Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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from inherent reasons, it never could become ;
but it has a certain chivalrous stateliness and
distinction of its own. After the death of
Frederick William III. it gradually disappeared
from the musical life of Berlin. The king, however,
decreed in March 1818 that the 'Vestale'
should be performed every year on April 1, in
remembrance of the first time he passed in
Paris in 1814.
This year also ended without realising the
king's project of attaching Spontini to his court.
Spontini, aware that Bruhl was opposed to his
coming, contrived to carry on the negotiations
through Major-General von Witzleben, an ardent
admirer of his music, and the person who had
suggested his composing the Prussian national
anthem. The contract was at length drawn up
in August 1819, and signed by the king on
Sept. 1. It provided that Spontini should
receive the titles of chief CapeUmeister, and
General Director of Music, with an additional
one of ' Superintendent-General of the Koyal
Music ' to be borne abroad. He was to take the
general superintendence of all musical affairs,
and to compose two new grand operas, or three
smaller ones, every three years. He was bound
to conduct only at the first performances of his
own works ; at other times he might conduct
or not as he pleased. In addition he was to
compose pieces d'occasion for the court festivals,
and whenever the king pleased. Any other
works he chose to compose and produce at the
theatre were to be paid for separately. He was
also at liberty, with slight restrictions, to produce
his operas for his own benefit elsewhere,
and to sell them to publishers. His salary was
fixed at 4000 thalers, payable half-yearly in
advance, besides an annual benefit, guaranteed
to yield at least 1050 thalers, and a benefit
concert, with the theatre free, and the gratuitous
assistance of the members of the Royal opera
and orchestra. He was to have four months'
leave of absence every year, and an adequate
pension after ten years' service. The Prussian
ambassador interfered to procm-e his release
from his engagement at Naples, and the king
undertook to pay any necessary damages.
Although nominally subordinate to Briihl,
Spontini was by this contract virtually made
his colleague. Briihl's experienced eye, however,
soon detected certain passages in the
document admitting of two interpretations, and
exposing the management to all the dangers of
a divided authority. He could not help feeling
mortified at the way he had been superseded in
the business ; this would naturally make him
mistrust Spontini, and thus the two came together
under unfavourable auspices. According
to the contract Spontini should have begun
work at Berlin on Feb. 15, 1820, but he obtained
leave to postpone his coming, first to March 15,
and then to May 15, and did not arrive until
May 28, 1820. The corp$ dramatique, piqued
SPONTINI 653
at the exorbitant terms of his engagement, did
not meet him in the friendliest spirit, but
Berlin society was favourably disposed towards
him, particularly the court circle. The newspapers
were full of the subject, and thus it
came to pass that all classes were keenly
interested.
The Opera was at this time, thanks to Briihl's
exertions, in a high state of efficiency. The
company was unusually good—including such
singers as Milder -Hauptmann, Seidler-Wranitzky,
Sohulz-Killitschky, and Eunicke ; Bader,
Stiimer, Blunie, and Eduard Devrient. The
band had been well trained by Bemhard Weber.
Briihl took immense pains to secure finish in
the performances, had added to the repertoire
all the great masterpieces, and had introduced
'Fidelio' and 'Armida,' besides establishing
other operas of Gluck's permanently in Berlin.
He had also mounted the ' Vestal ' and Cortez
'
with the utmost care and intelligence, and was
entitled to boast that he had made the Berlin
opera the first in Germany, as indeed every one
allowed. Spontini found neither blemishes to
remove nor reforms to introduce. He had at
his disposal a company of first-rate artists, his
power over them was practically unlimited, and
the king's confidence in him unbounded. His
obvious duty was to keep matters up to the
standard to which Briihl had raised them.
He started with the best intentions. Briihl
was informed of various plans for increasing the
orchestra, establishing a training-school for the
chorus, and introducing new methods into the
existing singing-school. He was considering
the best means of educating the singers in the
dramatic part of their art, and drew up a new
set of rules for the band. Little, however, came
of all this, partly because several of Spontini's
proposals were already in existence in other
forms, and partly because of his own want of
purpose and temper. In fact, it soon came to
a trial of strength between him and Briihl. The
latter insisted, a little too firmly, on his rights
as supreme manager, and even appealed to the
public through the press. Spontini, despotic,
and exceedingly sensitive as to publicity, refeiTed
to his contract, which had been drawn up without
Briihl's concuiTence, and which he declined
to interpret according to Bruhl's views, and
stated specifically that he was subject to no one
but the King, or possibly the Home-Minister
also. Unacquainted with Berlin or the German
language, and surrounded by a crowd of
parasites, he soon fell into mistakes which it
was extremely difficult to rectify with so
suspicious a person. A few months of ill-concealed
irritation on both sides led to open
collision. On Oct. 25, at a meeting to arrange
the repertoire for the week, with Briihl in the
chair, Spontini spoke of che latter's sketch as
' parfaitement ridicule,' because it did not contain
at least two grand operas, the ' Vestale