every branch of practice and theory
is taught, besides Italian literature and the
history of music. The charge for instruction
is so low (five francs a month) that tuition is,
to all intents and purposes, free. The Liceo
receives yearly subsidies from the Government
(£1600), from the Province of Rome (£320),
and from the Municipality (£1200). Arrangements
are now pending to place it directly under
the Government, and its professors will then
enjoy the distinction, highly prized in Italy,
of State officials. Professors Sgambati and
Penelli, after thirty-eight years, still take an
active part in examining and teaching. The
director is Comm. Stanislao Falchi, who succeeded
Comm. Marchetti in 1901.
To its premises in the Via dei Greci the
Accademia, assisted by contributions from the
Government and Queen Margherita, has added
a spacious concert-hall with an organ, opened
in 1895. Here, during winter and spring,
public orchestral and chamber concerts are
given. The library also constitutes an increasingly
important branch of its influence.
Originally small, the collection of books and
MSS. was increased by the musical library of
Gregory XVI. bequeathed in 1846. It was
still further enriched in 1875 by the Orsini
collection, and later by the musical works which
had formerly belonged to the dissolved monasteries.
In 1882 were added copies of all
modern musical publications since 1500, so
that the Accademia now possesses one of the
largest and most important musical libraries in
Italy (see -vol. ii. p. 714a). The books having
been removed to the gi'ound floor, the library
and reading-room are the more easily accessible
to the public. The Accademia still enjoys
royal patronage, and the King of Italy is its
honorary president, while the Conte di San
Martino is at the head of its Council of Direction.
Quite apart from the Accademia, which with
its Liceo is the musical centre of Rome, much
has been done for the improvement of the
popular taste in music. For this the municipal
orchestra, under Signor Alessandro Vessella,
has been chiefly responsible. Concerts are given
weekly during the greater part of the year at
the Argentina theatre. Formerly, popular
audiences in Rome were for the most part intolerant
of music which was not Italian. Thanks
to the courage and perseverance of Signor
Vessella this is the case no longer. His programmes,
open to composers of all nationalities,
have familiarised the Roman public with classical
and modern works—Bach, Haydn, Beethoven,
Mozart, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Liszt,
Wagner, Tchaikovsky, and Elgar being often
associated with Rossini, Verdi, Puccini, and
Mascagni. As an operatic centre, however,
Rome lacks the prestige of Milan and Naples.
Ecclesiastical music in the Italian capital still
leaves much to be desired, the excellent ideals
of Pius X. being as yet far from any wide
realisation. Divine service is sometimes accompanied
by devout and careful singing, as at
the church of Santa Maria dell' Anima and at
St. John Lateran under Maestro Filippo Capocci;
but artistic performances are unhappily rare,
and organ - playing is, too generally, careless
and vulgar.] A. H-H. ; with additions in square
brackets by H. A. w.
ROMEO AND JULIET. A subject
set by opera composei's ; e.g.—
often
1. Romto et Juliette ; three acts ; words by
de S^gur, music by Steibelt. TheS,tre Feydeau,
Paris, Sept. 10, 1793.
2. 'Giuliettae Romeo.' Opera seria in three
acts, words by Giuseppe Foppa, music by Zingarelli.
Produced at the Scala, Milan, Jan. 80,
1796.
3. ' Giulietta e Romeo, ' three acts, words by
Romani, music by Vaccaj. Produced at the
Teati'o della Canobbiana, Milan, Oct. 31, 1825 ;
King's Theatre, London, April 10, 1832.
4. 'I Capuletti ed i Montecchi,' in three
acts ; libretto by Romani, music by Bellini.
Produced at Venice, March 11, 1830. It was
written for the two Grisis and Rubini. King's
Theatre, London, July 20, 1833.
5. '
Les Amants de V&one,' five acts, text
and music by the Marquis d'lvry (under the
pseudonym of Richard Yrvid), written in 1864,
performed privately in 1867, and publicly at
the Salle Ventadour, Oct. 12, 1878. At Covent
Garden, May 24, 1879.
6.
'
Romio et JuUette,' in five acts ; words
by Barbier and Carr^ music by Gounod. Produced
at the Theatre Lyrique, April 27, 1867.
In London, at Covent Garden, in Italian, July
11, 1867.
7. In addition to thege it has been made the
subject of a work by Berlioz, his Fifth Symphony
—
'
Romte et Juliette. Symphonic dramatique
avec chceurs, solos de chant, et prologue en
rfcitatif choral, op. 17.' Dedicated to Paganini.
The words are Berlioz's own, versified by Emil
Deschamps. It was composed in 1839, and
performed three times consecutively at the
Conservatoire, first on Nov. 24, 1839. In
England the First Part (four numbers) was
executed under Berlioz's direction at the New
Philharmonic Concerts of March 24, and April
28, 1852, and the entire work by the Philharmonic
Society (Cusins), March 10, 1881.
8. Asymphonic poem by Tchaikovsky was first