e insignificant Ottavio, the light-headed and shallow-hearted
Zerlina), and live only in the beautiful music which the prodigality of
genius has wasted upon so poor a theme. Not even _that_ libretto could
degrade the pure, serious, and essentially innocent character of
Mozart's conceptions; but, in turn, his refined musical conception has
been unable to lift the subject from the mire of Da Ponte's delineation.
We know that page after page has been written to unfold the mystic
meanings and profound philosophy contained in the story, but our
observation has been, that the effect of the whole upon pure minds is
simply--disgust. The musical grandeur of the finale rarely saves its
becoming ludicrous in the representation, and the _good joke_ of a life
of unblushing immorality is in no way lessened by the appearance of
demons, in whose existence half the world (at least of of opera goers)
has ceased to believe.

The 'Faust' is nearly, if not quite, as bad. The undisguised sensuality
of Faust, both in Goethe's drama and in the operatic rendering, is such
that it nearly destroys our sympathy with Margaret, and scenes that
should be pathetic are either merely repulsive, or excite our
indignation to such a degree that we 'turn all our tears to sparks of
fire.'

Nothing but loathing can attend the open, deliberate, and utterly gross
destruction of virtue as planned and executed by that miserable
libertine. Mephistopheles himself is scarcely more corrupt, and the
representation of these two great poisonous spiders, weaving their
meshes round their unfortunate and but too easy prey, can never in any
sense impress us as lofty specimens of _high art_.

How different is the plot of 'Fidelio,' where one can yield oneself to
the beauty of the music and the pathos of the story without a single
jarring sensation!

Let the masters then beware! Music is essentially pure, and should never
by great minds be wedded to coarse ideas. The subject must have an
influence upon the immortality of the work. The really noble and truly
art-loving men and women of all countries will, as they advance in
mental cultivation and comprehension of the higher aims of art, banish
such gross delineations and festering moral sores from the stage, and
fine musical works thus sullied will continue to live solely as
represented by such instrument or instruments as may best be calculated
to express their real value and meaning.

We go to the opera for relaxation,