aillery, swears he'll never love woman more and advises all
husbands to seek divorce. All this is in resounding octave rime. Then a
Maenad calls upon her sisters to defend their sex. They drive Orpheus off
the stage and slay him. Returning they sing a chorus, which is the
finale of the opera.

"Ciascun segua, O Bacco, te;
Bacco, Bacco, oe, oe!
Di corimbi e di verd'edere
Cinto il capo abbiam cosi
Per servirti a tuo richiedere
Festiggiando notte e di.
Ognun breva: Bacco e qui:
E lasciate bere a me.
Ciascun segua, O Bacco, te."

This chorus is translated by Symonds. The first stanza, above given in
the original Italian, is translated thus:

"Bacchus! we must all follow thee!
Bacchus! Bacchus! Ohe! Ohe!

With ivy coronals, bunch and berry,
Crown we our heads to worship thee!
Thou hast bidden us to make merry
Day and night with jollity!
Drink then! Bacchus is here! Drink free,
And hand ye the drinking cup to me!
Bacchus! Bacchus! we must all follow thee!
Bacchus! Bacchus! Ohe! Ohe!"

This is a sketch of the poem of Poliziano, on a story which became the
subject of many operas, down to the time of Gluck. This is the story set
by Monteverde in his famous work, which has recently been revived in
Italy with success. This story was utilized by Peri and Caccini in their
"Euridice," which is accepted as the first opera written in the new
representative style of the sixteenth century to receive a public
performance.

But, as we have already noted, in this "Orfeo," performed at the Mantuan
court, there was so much of the material of a genuine lyric drama that
it now becomes our business to examine more closely the character of the
musical features and the manner of the performance. The points at which
music must have been heard are clearly indicated by the text. Before
proceeding to a consideration of this music, let us picture to ourselves
how the work was performed.

CHAPTER VI

The Performance of "Orfeo"

The "Orfeo" was performed in a hall of the castle. The lyric dramas of
the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were all presented in private.
There were no opera houses, and the theater, though revived in Italy in
the fifteenth century, had no permanency till Alfonso I, Duke of
Ferrara, at the suggestion of Ariosto built in his capital a real play
house. There is nevertheless no reason to think that the performance of
Poliziano's "Orfe