ut acknowledge the fascination of the
romantic school, and the works of Herold (1791-1833) show how powerfully
the new leaven had acted. But Weber was not the only foreigner at this
time who helped to shape the destiny of French music. The spell of
Rossini was too potent for the plastic Gauls to resist, and to his
influence may be traced the most salient features of the school of opera
comique which is best represented by Auber. Herold, though divided
between the camps of Germany and Italy, had individuality enough to
write music which was independent of either. Yet it is significant
that his last two works--the only two, in fact, which have
survived--represent with singular completeness the two influences which
affected French music most potently during his day. 'Zampa' has been
called a French 'Don Giovanni,' but the music owes far more to Weber
than to Mozart, while the fantastic and absurd incidents of the plot
have little of the supernatural terror of Mozart's opera. Zampa is a
famous pirate, who, after having dissipated his fortune and made Italy,
generally speaking, too hot to hold him, has taken to the high seas in
self-defence. In his early days he had seduced a girl named Alice
Manfredi, who after his desertion found a home in the house of a
Sicilian merchant named Lugano. There she died, and there Lugano caused
a statue to be set up in her honour. When the story of the opera begins,
Lugano is a prisoner in the hands of the redoubtable Zampa. The pirate
himself comes to Sicily to obtain his prisoner's ransom, bringing
directions to Lugano's daughter Camilla to pay him whatever he may ask.
Zampa at once falls a victim to the _beaux yeux_ of Camilla, and demands
her hand as the price of her father's safety. Camilla loves Alfonso, a
Sicilian officer, but is prepared to sacrifice herself to save her
father. At the marriage feast, Zampa, recognising the statue of the
betrayed Alice, jokingly puts his ring upon her finger, which
immediately closes upon it. The opera ends by the statue claiming Zampa
as her own, snatching him from the arms of Camilla, and descending with
him into the abyss.

It would be in vain to look in Herold's score for an echo of the passion
and variety of Mozart, but much of the music of 'Zampa' is picturesque
and effective. Herold's tunes sound very conventional after Weber, but
there is a good deal of skill in the way they are presented. His
orchestration is of course closely modelled on that