ones and other wind instruments; and the second, a nonsense duet
("Pa-pa-Papageno") for Papageno and Papagena, which would close the
opera in a burst of childish hilarity but for the solemn concluding
chorus of the priests ("Heil sei euch Geweithen").

The great charm of the opera is its originality, and the wonderful
freshness and fruitfulness of the composer in giving independent and
characteristic melodies to every character, as well as the marvellous
combination of technicality with absolute melody. Beethoven said of it
that this was Mozart's one German opera in right of the style and
solidity of its music. Jahn, in his criticism, says: "'The
Zauberfloete' has a special and most important position among Mozart's
operas. The whole musical conception is pure German, and here for the
first time German opera makes free and skilful use of all the elements
of finished art."

ROSSINI.

Gioachini Antonio Rossini was born at Pesaro, Italy, Feb. 29, 1792.
His early lessons in music were taken with Tesei, and as a lad he also
appeared upon the stage as a singer. In 1807 he was admitted to the
class of Padre Mattei at the Bologna Conservatory, where he took a
prize for a cantata at the end of his first year. At the beginning of
his career in Italy he was commissioned to write an opera for Venice.
It was "La Cambiale di Matrimonio," an opera buffa in one act, and was
produced in 1810. During the next three years he wrote several works
for Venice and Milan, which were successful, but none of them created
such a furor as "Tancredi." This was followed by "L' Italiana in
Algeri," "Aureliano in Palmira," and "Il Turco in Italia." In 1815
appeared "The Barber of Seville." Strange as it may seem, it was at
first condemned, not on its merits, but because the composer had
trenched, as it was supposed, upon the ground already occupied by the
favorite Paisiello, though he applied to the latter before writing it,
and received his assurances that he had no objection to his use of the
same subject. "Otello" followed the "Barber" at Naples in 1816, and
"Cenerentola" in 1817, and both were extraordinarily successful. The
"Gazza Ladra" was produced at Milan in 1817, and was followed by
"Armida" at Naples in the same year. His next great work was the
oratorio, "Moses in Egypt," which is also given as opera. The "Donna
del Lago," based upon Walter Scott's "Lady of the Lake," was produced
at Naples in 1819. The same year he opened the Carn