e the overture a picture in brief of the incidents of
the opera, he developed the idea with so much picturesque power and
imagination that the preludes to his operas remain the envy and despair
of modern theatrical composers. The inspiration of 'Der Freischuetz' is
drawn so directly from the German Volkslied, that at its production
Weber was roundly accused of plagiarism by many critics. Time has shown
the folly of such charges. 'Der Freischuetz' is German to the core, and
every page of it bears the impress of German inspiration, but the
glamour of Weber's genius transmuted the rough material he employed into
a fabric of the richest art. Of the imaginative power of such scenes as
the famous incantation it is unnecessary to speak. It introduced a new
element into music, and one which was destined to have an almost
immeasurable influence upon modern music. Weber's power of
characterisation was remarkable, as shown particularly in the music
assigned to Agathe and Aennchen, but in this respect he was certainly
inferior to some of his predecessors, notably to Mozart. But in
imaginative power and in the minute knowledge of orchestral detail,
which enabled him to translate his conceptions into music, he has never
been surpassed among writers for the stage. Modern opera, if we may
speak in general terms, may be said to date from the production of 'Der
Freischuetz.'

Operatic composers are too often dogged by a fate which seems to compel
them to wed their noblest inspirations to libretti of incorrigible
dulness, and Weber was even more unfortunate in this respect than his
brethren of the craft. After 'Der Freischuetz,' the libretti which he
took in hand were of the most unworthy description, and even his genius
has not been able to give them immortality. 'Euryanthe' was the work of
Helmine von Chezy, the authoress of 'Rosamunde,' for which Schubert
wrote his entrancing incidental music. Weber was probably attracted by
the romantic elements of the story, the chivalry of mediaeval France, the
marches and processions, the pomp and glitter of the court, and
overlooked the weak points of the plot. To tell the truth, much of the
libretto of 'Euryanthe' borders upon the incomprehensible. The main
outline of the story is as follows. At a festival given by the King of
France, Count Adolar praises the beauty and virtue of his betrothed
Euryanthe, and Lysiart, who also loves her, offers to wager all he
possesses that he will contrive to ga