ary honors. In 1771 he brought out his
opera, "Mitridate, Re di Ponto," at Milan, with great success. The
next year he produced "Lucio Silla," also in Milan, and during the
next four years composed a great number of symphonies and other
instrumental works. The mass of music which he composed up to his
twenty-first year is simply bewildering. In 1781 he brought out
"Idomeneo" at Munich, which left no doubt as to his position as a
dramatic composer. In 1782 his "Entfuhrung aus dem Serail" was
produced at Vienna by the Emperor's command. His next great opera was
"Le Nozze di Figaro," which was performed in 1786, and made all Vienna
go wild. "Don Giovanni" followed it the next year, and was received
with equal enthusiasm. In 1789 he composed the famous "Requiem;" and
the same year the "Zauberfloete," his last great opera, appeared, and
made a success even greater than its two great predecessors. Two years
later, Dec. 5, 1791, Mozart died in poverty, and amid the saddest of
surroundings. One of the world's greatest geniuses was carried to his
last resting-place unaccompanied by friends, and was buried in the
common pauper's grave. God endowed him with a wonderful genius, which
the world of his time could not recognize.

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO.

"Le Nozze di Figaro," in the German version, "Die Hochzeit des
Figaro," an opera buffa in four acts, the words by Lorenzo da Ponte,
after Beaumarchais's comedy, "Le Mariage de Figaro," was first
produced at the National Theatre, Vienna, May 1, 1786, with the
following cast:--

COUNTESS ALMAVIVA Signora STORACE.
SUSANNA Signora LASCHI.
CHERUBINO Signora MANDINI.
MARCELLINA Signora BUSSANI.
BARBARINA Signora GOTTLIEB.
COUNT ALMAVIVA Signor MANDINI.
FIGARO Signor BENUCCI.
BARTOLO Signor OCCHELEY.
BASILIO Signor BUSSANI.

It was first brought out in Paris in 1793, with Beaumarchais's spoken
dialogue, in five acts, as "Le Mariage de Figaro," and in 1858 at the
Theatre Lyrique in the same city, in four acts, as "Les Noces de
Figaro," with text by Barbiere and Carre. The late Mme. Parepa-Rosa
introduced it in this country in its English form with great success.

At the time the libretto was written, Beaumarchais's satirical comedy,
"Le Mariage de Figaro," had been performed all over Europe, and had
attracted great attention. It had bee