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Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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'<br />

658 SPONTINI<br />

Spontini'a choice <strong>of</strong> a subject. He set to work<br />

with the seriousness which was his main oharaeteristio<br />

as an artist ; read, studied, <strong>and</strong> did<br />

everything to imbue himself with the spirit <strong>of</strong><br />

the epoch, one wholly foreign to anything he<br />

had before attempted.' The libretto in its final<br />

form was a good one on the whole. The scene<br />

is laid at Mayence in 1194, during the reign <strong>of</strong><br />

the Emperor Henry VI. <strong>of</strong> Hohenstaufen, <strong>and</strong><br />

the plot turns on the factions <strong>of</strong> the Guelphs<br />

<strong>and</strong> Ghibellines. The <strong>music</strong> is thoroughly<br />

German, the harmonies richer <strong>and</strong> more satisiying,<br />

the melodies quite national in character ;<br />

isolated passages recalling Spohr, <strong>and</strong> even<br />

Weber, though without anything like servile<br />

Imitation. It is throughout the result <strong>of</strong> an<br />

entire absorption in the dramatic situation <strong>and</strong><br />

characters. A comparison <strong>of</strong> it with the sentimental<br />

ballad-like effusions <strong>of</strong> even good German<br />

composers in similar circumstances will serve to<br />

accentuate the difference between them <strong>and</strong><br />

Spontini. Neither is there any sign <strong>of</strong> exhaustion<br />

<strong>of</strong> inventive power. The stream <strong>of</strong> melody flows<br />

as freely as ever ; indeed there is a breadth, an<br />

dan, <strong>and</strong> a fire in some <strong>of</strong> these melodies, to<br />

which he rarely attains in his earlier operas<br />

instance the terzetto in the second act, ' Ja, statt<br />

meines Kerkers Grauen,' <strong>and</strong> Agnes's solo Meiu<br />

'<br />

Konig droben.' The criticisms <strong>of</strong> the day were<br />

most unjustly severe ; but though the <strong>music</strong> was<br />

never published the MS. score exists, <strong>and</strong> an<br />

examination <strong>of</strong> it will fully bear out all that<br />

we have said. It is not too late to form an<br />

impartial judgment, <strong>and</strong> Germans should recognise<br />

that they have a duty to perform to<br />

'Agnes von Hohenstaufen,' as the only opera<br />

which deals worthily with a glorious period <strong>of</strong><br />

German history. When this has been fairly<br />

acknowledged it will be time enough to look out<br />

for its defects.<br />

It was the last opera which Spontini completed.<br />

Various new plans <strong>and</strong> schemes continued<br />

to occupy him, as before, especially during<br />

the latter part <strong>of</strong> his stay in Paris, when Louis<br />

'<br />

XI.,' La Golere d'Achille,' <strong>and</strong> ' ' Artaserse ' had<br />

in turn been thought <strong>of</strong> for composition. For<br />

a successor to Olympia ' ' he thought iirst <strong>of</strong><br />

' Sappho 'or <strong>of</strong> ' Die Horatier,' <strong>and</strong> then <strong>of</strong> two <strong>of</strong><br />

Werner's tragedies, Das Kreuz an '<br />

der Ostsee '<br />

<strong>and</strong> ' Attila,' but none <strong>of</strong> these projects appear<br />

to have advanced far enough even for a preliminary<br />

rehearsal. More progress was made<br />

with a poem by his old friend Jouy, Les<br />

'<br />

Ath^niennes, ' first <strong>of</strong>fered him in 1819, <strong>and</strong> accepted<br />

