the painter's 'Genofeva.' All the sweet
sadness,--the pain, longing, and sense of the supernatural,--of a heart
torn by hopeless love are in the words of this beautiful poem. Moreover,
as the verses have a certain touching flavour of the Antique, I have
thought it better that the composition should be without any instrumental
accompaniment, but for voices alone, in the style of old Alessandro
Scarlatti, or the more modern Benedetto Marcello. I have done all the
music for it in my head, but only the beginning of it has been written
down as yet. If you haven't quite forgotten all about singing, and,
especially, if you still feel the benefit of our old practice at
'reading invisible music,' and can strike your notes correctly as of
old, I should like that we sing what I have composed for thebe words."

"Ah yes!" said Ottmar, "I remember about the 'reading invisible music.'
You used to put your fingers on the notes of the chords without
pressing them down, and each of us sang the notes of his part without
previously hearing them on the instrument. People who didn't notice the
process of indicating the notes couldn't imagine how we 'improvised'
part-music so cleverly; and for those who possess the talent of being
easily astonished, it really is a good and interesting musical trick.
For my part, I still sing that mediocre, grumbling old baritone of
mine, and have as little forgotten how to hit my note as Lothair, who
can still, with his fine _basso_, lay firm foundations on which tenors
like you and Cyprian can build skywards with security."

"For Cyprian's beautiful, delicate, tender tenor," said Theodore, "this
thing of mine is exactly suitable. Therefore I shall give him the first
tenor part, and take the second myself. Ottmar, who was always very
accurate in striking his note, shall take the first bass, and Lothair
the second. Only, for Heaven's sake, don't thunder, but keep the whole
thing soft and _sostenuto_, as the character of the composition
requires."

Theodore struck two or three introductory chords on the piano, and then
the voices began, with long, sustained notes, in the key of A flat
major:

"Beauteous Lover's Star,
That gleamest far and far,
In pale blue vault of Heaven!
To thee, this night, our hearts make prayer;
Oh! aid us in our fond despair!
To Love--to Love alone our souls are given."

The two Tenors now went on, in duet;