appears. Learning from Lucy what she has
done, he tramples the contract under foot, hurls an imprecation upon
the house of Lammermoor, and bursts out of the room in a terrible
rage. Sir Henry follows him, and a fierce quarrel ensues, which ends
in a challenge. Meanwhile, at night, after the newly wedded couple
have retired, a noise is heard in their apartment. The attendants rush
in and find Lord Arthur dying from wounds inflicted by Lucy, whose
grief has made her insane. When she returns to reason, the thought of
what she has done and the horror of her situation overcome her, and
shortly death puts an end to her wretchedness. Ignorant of her fate,
Edgar goes to the churchyard of Ravenswood, which has been selected as
the rendezvous for the duel with Sir Henry. While impatiently waiting
his appearance, the bell of the castle tolls, and some of the
attendants accosting him bring the news of her death. The despairing
lover kills himself among the graves of his ancestors, and the sombre
story ends.

The popular verdict has stamped "Lucia" as Donizetti's masterpiece,
and if the consensus of musicians could be obtained, it would
unquestionably confirm the verdict. It contains incomparably the
grandest of his arias for tenor, the Tomb song in the last act, and
one of the finest dramatic concerted numbers, the sextet in the second
act, that can be found in any Italian opera. Like the quartet in
"Rigoletto," it stands out in such bold relief, and is so thoroughly
original and spontaneous, that it may be classed as an inspiration.
The music throughout is of the most sombre character. It does not
contain a joyous phrase. And yet it can never be charged with
monotony. Every aria, though its tone is serious and more often
melancholy, has its own characteristics, and the climaxes are worked
up with great power. In the first act, for instance, the contrasts are
very marked between Henry's aria ("Cruda, funesta smania"), the chorus
of hunters ("Come vinti da stanchezza"), Henry's second aria ("La
pietade in suo favore"), in which he threatens vengeance upon Edgar,
the dramatic and beautifully written arias for Lucy, "Regnava nel
silenzio" and "Quando rapita in estasi," and the passionate farewell
duet between Lucy and Edgar, which is the very ecstasy of commingled
love and sorrow. The second act contains a powerful duet ("Le tradirmi
tu potrai") between Lucy and Henry; but the musical interest of the
act centres in the great sextet,