in a revised form in 1822. In a review<br />

<strong>of</strong> the poem 2 written in 1830, Goethe implies<br />

that the <strong>music</strong> was complete, but at Spontini's<br />

death nothing was found but unimportant<br />

fragments.' An opera founded on English<br />

1 Sponiini In DeutgcJU<strong>and</strong>, p. 102 (Leipzig, Steinacker und Hartknocli,<br />

1830).<br />

s Goethe'a ITorfta.Goedecke'Bedition.Tol. xill.p. 653,Cotta.<br />

Spontini in Deutechl<strong>and</strong>, p. 22. Leipzig, 1830.<br />

3 Robei-fa Spanilni, p. 84. BBrtln, 1883.<br />

Also<br />

history occupied him longer. We have already<br />

mentioned the revision <strong>of</strong> his 'Milton.' His<br />

studies for this deepened his interest in the<br />

English history <strong>of</strong> the 17th century. In 1830<br />

Eaupach wrote a, libretto for a gr<strong>and</strong> opera,<br />

'<br />

Milton,' which was bought by the committee <strong>of</strong><br />

management for 30 Friedriohs d'or, <strong>and</strong> placed,<br />

at Spontini's disposal.* The only portion <strong>of</strong> the<br />

smaller opera retained was the fine Hymn to the<br />

Sun. After completing the revision <strong>of</strong> Agnes<br />

'<br />

von Hohenstaufen,' Spontini wrote to the Intendant<br />

(May 9, 1837) that he hoped in the winter<br />

<strong>of</strong> 1838 to produce ' Miltons Tod und Busse fiir<br />

Konigsmord ' (Milton's death, <strong>and</strong> repentance for<br />

the King's execution). He spent the summer <strong>of</strong><br />

1838 in Engl<strong>and</strong>, studying historical, national,<br />

<strong>and</strong> local colouring for this historico-romantio<br />

'<br />

opera. Raupach's poem; extended <strong>and</strong> revised<br />

by Dr. Sobernheim, had now assumed a political<br />

<strong>and</strong> religious tendency, so distasteful to the King<br />

as to make him prohibit the opera. Further<br />

alterations ensued, <strong>and</strong> it became Das ' verlorene<br />

Paradies' (Paradise Lost). By May 1840 the<br />

score <strong>of</strong> part <strong>of</strong> the 1st, <strong>and</strong> two-thirds <strong>of</strong> the<br />

2nd act was complete. Up to March 1841 he<br />

certainly intended finishing it, but not a note<br />

<strong>of</strong> it has ever been heard. We may add that on<br />

June 4, 1838, he mentioned a fairy-opera to the<br />

King, <strong>and</strong> in Dec. 1840 pr<strong>of</strong>essed himself ready<br />

to begin a new comic opera. He was apparently<br />

bent on composing fresh dramatic works; <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>of</strong>ten complained that the management did not<br />

<strong>of</strong>fer him sufficient choice <strong>of</strong> librettos ; but he<br />

was incapacitated from creation by his increasing<br />

pedantry, <strong>and</strong> by the perpetual state <strong>of</strong> irritation<br />

in which he was kept by his critics.<br />

Spontini's other compositions during his residence<br />

in Berlin are unimportant. A hymn for<br />

the coronation <strong>of</strong> the Emperor Nicholas <strong>of</strong> Russia,<br />

to words by Eaupach, was performed at Berlin,<br />

Dec. 18, 1826, <strong>and</strong> May 9, 1827.* A cantata to<br />

Herklots' words, ' Gott segne den Kbnig,' had a<br />

great success at the Halle Musical Festival in<br />

Sept. 1829, which Spontini conducted so much<br />

to the general satisfaction as to procure him an<br />

honorary Doctor's degree from the University,<br />

<strong>and</strong> a gold medal inscribed Idricae Tragoediae<br />

JPrindpi Oermania meritonim cultrix. A Domine<br />

salvum fao regem,' a 12, with ' accompaniment<br />

<strong>of</strong> organs, trumpets, violoncelli, <strong>and</strong> basses,<br />

was written on Oct. 15, 1840, for presentation<br />

to the King. Besides these he published a number<br />

<strong>of</strong> French,German,<strong>and</strong> Italian vocal pieces, with<br />

PF. accompaniment, the best <strong>of</strong> which is Die<br />

'<br />

Gimbern,' a war-song for three men's voices. As<br />

a mere matter <strong>of</strong> curiosity may be mentioned<br />

that he set Goethe's Kennst du das L<strong>and</strong>,' <strong>and</strong><br />

'<br />

the Italian canzonet ' Ninfe, se liete, ' in which<br />

he again clashed unconsciously with Weber's<br />

* In Spontini in DeutBchZ<strong>and</strong> this libretto is said to be by Jouy.<br />

I have not been able to aseei-tain whether it was Jouy's work revised<br />

by Baupach, or an oi'iglnal production.<br />

6 Hanpach had intended to have tableaux vUiante to each five<br />

stanzas ; but this was not carried out.

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